Off-roading a 20 Year Old 4Runner! - 3rd Gen Review and Trail Test

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[danielstewart]

The Tundra brake upgrade was about the best thing I did on my gen 3 4Runner. Huge improvement! Nice video guys -

[SammyKurts-kuht]

I have a 2000 4Runner lifted 5 inches on 33 inch Mickey Thompson tires ! I’m out of Baltimore county Maryland !!

[willmill]

Just picked up a great deal in January on my 3rd gen, 160k miles, one owner, super clean for 7k. I searched over a year for a deal like this and it was like finding a needle in a haystack lol, the only issue is dealing with WI rust

[runnerxa]

Great example of a maintained 3rd gen 4Runner that is not a rust bucket. My 24 year old 1999 4Runner is still my preferred daily driver despite owning a 200 series and a GX. It is just very practical (seats can be easily removed unlike the GX and 200 series), scoots around town pretty easy (especially after it is supercharged), easy/cheap to maintain (I learned how to work on cars on it), gets decent fuel economy (compared to the GX and 200 series), and off-road pretty well in stock form (I only have 32" AT tires on it). I thought about selling it and had many people come up at gas stations/shopping centers asking how much I want to sell it. In the end, I get more value out of using it than having to spend another $40-50k on a replacement. I just went over 250, 000 mi with 170, 000 mi of that supercharged. It is light weight compared to the bigger/heavier GX and 200 series which made it float over some difficult terrain. 4000# compared to 5000#/6000# on the big boys. I have the rear locker option, added the TRD supercharger with 2.2" pulley and URD 7th injector, IPT valve body upgrade for the transmission, Tundra 13WL 231mm brake upgrade (not the smaller 13WE 199mm caliper), Doug Thorley headers, Radflo 2.5" adjustable coilovers with no lift (keeping the 4Runner close to stock geometry, maintain downtravel, but with much beefier shocks), OME 901 springs (same height as my 99 rear spring but stiffer), and a transmission cooler. Super reliable on the original engine and transmission that I supercharged back in 2008. It has been driven on Moab, Death Valley, bunch of OHVs in California, Oregon, lots of sand dunes/beach driving (fresh water wash afterward everytime to prevent rust), and on original CV axles (I did have to replace torn CV boots once). Keep up the preventive maintenance (including the supercharger), use synthetic fluids, and it will run forever. Same with my other cars. It already went through two timing belt/water pump/bearing/thermostat replacements. I replaced the radiator once (due to age and to avoid the pink milkshake trans/coolant mix issue), rear axle seal replaced once, and lower ball joints replaced once at 150, 000 mi (as part of preventive maintenance and cheap insurance to just replace it with a new OEM part), and supercharger rotor replacement (due to teflon coating wearing out and age). Mine is garage kept, stock looking (no one knows it is supercharged) and maintained by myself. It has no rust issues because I PM the underbody every winter so working on it is fairly easy due to no rusted out bolts/nuts. In fact my GX and 200 series are also rust free so it really depends on how the owners take care of their vehicles. I plan to pass it down to my kids once they start to drive.

[david]

1 of my favorite vehicles of all time love to have one totally rebuilt would be a dream

[hernanruiz]

I sure enjoyed mine, I bought it brand new in 2001 and lost it almost 2 years ago in a car accident, I miss it a lot, It was still running very well after 340 thousand miles, good video. 👍

[jasonrotairo]

Love the 3rd gens. I’m on my second 3rd gen. It’s a 2000 5 speed Highlander Edition. No lockers so not a unicorn, but super reliable.

[manyhobbies]

265K on my 2000 Limited 3rd Gen. Love it and daily drive it. Bilstein 5100's 3 inch lift with BFG KO2's. 4xinnovations sliders and bumper. LifePo4 dual battery, Renogy dc/dc charger with solar controller and 600W inverter and 12v fridge makes camping/overlanding a joy.

[gregoverley]

Chad’s 4Runner is a beast! What a fun day that was!

[lkajiess]

I have a near perfect 2001 with a nice 2" lift, 265/75/R16 KO2's, and it's about all I could ask for in a truck. They're getting old, so you gotta take care of little gremlins as soon as they popup to stay ahead of things, but the overall reliability is bombproof. I've driven 3rd gen 4runners for almost 20 years now and I have never had one leave me stranded or needing a tow trucik.

I often borrow my dad's 22 TRD Pro and it's a fantastic truck, but it feels big and lumbering compared to my 3rd gen. The view is so much different too. The modern 4runners feel like you're in a bank vault, my truck feels like you're in a hot air balloon by comparison.

[johnwebb]

Love my 2016 4runner trail with kdss. No matter what the year is, you can't go wrong with a 4runner.

[jasonmessick]

That’s a beautiful 4Runner! Amazing shape! Keeper and great find! 😍

[classicrocker]

Definitely a clean example for what it is! I also did the Tundra brake upgrade on my Tacoma, but I think next time I do brakes on it im going to put 5th gen 4Runner brakes which dwarf the First Gen Tundra ones.

[JasonSmith-wjht]

These things are a beast! I just did Engineer Pass in Colorado last week. Forgot to put it in 4wd.

[damonm]

Got mine from original owner with 238k miles. 02’ $2500.. was 4 years ago so. Runs great! Need to do fluids and front rotors but it’s good otherwise..

[generalcaeser]

I've had 4 of the 3rd gen 4Runners and EVERY time I sell one, I regret it! NOT going to sell this latest one! EVER!

[ddemier]

In the 2024 car market a 4wd 3rd gen sport edition probably a solid $13, 000 here in the midwest with aprox 210, 000 miles give or take. Depends on maint and frame rust.

[cordelgiglesworth]

i picked up mine for 2k and put 12k into it from suspension to supercharger to bumpers and armor now the brake up grade lol love the video

[chrischillin]

i have a 2001 sr5 4wd with 98k miles. It looks and drives like new.

[oldterm]

Great review. Have a 2000 SR5, 5sd, , upgraded + frt & r lockers. Very happy with it