You almost had me convinced to re-paint my 4Runner.. I even made an appointment with Maaco. But then I saw this video and I cancelled. My 4Runner has 260K miles. Now I’m wondering if I should put any money into it at all. I’d hate to throw money at it and then something like this happens. I’m just wondering why you didn’t fix it? I found transmissions online. Did you just feel like moving on?
Kind of a long winded answer but basically the 01-02 transmissions are weaker than the 96-2000. They fail more often & are not cross compatible. I couldnt source an 01-02 transmissions within a 6 hour radius & to rebuild mine wouldve been 3-4k. Over the last 2.5 years ive probably put closer to 10-12k in parts, maintenance & mods. Had i replaced my transmission i would be about 20k including how much i paid for it. The guy who i sold it to couldnt source one himself & he had to get it rebuilt as well so its still up & running. I will put it this way, the last 5 years i have had 2 4runners, a 2018 5th gen & this 3rd gen. I put the same amount of miles on both (about 40k) & i enjoyed the 3rd gen way more. 30k of my ownership was post paintjob, so to me, spending $2800 for a fraction of a comparable army green 5th gen 4runner was a no brainer.
I'll be frank, I've seen many 4Runners with 300,000-500,000 miles on the original engine and transmission, I even saw one that had like 700,000... and I'm not exaggerating. Maintenance is key. The transmission fluid is meant to be changed every 30,000 miles (drain and fill). Mine has 231,000, and since I'm meticulous with the maintenance, the transmission shifts very smooth.
@@VainakhQuranites - Thanks man, your comment really encouraged me. I purchased my 2002 4Runner last November with 258K miles on it. It runs like new and the previous owner (first owner) was also from California and he maintained this truck constantly. The interior is immaculate. So, I know I have a good thing here. So far I’ve put in a new alternator, fixed the antenna, and changed the valve cover gaskets and cam plugs. I’ll have to check on the last transmission fluid change. Thanks for that reminder! I keep getting tempted with a 5th gen but for now I’ve decided to keep this and upgrade it a little. I want to do a 3 inch lift (with 33’s) and tint the windows. I’ve even been tempted to consider the new Tacoma, but with the 4 cylinder turbo and that ridiculous price tag, I just can’t justify it. You just can’t beat the quality on these older Toyotas.
@@tony_lopez Yeah, I would stay clear of the new 4 cylinder turbos, at least for now, until we see the reliability in the future. For the 3rd gens, only things to watch for are the front lower ball joints and the radiator, besides that, they truly keep going if you maintain it. Use OEM parts always. I enjoy my 3rd gen more than any vehicle I’ve owned.
Nice fine and great vehicle.
You almost had me convinced to re-paint my 4Runner.. I even made an appointment with Maaco. But then I saw this video and I cancelled. My 4Runner has 260K miles. Now I’m wondering if I should put any money into it at all. I’d hate to throw money at it and then something like this happens. I’m just wondering why you didn’t fix it? I found transmissions online. Did you just feel like moving on?
Kind of a long winded answer but basically the 01-02 transmissions are weaker than the 96-2000. They fail more often & are not cross compatible. I couldnt source an 01-02 transmissions within a 6 hour radius & to rebuild mine wouldve been 3-4k.
Over the last 2.5 years ive probably put closer to 10-12k in parts, maintenance & mods. Had i replaced my transmission i would be about 20k including how much i paid for it. The guy who i sold it to couldnt source one himself & he had to get it rebuilt as well so its still up & running.
I will put it this way, the last 5 years i have had 2 4runners, a 2018 5th gen & this 3rd gen. I put the same amount of miles on both (about 40k) & i enjoyed the 3rd gen way more. 30k of my ownership was post paintjob, so to me, spending $2800 for a fraction of a comparable army green 5th gen 4runner was a no brainer.
I'll be frank, I've seen many 4Runners with 300,000-500,000 miles on the original engine and transmission, I even saw one that had like 700,000... and I'm not exaggerating. Maintenance is key. The transmission fluid is meant to be changed every 30,000 miles (drain and fill). Mine has 231,000, and since I'm meticulous with the maintenance, the transmission shifts very smooth.
@@VainakhQuranites - Thanks man, your comment really encouraged me. I purchased my 2002 4Runner last November with 258K miles on it. It runs like new and the previous owner (first owner) was also from California and he maintained this truck constantly. The interior is immaculate. So, I know I have a good thing here. So far I’ve put in a new alternator, fixed the antenna, and changed the valve cover gaskets and cam plugs. I’ll have to check on the last transmission fluid change. Thanks for that reminder! I keep getting tempted with a 5th gen but for now I’ve decided to keep this and upgrade it a little. I want to do a 3 inch lift (with 33’s) and tint the windows. I’ve even been tempted to consider the new Tacoma, but with the 4 cylinder turbo and that ridiculous price tag, I just can’t justify it. You just can’t beat the quality on these older Toyotas.
@@tony_lopez Yeah, I would stay clear of the new 4 cylinder turbos, at least for now, until we see the reliability in the future. For the 3rd gens, only things to watch for are the front lower ball joints and the radiator, besides that, they truly keep going if you maintain it. Use OEM parts always. I enjoy my 3rd gen more than any vehicle I’ve owned.