I thought this might make for a fun thread (I hope it hasn't already been done--LOL): tell us about those awesome deals, whether it was a pristine rig that you got for a song, or some great mod that the disgusted owner practically gave to you, etc..
For myself, my last two rigs were pretty good deals: my stock '95 was purchased off eBay on an auction with no reserve price set, so I got what was easily a $3k truck for $1k. The auction was going to end while I was at work, so I threw out my high bid before leaving, and apparently everyone else lost interest when they saw the jump they'd have to make, leaving it to me at a great bargain price. Other than some rust underneath, the truck was quite clean, and I've been driving it the last couple years without issue. The other one was off CraigsList--a clean, rust-free CA truck (also a '95) with just over 100k miles, with numerous high-quality running gear mods, for $6500. I was going to do these mods to my DD, and the parts alone were more than the price of the "new" truck--so I basically got a free spotless stock truck and free labor!
__________________ 1995 4Runner toy: 350 Chevy V8, Yota 5-spd, solid axle front, leafs all around, 4" suspension, locked front and rear, 35" BFG Mud T/A's
I feel like I got my rig for a steal. Most 1st gens around here sell for $2500, 2nd gens are $3000 or more and we won't even talk about 3rd gen and up. I was out looking for a car and found my 2nd gen. It had just been taken in on trade and was about to go to an auction. I drove it off the lot for $1300. Almost no rust and runs like a dream. I have since put a new clutch and tires on it, but that is normal wear and tear. I have done nothing to the engine at $240,000 miles.
After going to Colorado for vacation this past November, I was inspired to buy a 4runner because of how many I saw there. Came back home searched Craigslist and found me a Black 2nd Gen in Dallas for $1500 with 187,xxx.
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86' 4x4 8000k HID conversion.
17" tacoma rims. Kenwood audio all around.
about 1/2 a gallon of bondo
"Stand for something, or you'll fall for everything."
I think I got a great deal too. 1 owner 2000 SR5 200k for 4300. Great body, interior was great. TBELT was just done. Clean engine. The AC wasn't working, but started working after a few days (Rig hadn't been driven in a while). I would've paid 5500 or so for it.
I bought two still in the box brand new ARB Air Lockers, ARB compressor, ARB heavy duty air lines, and a differential setup bearing kit for 1400$. No shipping, no tax, local sale. Dude bought all this for his truck, then after it shipped and arrived he decided that he was going to buy a small compact car and give up his truck.
I picked up an 86 4runner that used to be a farm truck. The motor was just rebuilt and had a solid drive train. It didn't have a title but I didn't care. I bought it for $650. I sold the engine for $500 and parted the rest of the truck out over a weeks period. Within that week I more than doubled my money and then scrapped the 4runner for $260.
I tattoo for a living, and I traded 6 hours of tattoo for my '85 4runner. It had been sitting in a field with no rear window for a couple years and the owner just started it up and it went "Vroom-vroom!"
He was moving out of state and had to get rid of it. It was very moldy inside with a Big pile of hairy black mold behind the drivers seat that ended up being a 20lb bag of sunflower bird seed!
I tore out the entire interior and bed-lined it front to back, ditched the rear seat and hard top, changed all the fluids, did a tune-up, and it runs nice now. A bit pokey and tired motor at over 300,000 miles, but still going good!
It was White when I got it, and it is Camo now. I have done All the work myself so far!
ok well i was looking for a vehicle because my ford at the time took a **** and i sold it for $900... i found this 4runner about an hour away for $1600 so i went and looked at it. everything was solid. had some dents and dings but it ran great! someone had ripped off both bumpers though.... i talked to the guy after driving it and told him i was pretty close to broke and his wife said to make an offer. i offered $900 cash. his wife without hesitation said we will take it. brought it home that day and have been driving it since.
this last summer (2 years after i got it) i was driving over to portland from idaho and on the free way about an hour east of portland i smelled somthing burning..... there was a real strong head wind and i was loaded down quite a bit. i had 33's with 4.56's at the time. it felt like a gust of wind dropped me 20mph and the smell was REALLY bad so i pulled over. it smelled like a burnt clutch. soooo.... on the side of the free way i waited for it to cool down to try to limp into portland. well i went to take off again and it didnt wanna move at all. so i called my closest family over by newport and my uncle was going to bring a new clutch for me.
5 hours later after sitting on the side of the free way......
my uncle and grand father show up. in the 5 hours i was sitting there i dropped the tranny the clutch wasnt bad at all.... so we put the new one in just to be sure and put everything back together and it still didnt go anywhere.... so i got it towed back to idaho. and you are thinking it was the tranny right???? well you are... so i started looking for a tranny in idaho (its ironic because i was headed over to portland to pick up a new motor haha) i couldnt find a tranny anywhere.... i started looking for parts vehicles. i found an 86' that had been sitting for 10 years in a field so i went to look expecting rust.... this thing was CHERRY!!!!! there was a small ding in the rear corner but that was it. the guy wanted it gone and said to make an offer. i offered $500 because who knows why it was parked there. he looked at me and said it needed to be gone that day.
got it home and looked through it. i found all the reciets and papers for the rebuilt tranny and rebuilt motor!!!! each had 800 miles on them! i went through and put new gaskets in everything and put it all in my 4runner. put all the best stuff on my truck and sold the rest.
and of course there was that one 1995 4runner i bought for $100 for the seats and 4.88's......
sooo..... 3 vehicles for $1400 making the 4runner i have one one hell of a beast. not to mention that these other vehicles paid for my 33's among giving me almost 6 grand to cash in through the parts i sold.... haha not bragging or anything...
Been having a little fun with my larger-than-expected tax refund, including a brand-new ARB Bullbar that's been sitting in a local shop longer than they wanted. Every time I've seen one online, it's been around $850-900, plus another $150 or so for shipping. I got this one for $625! A bit off-topic, but I also picked up a kayak to throw on top of the Runner, at a nice $200 discount.
__________________ 1995 4Runner toy: 350 Chevy V8, Yota 5-spd, solid axle front, leafs all around, 4" suspension, locked front and rear, 35" BFG Mud T/A's
So I had 33" pro comp xterrains on my truck that i got for $213 a piece a year and a half ago. After I put the lift on i needed some new tires. I put my tires and rims on craigslist hoping to get $550 out of them, then buy my own... Then some guy offered a trade, his 36x15.5 Mickey Thompson ATZ's that still had the nipples on them (those are $340 tires)... DONE! Went to his house and swapped them on X-Mas eve! And THE MOST IRONIC THING was he was a toyota fanatic, he had the 36's on his 88 4Runner.
And this is what his used to look like
i was driving down the road one day and saw my dream 4runner on 35s flares the works then 2 weeks later i drove a back road to my dads and it was sitting right there low and behold my now best friend just bought it gave me a set of 3in leaf springs the day i met him but the best story is i payed 50 bucks for a nearly new trail gear front bumper and helped clean out his garge full of toyota parts which he gave most of them to me sense he now has a baby on the way almost complete rear axle housing some other stuff and a set of 456s for my 4runner and a new tail gate for my pickup for free
__________________ [SIZE="3"][SIZE="4"]88 4runner trail truck ifs snorkle with new 22re with lce header
84 extend cab with 22 trail gear bumper and tube doors 3 in rough country lift and 35s daily driven
88 suburban crate 502 tow rig
67chevelle ss with 396 graduation present
after hydro locking my 3VZ i was on the lookout for another..
found one on ebay, the guy had spent 2k on it, the whole bottom end had been rebuilt and all the parts were there to rebuild the top end, just needed the heads reco'd.
(my hydrolocked engine already had near fresh heads!!)
Ended up winning it for $685...
In America that may not seem like a lot but in Aus were looking at $2500 for a untouched engine with 180000kms, or $4350 for a reco-d engine. plus installation!!!!
6Likes
1991 Acura Integra
1997 Honda VFR750
Toyevy? Shorty? PITA (climbing in--I'm 5'6"!)
C'mon and brag, fellas! 
S.S. Minnow
Recon
$$ Runner
The Pumpkin
Linear Mode
