Hi is there anything I should know about a 96 4runner? I am looking into one for around $5000. the reason its so cheap is that there is a fat dent in the rear hatchdoor. The guy is telling me the kbb is around 8g's. I was just wondering how much it should cost to fix and if there is anything i should watch out for in this year model before i check the car out. thanks guys

There is a recall for some '96 4Runners (X01). The X01 covers head gasket replacement. The '96 5VZ-FE had headgaskets that sometimes leak externally. That is a free replacement by the dealer if you have the old headgaskets.

In general, make sure it was not driven off-road. That is hard duty. There are alot of very nice well-maintained 4Runners available. No sense in settling for one that was driven hard.

Also, the miles are over 97k. I know i will need to get a timing belt because he never replaced it. and maybe a water pump? how expensive would this cost?

seller selling 4runner for 5k, with dent on the rear hatch door.

Here's a maintenance guide with costs and frequency.

http://www.edmunds.com/maintenance/MaintenanceServlet?tid=edmunds.a.landing.feature.. 4.*