Which T4R Would You Buy With Your Money?

Hey all, Im new to the forum but have been lurking for some time now. This seems like a great community here, and I hope I can get some help deciding between two different 4runners Im looking at. Im having quite the difficulty....probably more than I should be having!

First off, I should explain what I need out of a 4runner. I will most likely be using it as a daily driver, but live in NE where we've had some insane flooding recently and want something thats more than capable for anything that can be thrown at me and my family, regardless of situation. I might do some trails and mild off roading for fun, but mostly just want something capable should SHTF. Otherwise it will mostly just be transporting myself and on occasion my family to and from the city. That being said, Im currently torn between two that Ive found.

The first one is an 04 Sport 4.7 V8 that I fell in love with once I saw it was on the lot at my work (I work at a Toyota dealership). Its got the rear diff lock, all working and no issues there. There is what looks like some oil stain on the transfer case, so not sure if thats normal or an issue (I had an 07 Dodge Dakota that had the same thing, but never had an issue with the 4x4). However, its most likely fated for wholesale auction due to costly repairs needed to it, and it is at 227k miles. I know for sure it needs all new suspension, which I would probably go with Bilstein 5100s. I think they also said it needed a new CV joint, and bushings on the front end. Otherwise, new timing belt and water pump, serpentine belt was replaced recently. Probably needs fluids flushed and changed. Tires are about 2 years old. Everything else seems quite fine, pretty minimal surface rust underneath and just a couple dings on the front bumper. As an employee it would cost me what it cost the dealership who took it as a trade in, plus a little extra for fees, so I could probably get it for a little over $4k. Repairs...dont know how much that might total up to to get it drivable, but Id guess maybe $2-3k?

The other one is a 98 SR5 3.4 V6 that I found on Craigslist locally that has pretty much most of what the other one needs already done to it. No e-lock though, which isn't a big deal to me really. It has a 3 inch lift on newer 285/75r16 tires with 1.25inch wheel spacers. New OEM Lower ball joints and tie rod ends. New sway link ends and bushings. New external transmission cooler to eliminate the possibility of the dreaded pink milkshake. Synthetic oil (Changed 2 weeks ago). New plugs and wires and distributors mass air flow sensor and brakes rotors and brake fluid flushed all within the last year and new cv axles. Aftermarket LED taillights, and the guy is giving me the 99 headlights he was going to install but hasn't yet. New Gibson Performance cat-back exhaust this last weekend, but still needs welded on. All new vacuum lines and PCV valve. It has a lot of rust on front bumper (rusted through in several spots), but I would just get a new one and have my welder buddy help me with that and the exhaust. Frame has a little more surface rust than the 04, but overall in good shape. This one is $5k.

I am admittedly more drawn toward the 4th gen due mostly because the V8 which I absolutely LOVE even though its interference. And the creature comforts are that much more in the 4th gen, including the additional 3rd row seating. All windows, switches, etc work for both. I have roughly $7k to spend here, so I can only do so much on the 04 even though Im more drawn to it. Otherwise I know the 98 3.4 V6 is bulletproof and non interference, which I do love about it even though it lacks the power I love in the V8 04. No service records for either other than basic VIN lookup and the recent suspension mods on the 98. I will be driving about 15-20 miles each way every day to get to work and then back home, mostly highway if that is a factor.

Please forgive me if I missed anything or should've posted this somewhere else. I look forward to your guys opinions on this though, as Im pretty torn. I have about a week to decide, but maybe its an easier choice than that lol. I like the 98 for sure, but love the 04 other than the fact Ill have to sink more money into something that has almost 50k more miles on it than the 98. I know thats usually not a big deal though since these things can go 500k miles if well kept up on.

Which would you buy?

I appreciate any and all advice on this decision. Thanks ahead of time!

 

I wish I could help with your decision, however I am a month into our first T4R ownership and know little.
As I am from Omaha, NE. I know the floods you speak of & hope you & yours are safe.
Others on here will help with more technical issues.
On a personal note, as I am local to you. Is there anything you need or I can help with?
Just let me know!
Good luck with your decision.
Ryan

 

That’s a hard one personally I would go with the 98 though it’s had a lot of maintenance done that you won’t need to worry about. Just seems like a much more solid choice the other has too many repairs needed for something you want to daily.

 

Hey Ryan, thanks for being so kind as to reach out! We live in Omaha too, but will be moving to Plattsmouth in a few weeks and they were a little more threatened by the floods than us. I think they made out alright though, other than their water treatment facility still not running to capacity yet.

What gen/year T4R do you own?

 

True, and the front bumper is where the worst of any rust is which Ill replace in short order no problem. Looks like front tie rods might be a bit rusted, so that'll be something I might have to consider as well. Otherwise the frame has very minimal rust, mostly surface stuff thats expected around my parts where our roads are all but made of salt at times it seems.

Thats right, and makes me hesitate more even though I absolutely loved the performance of the V8 when I drove it around a bit, bad struts/shocks and all lol.

The 3.4 V6 on the 98 has enough power, although I admit Id like more lol. I like the idea of non interference though as i want something bulletproof that I can attempt to drive on into the 500k miles mark someday, or at least try. Are there any tried and true simple/affordable mods to give the V6 a bit more oomph?

 

We just got a 2019 Midnight Black Metallic TRD OR premium last month. We absolutely love it. The mods have just started & the sale last week will be bringing us more goodies!
Let me know if there is anything at all I can do to help.
Also, let me know when you get your truck & we can meet up.
Here is a picture of ours.

 

Yes it is. I almost waited too long to replace mine on my '03.

 

I hate to break it to you, but the 04 doesn’t have an e-locker; at least not from the factory. Toyota didn’t make a 4th gen with an e-locker until 2009, and even then, only in the “trail” package V6 (which is a unicorn). All 4th gens have a center diff lock, which just locks the t-case into true 4wd, instead of having it be a limited slip as it would otherwise be. It’s nothing special at all.

Also, on the 04, the V8s are historically known for cracked manifolds, which is an expensive fix. The 4th gen V8s are full-time 4x4 and can not be put into 2wd. They are also unable to disable VSC or traction control unless you feel like cutting ECU wires and wiring in a switch, which, even then, doesn’t really disable everything. The timing belt on the V8s is an expensive maintenance job, unless you can do it yourself. They also require a lot more maintenance than the 1GR V6.

That being said the 06-09 V6s are having head gasket issues with higher mileage, and both the V6 and V8 models have issues with rodents chewing the knock sensor wire harness and causing the trucks to go into limp mode with the retarded timing until it gets fixed. The fix is a 20hr billable job according to Toyota and involves removing the head unless you cut a bracket for a coolant pipe that runs over the top of the sensors.

The 98 is too old, and unless it was meticulously maintained I’d have a hard time spending my money on it to be a family vehicle.

In a nutshell, if you can find like an 05 V6 with around 150k miles, that would be perfect. You get the updated 5-speed transmission (03-04 are 4-speed), a good motor, and a solid rig with a timing chain that should last you 300k+ miles reliably.

 

Heres the 98



And heres the 04

 

Neither...

 

That part is definitely not true. Unless you consider 2 more spark plugs a lot.

The pictures from my previous post were taken around 240K. That was the first time anything other than a spark plug was replaced on that engine.

 

Timing belts are due every 90k miles and are 700-1k each time. V6 requires none of that, so yeah... just the timing belt alone is considered a lot more maintenance...

 

Nice, thats a beauty! Let the fun begin lol. Sounds good, I look forward to being in touch with ya man, thanks!

Thats good to know about the 4th gen, but the locker isn't too big of a deal for me. The other issues do sound a bit intimidating though...

I checked out an 04 V6 the other day but that had 200k miles and needs new suspension as well...all for $8k at a dealer. Nope! Didn't care for it anyways, and it had lots of rust anyways. Hard finding something like you describe around here in my price range though. Best deal other than this 98 is a 99 that has 161k miles with service records for $8k.

 

I guess I hadn't considered the timing belt. And as I stated earlier I knew that I should have replaced it sooner.

Still well worth a timing belt every 100K to have such a great engine.

And the manifolds were cracked, so that's true.

 

I don't mind timing belts so long as they're non interference like the 3rd gen V6. The V8s configuration is a bit intimidating...

 

It's dummy-proof. A lot of removal and installation, but easy

 

Haha I guess so, the 1GR is a great engine as well, with much better aftermarket and TRD support as it was used on multiple models for a wide range of years. That paired with the timing chain and non synthetic oil changes makes it the easier/cheaper to maintain option.

Yeah, idk, I wouldn’t want to deal with it. Or the cracked manifolds. Or the full time 4wd... just my opinion though. And like I said, I think the third gens are getting too old to sink a $7k savings account into purchasing. Maybe if you could get a decent one for $2-3k it be considerable, but no way would I buy a third gen for $5k+ unless it came from Jason Demello or TRD...

 

Just reading & learning...
Thanks for the knowledge.

 

Agreed. The cracked manifolds were pretty irritating. I had no issues with the 4wd system, though. That thing was a beast in 4lo!

 

I’ve had two Tacoma’s and now a 4th gen 4Runner with the 1GR, and it’s a pretty solid plant. The new 4runners are still running the same 4.0l only updated with direct injection. I did the knock sensor job on mine at 238k miles, it cost me 5hrs worth of work, and $65 in parts. Other than that, the previous owner had the timing chain cover re-sealed, the valve cover gaskets done, and then just brakes and oil changes. I’m getting ready to change the oil in both differentials and the t case, recharge the AC, and replace a cross member sub assembly that runs under the radiator (F-ing northeast winters!).

You really can’t go wrong with a 4th gen, but don’t let people make you think they’re worth millions of dollars - some of the prices I’ve seen have made me honestly think the sellers are higher than giraffe puss. You should be able to find a good, solid 4th gen with either engine variant in the $5k range needing some minor work here and there... don’t let the mileage scare you away. You can always run the VIN on the Toyota owners website and see all dealer/owner logged services at which mileage they were logged. Take advantage of that. And you obviously know we’re all here to help and give info the best we can too!

 

IMO, both T4Rs present significant challenges. If I were you, I would continue your search for one 4th gen V6 in much better condition. I had the 03 v8 T4R in the full time 4x4. It was a nice truck, but, I later started having troubles with the front differential and cylinder head leakage. It was my wife’s daily driver and she loved it. She didn’t notice anything wrong with it, until one day when she came to pick me up at the airport and I saw the 4x4 light flashing on her dashboard.

So, when I got home, I decided to take it for a test run. Then I noticed that the truck lacked the pick up power that it used to have. I replaced the fuses and the 4x4 check light went away for a few days, but it came right back and remained fixed, instead of the flashing light it had previously. So, I took it to the stealership and they gave me the bad news that I needed to replace the front gears and seals because they had a leak and had started to grind and fail. The transmission was overheating due to leakage and the starter had severe rust. Also, the cylinder head on the driver side seal was worn out and had leaks. Oil in the cylinder blocks and the list went on and on.

This took place in 2010 and the truck already had 179K miles and out of warranty. I had no idea that all these things were wrong with the truck because I never used to drive it that much to begin with. Plus, I were on active duty in the military and were always deployed. Nevertheless, the dealership worked with me on fixing the front diff and cylinder head gaskets. I then got the tranny fixed at Aamco and replaced the starter myself. All totaling roughly $3800. I sold it a year later when I noticed that there were some oil sweating around the cylinder heads once again.

 

Oh wow, sounds like a bit of a money pit! Thanks for chiming in with your advice, and for your service to this country as well.

Sounds like the V8 would be fun to me, but the maintenance and potential pitfalls would overcome my joy for it. Im not exactly a wrench monkey, but Im capable of basic things. Otherwise I at least get a discount at my job for parts and service.

What challenges would you say there are with the 98 (other than that its even older of a truck)?

 

Thank you.

 

Frame rot, strawberry milkshake, death wobble, ball joint issues, axle seals, etc. I like third gens from a hobby perspective, but at this point, I'd just hate to spend THAT much money on one and have to count on it every single day for the immediate and distant future.

 

I would hate to spend this much too on something that had all these issues. But this one has the external transmission cooler installed to avoid the pink milkshake, has all new ball joints, cv axles, bushings, etc. Seems like most of the works been done that I wouldn't need to worry about for a good long while. Frame is quite decent as well considering where I live in NE with super salty Omaha roads. Maybe all that doesn't make it worth $5k, but locally thats a pretty competitive price that Ive seen so far. Next best Ive found is $8k for one that only has 15k less miles on it.

 

It's ultimately your decision man - I just couldn't justify that much money on a 3rd gen, even with the work done to it.

 

Understandable, I just wanted make sure if you still felt that way knowing that works been done to it. Im thinking about doing it though. Ultimately we have two newer family vehicles already, one of which I was thinking about replacing with this one. But maybe we'll keep it afterall and Ill just have this T4R for as long as I can make it last for fun, as well as for scenarios that it might serve better than our current vehicles. Thanks for your opinion and advice!

 

http://yourcarangel.com/2014/07/interference-engines-complete-list/ took the time to create this list

1.5L (1A-C, 3A-C & 3E) Interference
• 1.5L (3E-E & 5E-FE) Non-Interference
• 1.6L DOHC (4A-F & 4A-FE) Non-Interference
• 1.6L DOHC (4A-GE & 4A-GZE) Non-Interference
• 1.6L SOHC Non-Interference
• 1.8L Diesel Interference
• 1.8L DOHC Gasoline Interference
1.8L 7AFE, 4AFE, 4AF – Non Interference
• 2.0L Non-Interference
• 2.2L Diesel Interference
• 2.2L Gasoline Non-Interference
• 2.4L Diesel Interference
• 2.5L Non-Interference
• 2.8L Non-Interference
• 3.0L Inline 6 (Except 1998 2JZ-GE) Non-Interference
• 3.0L Inline 6 VVT-i (1998 2JZ-GE) Interference
• 3.0L V6 Non-Interference
• 3.3L 3MZ-FE V6 W/ V VTi – Interference
• 3.4L Non-Interference
* 3.5L V-6 Non-Interference
• 4.7L Interference