Info, feedback needed for third generation 4runner

[kasbeq]

Hello Everyone

My first post and thread on this forum , so if I make any mistakes or do not adhere to forums rules ,please bear with me ,as I will learn as I go along , and English is not my first language so I don’t want to come across as ignorant , but there is a language barrier.

I am thinking of buying a third generation 4runner and think it looks stunning ( something about the design that I find it really attractive) , however I have no idea if the car performs as well as it looks .

I would really appreciate any feedback on the cars performance and reliability .

Toyotas in general are renowned for their reliability in general but… every family has its black sheep !!!
I would also appreciate some info on Off-road capabilities of this model, in terms of : is it a proper Off-road car ,or does it just look like one ?

In my part of world Japanese cars sell very little as people in general prefer European manufacturers ( especially German manufacturers) .

Recently United Nations members of staff brought a lot of these models and now they’re for sale – hence why I’m enquiring about its performance capabilities.
Thanks for reading and I would really appreciate your feedback.

[kball]

Well I think you're making a fine choice! The third gen 4Runners are definitely not the black sheep of the Toyota family. They are very capable off road vehicles especially if lifted with bigger tires. Some of the 4WD models came with rear differential lockers which made them that much better. Performance wise on the street they are very comfortable but most people think they are a little underpowered. Even with the V6. I happen to think they get up and go just fine myself. What models are they selling? 2 or 4WD? 4cyl or 6cyl? How many miles on them?

[kasbeq]

Kball thanks for your swift reply

This particular UN mission is on of the biggest missions in UN History .
Now that the mission is over, they put on sale something like 2000 4runners.
All the vehicles are white an 4wd – 3 litre turbo – unsure about cylinders.
Mileage varies from 40,000 to 120,000 and they are regularly serviced with a full service history.
I’m sure that UN Police had versions that are faster and more powerful engine wise , but probably are a lot more neglected that the general 4runners.

What would you recommend , any tips on what type of engine has proven to be better , or any other info that I should look out for, would be much appreciated

[kball]

The third gen runners have either a 2.7litre 4cyl or 3.4 6cyl. The 6cyl was available with a supercharger. So it sounds like they have 6cyl supercharged trucks for sale. Even at 120,000 the miles are very low. Sounds like a good deal, especially if they have been maintained well. Things to look for, after 90,000 miles the timing belt should be done and usually the water pump is done at the same time. Also the rear axle seals leak sometimes and end up filling up the brake drum with fluid which then sprays all over the inside of the rear wheels. Also if they are automatic transmission equipped there is a cooler for the trans fluid built into the radiator that can sometimes fail. When that happens the engine coolant and trans fluid mix and it can ruin your transmission, also makes a mess of the coolant system in the engine. The usual fix to avoid this is to bypass the stock in radiator cooler and put an external cooler on or change the radiator every 8-10 years which is not hard to do on these.