This particular COAL is the result of the need for a large vehicle capable of family duty intersecting with my wife’s love of the high driving position that only SUV’s can provide. Her car at the point we met was a Suzuki Jimny, which despite its minuscule size, had a tall driving position that added to her confidence on the road. She really wanted to keep the Jimny but the tiny size and lack of any safety features ruled that out, so we moved it along around the same time as the Miata and started shopping around.
My original plan was to get a station wagon or hatch of some kind, but that was vetoed almost immediately. I really wanted a turbocharged Subaru Forester but was told that they too looked just like station wagons so should be taken out of consideration. It seemed like the best fit for our requirements and budget would be something like a mid 2000s RAV4, CRV, but I figured a more old school body on frame SUV would also be ok, because as far as my wife was concerned the more large and intimidating looking, the better!
Things like Landcruisers, Nissan Patrols and the like were way out of our budget, but I very much liked the idea of a N18x series Toyota Surf (JDM version of the 3rd generation 4 Runner), but there weren’t any of them around for sale. The previous N130 model was pretty common, and familiar since it shared a lot with my Hilux, but in terms of safety features it was no better than the Jimny except perhaps for size. The N18x was a major upgrade, with airbags, ABS, side impact beams and generally more solid construction. A close friend of my parents owned a 2001 model that he’d imported himself from Japan when it was almost new, and I remembered how nice the truck felt when riding in it a few times during trips with them. He still had the truck, but I knew he loved the thing and thought he’d never be persuaded to part with it so I didn’t even bother asking.
A picture I had of the surf from a vacation around 2007 or so
So we forgot the idea and started looking for a CRV, when one day out of the blue I got a text from my folks’ friend saying “Hi, I’m thinking of selling my Surf, let me know if you know anyone who might be interested”. You can guess how quickly I called him back! I knew that a one owner, well taken care of Surf would sell super fast, especially at the fairly reasonable asking price he wanted, so we set up an inspection for the very next Saturday to check it out. From what I remembered, I assumed the truck would be absolutely immaculate so I hyped my wife up about it when we were on our way to see.
Unfortunately it wasn’t quite as nice as I remembered; the silver paint had faded some and the beige interior was quite dirty after years of use. Other negative points were a poorly repainted rear right door (apparently after a minor bump), some visible oil leaks and worn and mismatched Chinese tires. On the positive side, the mileage was an honest 123,000 Kilometres, and it had full service history, with oil changes done every 5000 km. The 2.7L 3RZ-FE 4-cylinder fired up immediately and pulled reasonably well, though there was a noticeable vibration at idle. The test drive revealed that it drove, stopped and handled fairly ok, though there was a vibration through the steering wheel at 100 km/h or so, and the shifts of the old school 4 speed automatic gearbox felt a little slow.
It was unmolested, but a bit tired looking
My wife wasn’t very impressed by the overall state of the thing, but I felt that it had potential, so I booked it in with a friend who was a Toyota technician for a thorough inspection. He gave it a full looking over, pulled me over to one side and said “buy this thing as soon as you can!” So I negotiated a bit on the price, we arrived at a good enough compromise, and the Surf joined our garage in October 2020. A more detailed inspection revealed that initial impressions were right and that this really was a very tidy example indeed, with a flawless underside, so I was well pleased with the purchase.
I had my friend the tech change all the fluids, replace worn suspension components, the radiator and the leaky seals, and give the engine a tuneup, all of which improved the way it drove considerably. The engine and transmission mounts had also worn significantly, so they were replaced, which made an incredible difference because all traces of vibration were completely eradicated and you could barely notice the engine running at idle. The crappy Chinese tires were replaced by a set of Yokohama Geolandar GO15s on the insistence of a very good friend who spends a large amount of his time thinking about tires, and they definitely transformed how the truck felt on the road! Despite being AT treaded, they proved to be quieter than some other brand HT treads, and made the Surf feel much more surefooted when cornering and braking.
This generation of Surf/4 Runner saw Toyota consciously moving the model upmarket, further away from the Hilux chassis and making it more refined overall. This generation has more in common mechanically with the J90 series Land Cruiser Prado, with a very similar chassis and suspension that was quite a bit more sophisticated than the equivalent Hilux pickup truck. It makes a notable difference to the driving experience; the Surf feels quite modern for a 20 plus year old truck, with decent road manners and pretty good refinement. It only really seems to struggle a bit at highway speeds, where the 2.7 and four speed auto combination starts to feel a little overburdened when loaded up. Still, it can more than keep up with traffic and doesn’t need to be thrashed hard like the Hilux does to keep to the speed limit.
Cleaned up rather well, if I do say so myself.
Once all the mechanical refreshing was done, I treated the truck to a full detailing and the results were nothing short of amazing, because it emerged looking almost like new. Under all the dirt, the interior material was still pristine, while the rather dulled paint also responded very well to some TLC. Since then it’s basically been used almost everyday, taking me to work and back, running family errands, carrying stuff and generally being every inch the useful workhorse.
So far (touch wood) it hasn’t needed any work done at all, though the shocks are feeling a bit weak and the electronic engagement for the Four Wheel Drive acts up sometimes, so it will soon spend some time at the workshop. We’ve covered just about 7,000 Km since it was purchased, which brings the total on the clock to 130,000 KM or 80,000 Miles. The general consensus is that these trucks are good for 500,000 plus miles if taken care of, so this one is barely run in really.
Soon after I got it, a guy I know offered me significantly more than I had put into it, but my wife now adores it so that idea was given up. Frankly, it meets our needs so well and is so useful overall that I don’t see what could replace it, the only major downside is the rather heavy thirst, but we figure we can live with that for now.
Not fast, but should last a few decades at least.
In case anyone is wondering, the differences between the JDM Surf and the US market 4 Runner are mostly limited to the trim and and spec levels; also, by the 2001 model year, the 4 Runner no longer offered the 2.7l 4 pot, whereas it continued in Japan right to the end of production. The only major visual difference is the spare wheel location. Unlike the 4 runner where it is mounted under the rear floor, on the Surf it lives in a swing away tyre carrier on the tailgate, which means the license plate is moved to a side. Opening the tailgate requires the spare to be swung away separately every time, which is a bit cumbersome and not something 4 Runner owners have to deal with. The opening tailgate glass is a godsend because of this!
The differences are most obvious from this end.
This COAL post is a relatively short one because I haven’t had the truck for very long and it has mostly been completely uneventfully going about its business. Sometimes, that is exactly what you need from a vehicle, so I’m very glad to have it around. If all goes well, this one may end up being around for a couple of decades too.
It seems like you do not live in the United States. What country do you live in?
Sajiv lives in Sri Lanka.
It’s always interesting to see how the same vehicles are branded, badges and marketed in different countries. I can’t help thinking that it should be the same worldwide because sometimes the differences are so slight.
It has been something I’ve wondered about as well. I suppose the differences stem from what marketing people think consumers in their particular market prefer.
“Surf” is a much better name than “4-Runner,” which is a lame name for one of the best SUVs of all time.
You think so? I don’t know, maybe it’s because of the Hilux part but I kinda prefer 4 Runner
Very popular here but rare with a gas engine turbodiesel is much more popular and goes longer without the thirst.
The gas engine is rare here too, most are diesel. I’m surprised to hear you say the diesel lasts longer though, over here the 1 KZ engine these came with needs a rebuild by about 250k Kms.
I like the name “Surf” as well, but it’s also the name of a brand of laundry detergent sold here in Canada. The 4-Runner has grown quite a bit from the size of the third generation model you have, and the current model sold in North America comes only with a 4.0 l gas V6 and 5 speed automatic. For myself, I like the older ones and you still see a few of them around, though they’re not as common as they used to be. You’ve done a fine job of getting yours back into good shape mechanically and in appearance – looks like it’ll be sharing the driveway with your Hilux for a long time to come.
Thanks dman.
We’ve got a detergent brand with that name too! Yup I’ve been following the 4Runner’s growth over the years, it now seems to be basically a Land Cruiser Prado (What the US gets as a Lexus GX) with a different body. The older ones seem to be getting quite sought after now, from what I see online.
So weird that theyd put the tire on the back when there is room under the floor.
Do the Surf models have a bigger gas tank or something where the spare goes on US market 4 Runners? I could see that being a necessity if you are driving thru the Australian bush
As. I recall, even in the US/Canada, the first few generations of 4Runner had the external spares when fitted with factory-optional larger tires, which this one seems to have (265/70-16 I believe).
I think the gas tank is the same size. I guess this is just a case of different for the sake of being different.
And yes the tire size is 265/70-16, although I believe that was a size available on US 4 Runners too?
A coworker’s wife has a 2001 4-Runner she bought new. At last count it had around 240k miles and was still doing fine. The power steering pump had consumed itself at just over 200k and there was some other odd but mild mechanical mishap but that’s been it. Like you and your wife, this coworker and his wife cannot identify anything to replace it.
That seems to be a very common story among owners of these things. It just fits the needs really well, is a good size and has plenty of space. The only negatives I can see is that it is 20 years old in terms of safety features, and is quite slow AND thirsty.
But the only thing that can do everything that this can do and have the benefits of being newer would be a 5-ish year old Landcruiser Prado, which costs between 30 or 40 million rupees right now (The equivalent of $150,000-200,00). I’d be able to get about 7 million for my truck, were I to sell. ($35,000 or so).
Although the current generation 4Runner has been around long enough to become more available on the second-hand market, these 3rd gen versions are considered by many to be “peak 4Runner”, especially for off road use due to their smaller size. Certainly there are a few weak points in front suspension, the optional V6 engine, and the ADD 4WD system but these are well known and easy to address or just maintain. The 4 cylinder is less common in the US and often paired with 2WD, but I think a 4 cylinder 4WD with 5 speed and the factory rear locker would be a great SUV for a lifetime.
Given the much lower average speeds in our country, the 4 cylinder is good enough I think. I definitely wish mine had the rear locker and the 5 Speed, that would have made it just about perfect.
4Runner does run deep in the family…
My brother has a red 1998 4Runner that he still drives every day and commutes 15 miles each way. His 4Runner has reached more than 400,000 miles with its original V6 engine and automatic gearbox: neither is due for rebuild yet. He maintains his 4Runner religiously and keeps the careful observation of fluids and mechanicals, repairing or replacing whenever needed. Deferred maintainence is strictly forbidden here. Surprisingly, the red paint hasn’t reached the “patina stage” yet after twenty years due to his careful treatment with car wax and polish.
My brother’s 1998 is his third 4Runner. The first one was a 1989 black, but it had a cracked frame, undetected at delivery. He received a full replacement of 4Runner under warranty, this time a red one. With his growing family, the 1989 model with two doors was impractical so my brother replaced it with a 1998 four-door model.
A several years ago, he bought another 4Runner, a silver 1999 model, for his sons to use. Then, one of his sons bought a brand-new 2020 4Runner after graduating from Colorado School of Mines.
I would want to get a 1997–2001 Hilux Surf with diesel engine, perhaps the direct import from Japan or Argentina (where they are plentiful and in LHD).
Wow, that is some serious running (and vehicle care)! It appears that these trucks can go on pretty much indefinitely with basic care and attention, I’m hoping that proves true with mine as well.
I am attracted to these. I had forgotten that the 2.7 four was available at all in the US. Now a 2.7 with the 5 speed is even more attractive to me.
I can understand that. I do wish mine was a 5 speed. If the auto box ever gives up I may seriously consider a 5 speed conversion.
My dad had two 3rd gen 4Runners with more than 350K miles before moving on to a Landcruiser. So a few years ago I too jumped at the chance to buy a one owner 2002 SR5 with 91K original miles. The chrome bumpers were rusting through so I replaced those, new tires, timing belt and water pump change, synthetic oil, all fresh fluids, new battery, tune up, and valve cover gaskets. Everything on this 20 year old truck works and it still gets looks. Don’t judge, but I liked the ‘02 so much we now own a 2021 TRD Off-road premium with KDSS as our designated family hauler. Both are driven equally and we wouldn’t sell either of them.
Thats a fantastic pairing there Eric! If I could, I would definitely buy a current generation 4 Runner too, but we don’t get them here and the nearest equivalent is WAY out of my price range thanks to taxes, so I’ll make do with the 3rd gen.
My list of repairs and replacements after purchase pretty much mirrored yours except for the T belt because the 4 Cyl has a timing chain, and I agree, everything on it works pretty well even today.
Sajiv – Congrats on your truck and enjoy. I quite liked your wry humor in describing the guy that recommended the tires to go on it as “someone who spends a large amount of his time thinking about tires.” Had to laugh out loud. Nicely done.
On US spec 1996-2002, the 3.4L somehow came with a timing belt although I would much prefer the chain. I fully commiserate with you on high vehicle taxes everywhere. Living in Europe I saw this as well based on engine size and vehicle age.
Haha thanks Eric. That isn’t an exaggeration, my friend does actually spend an inordinate amount of time researching tires and usually has lots of facts and figures to back up his suggestions. So far, he has not been wrong.