Faults:

Everyone complains about simple things like the cup holders, but I don't mind that one bit considering the all around performance of this truck.

I have had zero problems with this vehicle since owned that I didn't cause to happen.

It has a surprising amount of power for a V6, and with the manual transmission is quite snappy.

The reliability of this vehicle is unbelievable. I put about 30k miles on it and a decent portion of those miles were offroading, and all of the miles were hard. I always drove it like I stole it and loved every second of it. Over the course of me driving it, I smashed a tree head on, and flipped it, straightened it out, and drove it, only to completely total it soon after. There is not much left holding it together, twisted frame, no windows, barely any suspension left from being rolled, and it still runs like a bear and will go anywhere in the woods. Best vehicle I could ever hope for.

I now have an older 4runner with the 3.0 and the power isn't even comparable to the 3.4. It hurts to think about how bad I destroyed it, but I don't think I'll ever get rid of it; as long as it still runs I will continue to drive it in the woods.

General Comments:

I stole the 4runner for a measly 800 bucks off a friend that didn't quite know what he had. It was in mint condition when I bought it; the only things I had to replace besides what I broke in the first wreck are brakes, fluids, filters and tires.

Faults:

Master cylinder and rear axle seals needed to be replaced at 321334.

Sunroof motor doesn't work.

Rust rotted out my shock mounts in the rear, so they needed to be re-welded.

With this mileage on an American car I'd have had to replace the transmission and engine by now. The 4Runner doesn't care one bit.

General Comments:

This is an absolutely astounding vehicle and I don't think anything could possibly be improved about it. I will get another one when (if) this one ever dies. It's a very attractive car and everything just feels "right".

Heat and A/C are incredibly good; they're the best I've ever seen. Front seats are CRAZY comfortable. Remarkably quiet ride. Speaker placement is excellent. The power rear window is great - it lets me push airflow throughout the entire car, not just into my hair, and also lets me hear cars when they are behind me.

The car has a remarkably good and strong 4x4 system, with a push button that engages and disengages 4WD smoothly in one second, whenever you like.

After 18 years, absolutely everything works except the sunroof motor.

The car has tons of room inside and is nicely laid out, aside from the stupid cupholder (ask anyone with a 3rd Gen about this, and you'll see what I mean).

I purchased it at 321000 because I knew it would hold up, and it is unstoppable. It's got all-original everything. The only area of wear in the entire car is the driver's seat, and a little rust on the tailgate.

This car (and this particular generation, from 1996-1999) is legendary for a reason. There is nothing on the road like a 90s 4Runner.