Which Generation for “explore vehicle”

Looking for a secondary vehicle (supplement my 21’ F150) to use for off-roading and exploring. Want to be able to drive it up to a few hundred miles on the street/hwy/freeway, then off-road/explore.

Plan is to put a 2-3” lift, semi skinny 32-33” tires, skid plates and sliders so that it functions well off-roading but at the same time be semi enjoyable to drive on the street/freeway.

Looking in the South West to avoid frame rust issues.

What generation 4R would you recommend? Would like to stay under $10k (not including mods) but could go up to $20k if I wanted to.

 

I’ve been focusing on 3rd and 4th. The 4th is intriguing with the 4.7 V8

this vehicle will get some trail pin strips and other minor damage so looking to keep the initially investment lower so I don’t lose a lot of value by using it off-road

 

I'd think the choice of 3rd versus 4th gen would primarily come down to whether you'd like the smaller 3rd gen, which you might scratch up less on tight trails, or the V8 in the bigger 4th gen. It might be worth test driving one of each from a used car dealer to see if you clearly prefer one to the other in terms of on road driving, or if you're OK with either and can maintain maximum flexibility in your search for one that is clean and has been well maintained. You might want to check out the separate forums on this site for 3rd and 4th gens to see what the common issues with each are, and I'd guess you'd find some people who have owned both and have opinions on the pros and cons of each.

 

Thanks! I was hoping by posting this the people with both or just one would jump in and warn of potential issues with certain generations for my application

 

I drove the 4th gen V8 and the 3rd gen V6. Big difference in power and interior space.
Found a local 4th gen with 263k miles that has been up kept pretty well, no rust but wrong color and wants $9500 (does have Bilstein 6112 up front and 5150 in the rear)

4th gen seems like the one for me. Will need to dive in and see what I need to look for as far as issues go

 

I thought if you drove both you'd probably have a preference for one because of the size and power difference. Asking prices for 4th gens around me are all over the place, from $6K to $16K. The major issue I've seen to look for in 4th gens are rust in the 2003-05 model years, and you've said the one you drove doesn't have rust. I'd think $8000 to $9000 would be the floor for one that has been well maintained, runs good and is under 300K miles. Will the seller let you take the vehicle to a mechanic to put it up on a lift and go over it? I'd think any reasonable seller who isn't trying to dump a bad vehicle would understand a potential buyer of a vehicle of that age and mileage would want to do that. I'd walk away from any used vehicle where the seller wouldn't allow it. I'd also prefer to buy a vehicle of that age and mileage from the individual owner instead of from a car dealer. Any smart 4Runner owner is going to understand the value of a good one and unlikely to sell or trade it to a used car dealer for a lowball offer. Somebody who knows the vehicle has problems and doesn't want to sell it to somebody who could come back to them is probably more likely to dump it on a used car dealer.