So I've always been looking around for another 4Runner that was a 99-00, had a 5spd, and was black. Well, I found one, a 2000 4Runner and it has everything I would want (minus the rear locker) and 94k miles. The price seems very nice too. Well then I ran a carfax report on it....

Carfax reports that it was bought in IL, moved here to Colorado and sold to a dealership. The problem I see is that it had 229000 miles when it was sold to the dealership and then 92k (roughly) when it was sold again! Doesn't show it had any other problems our issues, so I'm not sure what to make of this...

I'm looking for what y'all think about this 4runner. Sorry for any mistypes, I'm typing from my phone.


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Now that I'm at a computer...

Here's the information on the Carfax...
2000 Toyota 4Runner SR5
3.4L VG FI DOHC 24V
4 WHEEL DRIVE
Appears to have the sport package, towing hitch, painted bumpers, fender flares, and a 5spd transmission.


Owner1:
11-19-1999 - Bought new - Illinois - 0 miles
08-13-2005 - Sold to Pueblo Toyoyta - Colorado - 143,631 miles
10-12-2005 - Registered/titled - Colorado - 145,183 miles
03-07-2008 - Vehicle purchase report - Colorado - 229,688 miles ***here's where it gets weird***
02-17-2009 - Registered/titled - Colorado (no mileage posted)
11-15-2010 - Auto Auction - 92,438 MILES
03-02-2011 - Registered/titled (current owner) - Colorado

I skipped some other regular stuff (passed emissions, simple maintenance done) and just listed the major stuff. There's no accidents reported or major maintenance issues; just that huge difference in mileage reported. I'm wondering if I should pursue this 4Runner anymore or not. The biggest deal is it's about a 4 hour drive away so it's not that easy for me to go look at it. Other than the mileage issue, it's very clean and has everything that I'd want to start off with stock-wise. The owners also are wanting $7900 for it (posted price).

Thanks in advance for any help or comments!

I wouldn't even consider it, but that's really interesting. Did you contact the seller about the Carfax info?

I would not trust anything about that truck.

Auctioneers or the person who sold it to the auction definitely swapped a lesser mileage cluster in from another truck.

Sneaky SOB. He most likely got way more money for it, though.

Yeah I've found that a lot of auction yards are hard to trust... they do some shady sh** to make a few extra bucks. ****ers!

Thanks for the input, all! I think I'm probably going to pass on this one unless I can talk the seller down quite a bit, then look at an engine replacement. Not sure how much it would cost or what all would be involved, but I'm sure it's possible.

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I would just hold off and wait. The right one will come along mate. It took me a few months but I was patient and found one. It will come along...

Agreed.

Remember, CoMarc, the rest of the truck has probably 300k on it. Who knows what kind of maintenance has been done on things like ball joints, u joints, transmission, rear end, misc bushings, etc.

well it possibly already had a motor replacement, hence the lower mileage. i know in some states the vehicles mileage can be based on its motor, or the chassis. if they swapped a lower mileage motor into it they could legally accompany that with the cluster from same truck, and then it would be a lower mileage vehicle. now i know that technically the rest of the truck would have the 2xx,xxx plus miles original to the truck but as far as DMV is concerned it only has the newer motors miles. but i would still shy away from the truck considering it was bought at auction and thats where all the sketchiness came about. -just my thoughts

Actually you'd be surprised how often mileage simply gets written down wrong (or illegibly) when vehicles are going through the auctions. I used to work them all the time, and it's far more likely that the mileage simple got written or read incorrectly at auction.....and therefore is forever on the vehicle history as such. If the seller/dealer realizes after it sells that it got messed up, they will often try and have the DMV fix it....but it's a pain.

It's very possible to make mistakes, we're only human However, in this case the seller has actually put down in the ad as the truck having only 94k miles so either they are unaware or they know and are selling it anyway and lying about it. Neither is very good. I plan on calling the seller tomorrow and making sure at least that they know.

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Mistakes can be made with the mileage, but there were 3 reported mileage that are higher than the one in 2010. Two in 2005 and one in 2008. To me if it doesn't make sense, I would walk away.

If the mileage is mis-represented, I wouldn't trust anything else either. Like when the timing belt was replaced. To me, that is one reason we have Carfax.

I would pass on an auction car, those vehichles usually have the sh!t beat out of them and it's not very hard to slap a new dash/speedo on them.