3rd Gen Questions!

Hey guys!

I'm thinking about purchasing the 4Runner in this ad:

https://bozeman.craigslist.org/cto/6198210219.html

The owner told me it has a leaky valve cover gasket on the drivers side and that he replaced the gasket and torqued the bolts to spec but it still leaks. He said he's only ever resulted in a slight smell. Is something that could potentially turn in to a bigger issue or does anyone have any insight?

It's a bit of my drive for me to get it, so I was hoping for some input.

I did a little research and it seems like it's not that uncommon of a problem and that a lot of other stuff can be replaced that will stop leaks in those spots.

Appreciate the input!

 

I dunno man, when I read the price I was like...whoa that's spendy. It has a lot of non original parts, getting into the high miler range.

THEN! I read it's a 5 speed! My wife just swore at me!

Not worth 6500 imho, but dood...a MT 3rd gen v6 T4R...rare.

Stalk that one...what a dream at 3500 if everything else is solid

 

Yeah he said he'd be willing to go lower on the price, so I'm going to try and see what we can do. I'm not sure where you're at, but that is a very very good price for a 4runner in the PNW. They are ridiculously overpriced here.

I have a family friend who paints and redoes cars, so I could get it painted pretty cheap, too

 

SW Ontario Canada...so further south than you lol...

I picked up this all original 1 owner dealer maintained 99 6 months ago for 3500. Has 241K kms (140K miles)...no rust.


So that's where I gauge my price opinions on. If 6500 is a good price for that region, then I'd seriously consider it. It's a 5 speed, so that's a huge plus for me. If the engine/tranny combo are orig and not rebuilt another plus. Interior ain't but the replacement stuff is probably superior so that's ok. Tailgate and frame...0 rust tailgate or it will be your first headache.

Wouldn't worry about the leaky valve cover, that's fixable. Not sure they were offered stock with turbo, but as I recall there is a difference between the rear mounted turbo vs front mounted...one was better than the other iirc.

Dunno your history with T4R 3rd gen, but it's an awesome companion to my 16 Taco, and I used to have a 96 t4r as well.

Let us know the outcome...good luck!

To;dr buy it....is a MT!

 

Thanks for the info! I've always wanted one, but never had one. I'll probably end up selling the truck :/ I'm in the middle of switching jobs and I want to save up some money so that I can go back to school in 2018. I figured it would be okay since I've wanted one since I was 15 and already have a long list of mods I'd want to do haha

 

Haha, you said save money and mods in the same paragraph!

Lol

 

I know

But no payment = the ability to save and do "small" mods over time, right?

 

Haha, you haven't looked at my vehicles have you. I don't do mods, I don't buy modded vehicles. Only original.

No mods = save $$$ to buy more vehicles!

 

True, true

This website has been the death of me though haha