1997 Toyota 4Runner Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Purchased new from Toyota dealership in May 1997. Very reliable, gets decent gas mileage for a late model SUV. Good hauling capacity. Great traveling vehicle. The steering is tight and more like a car than a truck. She's getting some miles on her now (currently 118,000) but still going strong. Recently bought new tires and it still drives like the day I drove it off the lot. With continued TLC, I'm hoping for another 15 years out of itJul 10, 2012

This car has quick and precise handling, easy acceleration and you can whip right into parking space as if it was a car. You will be pleased to know that even at 14years old, this car requires minimum maintenance or repairs. Car still starts right up and runs smoothly. AC blows cold and cover the back area well. The appearance is traditional and even a 97 model with new wheels and tires looks great. SUV has solid craftmanship. The cost of gas beats any SUV now on the market - up to 25MPG. The SUV is great for school and sports moms. Great for traveling on just a great for a round about town SUV. I love love this vehicle!!Jun 05, 2011

I purchased this vehicle approx a week ago for my wife. We have 3 small children and her two door car wasn't very practical. The 4Runner is known for reliability, safety and overall performance. We purchased it for what I consider a steal at $3800. Love Craigslist. It was well maintained and the gentleman I purchased it from needed cash immediately for late mortages or I think this vehicle would have been sold for KBB Good at $5800 private party. Performance - Though it does have 213K...the engine runs and sounds perfect and the transmission still shifts smooth. The 6cyl has plenty of hp and torque for daily driving. Can merge fine into speeding traffic and it handles the mountains here in east TN with ease. Doesn't feel as tippy as some SUV's despite the high ground clearance and manages curves well. I can set cruise control at 80mph and it seems as though I'm only doing 55mph. There is some wind noise but the engine isn't overly loud or annoying. Though I've only taken it off the pavement once so far, it performed simular to my previously owned 2000 Wrangler. Path got muddy so I shifted to 4H and it had no problems in mud around a foot deep. Not the flex of a Wrangler but it did well over some decent size rocks and down trees, branches, etc. It's stock so I wouldn't consider taking it on any serious trails but feel more than comfortable pulling off the road to reach a camp site not too far into the woods or at the lake. It snowed about 2" the other day and it did pretty well in 4H on unsalted roads. Where other cars were spinning tires to attempt to get up small hills and having rearwheel drive vehicle's rear ends sliding out on turns the 4Runner barely lost any traction and I got to work with no risk to my safety. Have not needed 4L and probably never will unless I decide to use this to pull my fourwheelers by trailer to WindRock ATV Park where there are some pretty steep unpaved paths/roads leading up the mountain. I'll update if I do. Build Quality - Did I mention it has 213K?!? Amazing this 4Runner seems like a 3 or 4 yr old used vehicle. The previous owner changed the timing belt at 154K. It has a newer battery and serpatine belt (he changed at 101k and 204k). Other than oil changes every 3-4K and transmission fluid/filter changes every 30-40k and coolant flushes before every winter and 3 sets of tires and 1 set of brakes over it's life that's all that has been done. The body is still perfect with no rust. There was however some oxidation on the hood and above the windshield. Maguire's compound and elbow grease brought the paint "almost" back to it's orginal clear coat shine. The only feature on it that does not function is the clock. I'll manage. The leather is still pretty decent except the driver's seat shows some cracks and one small tear on the side where you slide in. Even the leather steering wheel is in good shape. The cupholders were poorly placed in the dash and seem flimsy and I do not trust them with more than a 12oz can of soda. The stock stereo was replaced with an aftermarket CD Player but the speakers still sound pretty good and there are stock tweeters that give good highs to music. Appearance - Timeless. This 1997 suv still seams modern yet rugged and tough. The high stance/ground clearance gives the impression of a serious machine. Women like my wife think it's attractive and men seem to like it as well since it doesn't look like a typical "soccer mom" suv. Cost of Ownership - Only had it about a week so I couldn't give a fair evaluation but I will update. It cost approx $55 to fill up at $2.95/gallon and averaged around 19mpg. Fun Factor - Not a sports car and not a truck. On the road it handles so well and manages to almost drive itself so it can seem a little boring. Can fill the rear cargo area with alot of groceries or my 15yr son old and room left over. Won't offroad with a Jeep Wrangler but will out do most SUV's. I wouldn't rate it with a Land Cruiser but I've driven a Rover Discovery II on trails and I would say it would stay with it no problem off road and that's pretty fun for a factory machine!Feb 12, 2011

Performance - Acceleration, handling && braking were amazing!! Build Quality - When I bought this truck she was in dire need of an overhual!! I swaped out both axles (I had to fly those in from Florida), redo all the breaks, gasoline lines, replace the stearing pump && valves.. the list goes on!! But once she got some well deserved TLC - She was perfect!! Appearence - Loved it!! The trucks height && stance made her look HUGE!! Even for a 1997, she didn't need any body work while I owned it! Cost of Ownership - She was expensive && then she levelled out.. Gas mileage was amazing too.. Fun Factor - AWESOME!!Sep 23, 2010

230K miles and still going strong. This is my 2nd 4runner and I'm getting ready for the 3rd one, exept this one still doesn't want to quit. If you are looking for a reliable SUV, that is not too expensive and not too fancy, this is the one you will never regret buying. I can promise you that. I've been on just about every road with this car and it has never let me down. I bought this SUV with 35K miles and after 200K miles driven, the engine still runs smooth and strong, as well as the automatic transmition, everything still works as the first day I drove it. It has all the basic features for today's standards. The 4runner is not a performance SUV, so don't expect it to run like a sports vehicle; this boy is built for reliability and rock solid durability. Feb 10, 2009