I know there have been some threads on here before about Toyota 4runners but I need a little help and I don't have time to search those threads out. I am looking at some Toyota 4Runners and am interested in purchasing one in 4wd for a hunting and driving to work & back vehicle.

What year models and which engines do I want to get or which to stay away from?

I don't want to spend no more than $6K on one. That is my max.

My only real stipulation is that it must be 4wd.

I have found one that I really like that is a 2003 model with a V6 that is listed as a 4.0L Natural Aspiration engine.

It has 187K miles and is priced at $4900.00.

Looks to be well maintained and taken care of.

Y'all school me on 4Runners please...

The one your looking at should be good. The 4.0 and 3.4 v6 are rock solid. Stay away from the 3.0 v6 at all cost. They will blow the head gasket it’s not a matter of if but when. The 4.0 and 3.4 run forever.

Buy it. NOW! If it's really been decently maintained that's a good deal. You can find 100 2wd 4Runners for every decent 4WD out there. They are hard to find unless you are willing to take a northern vehicle, which I would strongly recommend against.

That is a good deal. That engine is a 4 speed with the timing chain. The 3.4 gen 3s have a timing belt and considerably less power and also worse mpg in a lot of cases. Any of the gen 3s and 4s have good reputations.

The 03 and 04 came with 3.4 V6 not the 4.0. The 4.0 didn't come out until 05. I'd ask the owner some more questions about this vehicle

I’ve got a 1998 2wd you can have.

Bahaha!

This thread is about 4runners, not tacomas. You are referring to tacoma engine specs.

Gas mileage sucks!

That’s incorrect for the 4runners...the Tacoma didn’t get the 4.0 until 05 though.

The 2003-2009 4runners (4th gen) have the 4.0L V6 or 4.7L V8, and the 96-02 4runners (3rd gen) had the 3.4L. The 03s & 04s had the 4 speed transmission, but in 05 they went to the 5 speed so those should get slightly better but still sucky gas mileage lol. Also, 2006 models got a facelift. The 03-05 models have some issues with failed head gaskets on the 4.0L (build dates after Nov 2005 should have the new gasket style). There are lots of frame rust issues/complaints with the 4th gens, so make sure to look it over REALLY well, especially if it’s a northern vehicle.

We had a 2000 Limited 2wd with the 3.4L from ~50k miles until 200k miles. It actually slung a rod at 120k miles (out of warranty), but Toyota covered almost all the costs of a new motor since it had been serviced by the dealership its entire life (was my wife’s before we met, so her dad had taken it to dealership for everything). It also had some steering rack issues, but I loved that thing and would’ve kept it if it was 4wd.
We currently have a 2003 Limited 4wd with the 4.0L that I bought in May 2015 with 92k miles and currently has 168k miles. I’ve had to replace both wheel bearing hub assemblies and the radiator due to a small leak. Mine was a northern vehicle and has some minor rust, but I went ahead and bought it since a 4wd was extremely difficult to find at the time.

Go ahead and buy that one. If you don't like it you can get your money back quickly I'm sure.

No brained. Buy it. The 4.0 is the best v6 Toyota has ever built.

I’m serious.

If you're not interested in it, let me know. I might be.

The one that I mentioned was in Memphis, Tennessee and I was 100 miles North of Memphis today. I stopped and looked it over well on my way back home. It was a New Jersey vehicle with a lot of rust underneath and the 4WD would not engage. Guy told me the issue with the 4WD was it had a bad transfer case actuator. Part from Toyota is $1500.00 and an aftermarket from local parts house was $1100.00. Still no guarantee that would fix it. Otherwise, it was a sharp vehicle but I passed on it.

I've got to have a working 4WD vehicle.

Very hard to find in 4wd, none around here. Took me two years to find mine. gonna keep it awhile longer. Great vehicles Love mine and my Tacoma 4wd

Hard pass on any vehicle that even spent one winter up north or in the midwest. You can find a good gen 3 or sometimes a 4 under 6k but a gen 4 at that price is rare. If it were mostly a hunting vehicle I like the gen 3 better, anyway. The 3.4 was a great engine and I like the way they look better than the gen 4.

Yea no on that one