want to buy a new(er) toyota- opinions please

[mikota40]

Hello
I am in the market for a new (to me) truck. Ive been looking at the 4runners as i used to have a couple from the early 90's. now i see that toyota has decided not to include a 5speed in any of the new generation 4runners. Id really like to have the manual. Ive scoured the internet for a 2000 w/5sp and they are quite hard to come by. I'm wondering what your opinion is about which is the best year 4runner to be had (w/ 5sp). I have lots of pipe dreams of crawling across continents and building a badass 4wheeling machine but weekend wrenching on my 40 will suffice for that. now id like to get more of a family machine (well my wife...need i say more) and i want to commute.. (can i get 20mpg?) but i still would like to do some mild, realistically maybe 1-2 times a yr, off roading trips. Thanks in advance for your input I'll be anxious to see what you all think. oh my budget is 10k.

 

[Duane]

Toyota 4Runner History 1996

ToyotaOffRoad.com - History of the Toyota 4Runner

Well 2000 was the last year with a manual transmission and the rear locker. 2000 is basically the same as the 99 upgrade.

I just bought a 99 SR5 and so far i like that it stands taller than the pre99's, the front cupholders should function way better and the ECT button that the girlfriend always clicked in the console is now on the dash. I like the extra power outlets, map lights, supposed to have heated mirrors now, the stereo is wayyy nicer than my 96, and heck the front seats are even nicer and have a lumbar support. I like that it now has a factory remote lock control as well as the one touch front power window control. I like the rotary temp and position controls rather than the sliders in my 96. My SR5 has wheel wells with a nice clean small trim rather than the large flares which in my opinion is much less likely to be damaged. The rear bumper and extensions though are rusted through on my 99..perhaps less quality in this area now??

I'm not sure if an 01 and 02 model are better with their center diff lock and other traction/handling controls but no manual transmission or rear e-lock option here though.

I like that the inline 4 cylinders use a timing chain rather than the 3.4L timing belt. Cheaper tune ups etc as 2 less holes to fuss with. But add a load, a head wind and a hill and the 2.7 L requires much patience at highway speeds.
So for my bid, if we are talking a 3rd generation model I would go with a 99 or 2000 V6.
just my 2 cents
in the pics the blue96 has 32 inch tires and the 99 factory P265/70R16's or 30.7 inch

 

[mikota40]

99 upgrade

Duane thanks for your reply. you've got a nice looking truck there. did you remove the luggage rack?

I started looking at the 99's since the 2000's are so hard to come by. And i noticed that some of the 99's have the 2000 wheels and some of them have hood scoops (is that factory air induction? i didnt see any option for it ) what is the 99 upgrade? and if anyone knows, what do you get when you get sr5 and what do you get when you get the limited version, and can you get both? (i havent seen one badged with both the limited and the sr5 emblems.

 

[Jacket]

Can you say cross-country road trip?

2000 Toyota 4Runner SR5 Manual Transmission 89K miles

 

[Duane]

Duane thanks for your reply. you've got a nice looking truck there. did you remove the luggage rack?

I started looking at the 99's since the 2000's are so hard to come by. And i noticed that some of the 99's have the 2000 wheels and some of them have hood scoops (is that factory air induction? i didnt see any option for it ) what is the 99 upgrade? and if anyone knows, what do you get when you get sr5 and what do you get when you get the limited version, and can you get both? (i havent seen one badged with both the limited and the sr5 emblems.

The 96 has a luggage/cargo rack or whatever you call it and the 99 does not have one. thanks I like the 99!
Perhaps read throught the 2 links I put in my previous post for more info. The scoop I think was for show on a sport model..not sure though, 99 upgrade I was short with I meant in 99 they changed the 3rd generation 4runner a fair bit and those above links detail the changes. Again the above links have further details on what is standard on SR5, Sport or Limited models and some options as well. Hope that helps.

 

[mikota40]

Jacket I saw that ad and wrote to the guy, told him i had cash and would fly out to meet him and buy the truck IF he sent me more pics. He wrote back and said he didnt deal with people out of state. I wrote back again explaining that I wasn't trying to scam him and gave him my phone number and exaggerated the fact that i had CASH..and the dude never responded. go figure. i guess he dosent need to sell his truck that badly. but for anyone in cali looking for a 2000 4runner this is the best deal in the country right now. the truck has the lowest miles and is a great price. believe me ive spent probably 40 hrs searching the internet. i use crazedlist.org (for any of you craigslisters that want to search more than one area at a time and dont know...its great) cars.com yahooautos ebay etc etc i'm internetted out. there a green 99 about a hour from me w/115k but the dealer has it listed for 9800. a couple of them in new england w/high miles... the search continues. till then i'll chip away at the 40...

 

[hoch]

Personally, given that two 4Runners were both taken care of equally, I'd rather take the one with 115k miles over 89k. Reason being, 90k mile maintenance is a big one. Timing belt/water pump/etc.

Manual 4Runners are hard to come by, but keep looking. They're out there. I see them pop up every now and then in my area. Here is a 98 with 87k miles. Can't tell if it has a rear locker or not.

ksl.com - KSL Car Classifieds