Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Toyota 4 Runner owners, a couple questions

I've got a 2001 Ford Explorer, 5.0 ltr V-8, AWD with 175k on it. It's been a great car. Never done anything major...nothing. Brakes, occasional wheel bearing, regular service, that's it. But with its age and mileage, I figure I've got most of the good miles out of it. Now I'm considering a 4 Runner. I refuse to pay car payments, but laying out 34k for a new(2013) one...well, let's just say "no".

So, my questions:

*Considering I will drive it 10 plus years, or until it is otherwise mostly used up, what is the highest mileage you would consider if purchasing used?
*I'm kinda figuring 200k mileage without any major rebuilding/repairs. Is this a reasonable expectation or am I being overly optimistic?

*Considering 2008 or later model, 4.0 ltr V-6, 4WD

One other thing, are there any bad models or motors or other things that I should be aware of and avoid?

Thanks in advance for any helpful advice

I have a 2012 SR5 W/bells & whistles that I gave 38K for.. Best move I've made for a while. I love it. I have owned two other Toyotas, both went way over 300K. Both are still running, gave them to my children and grandkids. Personally I could go as high as 150K as long as it was not used for stump jumping. They do hold their value.

I'd get an FJ Cruiser. That is a REAL 4WD. 4 rnrs have been neutered

There is slowly growing evidence that some 4.0L Toyotas are turning up with head gasket issues at just over 100k miles.

I have a 2006 4Runner that may have this problem right now. It is not catastrophic failure, but will worsen over time and require repair. Average cost for the repair is running right about $3,000 for those who take it to a shop.

Do an Internet search for terms such as "Toyota 4.0L head gasket", "1GR-FE head gasket", etc., and you will find cases. I'm not sure whether the problem will grow as more of these motors rack up miles, but it's not a good sign.

Otherwise, the vehicle has been a beast. The 4.7L V-8 in the 4th Generation 4Runner is one of the better motors available anywhere.

I have a 1990 4Runner with 270,000 miles on it. Still going strong.

89 4runner here and almost 200k on it!! 22re still running good!!

I respectfully disagree, especially when compared with anything else in their class and price range.

4Runners have fully-boxed body on frame construction, have a solid rear axle, have a low range transfer case, factory skid plates, ATRAC II+ traction control at all four wheels that uses the ABS system to brake wheels without traction (better than LSD), available rear locker in the Trail Edition, Downhill Descent Control, front differential and transmission breathers (rear diff easily modded), water fording capability approaching 30", real spare tire, etc. I'm probably forgetting some things.

In addition, 4Runners are well supported with aftermarket parts that make it even better, such as ARB bumpers and air lockers (along with other brands), rock sliders, upgraded skid protection, snorkel kits, suspension lifts, custom fabricated front receiver hitches, etc.

Granted, its size, angles of approach/departure, independent front suspension, etc. detract from its off-road ability, but in many other respects it is still a Real 4WD.

My wife and I have a 2006 v6 4 Runner with 97k on it. Only problem with it so far was the radiator developed a leak around 70k and we had it replaced under warranty. Its been a great vehicle and would buy another tomorrow if I wasnt going to drive the wheels off of this one.

I will agree though, the v8 was the best motor in this model and when it was stuffed into a sport package it was even better. The suspension is noticeably better in the sport model compared to the SR5. I sold them for 7 yrs and drove all of them.

As does the FJ.

A real nasty black ice slide (not the first), head-on into a rock wall, back across the 2 lane road upside down roll-over convinced me of the 4-rnr's structural integrity.. Good thing the spare tire and tool box blew out thru the rear window instead of forward...

When I came to after a few seconds of out, I reached over (the wife was driving) and shut the engine off, popped the seat belt, and exited the rear window (doors jammed), then helped the wife and two young boys out the same way. I had a slight cut above my right eye where my head apparently hit the window. That was the only injury.

Watching the tires still spinning after exiting, my youngest then about 5, and a covert seat-belt unfastener until we started fining him (he still likes money!) said "Now I know why we wear seat belts".

I loved that rig, but they are short and narrow wheel-based, and a bit top heavy.

Moved up to a one ton quad cab Chevy, and now a Ram (Still have the 90 Chevy for hauling wood, stone, gravel, etc - it's beat all to hell, but runs good - terrible milage.

I'm of the opinion that the devil you know, is better than the one you don't. Your Explorer will let you know when you've gotten the good miles out of it.

I traded away a 2001 Yukon XL with 186K on it, for a 2007 with 42K. I've been kicking myself ever since, as I have yet to get many "good miles" out of the newer one.

FC

can't address all the 4Runners in the world, but my 1988 has over 300K, and is still running strong.
The items I have mainly replaced recently, were some front end components, radiator, O2 Sensor, and some electrical things. Replacing the combination switch in the steering column next week.
Other than that, normal maintenance has been enough. You have to repack the hubs, do brake changes and that sort of thing on all vehicles.

I have two 3rd generation 4-runners. A '97 that just turned 267,200 miles. Never need to add any oil! A 2001 that has almost 180,000 miles. Also never need to add oil!

Go here to find out everything you need to know about models:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/toyota-4runner-forum/

It is an awesome site full of technical info and folks willing to help you out.

You might want to look at the math of owning new vs used. I did a KBB search of 4-Runners available in my area. Only two 2008's with 4X4 within 75 miles of home and the best deal was $18,000 with just under 100,000 miles. I consider about 15 years and 300,000 miles as far as I want to push one without major restoration. That is a 6 year old truck, (the 2014's are already out) so you should get 9 more years out of it. Breaks down to $2000/year.

The best price on a new vehicle I found was $33,000. If you drive it 15 years it breaks down to $2200/year. Some new versions were as much as $40K. Going that route would be get you up to 2660/year of ownership.

In this case used comes out a little cheaper, but not that much. If you buy new you have at least the 1st 3 years covered by warranty. If you get a lemon you have 3 years to get it fixed, or trade it before you spend a dime. Buying used is a roll of the dice. Most are fine, but you could end up with major repairs on your dime within months, even weeks.

from Toyota-4Runner.org

It's the same reason there's not reports of blown head gasket's on the FJ cruiser forums. There's a troll here who registers many aliases that is responsible for many of the blown head gasket claims. I'm not saying there hasn't ever been a blown head gasket on a 1gr-fe because if it overheats it certainly can warp the head or something. But the vast majority of the claims here are done by this troll.

A few of his usernames have been banned because he can't control himself. He's got this thing where he thinks the 2uz engine is the best engine ever built and he has to find ways to make the 1gr seem like an inferior engine. He's obviously got some kind of personal issues and uses this board as a way to act out. Here are some of his banned usernames:

Toyota 4Runner Forum - View Profile: eskimochaos
Toyota 4Runner Forum - View Profile: eskim0chaos
Toyota 4Runner Forum - View Profile: PrepareYourAnus
Toyota 4Runner Forum - View Profile: V8 Brah
Toyota 4Runner Forum - View Profile: ClockWork
Toyota 4Runner Forum - View Profile: Lexus LX
Toyota 4Runner Forum - View Profile: 2UZ

Those are just the ones that I remember off hand. There are no doubt more. And, like I said, I'm quite sure he's responsible for the majority of these blown head gasket reports. There's a pattern to most of the reports - they're almost always a poster with just a few posts under they're belt and then there's a head gasket failure. Again, some of them may be legit but I bet this loser is behind most of them.

That is the same thing I kept running into, particularly with dealers--used ones ain't cheap. Interest rates are. The dealer prices on used 4Runners varied a lot--from reasonable to obscene.

I shopped for a couple years and picked up a 2012 Trail from an individual to replace my 2006. Trails come with KDSS as a feature and it removes the top heavy handling from the equation.

Salt exposure is a problem here in Michigan and in other salting states. Michigan not only salts the roads in the winter but dumps a lot of salt brine out of old oil wells on gravel roads in the summer to keep the dust down. Go figure...a water state.

It is tough on car bodies, so keep it in mind where your used Yota came from.

Had a 1 Ton Toyota Pickup with that motor, went well over 200k unbelievable motor for a4cyl.

I've had both the regular 4Runner (2005 Limited) a FJ Cruiser (2008) and now a 2011 4Runner Trail edition.

Daughter has the 2005 with 120,000 on it now. Outside of normal maintenance she has replaced the shocks and just recently a fluid input line in the trans which was causing shifting problems. A $500. repair. That vehicle will go most places any of us would want to take it.

Liked the FJ, but the back seat wouldn't fold down flat which was a pain with Dog kennels when you had to move them forward. Supposedly changed on recent models. Lots of blind spots and you had to be careful changing lanes. Had all the 4wd bells and whistles. Use them on a regular basis-should say hard core applications-and I doubt you will get high milage without some major repairs. It costs money to be a rock crawler. Bought it with 30,000 on the odometer and sold it with 58,000. Lost $1,500 dollars in the exchange and thought I did just fine. Regular maintenance and nothing else.

The current TE has all the 4WD capabilities of the FJ with the exception of the longer WB. However, it rides a little better on the highway. No major blind spots, more room on the inside. Will go most place the FJ would, but again go to the extreme on a regular basis and long term reasonable maintenance is gone.


There is no difference between the 4WD capabilities of an FJ and a 4Runner when snow and mud are the biggest tests you put them thru. Would buy either again.

It's funny that you quoted that from T4R.org, which I read a few months ago. My take on that is that it was posted by some immature fanboy of the 4.0L motor trying to defend his V6 against the other forum members who own the V8. Those crybabies have a V6 vs. V8 thing going on there that I couldn't care less about....

If you look a bit further than that one post, you will find that there are other websites where the head gasket issue is laid out in detail, including pictures of repair invoices from dealers. Also, my local mechanic is the person who told me to be aware of it after I took the vehicle in with a CEL. He has seen it before.

I had a misfire in the number 4 cylinder (it's always 4 or 6) with a rough idle at start up. After replacing the coil and plugs, the CEL and misfire returned late this spring when ambient temps were cool in the morning, maybe causing contracting aluminum heads and allowing coolant to seep through the gasket. After a second CEL and misfire in #4 cylinder, I moved the new coil to another cylinder and reset the CEL, and so far it's been okay. However, since that time, the ambient temps have been much more stable (i.e. warm mornings and warm/hot days), thereby probably resulting in less contraction of the aluminum head. However, I am still very slowly using/losing coolant. It's not leaking from the radiator or water pump, and so it's going somewhere. My guess is that it's slipping past the head gasket and burning up, which is what originally caused the rough idle and misfire at start up.

My mechanic bore scoped the cylinder and pressure tested the cooling system, but he is not yet convinced that the gasket needs to be replaced. I guess I will know for sure when the temperatures start to cool down in the morning.

If you think that I am going through this trouble and aggravation so that I can pose as a V6 fanboy on the T4R website, perhaps you wouldn't mind donating some cash if/when my head gasket needs to be replaced....

By the way, Toyota changed the part number for the 1GR-FE head gasket sometime around 2007. As a result, there is a good chance that the head gasket was redesigned and upgraded. I doubt whether Toyota did this for no good reason. Hopefully, the later 4.0L motors produced with the new gasket won't have this issue.

I don't know know you or your motive.

I did the search and posted in the interest of disclosure--it wouldn't have hurt for you to do the same, seeing that you also had read it.