Finally chose a rig, now looking starts, 4Runner 3rd gen.

[MCObray]

I'm in the same boat as you are. I will be attempting to sell my current vehicle, in hopes of purchasing a '99-'01 Limited 3rd Gen. T4R. It's tough being patient, but it's going to eventually pay off! Best of luck to you on you search.

 

[J-man]

Im actually selling 2 rigs of mine right now - an 01 tacoma & my 2000 4runner v6 5spd 4x4 sr5 as im getting back into a Tundra.
my 2000 4runner has about 150k, 5spd, 4x4 (not push button), trutrac in the rear end, sway a ways front & SS1.2 in the rear w/265's bfg's, sweet sound 2 amps & a 12" sub, I recently put in a supercharger less than 2k miles ago, so i might take it off and sell it separate if the price i get is less than i want - we'll see. i need at least $8500 for it to be worth selling. Ill be putting an ad up in the next couple days for it.

 

[SOAZ]

I'm know there are a few folks who know more about a 3rd gen than me, but there aren't too many.:elkgrin:
Ask away. Obvious stuff would be to get a 99-00 Highlander as long as you like Black or Green trucks. Get a manual transmission (This avoids the pink milkshake and manuals are fun and make the 3.4 feel more powerful). A bonus is that the AC controls are mechanical instead of electronic which is a great thing. The transfer case is simple old 2wd/4wd which is nice since my 01 has killed several electronic actuators for the fancy AWD feature to the point where I retrofitted in a 99 4runner case and drive shafts.

Heck, I have been debating getting a 99-00 manual and transferring all of my toys over from my 01 just for the things mentioned.
I just need to find a low price, no-rust, low mile, white or tan 99-00 4runner. That's harder than it sounds.

 

[SOAZ]

What are everyone's thoughts on the locker vs. LSD? I'm assuming the locker acts as an 100% open diff when its not engaged correct? If this is true, it seems like a LSD would be better for most "normal" driving situations, such as driving in poor conditions as highway speeds. Obviously at slower speeds the locker would be better but most of everyone's driving is not "off road". Sorry if this is a dump question, its coming from a car guy that is looking into buying his first truck.

If you are looking for snowy weather traction and on road traction a locker is worthless. Just put the truck in 4wd (assuming it's snowy or muddy enough on the road) or if it's one of the awd trucks in awd which you can drive on pavement or wherever you like without ill effects.
LSD is better than an open diff offroad, but I wouldn't assume the LSD will do great things for you on road.

 

[SOAZ]

A little while back I started a thread about what the best toyota for expedition would be, well after carefully thinking and evaluating my choice I chose a 3rd gen 4runner. based parts available, reliable, mpg, going price. With all these I thought this the best option. I am hoping to be able to pay cash $5k - $6 and then once a tune up is preformed I'll be selling my current daily driver a 2009 mini cooper clubman, to dump the payment and free up some spending money to build this rig.

So with these things said, if you have any input on the 3rd gen 4runner and want to share, it would be appreciated. I've read a few things about the different models and will be looking for one with the e-locker. But I'm really wondering how many miles is to many. Most of the ones I've seen on autotrader within 300 miles of me are in the high 100k to low 2000k and those are the ones in my price range of $5k-$6k. If I end up getting one with this high of milage I'll be putting $50 a pay check into and account to save for a rebuild, and in the mean time I'll drive it while I build up the rig, then once completed or the engine goes, which ever happens first, I'll rebuild the motor.

So hows my plan? Thanks in advance for your input. And I'm looking forward to starting my first ever build thread soon.

Regarding mileage. Of course go as low as you can afford. For what it's worth I would say my 200K is harder than just about anyone elses besides the taliban. About 1/3 of those miles were put on working offroad for a couple years. Daily rock crawling and/or flying along at higher speeds offroad. These trucks just don't die, but if some part does break it's dirt cheap from the local wrecking yard since all years basic components tend to fit or be adaptable Notable exceptions are the AWD vs 4wd models when it comes to running gear or electronics.

 

[Loubaru]

SOAZ, thanks for the help! I started reading through your thread and noticed that you changed back to an older style tcase. Do the 99-00 limiteds have the same problem with the push button AWD as the 01+s? From the research I have done, I was under the assumption that the 99-00 tcase had the "best of both worlds" with the manual 4x4 selector and push button AWD? I had my mind set on a 99-00 limited so want to check on potential problems... There is a decent change that I will eventually end up DDing the truck in the winter so the AWD would be nice.

BTW, i love the direction you go with your mods. Very well thought out and useful instead of just throwing your wallet at the truck.

 

[SOAZ]

SOAZ, thanks for the help! I started reading through your thread and noticed that you changed back to an older style tcase. Do the 99-00 limiteds have the same problem with the push button AWD as the 01+s? From the research I have done, I was under the assumption that the 99-00 tcase had the "best of both worlds" with the manual 4x4 selector and push button AWD? I had my mind set on a 99-00 limited so want to check on potential problems... There is a decent change that I will eventually end up DDing the truck in the winter so the AWD would be nice.

BTW, i love the direction you go with your mods. Very well thought out and useful instead of just throwing your wallet at the truck.

You know what they say, the best of both worlds doesn't exist. The limiteds rely on a button, and therefore an actuator to make AWD happen. For the most part it's fail safe. For an every day truck I'd trust it. For a decade long ownership truck that goes offroad I'd avoid it like the plague. It's certainly reliable for the most part, but buttons do break depending on how much you use them. They break a lot more than a lever.
So, there are more than one 99-00 t case. The basic and sport ones are simple 2wd to 4wd ones. The limiteds are similar to the 01-02 cases. They have the issues of the 01-02 as well as the benefits.
Hard to judge. If you want a safe family truckster with electronic traction control the 01-02 are great. If you are cheap and want the newest truck with the most mechanical reliability and offroad ability the 99-00 are hard if not impossible to beat.