Our Family 4Runner

Like the Tacoma, the build of the 1997 Toyota 4Runner changed from year to year. Here's how it sat as of the day we sold it. Tastefully modified with 271K miles on the odometer, it was a great vehicle for daily driving and mild off-roading.

platform	1997 Toyota Tacoma - 4WD SR5 V6 in Evergreen Pearl [purchase] [sale]
suspension - front	OME 90004 Nitrocharger Sport Shocks and 2881 Coil Springs [install]
suspension - rear	OME 60028 Nitrocharger Sport Rear Shocks and 2890 Coil Springs [install]
brakes	Tundra 13WL disc brakes, and supporting parts (front) [install]
drive train	1st gen Tacoma Lower Ball Joints (LBJs) and Outer Tie Rod Ends (OTREs) [install] Rear diff breather mod [install]
armor	Stock skid plates Custom fabricated sliders with kick out [install]
wheels and tires	16" 3rd Gen Toyota 4Runner Limited wheels [install] 265/75 R16 (32x10.5) Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires [install]
electrical	Storage area electrical panel [install]
communications & navigation	Stock
audio	Stock
interior gear	Storage and sleeping platform for rear compartment [fabrication] CalTrend NeoSupreme Seat Covers (front + back)
exterior gear	Custom fabricated (mostly) aluminum roof rack [fabrication and install] Cascadia Vehicle Tents (CVT) Mt. Shasta [purchase] [install]

Maintenance

There wasn't a lot of maintenance needed on the 4Runner in the time we had it - I think we put a total of about 7K miles on it. Of course, the modifications listed above could be considered maintenance in several cases, and surely allowed me to keep an eye on all the relevant maintenance items. Besides those and regular oil changes, here was the notable maintenance I did to the 4Runner.

Replacing My Rear Axle Seals & Bearings on a Toyota 4Runner (also Tacoma)

Replacing Rear Brakes on the 4Runner

Trips

We may not have gone on more than a few trips a year with the 4Runner, but those we did experience were great fun. All of them - with one exception - were with the kiddo, which made them all that much better!