looking to buy. A few questions.

[ned]

Hello. I am looking to get a 4Runner in the near future and had a couple questions as I am relatively new to them. A little history on me. I have been driving a 1994 GMC Z71 ¾ ton with a 6” sus lift for 9 years. I sold it last fall due to its 8 MPG. I have always been a sideline fan of the 4Runners, but never got into them. Well now it is almost time to. I am in the Army currently in Iraq and when I get home I am buying myself a 4Runner. I have looked at the history of them on many sites and have decided I want a 1996/1997 with the V6, manual tranny and if possible the locking rear diff. My intensions are to get it to 31” tires at most with a 2” sus lift. I do minor off road playing and tow dirt bikes/ atv’s/ small aluminum fishing boat etc…

Is this setup at all common and obtainable? (96, V6, manual, rear locker)

How many miles are these trucks good for? Most 96’s I find are around 150K-180K+. Seems like a lot of miles for the price they are asking.

I have lots of questions and I am reading a lot of posts here, so I'll start with those 2 questions. Any tips/ suggestions you may have are welcome.

Thanks...

[Hoodlum]

First off Thank You for doing what you do

The third gen 4runners are great for what you have in mind and will do the job very well.As long as they were properly maintained the milage 'almost' doesn't matter.If they were kept clean and maintained they run for a long time.Try to find one that has had the timing belt done within a reasonable amount of time.And has service records of what and when.I've never lifted one of them so I don't have much input there.But for fitting 31' tires you may be able to get away with a 1' or 2" Body Lift.Some of the runners come with 30" tires and 4.30 gears as well as the rear dif locker.I didn't have to do much to clear them(31's) on my Tacoma which other than the rear suspension set-up they're pretty much the same.Tacomas have rear leafsprings and the runners have rear coils.If you have any other Q's just ask, someone around here will know,answers don't always come fast but they will get answered.