Buying An Older 4Runner

Long time lurker and life-long Toyota fan.

Opinions wanted on buying an older Gen 3 4Runner: I'm looking at 3 right now. Here's a quick rundown of each:

1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5, 2WD
*Asking $3,000
*407xxx miles
*Current owner bought in 1997 when it had 8,000 miles on it, so as far as I'm concerned it's still pretty much a 1 owner truck. Says he's selling because he has 2 other vehicles and his wife wants him to get rid of the Runner. Spoke to the gentleman on the phone, says if he could he would run it until the wheels fell off and seemed very fond of the truck
*Extensive list of all repairs since he's owned it
*Meticulous maintenance for all fluid changes and repairs
*2 minor accidents (haven't confirmed with AutoCheck yet)


1997 Toyota 4Runner Limited, 4WD
*Asking $7,900--not sure of total out-the-door price
*207xxx miles
*Sitting in a used car dealership lot
*3 owners, no idea why last owner sold it
*AutoCheck had 0 accidents listed

1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5, 4WD
*Asking $6,700--unknown out-the-door price
*306xxx miles
*same dealership lot as one above
*1 owner (verified), all maintenance done at Toyota dealership according to seller
*AutoCheck had 0 accidents listed

I really love the Limited and 4WD would be nice, but at this point I care more about car payments (as in, I'd rather have none), mechanical reliability, and how much more life I can get out of the old girl. I have seen neither of these vehicles in person yet, but I am going to go see the first truck this coming weekend. Photos for both show no rust, but I plan on crawling underneath and taking a good look for myself. I also live about 4 hours away from these vehicles. Any thoughts, suggestions? What-would-you-do's?

Thanks in advance for any advice and/or replies

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

From your description of the 3 of them I would look at the limited first because of the lower mileage, 4wd, and zero accidents then go look at the other ones to compare. I wouldn’t look at a 2wd version but where and how I use my vehicle may be different than where and how you plan on using yours. Many uses for 4wd and maybe open up some new recreational opportunities for you and your family In which you have not yet even considered.

 

Where are all these 4Rs for sale? Just curious as to possibility of rust concerns.

 

for all of the above get your eyes and a hammer on the frame

 

Thanks for the welcome!

 

These are all in North Carolina

 

A hammer eh? Didn't even think of that. Thanks for the idea. I'm guessing if the hammer goes through the frame, that's bad xD

 

Yep, I definitely want the 4WD if they're still available by the time I'm able to get over there and see them, test drive, and speak to the owner of the dealership.

 

Yup. That's the idea.

 

Ding is good Thunk is bad

 

The third one with 306k miles. But I can't say for sure without knowing the condition. It could have a frame flaking like a French pastry and the description you give would still be truthful.

I wouldn't be scared of buying a 4runner with over 400k miles if it was owned by one person most of the time and they had good records, but the 2wd is a deal killer for me.

 

miles aren't important, per say....unless there's glaring evidence of not being taken care of, a totally grungy engine compartment.. the main concern is underneath..i.e. the frame. I've seen too many cases of frames, badly rusting out...

 

If I am buying a 4Runner, it better be a 4WD. After this, it comes down to how well the other two have been maintained and the overall shape of the cars. Given their mileage, things that you can readily look into is whether the timing belt, water pump, tensioner, belt pulleys, radiator have been replaced or not and if so, when? Of course you can do the usual stuff to see what works and what does not. Other this this I'd place each car on a stand and check their frame for rust. I also do a compression check on each cylinder and check the condition of each plug to make sure that the engine is not burning any oil.