Coming from land cruiser... (1 Viewer)

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aaronrules

aaronrules

Coolest person you know!
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Ok, I got rid of Land Cruiser because gas mileage as I had a job that required me to drive A LOT. I friggin loved that thing! I was just browing craigslist and found this guy:
http://fortsmith.craigslist.org/cto/4613223805.html
What kind of questions do I need to ask the person selling? It is located about 30 minutes away so going to look at it wouldn't be that big of a problem. I am not too caught up on 4Runners. I already got a couple pics of the inside, and he say it runs great and has had the oil changed every 3K. Is the price right?
Any info you guys can give I would greatly appreciate!
Thanks!
 
Edit...I'm reading the 3rd gen 4Runner beginners guide right now. I alos saw this one, and really like the price.
http://fortsmith.craigslist.org/cto/4612814256.html
The guy who has this one says it has 221,000 miles, auto v6, didn't have the belt/pump done at 200k and it needs an injector.
Any help you guys can give would be great!
 
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I love my 3rd gen. Lower ball joints, radiator/AT cooler and timing belt are the big 3. At 200k miles those all need to have been or will need to be addressed.

The first one looks a little high to me. It has several thousand dollars in bumpers, lift and tires, but as you know the accessories are not going to pay back. The 99 I think has a fiddly climate control setup that can be a pain if it goes out. Somewhere in that time they went to a different type of trans/t-case setup as well. With the lift I would also look hard at the CV boots and make sure they are in good shape. That is one of the biggest issues with lifting a 3rd gen, keeping the cv's happy.

The 97 is probably about right, but knowing the timing belt needs doing would be a point to negotiate on.

I would also make sure the interior is in decent shape. And if they are trashed then Shane at Metric TLC now has 3rd gen seats for sale that are amazing. So that is also another point to discuss.

I hope to get some nice coil-overs and some sliders in the future but it's my DD and I'm trying to keep it mild.

Good luck and keep us posted.
 
I think you may find that gen 4runner isn't going to get gobs better mpg than your cruiser did. Just a thought. But I like 4runners and that one has some work done on it and looks trail ready so, more power to ya.
 
Muddy Bean said:
I think you may find that gen 4runner isn't going to get gobs better mpg than your cruiser did. Just a thought. But I like 4runners and that one has some work done on it and looks trail ready so, more power to ya.
Click to expand...

Took word out of my mouth. My question for the OP is what would you consider better mpg. We average ~16 with 265s and 255/85s were in the 13-14 range most tanks. When ours was stock I pulled 20mpg a few tanks.

The first one is similar to ours and if it's in good shape I think price is reasonable.
I do understand mods don't pay back but if you are going to build it anyway usually you are willing to pay some extra if it is taken care of.

Great vehicles and I personally think they ride better. Off-road they will handle almost anything I am comfortable wheeling.
 
Well, I jumped the gun on getting rid of my cruiser because of gas mileage. I am no longer doing the job that required me to drive so much, and I regret getting rid of it. But as it is now, I am driving about 30 miles a day coming and going to work now, and when I was doing that with the cruiser I was filling it up at least once a week and at $75 a pop while still financing it, I wasn't too happy with how much it was costing me a month. It would be easier to swallow if I wasn't financing or the payments were so low that it wouldn't even matter which is why looking at both of these the mileage wouldn't bother me too much.

What I am worried about more than anything is how much preventative or catching up maintenance I will have to do. The built one is owned by a mechanic and isn't a DD, the other one is being DD'd right now and taken good care of he says. I am going to try to go see the 97' today if possible. It might be easier to swallow 4K, but at 8k the built one sure is tempting!
 
As far as preventative or catch up you will have to do, the 4runners are more forgiving than the LC's are. Basic tune-up, timing belt and LBJ's are the main "catch-up" items and if the T-belt is good, the other stuff could be done for a few hundred bucks. One thing I did think of was the Valve cover gaskets, check for leaks. Mine were pretty bad, but I did those and the crank seal when I did my TB and now all is well.

As far as mileage, I have 265/75s on mine, with a Shrockworks front (heavy) and I am averaging 19 mpg. Have gotten into the lower 20s a couple times. It isn't gonna pull like a v8 but it can handle a decent load for short trips.

The lifted one will probably be in the mid teens, the 97 should be in the upper teens.

I also concede that the built one is likely worth the money, but only if it is what you are looking for.
 
Planning on driving my DD 01 4Runner LTD until the think falls apart. 145,000 mi and going strong. Would like to get in a 200 series, may be a while! I get 22mpg highway. The ride is starting to feel a bit more harsh, the drivers seat very worn. I just don't want to fork over any $$ for a new suspension or leather seat rework. Paint(silver) is still quite good. Running Michelin LTX radials, always use Mobile 1. Been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned.
 
I'm at 215k and still clicking along on mine, put almost 50k on it since I bought it in January 2013.
 
I have a good friend in Boise that drives an 80 series. I mentioned to him I might consider looking for an 80 and selling my 4Runner. He strongly encouraged me to keep the runner. Nothing against 80's except maybe their MPG's. Good friend.
 
I get 12.5 in our 80, that isn't so bad! It only weighs 7K pounds and has a blower :)
Get a 100 with a 5 speed, our '04 gets surprisingly good highway mileage; almost 17mpg on 295s at about 80mph..way better than our '00 100.
 
Get a 4Runner, but not that lifted one. Better gas mileage, and cheaper to own and operate in every other way too.
 
Our GX470 stays around 16-18mpg mixed driving. Still trying to talk her into some sliders and metric equivalent 33s...
 
I just bought a 97 4Runner with 314k (i tried posting about it but im new so I have to post some stuff).

Anyway, the most surprising thing about it is the thing still runs. Its going to need a ton of work though.

Check to make sure that the rear axle seals are good. If the rear brakes look like theyve been soaked in oil they probably need to be replaced.
 
pbr streetgang said:
It took a while to talk her into sliders on the 80. Now she thinks everything should have them, I lucked out!!
Click to expand...

I've got a set on my Tacoma and she doesn't like them. The kids do, she doesn't. They're 'too high and stick out too far to be useful for anything'.
 
300,000+ miles is a lot. The body better be perfect or the price was
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1410261946.126900.jpg
 
Hahaha....

Yeah....

I might be an idiot. My girlfriend knows I'm an idiot. I'll start a separate thread with pics as soon as the 2 day waiting period passes and Ill post pics and details. ;)
 
Loaded up my 80 gets 16 at 70-75 !!!
 
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