Used Toyota 4Runner Buying Guide: Best Years, Prices, What to Check

4Runner Generations at a Glance

Start by placing the truck. A 2009 and a 2010 look related from across a lot and share almost nothing; a 2024 and a 2025 share a name and a rear window that rolls down, and not much else.

A quick way to tell them apart: a fourth-generation truck has a rounded body, a small grille and, on 2006–2009, a cleaner bumper and clear-lens tail lights; a 2010–2013 truck has the blocky, squared-off look with a small grille and plain headlights; a 2014–2024 truck has the big, aggressive front end with slim projector headlights; a 2025-and-newer truck is wider, with the Tacoma-style wraparound rear glass and “TOYOTA” lettering or the heritage grille up front. For the current truck in detail, see our 2026 4Runner buying guide.

Why the 2010–2024 4Runner Is the Used Buy Everyone Asks About

Most used-4Runner conversations at the dealership are about the fifth generation, and for a simple reason: for fifteen model years Toyota sold the same 4.0-liter V6, the same 5-speed automatic, the same frame and the same body, and changed the equipment around them a little at a time. That gives a used buyer three things that are rare in one vehicle:

• One drivetrain to learn. Every 2011–2024 4Runner has the 270-hp V6, a timing chain rather than a belt, and a conventional 5-speed automatic. Whatever a 2012 does well or badly, a 2022 does the same way, so parts, service knowledge and independent-shop familiarity are deep and cheap. (The 2010 2WD SR5 could be had with a 157-hp 2.7-liter four; it is rare and not the one to look for.)
• A clear equipment ladder by year. Because nothing mechanical changed, the model year is really a list of features: the 2014 refresh for the modern cabin and backup camera, 2020 for Toyota Safety Sense P and CarPlay, 2021 for LED headlights, 2023 for blind-spot monitoring standard. You pay for the year you want and not for a different truck.
• A long track record on the road. In the 2026 iSeeCars longest-lasting study, 33.1% of 4Runners were still on the road past 250,000 miles, third of every vehicle sold in the United States and more than six times the 5.3% average. The 2025 edition put it at 32.9%, second overall. That is data about trucks that are already old, not a promise about any specific one, but it is why a 150,000-mile 4Runner has a market at all.

The trade-offs are just as consistent: fuel economy is about 17 mpg combined on the 2020–2024 EPA rating (17 city / 22 highway on the older rating of the same engine), the 5-speed is a gear or two short of what a 2026 truck has, the ride is a truck’s, and the third row is for children. If those are fine, the fifth generation is one of the easiest used vehicles there is to buy well, and the rest of this guide is mostly about which year and which trim.

Best Used 4Runner Years to Buy, by Budget

One pick per budget, based on what the equipment and the price curve say. Every figure is a CarGurus national listing average from May 2026, so treat it as a starting point, not a quote.

If you want a single answer: a 2020–2022 SR5 Premium or TRD Off-Road 4WD with a clean underside is the used 4Runner we would send a family member to buy. It has the safety suite, CarPlay, the V6 that everyone asks for, and it is young enough that the frame should be fine if it was undercoated or garaged. If you want full-time 4WD and leather, a Limited from the same years is the same answer with a softer ride.

Used 4Runner Prices by Model Year

National listing averages from CarGurus, May 2026, rounded. They blend every trim, drivetrain and mileage, so a 2WD SR5 sits well below the line and a low-mile TRD Pro or Limited well above it. Typical mileage is the model’s age times about 12,200 miles a year, the U.S. average per driver, so it is a guide to what is normal, not a rule.

Three things stand out. First, the curve is flat at the old end: a 2003 and a 2008 are within about $3,300 of each other nationally, because condition sets the price on a 20-year-old truck. Second, the two biggest single-year steps are the 2014 refresh (about $3,200 over a 2013) and the 2020 safety-and-tech update (about $3,300 over a 2019), which tells you what buyers think those features are worth. Third, a 2024 and a 2025 are only about $1,900 apart, so the V6-or-turbo choice at the new end is a preference, not a budget decision. Current Gale used pricing is on each vehicle page.

How Many Miles Is Too Many on a 4Runner?

More than the odometer suggests. The iSeeCars data above (33.1% past 250,000 miles in the 2026 study, 32.9% in 2025) means a 150,000-mile 4Runner is ordinary and a 200,000-mile one is not a reason to walk away on its own. What matters more than the number:

• Where the miles were driven. 150,000 highway miles in Virginia is a different truck from 90,000 miles of short winter trips near Springfield. The vehicle history report shows the registration history; the underside shows the rest.
• Service records. The 4.0 V6 uses a timing chain, so there is no belt interval, but it wants its oil changed on schedule, and a 4WD truck wants transfer-case and differential fluid changes. On a fourth-generation V8, the 4.7 has a timing belt with a 90,000-mile replacement interval; ask for the invoice. On a 2025-or-newer hybrid, ask for a dealer battery health report.
• Use. A 4Runner that towed a camper every weekend, plowed a driveway or ran trails on 33-inch tires wears its driveline, brakes and front suspension faster than its odometer. Look for a brake controller, a hitch with a worn ball, skid-plate scars, a roof tent mount or a winch.
• Price per remaining mile. If a 2013 at 160,000 miles is about $17,000 and a 2018 at 100,000 is about $28,750, the 2018 is buying you roughly 60,000 miles, the refreshed cabin, a backup camera and the newer head unit for about $11,750. That is usually the better math near Hartford, where the older truck has also seen five more winters.

Our rule of thumb: under 100,000 miles on a 2014-or-newer truck is normal, 100,000 to 175,000 is fine with records and a clean underside, and past 175,000 you are buying condition, not miles.

Do 4Runners Rust? Frame and Underbody, Answered for New England

Any body-on-frame vehicle that spends its winters in the salt belt can, and on a 4Runner the frame is the part that matters. Body rust is cosmetic and repairable; frame perforation is not. Toyota’s corrosion warranty covers rust-through of body panels for 5 years with no mileage limit and does not cover the frame, and unlike the Tacoma and Tundra there was no Toyota frame program for the 4Runner to produce paperwork, so the inspection is the whole story. On a used truck of any age, here is what a frame inspection should cover:

• Put it on a lift. Flashlight-under-the-truck inspections miss the inside of the frame rails. On a 4Runner the places to look are the rear frame section behind the second row, the rear crossmember under the spare tire, the body mounts, the mounts for the rear control arms and the panhard rod, and the inside of the boxed sections where salt sits.
• Tap, don’t just look. Surface rust and scale are normal on any 10-year-old New England truck. What you are checking for is flaking that comes off in sheets, soft spots a screwdriver handle can dent, holes, or fresh undercoating sprayed over something. Thick new undercoating on an old truck is a reason to look harder, not to relax.
• Check the places that are not the frame. Brake and fuel lines along the frame rail, the front lower control arms and their bushings, the rear differential housing and axle tubes, the spare-tire winch cable and crossbar, rocker panels, rear wheel arches, the liftgate bottom seam and the tailgate-window channel, and the inner fenders.
• Look where accessories were bolted on. A lot of used 4Runners wore aftermarket bumpers, sliders, winches or roof racks at some point. Anywhere a bolt went through the frame or body, the paint was broken and the salt got in; look at those holes and the metal around them.
• Prefer southern trucks, but verify. A truck that spent its first years outside the salt belt is worth paying for, and the vehicle history report shows where it was registered. It is still a 10-minute lift inspection to confirm.

If you plan to keep any 4Runner more than a few winters, an annual underbody wash and a fluid-film or oil-based undercoating every fall are cheap compared with a frame, and they are the difference between a 4Runner that reaches the iSeeCars numbers above and one that does not.

SR5 vs. TRD Off-Road vs. Limited vs. TRD Pro: Trims Worth Looking For

The names have stayed consistent across the fifth generation and carry into the sixth, so this list covers 2010–2024 and, where noted, 2025-and-newer:

• SR5 and SR5 Premium: the value trim and the most common used 4Runner. 2WD or part-time 4WD, the only trim besides Limited with the optional third row, and from 2014 a power driver’s seat. SR5 Premium (from about 2016) adds SofTex seats and a power moonroof. Our usual recommendation for a budget-minded buyer, and an SR5 4WD is the most common configuration on the lot.
• Trail (2010–2016) / TRD Off-Road and TRD Off-Road Premium (2017 on): the one with the electronic locking rear differential, Crawl Control, Multi-Terrain Select and available KDSS, on 17-inch wheels with real tires. Part-time 4WD only, no third row. The trim to look for if you will see snow, mud or a camp road, and the one most used buyers ask for after the TRD Pro. Venture Edition (2020–2022) is a TRD Off-Road Premium with a Yakima roof basket and black trim.
• Limited: leather, dual-zone climate, 20-inch wheels, JBL audio, and the only fifth-generation trim with full-time 4WD, which matters more in a Connecticut winter than any of the leather. Rides on X-REAS cross-linked shocks and sits a little lower. Nightshade (2019 on) is a blacked-out Limited. The comfortable 4WD daily driver, and a good choice for the buyer who wants the third row and never leaves pavement.
• TRD Sport (2022–2024): the street version. X-REAS suspension, 20-inch wheels, a hood scoop and a front spoiler, no locker, 2WD or part-time 4WD. Worth buying when it is clearly cheaper than a TRD Off-Road, not when it is priced the same.
• TRD Pro (2015 on): the factory off-road truck. Bilstein remote-reservoir shocks and a TRD front skid plate on 2015–2018 trucks, 2.5-inch Fox internal-bypass shocks with about an inch of front lift from 2019, Nitto all-terrains on 17-inch wheels, a roof rack, and a model-year color (Voodoo Blue, Army Green, Lunar Rock, Solar Octane, Terra). It carries a premium of several thousand dollars over a TRD Off-Road, which makes sense only if you want that specific truck. Replacement TRD Pro shocks cost a few thousand dollars versus a few hundred for standard ones, so check them for leaks.
• Trail Special Edition (from 2021) and 40th Anniversary (2023): an SR5 on TRD Off-Road wheels with a Yakima basket and a cooler, and an SR5 Premium 4WD with bronze wheels and heritage stripes (4,040 built). Nice to find, not worth a big premium; neither has the locker.
• Platinum and Trailhunter (2025 on): new to the sixth generation. Platinum is the hybrid luxury truck with full-time 4WD; Trailhunter is the factory overlanding build with Old Man Emu shocks, a roof rack and an onboard compressor. Rare used, and priced close to new.

Part-time vs. full-time 4WD

This is the single most useful thing to know about a used 4Runner in New England. SR5, Trail, TRD Off-Road, TRD Sport and TRD Pro have part-time 4WD: a lever for 2H, 4H and 4L, and you drive in 2WD on dry pavement and shift to 4H when it snows. It is simple and strong, but you have to remember to engage it, and you should not run 4H on dry roads. The Limited has full-time 4WD with a Torsen center differential that can be locked: it is always driving all four wheels, there is nothing to switch on when the weather turns, and it still has low range. On the fourth generation the split is by engine instead: V8 trucks are full-time, V6 trucks are part-time. A 2WD 4Runner, which exists on SR5, TRD Sport and Limited, is a fine truck in the Southeast and a poor one on Route 190 in February; think twice about one for a snow-state driveway, and about the 20-inch wheels on a Limited or TRD Sport if you plan to run winter tires, since the 17-inch wheels on an SR5 or TRD Off-Road are cheaper to shoe.

What KDSS is and whether you want it

KDSS (Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System) was an option on the Trail and TRD Off-Road. It links the front and rear sway bars hydraulically so they loosen for more wheel travel at crawling speeds and stiffen on the road, which gives a KDSS truck a flatter ride in corners and more articulation on a trail than a standard one. On a used truck, have the hydraulic cylinders and lines at both sway bars looked at for seepage and confirm the truck sits level side to side; a KDSS 4Runner in good order is worth a small premium, and the KDSS badge on the rear or the cylinders at the sway bars tell you whether it is fitted.

A note on “built” 4Runners: lifted trucks on 33-inch tires with bumpers, sliders, winches, roof tents and light bars are common on the used market, more so than for any other Toyota. The lift and tires add wear to ball joints, front CV boots, wheel bearings, steering and the driveline, a cheap lift changes the geometry enough to affect how the truck drives, and every bolt-on broke the paint somewhere. A factory TRD Pro, or a 2025-or-newer Trailhunter, gets you a lift with the engineering and warranty behind it. Our What is Toyota TRD guide covers the TRD hardware across every year.

Third Row, Cargo, Towing and MPG: What a Used 4Runner Actually Does

About that third row: it was optional on the SR5, SR5 Premium and Limited (never on Trail, TRD or TRD Pro), it splits 50/50 and folds flat, and it is a children’s seat with 9 cubic feet of cargo room behind it. It is worth having if you need an occasional seventh seat; think twice if you need a real third row every day, in which case a used Highlander is the better family vehicle for the money. The 2025-and-newer third row is also gas-only (the hybrid battery takes the space) and still small. Dimensions on a 2010–2024 are 190.2 inches long (191.3 on a TRD Pro), 75.8 wide and 71.5 tall on a 109.8-inch wheelbase, with 9.0 inches of ground clearance in 2WD and 9.6 in 4WD, so it fits a standard garage with a roof basket to spare.

What to Check Before Buying a Used 4Runner

Bring this list, or send it to whoever is doing your pre-purchase inspection. The first group is 4Runner-specific; the second is the salt-belt list every used truck in New England should get.

4Runner-specific

• Open recalls by VIN at toyota.com/recall. Anything open is a free fix at any Toyota dealer, so it is a to-do, not a deal-breaker.
• Frame as described above, with extra attention anywhere an aftermarket bumper, slider, winch or rack was bolted on.
• 4WD engagement: on a part-time truck, shift into 4H and 4L on the lot and make sure the light comes on and the truck pulls in both. On a Limited, cycle the center-differential lock and confirm the light. On a Trail or TRD Off-Road, engage the rear locker in 4L and try Crawl Control at walking speed; both should work without a warning light.
• KDSS, where fitted: look at the hydraulic cylinders and lines at the front and rear sway bars for seepage and confirm the truck sits level.
• Shocks: X-REAS units on Limited and TRD Sport, Fox or Bilstein units on a TRD Pro, and any aftermarket lift. Look for wetness on the bodies and a level stance; the premium shocks cost more to replace.
• Transmission behavior: cold start, shift into Drive and Reverse and note how it engages; drive at 60–70 mph with cruise control on a gentle grade and feel for clean, settled shifts from the 5-speed (2010–2024) or the 8-speed (2025+). Ask for the service history, including any fluid service past 100,000 miles.
• Oil seepage around the valve covers and timing cover on high-mile V6s. Minor seepage is common; dripping is a repair. On a fourth-generation V8, ask for the timing-belt invoice.
• Check-engine light and readiness monitors: the light should be off and the monitors set, which is also what the Connecticut emissions test looks for on a truck four model years or older.
• Power rear window: run the tailgate glass down and up from the dash switch and the key fob, and check the rear wiper and the cargo floor under the mat for water.
• Third row, if fitted: fold and unfold both halves and check the belts and the cargo cover; a removed third row is common, so ask whether it comes with the truck.
• Moonroof on Limited, SR5 Premium and 40th Anniversary trucks: open and close it and check the headliner at the corners.
• Touchscreen and cameras: on 2020-and-newer trucks pair a phone and confirm CarPlay or Android Auto works; on any 2014-or-newer truck check the backup camera for the fogging that follows a cracked lens; on a 2025-or-newer with the 14-inch screen, check the 360-degree camera.
• Tow history: a brake controller, hitch-ball wear and transmission-cooler lines if fitted.
• Hybrid (2025+ i-FORCE MAX): ask for a dealer battery health report, and confirm the 12-volt battery is healthy.
• Wheels and tires: date codes, tread, and whether the 20-inch tires on a Limited or TRD Sport are matched; on a lifted truck, confirm the tires clear the fenders at full lock.

New England salt-belt list

• Frame rails, inside and out, with a tap test.
• Brake lines and fuel lines along the frame, especially where they pass over the rear axle.
• Rear differential cover and axle tubes.
• Rear control-arm and panhard-rod mounts, coil-spring seats and the body mounts.
• Front lower control arms, sway-bar links, the steering rack boots and the front CV boots on a 4WD.
• Rocker panels, rear wheel arches, the pinch welds and the liftgate bottom seam.
• Exhaust hangers, the muffler and the exhaust manifold flanges.
• Spare-tire winch, cable and crossbar, and the spare itself (often flat and forgotten).
• Battery tray and terminals.
• Underbody wiring, especially the ABS sensor leads at each wheel and the trailer-wiring connector.
• Bolt holes from any accessory that was added or removed.

Then the ordinary used-vehicle checks: vehicle history report, matching title and VIN, odometer against the records, tire date codes and tread, brake pad and rotor thickness, and a cold-start listen. We put every used car through the shop before it reaches the front line and do the work needed; if you are buying privately, a pre-purchase inspection at any shop with a lift is about an hour of labor and the best money you will spend.

Toyota Programs Worth Confirming by VIN

Toyota has, over the years, extended coverage or run customer-support programs on some used 4Runner model years, and most of that work has already been done on the trucks that are on the road today. The programs themselves have run their course, but the paperwork from them is worth asking for, because it tells you what was done to the truck and when. For the 4Runner, the one to know about:

• 2003–2005 instrument panel coverage extension: Toyota extended coverage on the dashboard of these trucks to 10 years from the date of first use with no mileage limit, with one replacement at its dealers where it applied.

We found no Toyota frame program for any 4Runner year, so the frame paperwork you would ask for on a Tacoma or Tundra does not exist here; the underbody inspection above takes its place. Coverage extensions do not show up in a VIN lookup, so ask the seller for the dealer invoice. Open recalls on any VIN are listed at toyota.com/recall; ask us and we will confirm anything open was completed before the car reaches the front line.

Used vs. New 4Runner: Running the Math

A new 2026 4Runner SR5 2WD starts at $41,570 base MSRP before about $1,495 destination, and the SR5 4WD most buyers near Hartford actually want is $43,570 before destination. Against that, the national averages for used trucks:

What the table says: at the near-new end, the used 4Runner market is priced so close to new that the national average for a 3-year-old truck is within a few hundred dollars of a new SR5 4WD. That average includes Limiteds and TRD Pros, so a used 2023 SR5 will sit below it, but the point stands: compare the specific used truck against the same trim new, and compare payments, because the new truck brings the full warranty, two years of included maintenance, the newer engine and 8-speed, 4 mpg, a 6,000-lb tow rating and new-vehicle financing rates. The 6-year-old truck is where used wins clearly: about $8,900 less than a new SR5 4WD, with the V6 that everyone asks for and the 2020 tech, if the underside is clean, and with the understanding that it costs about $600 a year more in fuel at 17 mpg versus 21 over 15,000 miles and about $3.50 a gallon.

5th gen vs. 6th gen for the money

Because a 2024 (about $46,700) and a 2025 (about $48,600) cost about the same used, the generation choice is a preference:

• Buy the 2010–2024 truck if you want the naturally aspirated V6 and the simpler 5-speed, you want the lowest price per year of truck, you want the third row on a Limited with full-time 4WD, or you plan to keep it past 200,000 miles and like that the parts and the knowledge are everywhere. The 2020–2024 years give you TSS-P and CarPlay, so you are not giving up much that matters daily.
• Buy the 2025-or-newer truck if you want 278 or 326 hp and an 8-speed, 4 to 6 mpg better, 6,000-lb towing, TSS 3.0, the 14-inch screen and wireless CarPlay on Premium trims and up, and most of a factory warranty. A 2025 hybrid also carries the 10-year/150,000-mile battery warranty, which transfers.

Our advice: if you are looking at a 2023–2025, price a new 2026 SR5 or TRD Off-Road before you decide. If you are looking at 2014–2022, used is the better value as long as you budget for tires, brakes and whatever the inspection turns up. Our buy vs. lease guide covers the new-truck side, and the 2026 4Runner guide has every current trim and price.

What a Used 4Runner Is Worth Later: Resale and Reliability

Kelley Blue Book’s 2026 Best Resale Value Awards, published in March 2026, named the 4Runner the off-road SUV expected to retain the most value after five years and put it in the top ten of every vehicle sold, projected to keep around 55 percent or more of its sticker; Toyota took the Best Resale Value Brand award at about 53 percent against an industry average near 45. For a used buyer that cuts both ways. It is why a clean 2020 to 2024 costs what it does today, and it is why the truck should still be worth real money when you sell it in five years, which is the number that matters more than the purchase price. The iSeeCars depreciation and 250,000-mile figures elsewhere on this page are the same story told from the other end.

On reliability, Consumer Reports’ reliability survey published in December 2025 ranks Toyota first of all brands with a score of 66, with Ford eleventh and Chevrolet seventeenth, and notes that conventional hybrids keep scoring well. The 2025-and-newer i-FORCE MAX 4Runner uses the hybrid system Toyota has built since the 1997 Prius, about 30 million sold worldwide through 2025, and its battery carries a 10-year/150,000-mile warranty that transfers to you. None of this replaces an inspection and a service history on the specific truck; it is the reason a 4Runner with both is a safe place to put your money.

What Toyota Warranty Transfers to a Second Owner

Corrosion perforation coverage is 5 years with no mileage limit and covers rust-through of body panels, not surface rust and not the frame. ToyotaCare scheduled maintenance is a new-vehicle program measured from the in-service date; do not count on it when buying used. There is no factory warranty of any kind left on a 2020-or-older 4Runner, which is why the inspection matters more as the truck gets older. Full details, including what Toyota’s extended service agreements cover, are in our Toyota warranty and ToyotaCare guide.

Buying a Used 4Runner in Connecticut or from Massachusetts

The short version of the rules that apply to a used truck, with links to the full guides so we do not repeat the sales-tax material here.

• Connecticut dealer warranty: as of October 1, 2026, every used vehicle less than 10 years old sold by a Connecticut dealer carries a 60-day or 3,000-mile express warranty by law, regardless of price, and the dealer cannot disclaim implied warranties on it. “As is” sales are allowed only on vehicles 10 years old or older. (Before October 2026 the law was tiered: 30 days/1,500 miles for $3,000–$4,999 and 60 days/3,000 miles for $5,000 and up.) So a 2017-or-newer 4Runner bought from a CT dealer today comes with that warranty; a 2015 can be sold as is, which is one more reason to inspect it.
• Connecticut emissions: the test is every two years, $20, and vehicles younger than four model years are exempt. A used truck bought out of state and four or more model years old has to pass before it can be registered in CT. Vehicles 25 model years and older are exempt.
• Massachusetts buyers: the MA Used Vehicle Warranty Law (90 days/3,750 miles under 40,000 miles, 60 days/2,500 miles from 40,000 to 79,999, 30 days/1,250 miles from 80,000 to 124,999) applies to vehicles sold in Massachusetts, so a truck bought in Connecticut is covered by Connecticut’s statute instead. You pay MA’s 6.25% at the RMV, not CT tax, and you need an MA inspection sticker within 7 days of registering.
• Private sales: none of the dealer-warranty rules apply. A private-party 4Runner is as is in both states.

Everything else, from sales tax and trade-in credit to registration and what to bring, is in Buying a Car in Connecticut and Buying a Car in Connecticut from Massachusetts.

Selling Your 4Runner: What It’s Worth and How It Works

Used 4Runners are in demand, and that is not a sales line: in iSeeCars’ March 2026 depreciation study the 4Runner had lost 25.5% of its value over five years, ninth-lowest of any vehicle against a 41.8% average, which is historical data and the reason there is a market for a 150,000-mile truck at all. We buy 4Runners of every generation outright through the Buy Center of Enfield and through Gale’s sell or trade page, with no obligation to buy anything from us.

What moves the number on a 4Runner, in rough order: generation and year, 4WD or not, the frame and underbody, mileage, trim (TRD Pro and TRD Off-Road bring more than SR5; Limited and the third row bring more to a family buyer), KDSS in good order, service records, and accident history. A lift kit and 33-inch tires usually do not add what they cost, and a roof tent and a winch almost never do. We cannot quote a price on a page, and we will not promise one before we see the truck.

What to bring:

• The title, or the lender’s name and account number if there is a loan on it.
• Current registration and your driver’s license.
• Every key and fob.
• Service records, including any timing-belt invoice on a fourth-generation V8.
• The truck itself, cleaned out, with the spare, jack, cargo cover and the third-row seats (if it has them) in place.

Buying a used 4Runner from us and selling us yours can happen in the same visit; the trade-in credit against Connecticut sales tax is explained in the CT guide linked above.