My 4runner is finally giving way the rust belt. It looked great and the 1st winter I neglected treating the existing rust, it grew exponentially. It's finally gone further than I care to deal with and am eying up 2 trucks approx. 8-9 hours away.

What is some advice for those who have purchased vehicles far away? Questions to ask? Negotiating? My concern is that I will ask the right questions and they'll tell me what I want to hear and the reality will be the opposite and they'll either be unwilling to come down to a price in which I can tolerate or I'll be sent packing. Is there any sense in trying to negotiate over the phone without seeing in person or do you lose all negotiating ability?

There is a third gen buyers guide somewhere out there, on this forum I believe. Definitely read into that and use that to tailor the questions you ask them. Another thing is pictures!!! You can't have enough pictures so make sure they send you plenty high resolution pictures and don't be afraid to ask for more especially of the underside. Lastly I would say maintenance records are very helpful, and would definitely help justifying the price. On the flip side not having them could help you bring the price down if you feel its still a solid rig.

I live in Seattle and bought mine in California. While talking to the seller I didn't mention I was from out of state until we had agreed on a possible price depending on an in-person inspection. I also went with my gut on the vehicle as well as the seller and was prepared to fly back empty handed if I didn't like what I saw.

I felt pretty comfortable with it because they sent me a TON of additional pictures of it as well as all the maintenance records, were the original owners and just genuinely seemed like good people. They ended up picking me up from the airport too!

- Trust your gut. I had a very positive experience buying a vehicle 12hr away because the seller was honest and helpful. I asked a million questions which he patiently answered in detail (with pictures!) I felt confident in him as a person I wanted to work with.
- Find a way to combine the trip with something else: visiting a friend, checking out a museum or an awesome restaurant. This will be your "oh well" backup plan and makes it easier to walk away if the truck isn't right.
- Of course you can still negotiate in person if you need to. You should be able to get a feel beforehand if the seller's price is absolute or if they're willing to flex if you find something you're not happy with. In fact, I wouldn't make the trip unless the latter is the case.
- Pick a mechanic via Yelp in the area and ask the seller to have that mechanic check it out. Just an idea.

fyi for your next 3rd gen
SEASONAL RUST PROOFING using WD-40 only

I actually read this and is what drove me to inspect my truck only to realize how far it’s gone. Haha.

Noobe here... to this forum anyway. Not a noobe to excelence in maintenance. I'm looking ot buy a 3rd gen too but have been reluctant with long distance sellers. I'll go pretty far for the right vehicle though. Your discussion was reassuring in that there is a chance.

Any advice for max mileage for a "new to me" 3rd gen? I'm not flush with cash, so I know Ill be spending some time with her.. Thanks.

I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a 3rd gen with 250,000+ miles as long as it was taken care of and had good maintenance records. Also, you'd want to make sure the frame is solid and not rusting away. Obviously, if you can find a lower mileage truck with good maintenance records that would be even better.

There are a few guys on here with 400,000+ miles on the original engine/tranny. These are very reliable trucks but like anything, they need to have been maintained.

1.) tons of pictures

2.) request high definition video, including cold start on camera.

or (most preferably):
3.) schedule an appt with a local professional vehicle inspector that lives near this 4runner and have them tell you all about it.

No way I'd buy a long distance vehicle without at least 1-2 of the above done

Good advice, thank you. I never thought about asking for a cold start video, excellent idea. I found most Craigslist sellers in my area (NorCal) to be either clueless on what maintenance they have done..really???... or just people who drive them until they are nearly dead.

I'll keep the search going, that for the reassurance on well maintained mileage, it's likely all I can afford.

I bought my 2000 back in 2005 from a seller in Arizona and I live in Canada so there was a few extra steps to take to be able to import the vehicle.

Found the vehicle on auto trader, sent a few emails back and forth with some general questions as to service records, title, any major repairs or other issues, reason for selling etc. There were lots of really good photos so no surprises to be had as to the condition.

Did a lot of online research as to the price and he was in the right ball park – right in the middle of similar optioned vehicles. It was pretty much the exact vehicle I wanted so I didn’t bother negotiating.

You could maybe try one lower offer, but if you do the research don’t lowball and insult the seller.

After that I followed up with a phone call and the guy was very reasonable on the phone so I wasn’t worried. I just made sure that he knew I would be flying down and to hold the vehicle, offered a non-refundable deposit to ease any worries he might have had about holding the vehicle and not accepting any other offers.

Turned out to be a really decent guy, retired Air Force (Service personnel are the best!) picked me up the hotel went for a quick test drive and finished the deal.

No problem doing it again when the 2000 4Runner dies in another 20 or 30 years…..

Gary

You can also get a PPI done to give you additional peace of mind.

This is seller dependent as not all are willing to invest an hour or two on your behalf, but I've had most sellers willing to work with me.

I also offer to pay the seller for their time for a PPI if I do not buy the car. Something fair, like $100, but not so much that it becomes too much if the deal does not happen. You'll also have to pay the shop for the PPI, but peace of mind ain't free.

Lastly, if you go the PPI route, tell the shop your show stoppers like frame rust, accidents, paint/body work, drive train problems, etc. and to stop the PPI once one of those is found. It will have you a few dollars as you do not want them to complete the PPI if a major problem is found. I learned this the hard way.

Good luck,

Eddie

I agree with the two posts above, and like the last one, give them the bad list, like bad frame, and if found stop.

I bought a used bmw long distance, it was dead, I knew that in advance and knew I would go after it with a trailer, but knew the other correct questions, which the guy had the correct answers.

I sold a Toyota long distance ( not a 4runner) the person calling knew what to ask, had done the research to find a shop near me that knew Toyotas, up front paid for the inspection, paid for my time while I sat and waited, inspection went good and before I left the shop and after he talked to the shop, the "buyer" offered and then transferred 1500 to my account to hold it for 2 weeks ( non refundable) till he could get to Oregon ( where I lived at the time) from Ohio ( rust belt). He did not talk me down one penny on price. I knew what I had and the shop confirmed it.

SOOOOO...know what to ask, you do the research and find a reputable shop who knows 4 runners to do the inspection and go from there

Unless you're going to pay a seller top dollar for his vehicle I highly doubt most sellers are going to want to deal with you. These vehicles tend to sell quickly and its unlikely a seller is going to do all that extra work.

If it's a vehicle I'm truly interested in, I'll usually PayPal them $100 for their effort (in terms of them getting a professional inspection, etc).

I've purchased a couple of long distance cars like this and it has worked out well.

You've gotta kinda have a good feeling about the vehicle in the first place though