1996 Toyota 4Runner SR5 | Retro Review
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- Опубліковано 18 чер 2022
- It's easy to forget that nice SUV's were always astronomically expensive. $31,500 in 1996 is easily $65,000 in 2022 money...and let's not forget Lexus trucks were way higher.
Show 1547 | Original Airdate 07-24-1996
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They can re-release this exact model as-is today and sell hundreds of thousands of them again. 🥺
I’d gladly buy a brand new version of my ‘97 SR5!
@@justinkostelecky6201 RIP my 2001 SR5 Limited Edition in Imperial Jade Mica with the hood scoop. 😭
Facts
I say this all the time. Also the old xj Cherokee. I’ve owned both and I’d pay $45k for either of them new off the line today
@@Jay-bw3fl case in point, FJ Cruiser.
I bought mine new in 2002 and it's still my daily driver. I love it.
I have my father-in-law‘s 98 289K. I like it so much I bought another one a 2000 With factory lockers
The holy grail of SUV's. Made during Toyota's golden age of over engineering. I love my '98. These things are a quarter century old now and still all over the road (so long as you're not in the rust belt.)
I love Toyota SR5 1996
Mines still on the road, rusty as ever
Got my 99 Tacoma SR5 from Georgia sitting in the Garage over the winter right now. No rust !
Would drive it to California from Michigan tomorrow with no doubts ! She’s a keeper !
The GOAT! I’m still driving my 2001. Get complements all the time by people who used to have one and how great it was.
its definitely the best one. the 4th gens are kinda ugly and overpriced but that is still a bullet proof engine and trans. i also like the 3rd gens with the V8.
its definitely the best one. the 4th gens are kinda ugly and overpriced but that is still a bullet proof engine and trans. i also like the 3rd gens with the V8.
Hands down the best looking 4Runner of all time.
I believe it was the longest running body style of any vehicle ever.
nah the n60 looked the best
Gen 5 looks the best,but Gen 3 is a close second
3rd gen best looking 4runner by a mile.
Gen 4 was the hands down ugliest.
You still see these on the road.. my cousin had one with over 380K miles on it.. runs like a champ..
I have a 98' over 400k still is a freakin beast on our Michigan roads
@@dnationapocalypse the frames didn't rust? And what kind of transmission maintenance have you done? How many miles did you get it at
@@williamperri3437 Yep it has a lil rust at the bottom by the doors. I live in Michigan 😒 but it's still an awesome vehicle and I love her
@@williamperri3437 I didn't have to do anything with the trans and I got it at around 300 k
@@dnationapocalypse Imagine if they got good gas mileage! 😢
One of the most reliable vehicles of all time. 309K on my 1998 3rd gen and runs like new with no major repairs needed. Actually bought it with 256k and traveled the USA for about 5 months and about 10k miles with only a loose battery terminal. Love the 3rd gen body style too. The fender bulges are so we'll executed. The test vehicle here is a unicorn SR5 with 5 speed manual and rear e-locker. DROOL.
An SUV icon, simply timeless.
One of the best looking and most reliable SUV’s on the planet. My friend has a green 1996 with 368,000 miles on it. Had to change out the ignition and one solenoid in the transmission and that it.
Lies
@@nalong55 Bad taste
I own a 3rd Gen 4Runner, as my first car I been a huge fan of them since my dad owned 3 2nd Gen's. Still regret not getting a Limited one soon that will be my next 4Runner or a 2nd Gen one!
I have a 2000 4runner Limited. Wish I'd found a 4WD version though. Only has 133K miles on it
@@tacknup At my area (Texas) there is a bunch 2WD 3rd Gen's and I rarely see 4WD ones, mines is a 2WD one which im not mad at but sad that I don't own the big baller 3rd Gen on the road, and I regret not getting a Limited one for a good price but it is what it is but to be honest I like more the stock non over fender look but I love them with the OEM fenders oh not to mention the mini rubber fenders featuring on this Review from MotorWeek. Soon on I will own a Limited one or maybe a 2nd Gen is sadly rare to find one in a good condition like mechanically i.e. head gasket i.e. transmission for example but hey its good to learn how to fix a car like a 4Runner. There is a reason why I didn't choose another car I prefer not be like anyone else and own something that i can have fun memories and fix it little by little even if its running good or not. My dream car is an S14 240SX but soon on that will be my treasure but for now I will keep living that 4Runner life. I love what you do for me, Toyota.
Howe did your dad burn through 3 2nd gen 4Runners? 😂
My first car. Awesome reliability, plenty of cargo space, and a really commanding view of the road.
3rd gen was the last of the manual transmission 4Runners. I've owned mine for 18 years and have let many other cars and trucks go, but not this one. Truly one of a kind dependability and still great fun to drive, especially with the factory supercharger.
I purchased mine in 1996 and still have it. It had 85 miles on it off of the ship and now has 240,000. With the five speed manual it gives it a better pep on the road.
I own a 1998 4Runner Limited... 349k miles, going strong.
3rd Gen Best Gen. Greatest SUV ever made behind the 80-series Land Cruiser.
Lol ya no.
I'd take any full size bronco, k5 blazer or ram charger which all would embarrass this overhyped pos.
You never see this junk on the road anymore because they've all rusted back into the ground.
Nothing rusts faster that a Toyota
The irony about the comment ⬆️ is all those cars mentioned are hardly seen on the road...
he probably can’t afford a Toyota and buys his car from the junkyard.. always bashing Toyota’s 😂
@@TheRealHungryJoe can't find the cars I like in the junkyard, son. They're always too full of rusted out Japanese crap.
newer ones are better
By the 1990s, rustproofing was much better, not like the 1980s and 1970s, those rusted fast. But, anything will rust, American or Japanese. Maybe the US vehicles don't rust as fast, but the Japanese ones have better reliability.
I have a '99 SR5 V6 with the rear e-locker and 188K on the clock. Only issue I've had in 4 years of ownership was a spark plug wire burning out. Replaced the radiator, transmission filter, lower ball joints, and valve cover gaskets. Then gave it the Tundra brake upgrade and set it up on a 2" lift. Taking it to 500K before I begin to consider purchasing a new vehicle, and by then, it'll probably still hold it's value.
Those were the days, a true V6 4x4 5 speed manual SUV for under $32,000 however that's almost $59,000 in 2022 money. I still see a lot of these on the road a quarter of a century later.
Man that truck still looks great today! That style holds up very well!👌😎👍there’s a ton of those here In Tucson!
I've seen them everywhere. Mostly in Bayside, Queens and Long Island NY
One of the Best or Maybe The Best Generation of Toyota 4Runners Up to Date. (1996-2002). Extremely Reliable Vehicles, All of Them Made in Japan. Since 2006 I own a 1997 2WD Base Model 4 Cylinder Automatic, Best Car I Have Ever Own.
Always love when a classic Toyota Truck or SUV is the focus of a retro review! Hope there are more in the vault to post!
i got a base 2.4 97 tacoma. ive been waiting for the review on that one for a while. bought it used with 210,000 3 years ago and havent had a single issue with it.
I hope MW can add the 90 4Runner review! Hopefully they will soon!
Dylan Messer me too, o love Toyota truck 1985-1988 and SUV
let me guess. it’s still running
Wow this was expensive even back in ‘96! But this Generation 4Runner is well worth the price!
The golden years of Toyota, from then until the Mid 00s they made absolute bulletproof cars. My dad's 07 Camry has 325k miles on it and still going.
@@electrikoptik Wow I didn't except it to be THAT much. Getting close to half the value that it had back then.
@@electrikoptik goodness, and this was just the SR5! Admittedly, this was right at the precipice of the SUV boom. Jeep was selling GC that were just as expensive.
Its actually cheaper than the land cruiser back then i would actually rather have this than the 4.5 liter land cruiser its way fuel efficient with a 3.4 liter
If I remember, my 97 LTD was like 34k
HP of a 4 cylinder, MPG of a V8. But I still love it!
A 4 cylinder of today. It had plenty of power for it’s day, but it’s possibly the most reliable engine Toyota has ever made
That's beacuse the damn thing had a tank engine with beefy forged steel components. 250k strong on mine, leak free.
26 years later, and still looks great
True
Th 4Runner and the Land Cruiser have always been the best SUV's on the road. They have become very expensive, however, hold their value unbelievably well.
Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser is SUV's confortables, solids, resistents and fantastics
The 3rd gen 4 Runner review we've all been waiting for!! My neighbors (partially modified) 2000 4 Runner SR5 is still running great after 170k miles!!
June 2023 update: The owner sold his 4 Runner after about 260k miles a few months ago, and replaced it with a 2022 4 Runner TRD Off Road Premium
My parents bought a beautiful Green 1997 Toyota 4Runner Limited with gold emblems, and all leather interior from my grandparents in around 2010. It’s one of the first vehicles I really remember while growing up. Such a cool truck, it’s what really instilled my love for 3rd Gens and just about ever other vehicle Toyota sold in the 90s. My mom drove it for a few years and it ran really well. It didn’t need much. Sadly what killed it was the dreaded “Strawberry Milkshake.” Parents didn’t have it fixed. So it sat in our driveway for years. I was sad to see it sit. Eventually the rear air suspension failed so the back sagged and made it look even more depressing. Eventually my parents called Lizard Lick Towing (yes that’s right, the same one from the show) and they hauled it away on a flatbed. Bummed to see it go. I can still smell that cracked leather haha. Hopefully plan to own one as a first vehicle, I personally prefer the ‘96-‘98 4Runners with the less bulky front bumper. But the ‘99-‘02 trucks are still cool
Toyota, Bring back the MANUAL 4Runner or bring over the manual Prado or Fortuner!!!!!!!
And that classic old '96 model is probably still out there, with 300,000+ miles on the clock, providing rock-solid reliable service for its owner. Love that simple old-school interior too, not filled with the trashy digital 'tech' toys of today.
I have a 96 4 runner with 325000 miles and still runs and looks great, expect for the faded paint.
I have owned every generation of 4runner and the 3rd Gen is still my favorite. Current 4runner is a 2015 TRD Pro and as much as I like it, the 3rd gen had a lot more character and you can't beat the 3.4 V6. I'm always looking for a clean, low mileage 3rd gen, hope to find one some day.
Had one of these as the family ride growing up. A ‘97 with 450,000+ miles when we parted with it in the mid 00s.
Replaced the alternator and maintenance. Solid!
Back then, 12 years spanned 3 generations of 4Runners. Now.. 12 years, and the fifth gen is still on the market..
They did 7 year runs for Gen 3&4.
These are still ON THE ROAD TODAY ! Worth every penny still one of the BEST ever.
I'd love to have one of those now.
It's hard to believe the 2.7L is still alive and going strong in a 2022 tacome
Best looking 4Runner were these 3rd gens. Other than needing timing belts, these 3.4 V6 engines were bulletproof. Probably would pay about what a new one cost then to find a clean example today.
I've still got my '98 Limited, it's got less than 69,000 original miles on it. TRD Supercharger installed by dealer, and always stored indoors.
Wrong and wrong these are crap compared to anythIng after 2003, they’re slow, unpowered, narrow, rust magnets, they have also a timings belt, and they were really dangerous whenever their ball joints decided to go beserk.. any post 2003 forerunners are the best ones period! No discussion over this matter!
I kinda liked the previous gen more, seemed more rugged to me lol
@@gorgeusjames you probably own a Jeep
@@danielfair4675 how much? I will buy it
Even by today's standards this still looks great and still might be the looking version (I currently drive a '15 TRD Pro). I've driven nothing but 4Runner's for 20 years -- never owned a 3rd gen but at the time wanted one so bad.
Still daily drive my '97.
I just bought an 02 4WD 4Runner with 290k on it and it still runs and drives like a champ after all these years and miles. Hands down the best generation of 4Runners.
Nope 👎🏻
Top post/reminder: The 1990-1995 2nd-gen 4Runner was the departure from the pickup truck model -- rear link/coil spring suspension.
A legend. See these everywhere.
i still daily drive my 2000 4Runner SR5. Just went over 277k last week!
I will always love the look of those. I was fortunate enough to get a 13 tacoma prerunner v6 and I hope to own nothing but toyotas from now on
Nice me too 277,134 and climbing. Thing still runs like a top
I purchased one new in 1996. Color was called anthracite, a dark greyish brown. 5 speed manual that I drove for 15 years. I've been pining for another 4R ever since. Hoping to purchase a Limited Hybrid in 2023-24.
Possibly the single most reliable anx versatile vehicle ever manufactured.
Still seen everywhere
I own an 03 Sequoia. Not gonna sell it!
One of the best SUVs ever. I had a 1997 Isuzu Trooper, which was one of the best 4WD systems I had.
My first car was a '99 sr5 in light blue and it was beat to hell when I got it. That trusty piece of garbage got me through snow storms, frigid temperatures, off roading in the Rockies, and probably kept me out of trouble due to how slow it was. I loved that car and I will always regret selling it at the 260k mark. I miss that little truck
Man selling a 4Runner from the 1st to the 3rd gen it will be the hardest and regrettable decision ever. I feel the pain plus that will be me if I sell mine especially when is my first car and my dad owned 3 2nd gens.
3RD GEN BEST GEN! Still rockin' an '01!
19 mpg was actually really good for the time and the truck
Right! when you compare it to the 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 I owned with its 12 miles per gallon.
I get 14 in my 99 S10 blazer w/ the 4.3. it has 3.42 rear end tho 😂
Back when I was a teenager, one of my friends had a 97 4Runner sr5. We all were just getting our licenses and all got “woods trucks” to beat on, cause we lived in NJ pine barrens (I got a ‘95 grand Cherokee.) Anyway, this generation 4Runner is such a tank. My buddy tipped his on its side, and we all just pushed it over back on its tires. The ONLY damage it had was a plastic fender flare popped off.. That thing is probably still out there somewhere running like a top.
Awesome story ! Lol 👍
That 4Runner still roaming around in Virginia til this day!
I think these are the best looking generation, you can tell it apart from other makes. You still see them on the road and doubt they’ll be gone anytime soon.
Glad to see this review of a legend. 1st, 2nd and 3rd gens in that order are best in my opinion. Been waiting for this review for a long time.
You put the anemic 2nd gen w head gasket issues ahead of the 3rd gen? Why?
@@anthonygonzalez9422 22RE is anemic compared to 3.4 and 3.4 is anemic compared to 4.0
@@subtegral uhm…okay
I currently have a 5th gen 4Runner and I love it! But the 3rd gen is my all time favorite model especially the 2001 version in either the limited or sport edition trim
Some of my earliest memories are in a 4Runner exactly like this. My folks had to dump it after the transmission went, it was pretty tired at that point.
It probably wasn't tired. Just needed a little love.
Bought a 1998 4x4 last octorber and fixed it up. Best adventure camping rig ever. 250k, runs like new.
still have my 2000 gen 3..only 179k on it..the frame started rusting at the rear leaf mounts...1000 in a frame kit and another 1k in labor at a shop..fixed....thats my only issue with the early ones is Toyotas lack of frame warranty
These were expensive back then for sure. But you still see a bunch of them on the road today.
My 99 Limited was almost 40k in 1999.
2:57 had the optional rear locking diff since ‘96.
I have a 98' Limited... Will not be selling it, anytime soon...
Thx, Moses...
This 5vzfe 3.4 liter engine is one of the most reliable V6 ever made in history. Just unbelievably reliable
thers still so many of these around where i live.
one with less than 50,000kms
thing is impeccable
The same year I had , I loved that truck so much .
The rear window is so useful. I have it on my ‘18 Sequoia and it’s great!!
I see Harvey Hamfist is back on gear change duty.
My dad had a 97 SR5 in green and then a 17 Limited in blue. I will always associate this car with him because of the amount of my childhood I spent in these cars
I use a 3rd gen as my work truck. Hauls all my tools around. My job requires 4x4 which is perfect. Never lets me down.
My favorite vehicle of all time
Probably the only car MotorWeek tested that year that’s still on the road.
I just one about 2 weeks ago. Limited model. 395k miles and runs like a champ and they hold there value in resale.
My 2000 4Runner just went into the shop for battery and alternator issues. It keeps having them
It just went in again to finally get a oil burning problem fixed after rears of burning it.
It's my 1st and now my 4th car.
213k miles older than me.
Sadly it's not a 4wd model but it's still cool. Find it strange that a 4Runner key word on 4 can be had without 4x4.
It is a Limited Model and somehow was bought for 60,000 in today's money.
Me and my brother have had many memories in this.
It does make me nervous. It strains to start on repeat starts when going on errands and also shakes violently at 70 miles per hour.
@@subtegral There is actually a Prius that is lifted up and has offroad tires and cladding in my area. The Plat says 2Runner lol.
Had the 3.4 in my T100 Xtracab 4X4. Great engine, only weakness was on-highway acceleration.
I still see these almost every day
My favourite 4RUNNER! Not powerful or “luxurious” or technology built in this one but I’ll take this one over the new one!! I don’t really drive old vehicles but this one will be one of the old vehicles I want to own
Shut up. Don't compare its luxury to today's models, as this was pretty expensive and decked out for 1996.
Love this ad. I have a 1996 since 2018. 4wd w locker auto. Bought this gem before 4runner inflation 😅
The 1990's cars and trucks were amazing.
BY FAR, best generation of the 4Runner!
I love my 4 runner and am glad the toyota dealer in Wisconsin created it all those years ago, for the money it is the best vehicle on the planet
These things are a beast still see them around they my favorite 3rd generation. They never will die ... nor leave you stranded last ton of miles used to have '00 brochure many years ago can't go wrong with them highly recommend 3rd generation 4Runner.
I miss my 3rd Gen! I had a 01 Sport. Great car.
My 80 year old neighbor is always asking to buy our 97 white 4Runner Limited with more than 300k miles for his grand kid but I tell him no and that he'll be first in line when we do decide to part with it.
This is my first car, and I love it
I love my 98’ I will always have one of these amazing trucks
Most are still driving! Great truck.
Would love to have one now, but even +200k millage ones are above $20k around me.
183 HP. 0-60 "In a fairly brief 9.3 seconds. Yet in 2022 people complain about the 270 HP 4Runner. " If only they would bring back the V8". " I hope the new model has 400HP..." We are not using our vehicles differently than in 1996! Be grateful you have heaters!
Love my 5th Gen, but the 3rd Gen is my favorite.
You’re nuts saying that
@@subtegral yes LOL only 1st, 4th and 5th are good...2nd and 3rd are slow ugly dogs.
My dad had a beautiful silver 1998 4Runner Limited 4X4, had a wonderful leather interior… unfortunately the frame rotted, had 196,000 miles the 3.4 5VZ-FE V6 ran like it was new, had a thrush muffler and always had a deep growl. Miss it. He traded it in to Subaru in Saco Maine.
Esse carro é um arraso sensacional que clássico amigão 👍👍
Does Motorweek have a review of the facelifted 2001 Tacoma?
Just sold my 3rd gen for a 5th. Amazing trucks.
The 3.4 was a serious upgrade over the 3-slow
I had one. Simply the best. Simple and proven. Safety is questionable by todays standard but that goes for trucks.
Just drove my 2000 sr5 with 180,000 from ny to Tennessee and back last month ac still ice cold suspension smoother then most 4 year old vehicles and not a single hiccup in the motor or tranny along the way no check engine light and it’s super easy to service compared to similar vehicles example a similar year Nissan Pathfinder requires removing the intake manifold to change your spark plugs.
Best vehicle ever made, had one with over 500k miles with original engine and transmission!
I am a ford man through and through, in fact I just picked up a new 2 dr ford bronco. But let's all admit this car was vastly superior than the explorer of the day or anything in it's class really.
I see so many of these. The headlights look as good as the ones in the video too cause I think the headlamps were still glass
Wow, nearly $32K back in 1996 is expensive!
I’m loving my 2021 4Runner sr5 😎