Thoughts from the Mini minds? 1999 4Runner

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Gappy

Gappy

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My youngest is of driving age now and has a 15 mile country road drive to school.
What's your thoughts on this:
I got him down to $5,500 on the phone. It is about an hour and half away so I haven't seen it in person yet.
1999 SR5 3.4L Auto
Seller claims its very clean except for the one rust pic.
He doesn't think the timing belt was done.
4runners around here that are a little newer with these miles are pushing $9-$10K.
Most are junk for $2-$3k or that 9-10 range.
What do you 4runner/mini guys think?



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My favorite runner after the 1st gens.

big issue with those are the transmissions. It's a very stout trans. Same one as the LC, mostly. but the cooler leaks and lets antifreeze into the transmission and just junks 'em.

good car for a kid except they are a little zippy for a big truck and they are rear wheel drive most of the time without modern traction control. Also lots of room for activities in the back. stock the center console with prophylactics grandpa gappy.
 
Also my favorite after the 1st gen.
Gumby just about covered my concerns.
Looks nice.
Hot girls are even hotter in a 4wd Toyota!
Just sayin.
 
If the trany cooler leaks is it obvious when you pull trany dipstick?
 
IMO, the 3rd gen 4runner may be the smartest buy in cars right now!! And the 99 is maybe the best year. I fully support!!!

The trans issue (strawberry milkshake) is easy to see when it happens (turns the coolant into strawberry milkshake). Once "addressed" it is hard to find. They will change the junk radiator, flush coolant and trans, and SELL! Look for a new radiator. I know of a340f that has survived to tell the tale of the milkshake, maybe they last for a while but in the end they all bite it, as far as I can tell. Not the end of the world though as I can't imagine a a340f costs much (due to low demand)...
 
So what is the proper permanent repair/fix when this issue is realized?
 
In other words, replace the trans with a junkyard pull.
 
Thats pretty low miles for a 1999, SR5's usually didn't come with wood trim so thats pretty neat (might be dealer installed). The main things I would check would be:
Timing belt/water pump- (which you already did) but if a dealer did it there will be a sticker on the cover
Rear axle seals- A pretty expensive maintenance item, there will be splatter on the breaks shields etc
LBJ's- Im sure you know about these but if not just see if they wiggle
Rust- 3rd gens usually rust inside the bumper and tow hitch

Some other not important things that may just help to get the price down:
power antenna- almost never works but its a PIA to replace
clock-almost never work but an easy fix
valve cover gaskets-almost always leaking but not a big deal
rear sag-rear coils on 3rd gens almost always sag and need to be replaced around that mileage

Here is a good 3rd gen buyers guide for when you do look at it: 3rd Gen 4Runner Buyer's Guide - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum
 
Fella's, Thanks for all of the input, much appreciated!
 
I would be skeptical, whomever is taking the first picture is flying the bird.

Looks sweet man, and if its a pos it builds character!
 
The gold badging, wood trim and cloth seats strike me as odd, but hey, maybe it was just a rare option package.

Like was said, valve covers will leak oil, timing belt should be checked, and if the radiator popped it would need a Trans. But, it may be one of the most rock solid vehicles you can buy. I love mine still, even with 325k on it.
 
The gold badging, wood trim, etc.... is an upgrade of an option package that includes other things as well
 
Just buy it.
 
I think everything was covered as far as the concerns. Excellent point about the axle seals 98whitet4r. I always forget about those.

As far as the trans cooler issue- If one has mixed coolant and trans fluid, it is nearly impossible to get every drop of oil out of the cooling system.
So when you pull the radiator cap or look in the reservoir you will almost always find oil sitting on top (since oil always goes to the top of water).
You can flush the cooling system ten times and there would still be oil on top of the coolant a week later.

Like tony said, the wood trim is another option usually dealer installed. And I've seen a lot with gold trim.

If the price is right for you and It's everything you're looking for then I think you will love it. I personally thought they had come down much further in price. I paid $5800 for mine back in 2007 with 116k on it. But gas was approaching $5 a gallon back then too. Hard to believe it was once in about showroom condition.
 
My biggest concern that I didn't mention (in an effort to not bore you) has to do with my daughter as opposed to the vehicle itself.
Gumby touched on it and that is being RWD when not in 4x4. For a 15/16 year old girl that is more concerned with what is on the radio and not thinking about what is going on underneath her until its too late and she starts sliding sideways into the path of the on coming car or already in the ditch thinking...."damn, I should of turned the 4x4 on!!"
With that in mind I have looked hard for anything in full time AWD that is not Suburban size, under 100k miles and not a stupid amount of money. When we did this with my oldest daughter it was easier because her drive to school was very short and not "dangerous" so I went with the low mile '02 Camry, been a great car for her, nothing but routine maintenance and I replaced the cloudy headlight assemblies.
Jeremy, since you have touched a huge variety of vehicles, anything you can recommend in AWD either as good or to stay away from?
 
Do the runners have a part time transfercase like the tacoma or a fulltime option?

Cant go wrong with a camry or carolla. I like driving the camry better in the snow than the tacoma, spinning tires in evrey gear up to 4th gets old quick.
 
The "awd" 3rd gen is 01 02 I think. Basically it has a center diff so you can leave it in 4wd...
 
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