What's the Best Year 3rd Gen 4Runner to Buy?

Search any 4Runner forum and "which year should I buy?" appears weekly. Within the 3rd generation (1996–2002), here's the honest hierarchy — and the caveat that outranks all of it.

The facelift split: 1996–1998 vs. 1999–2002

Toyota refreshed the truck for 1999: updated front-end styling, revised bumpers and grille, interior tweaks, and the availability of multi-mode 4WD on some models. The later trucks look more modern and carry small refinements throughout — which is why the market generally prices 1999+ higher.

Year-by-year quick hits

• 1996–1997: The original run. Simple, proven, and often the cheapest entry. Verify head gasket history on early 3.4s.
• 1998: Last pre-facelift year; mechanically mature.
• 1999: Facelift arrives. Front-end parts sometimes differ from earlier trucks — check fitment notes when buying accessories.
• 2000–2001: Peak refinement; Vehicle Skid Control appears on some models.
• 2002: The final, most-sorted year — and typically the priciest.

The options that matter more than the year

A 1997 with the factory rear e-locker is a better wheeling truck than a 2002 without it. Locker, service records, and rust-free frame are worth more than any model-year distinction — shop for those first, year second.

The verdict

If prices were equal: 2001–2002 for the refinements. In the real market: buy the best-maintained, least-rusty truck you can find in your budget, and treat the year as a tiebreaker. A loved '96 will outlast a neglected '02 by a decade.