On the hunt for a 3rd gen 4Runner

Hello everyone. I am in the market for a nice 3rd gen 4Runner.



I live in Portland, Oregon. I am having a heck of a time finding a 4Runner that doesn’t have 300k+ miles or is asking $10k+ for this 19-25 year old rig.



I’ve been scouring Craigslist for a while trying to find one. Is anyone selling their 3rd gen 4Runner or know of someone selling theirs?



Here is my criteria:



1996-2002 (my girlfriend says I should look for 4th gens, but I just think they’re uglier lol)

4 wheel drive

No rust or peeling paint

No accidents / major damage

Clean title (OR a rebuilt with low mileage and paperwork, but preferably clean)

Owner who didn’t smoke in their car

No leaking oil or major problems that will cost an arm and a leg

$10,000 max, but really I am looking to spend much less

Less miles, the better.



I know no car is perfect, especially when they’re this old, but I know there are good ones out there



I would be willing to drive anywhere in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, maybe California. Maybe farther if I find “the one”.



Thank you guys in advance, I can’t wait to become a 4runner owner. Its a dream car for me.



If you find anything, you can reach out to me by emailing me: camdshack@gmail.com

 

Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your search.

 

The 3rd gen is amazing, I'm not going to step on anyone's toes but I think its my favorite toyota truck I've owned and I owned a ton of different toyota 4x4s

 

welcome to the forum..good luck with the search....btw, miles don't mean squat....most 4 runners were/are well taken care of..and are pretty much bullet proof. main concern is r-u-s-t-on the frame, floor pans, etc...as far as your other dislikes, everything else is fixable...including smoky vehicles....

 

Good luck. You missed the cheap 4Runners about 2 years ago Tons of people trying to hunt one down it seems.

Keep looking. There are always deals out there and you need to keep kicking rocks over. It is well known that these rigs are easy to flip so you'll need to be quick.

As mousemeat says, miles are less of a concern. Rust is a cancer and these cars have a bad history of frame rot.

 

Depending on a few things...like borders opening soon and you being down for an adventure but maybe check craigslist for Vancouver BC. Only a 4ish hour drive from Portland.

Your money converts over 20 percent to ours so you get an instant discount.

Vancouver has a very similar climate to Portland and Seattle so we dont put down much road salt so finding clean frames is still possible. Transferring a title from the US to Can is a pain...but you guys usually have less government red tape than us so maybe its worth looking into.....maybe not. Just a thought.

Either way good luck! Be patient and be ready to pounce when one pops up.

I looked for a few months for mine. Missed all last summer and finally got one in the fall. 2000 with 240000km on it for $8500. Its worth the wait and work.

 

Welcome and good luck.

 

I feel ya brother. I got really lucky, I got the idea to pick one up started searching CL and 2 days later I was on a plane to Arizona. I essentially had the perfect storm, Original owner, all maintenance records to include Timing belt, water pump, etc; and low miles (164K). I called thinking it was a scam, the gentleman had just posted the ad 21 minutes before I called (timing is everything). I waited for the scam, instead a friendly 78 yo man answered and told me about the truck.
Heres the thing, you gotta be ready to move, you gotta make the seller feel at ease and finally ( I had to gamble a bit). Essentially, with his description and one (yes ONE) pic, I told the seller I wanted the truck. He didnt know what to say, I said Id call him back from the bank to wire him the funds. 10 minutes later, I did just that. My girlfriend and son said I had lost my mind, I knew I was going to have to risk or else he would sell to a local car flipper as the price was beyond right. Six hours later I was on a Southwest flight to Arizona. The seller and his wife even picked me up at the airport!!
They dropped me off at the truck and 19 hours later I pulled into my driveway in Austin, Tx. All went perfectly, the truck drove like a million dollars all the way home. I have a 2020 Tundra, I havent driven since I bought the Gen. 3, I LOVE IT!! This Friday she goes under the knife for full Dobinsons IMF lift and JBA UCAs. Also just ordered OEM ball joints just in case.
Long story short, keep your eyes open and with a little luck, the right situation will present itself, when it does MOVE on it. DO your due diligence and dont lolligag. "He who hesitates is lost"!
BTW, went under the truck the next day and braced myself.....it was as expected (Desert truck) rust free!!!! Look for the low hanging fruit, stay on the "West sideee"!

 

Wow, buddy, love this story!! I’ve bought so many private party vehicles in my 60 sumtin years and THIS sir is what you always hope for! Congrats, sir, you hit it out of the park!!!

PS I’m selling our 2001. Just replaced it with a 2020 (7800 miles).

SORRY THIS REPLY WAS FOR RROD ABOVE. Thought I was replying to him.
CAMDSHACK - My 2001 SR5 for sale doesn’t check all your boxes. CA title, 2WD, 288K miles, fading paint but not pealing to name a few. But good luck.

 

Hey Toys4all, thanks for the props! Looking back on that weekend it was a whirlwind but i knew the fact the seller was 1100 + miles away was gonna make this deal a longshot (seeing his asking price was so reasonable). The seller told me later that i was the first call and that the phone blew up right after. Luckily he was an old school type guy and i was upfront straight away and did everything i could to reassure him i was legit. I offered to pay via Paypal initially, i could sense this confused/ worried him. I looked at my watch and shifted gears quickly and opted for the wire transfer. 10 minutes later i handed the bank agent over to speak with him and got him paid. Credit to the seller, really nice guy and a straightshooter. I feel like the odds of the whole thing happening as they did again are astronomically low. Whats the saying? The sun shines on a dogs ass............
Btw, good luck with your sale im sure it will sell quickly. I had a Gen 5 for 10 months. I never bonded with her and traded her in for a Tundra. The Gen 3 are like go karts to me, theyre just fun to drive.

 

Man, I can relate to your story so well. That is awesome. Was really expecting you to say “then he and wife had me stay for dinner” or “invited to stay the night before heading back in the morning”. haha!
Talk about all the pieces falling into place. And you’re right, you can’t orchestra that stuff, and it may never happen like that again.
I’ve sniffed out a few home runs. You know the secret? The people. You’ll find the car is right when the seller is right. Like that old guy. Old school, rock solid, integrity, straight shooter, no fluff. When you’re that kind of seller it doesn’t have to be a gem, like what you got. I’ve sold a 15 year old 4x4 with 363k miles with a tranny going out and that person had zero doubts when sliding those Benjamin’s over because he had zero doubts about me. I’m selling my 3rd gen with 288k and that buyer is going to be stoked. Not because it’s a gem but because he or she will know everything I know about that vehicle.
Well enjoy your gem. Make her a beast!

 

I concur about high miles not being an issue. The gen 3 I’m selling with 288k continues to be our daily driver as it has been for the past 16 years. My gen 3 Tacoma has over 400k original miles.

 

the 3rd gens are amazing...in fact, I'm going to pay for my massive repairs to mine...as the insurance CO is trying to total her..over my dead body...lol......face it, I know what I had with mine..had her re done and set up the way I wanted her...so I spent ' x ' number of dollars to be fixed....heck, I would spend that money anyhow, in getting 'another' 3rd gen...and I know exactly what I got...so it's a no brainer...for me...and I have a court date down the line, to re coup my expenses...

 

UPDATE:

Last Friday I found a 1997 limited 4runner up on Whidbey Island in Washington.
Original owner, he was upper 70s. He took great care of this thing. PERFECT interior. Like seriously looks 2 years old. Great exterior, no peeling paint or rust, just rock chips at the front of the hood, no biggie.

364,000 miles on the body and 140-180k miles on the engine (jiffy lube ruined his engine and got him a new one at 220k miles. He didnt remember how many miles it had on it when replaced)

It drove super good and just felt right for me. Paid $6500 for it and the only thing that needs replaced is the sway bar. Everything works on it, the gauges, windows, electronics, etc. 4WD had never even been used lol. He drove 90% highway miles he said. Brand new battery, brakes and calipers, and A/T tires.
I know thats high mileage but you would literally NEVER guess it had 364k miles on it based on looks and how it drives until you saw the odometer. I am very happy with my find. Willing to fix her up when needed and keep her for as long as I can.

Thank you all for the help and encouragement. Proud to be part of the group now. Already ordered some decal and a rubber trunk mat and a new stereo and sub.

 

Looks good!

 

Glad to hear you found one u/Humble_Salamander686. Pretty clean too

 

Dayyum! Thats clean!! I wonder if the carfax would show the complete history? Might be worth $40 to get some background. And get her checked out just for piece of mind.
Great find and congrats. Theyre out there....my son just started his quest in northern Cal.

 

SWEET RIDE ! damn, wish my '97, was a similar color....mileage ain't squat...as long as they were taken care of...oil changes, timing belt replaced as needed, etc..here's to the next 350k plus for ya