Day 1 of eBay 1995 4Runner adventure. Me, Houston. Car, Denver.

This is a going to be a continuation of my previous "New to me 1995 4Runner..."

Quick back story, is a few weeks I saw car on eBay and made a bid over margaritas. Never checked or tracked the bidding until I got the Congrats you are the winning bidder for 2900.00.

Wife still upset but a deal is a deal so I caught an Uber at 4:30 this morning for the first flight from Houston to Denver. Wow! The Uber/Lyft pick up at Denver is so quick and easy.

Met the seller and he is a nice guy. I think he was as nervous as I was with this being our first eBay car experience. Car was more faded than pictures (filters???) but still no discernable door dings, scratches or rust. He was the second owner and seemed very forthright and honest about the condition and history of the car. He owned the car for seven years and did quite a bit of work at 170K. New exhaust, radiator, fan, head gaskets, upgraded stereo, tires, shocks, and much more. Last year was brakes, battery, and vacuum lines replaced (red hose which matches exterior color). He is an electrical engineer by trade so the wiring looks clean as well. A/C line disconnected but he removed the belt which was good. He left all his tools, tool box, high-lift jack with the car. The rear window works as does the wiper and the sunroof works and no leaking. Water pump has a steady drip but seller disclosed it.
With a buff and a polish the paint will shine and no rips, cracks, tears, or major stains on the interior.

I drove the car to a local oil change place which was cool. The shop had a bakery sandwich shop on premise which was all fresh baked.
They replaced the oil with high mileage synthetic blend, fuel cleaner added, all fluids checked and all good but the rear dif which was flushed and replaced. They threw in 4 quarts of 50/50 antifreeze for free. The manager put the containers behind the back seat for my 70 mile drive south to Colorado Springs.

Truck ran great in traffic and did fine on I-25 for the first half of the drive then started running hot. Before it got too close to the red, I pulled over at some water park; Jelly Stone??? I tried to get a tow from my insurance to play it safe but coverage does not start until tomorrow. No to 400.00. I called three local towing companies and all around 400.00 to tow 29 miles to Colorado Springs.

With my cell phone on about 20% charge, I felt that I had no choice but to drive, pull over, cool down, top off coolant. Under 60mph the car seemed to stay cooler (gauge in the middle) and over 60 it would slowly creep up. I pulled over twice adding a jug of antifreeze each time. I know that was probably not the best thing I could do however towing seemed high even with fuel costs. I made it to the north side of town close to my aunt and pulled over a third time at a fuel station. Across the street was a Midas repair shop and felt that might be better than driving or attempting to drive further into town to "Toy Tech."

At first Midas said no. "All booked until end of next week." I call a shop which I had spoken to in Houston before I left and this time they said not until two weeks out. I called another place whom I also spoke to over the phone and also; not for a couple of weeks. Darn! Before I left they said sure no problem, bring it in.

As I was adding more coolant to the car the manager at Midas came out, saw where it was leaking and said if I leave the car there he can get it fixed tomorrow. He said he didn't want to see the motor damaged, or possibly further. I should not have driven the car but committed myself once I hit I-25 south.

They quoted $1,997 for water pump, timing belt, A/C work with a 24 month warranty. I agreed as I need to get back to Houston as soon as possible.

I will be at $4897 for car + repairs. To me still cheaper than similar two wheel drive 4Runners I looked at locally. This one is four wheel drive. The timing belt was something I had planned to do once I returned but since water pump had to be replaced...

I hope I can the vehicle back no later than Friday, give it a good cleaning inside and out, and still leave bright and early for the drive back. Not sure If I take the 13 hour interstate route or slow 16 hour route although I am leaning towards the slow way. Truck seemed to ride and drive quite nicely between 55-65mph minus the beforementioned water pump issue.

I did manage to limp the truck from Denver to Colorado Springs and have it in the shop which was my initial plan so there you go. A little stressful on the highway but will see what tomorrow brings.

I will post pics soon...

Thanks!!!
Jones

 

Looking forward to more updates. Is your wife watching this thread? Haha

 

It’s worth 5k!!

 

Sounds like you and the truck started the bonding period pretty quickly. I’ll be following this thread as it’s turned into a pretty good adventure so far. I think you’ll know a lot about your runner by the time you get her home. Good luck and be safe!

Edited to add - pics along the way would be great.

 

Wow what a story and an adventure. Maybe not the one you had planned but an adventure at that. I have a feeling the seller knew some of those things were wrong with the car and didn’t want to cough up $2k to fix it. But in the end I think you got a vehicle that will last you a very long time and it sounds like it is in good hands.

 

think of it, as a shake down cruise...etc...went thru a similar ride..when I picked up my '97 limited..once I got the 'bugs' out, my 4runner became a awesome 4runner

 

Good Morning and Day 2 of me not making good decisions. Thanks for the support and LOL, I hope my wife is not following this thread? She might come around one day, maybe?
The car is at Midas and in between work meetings I thought I would post the pics I do have. With my phone on low battery during the drive I could not take action pics however who wants to see a 4Runner stuck on the side of the interstate?
Thanks again for all the great support and hoping I can pick up the car tomorrow in time to give it a bath.

 

Is that the original rear bumper? That’s a gem good find.

 

Now everyone and there brother is going to be scoping out 2nd Gen 4Runners on ebay!! LMAO
Seriously, nice ride!! I'm following along for the progress.

 

Thanks bunches!!! I tried Craigslist and never again. Shady and I am not sure a clean titled, non-flood, affordable used car exists in the Houston area listings. I think with a three step buffing on the paint and shampooing the exterior and interior of the car will clean up quite nicely. I do like a spotless engine bay so will tackle that as well. Original wheels would be nice at some point.
Closer to stock look for me.

Thanks again!!!

 

Very nice. That looks awesome for its age.

 

Thanks you all. Your responses are too kind and nice validation. The 4Runner is still in the shop waiting its turn. I need to get on the road back to Texas as soon as possible however do not want to pester the shop. They are open until 5 on Saturday so if I leave Sunday morning I should be okay?

 

Better safe than sorry. Make sure it all checks out before leaving. Safe trip

 

For the amount your paying it’s okay to call & ask!! Nice truck & GL!!

 

Thanks and yes sir, I did call and the vehicle could be ready by 5PM today. If so, I would not leave until Sunday morning so I can spend a day getting acquainted with my 4Runner. It will need a good cleaning and waxing as well to help clean off the bugs when get home.

 

Looks like mine so I would say yes. Also, the mud flaps are original too. Great find OP. Hope they fix it right and you can make it home with no other hiccups.

 

Thanks! The shop called late this afternoon informing the cost will be about 100 less than quoted which will now be just over 1800 dollars for water pump, timing belt, and A/C repair. Previous owner disconnected A/C belt and hose a few years ago.
They said truck will be ready by 3PM tomorrow. I do not know if I should leave Sunday morning or give it a day to shake it down and hit the road back to the Houston area Monday? I think I would prefer Monday but if something goes wrong on a holiday, I am not sure of my options? If I do leave Monday I will take the more direct route.

 

With Monday being a national holiday, most places would probably be closed much like Sunday so either or. Traffic might be worse on Monday though with everyone going home. Do you have AAA?

 

If I was in your shoes I would be trying to make it to the next major city as soon as you can pick it up today. This way if you have any problems the more time you have

 

Thanks. I thought about it but promised my aunt I would play with the chain saw and cut down dead limbs in her back yard. It also gave me chance to give my new to me 4Runner its first wash and wax. I degreased the engine as best I could with the short amount of time I had as well as shampooing the interior. The cloth seats hold allot of dirt and dust.

 

Well does she seem to be running better now?

 

Ya we wanna know !!

 

The suspense is killing me!

 

Inquiring minds NEED to know.

 

Looking good, but that chrome stuff on the side and visor have got to go.

 

He might be on the road now.

 

If he’s on the road right now then I would take that as a good sign. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it’s a safe trip and no surprises.

 

Hi and Thank you all so much for the support. Yes!!! I am back to Texas. I left Colorado Springs at 6AM on 7/4 and pulled up into my drive at 2:44AM on the 5th. Looooong hot day of no A/C. Actually, I really enjoyed the drive. No issues what so ever with the 4Runner. The engine temp was just to the left of center and oil pressure was steady and consistent with acceleration. The check engine light came on with an hour left however I pulled over and tightened the gas cap and it immediately went off. I remembered filling up in Waco and did not tighten the gas cap until I heard a click.

I of course took I-25 south towards Raton and the 4Runner did great going over Raton pass with air temperature being very pleasant until I guess around Dalhart, TX. It was very dry so did not feel scorching. I wear contact lenses so I could not roll the window all the way down as it would dry out my contacts so a quarter down was a good compromise.

The 4Runner to me seemed to like 55-65mph much better than 65-75 so I decided to alter my course to stay mainly on interstate highways and or 4 lane lane state highways. I had planned to drive a more southerly route that would go through Lubbock and cut down towards Abilene, Temple and Brenham but did not want to be that guy going 60 in a 75 on a two lane road.

I stopped the longest in Quanah, Texas for Subway and from that point, just southeast of the panhandle did it get toasty. Again, never miserable and I was not a blistering ball of sweat however I am a retired Marine Corps tanker and endurance athlete so that might have helped? The drive was not boring when you are watching all the gauges and listening for strange noises. I did not dare turn on the stereo as did not want to risk missing out on potential funny engine or driveline sounds.

Being the 4th of July, traffic was heavier than expected with the stretch from Fort Worth to Waco being the worst however that was bad timing with folks pulled off the highway and or blocking the right lanes to watch the community firework shows. There was no moon and it was quite dark which made it hard to see at times. I need to upgrade to led headlights. any recommendations? That was probably the most challenging part of the drive. A very dark night and low beams just did not cut through the dark. High beams were great when I could flip them on.

Highway 6 from Waco to HWY 290 was the longest stretch for me. 3 hours out and very dark with me worried that if the 4runner would breakdown it would be during this stretch. Thankfully, no!!! Once I hit 290, it was less than 20 miles to my house and could finally relax. I pushed the speed to 70-75 a few times with the 4Runner running great.

Alas, I did not take any pictures as my phone was constantly getting too warm during the drive. A high temp warning would flash and the display would go dark. Not cool when trying to navigate. I miss old school atlas's. Easier to plan, adjust, and see the big picture although driving with an unfolded map across the steering wheel isn't good either. Easier to set a phone down than folding a ginourmous map of Texas.

I arrived at 2:44 and up early to wash and wax my 4Runner. I wanted to get the bugs off the paint and chrome and apply more protectant on the paint and interior until I can pull the car in the garage If it fits? It its too tall, I will get a fancy car cover.

I am not sure I can take the "Lund" visor off. It was put on in the 90's by the original owner as with the chrome accent strips down the sides. The "Lund" light bar visor still works but the way it is installed, would leave holes in the A-pillar.

Thursday I take the car to Midas just down the road to get the A/C compressor, manifold, dryer, and both high and low pressure lines replaced. The parts on Amazon are $240.00 however I am not sure I want to tackle the project even after watching Chris Fix on YouTube show me how to do it on a Toyota Tacoma. He makes it look too easy.

The Midas shop in North Colorado Springs were awesome. The only shop that was able to replace the timing belt and water pump plus top off all fluids before the holiday weekend. They would have done the A/C work had I been able longer and not leave Colorado Springs until July 6th.

Sooooooooo, would I do this all over again? Buy a 4Runner off eBay and drive it back home? YES!!! I love the second gen 4Runner. Yes. the car is a project with 199,000 miles however I do love the car. My wife said she thought the car looked good this morning and in better shape than what she was expecting, so she is coming around.

Thanks again for all the great support.

After the A/C repair on Thursday, what is next?

Thanks,
Jones

 

Waco,Temple..you drove minutes from where I live. Glad you made it home safe. We got worried there for a bit