It's long but if you read it all and answer you are a SAINT!!

I need a little input from experienced owners. I am trying to decide on which of the 4Runners I have on my list to purchase is the best choice. My 2003 Tahoe 4X4 Z71 sold very quickly and I have been renting a vehicle for almost a week. Need to decide what to get!!

Here's my deal: I am building a house currently so I can't finance anything!! I have about 16,000 budgeted for my 4Runner and obviously want the most I can get for it.. I know Toyota has always had a reputation for going for miles and miles and so I am wondering what yall's opinion is of the mileage on a few.
Also, are there any problems with particular years that I need to look for or know about??

For some reason I can't find too many (of any price) near me so I had to go out 100 miles in my search. So I have only drove one so far on Saturday. There are 3 more in Augusta, GA I want to look at. But from reading the Carfax reports I have certain ones I feel good about. All personal vehicles!

2006 2WD with 88,708 miles Sport with Leather and V6 ONE OWNER for 16,121 This is my first choice if I opt for mileage under 100,000 miles as it is the color combo I like best.

2007 2WD with 60,800 miles Sport with Cloth, V6, 2 Owners, no accidents for 17,900 not my first pick in color!

(Now the two above said Sport on the Carfax but only the first one has the scoop on the hood. Did all sports have the scoop? Both grills are crome.)

2005 2WD with 73,638 miles Limited, V6, ONE OWNER with perfect maintaince records for 16,900 but this is the one I drove and they came down to 15,900 but I said no thanks because it isn't my first choice in color. It's black which is so hard to keep clean!! And I didn't really like the trim around gear shifter and such. I know I'm picky but I have to drive it so I should like it right? Appeared to be in great shape though!

2005 2WD with 109,754 miles SR5, V6, ONE OWNER with perfect maintaince records for 13,900 in White which is my first pick in color. All my vehicles are usually White!

NOW, the question I am asking myself and YOU GUYS is this: Is it better to opt for a little bit more miles than I orginally wanted and save the CASH as there is much cash needed when you build a house and have to pay for all the "little things", or do I go with less miles and pay the extra? There are many more options if I go with something that has over 100,000 miles but I wasn't orginally planning to. However I have always been told that Toyota's will go forever if taken care of and maintained! So does the mileage really factor in that much with this situation?? What has been the experience of you guys with how much maintance is needed after 100,000 miles. I am a widowed mother of two small kids so I don't have my very smart husband to help make this choice and I def. want to get something the kids and I can depend on for a long time..

Any recalls I should know about??? Saw the one for the floor mat and am not really sure what that one meant exactly. I usually put the thick rubber mats in that have deep groves. Would that be a problem?

Oh, one last thing! Any negotiating tactics for dealing with dealerships? I did find it amusing 2 weeks ago when I was looking at Double Cab Tacoma's at first, that our Toyota dealership here kept dropping the price lower and lower on a Blue Tacoma they had on the lot. I went in asking them to look in their inventory for a white one. Because I hadn't sold my Tahoe yet and because I really wanted white I kept saying no and trying to point them back to looking for the one I wanted. Which only made them go lower on the price of the blue one.. I confess I tried that stradegy with the Black Limited I drove Saturday and they only went down 1,000 which wasn't worth it to me.. But I am starting to wonder if I am expecting too much with wanting these prices I quoted above to go even lower.. There are def. more of identical years and maybe a little less miles or similar listed online for THOUSANDS more than these ones.. But I figure no dealer will tell you their rock bottom price right off the rip so they have more room to wiggle.. Has car buying changed since I last dealt with a dealer?????

Any thoughts appreciated!!!

If your planning on saving money for miles be sure its the v8. It will handle the miles better. with its own fault of course low gas mileage.

V8 2wd is the max in cheap and worry free trouble.


(although I prefer the V8 4x4.)

also don't be afraid of the 03+ they are good buys!

I thought about 2002-2003 but read that the V6 improved greatly among other things with the redesign in 2004. That was why I excluded those. But I guess the V8 it wouldn't matter.. I was however trying to get bettter gas mileage which is why I sold my Tahoe with the V8! What are you averaging in MPG??

4th generation was 2003-2009, '03-'05 were before the styling change. The only mechanical change was the 5 speed automatic transmission (same one used with the V8 for the whole time) being applied to the V6, which for '03-'05 had a 4 speed transmission. Personally, in my V8 4x4, I'm averaging 17-18 mpg. V6s only get 1-3 mpg better.

My wife's 05 Tahoe and my 04 V8 Sport Runner average about the same mpg with me driving them. Her driving is a different story>

You are correct. My mistake. I've read too much the past few days and was off on the years! I know before the redesign in 2003 according to Edmunds, the V6 was weaker than the 4th generation V6!
But MPG is not my focus at this point. The V6 is just fine for my needs. I'm more curious about the questions in the original post. Can anyone give any insight as to whether these particular ones I'm seeing seem like a good deal? And is there anything I need to look for? Like any problems certain years might have had?

With these trucks, mileage isn't as big a factor as maintenance. It shouldn't be hard to tell when a truck was neglected by it's previous owner. Since you're set on the V6, you don't have to worry about a timing belt. Just a water pump at 100,000 should be the main concern. There were a handful of leaky head gaskets on the V6s too, so make sure there aren't any signs of that. Check the amount of rust, and obviously the condition of the body and interior. To me, seems like the first choice, the Sport Edition, is the best. Has the color and drive train you want, seems like a decent price (maybe try to get them down a little, under $16,000 if possible? But I'm not familiar with the pricing in your area.) You're right about the lasting forever thing, just buy and enjoy. Good luck!

Side Note-Bought my '03 V8 4x4 with 78,000 miles for $13,000 in July. Just hit 91,000 today, not a single mechanical issue to date

By far the biggest has to do with 4WD so you've already eliminated that if you're going 2WD. The year to year reliability has been very consistent. The big upgrade years were 05, 06. Drive train in 05 and a bunch of niceties in 06.

On paper the V8 engine and setup is more robust, but the V6 is so good it hardly matters unless the previous owner did a lot of towing or something.

Sorry, can't help you much on the pricing but I love the one owner thing. Good luck.

I am notably new to the boards, but not new to buying used vehicles. In your situation I would recommend getting the fewest miles for the fewest dollars, color be darned. You want a trouble free vehicle and the vehicles you've picked are, to me, mechanically on the same footing - none sounds better or worse than another (from the mechanical point of view - all are well maintained, have good records on paper, etc). So the best way to ensure reliability for the long run is to get the one with the fewest miles that you can afford.

Ok, now with that said - from your description, these all sound like great vehicles. I wouldn't hesitate at all on any of them. So you can feel relaxed if you decide to save a few bucks and get the white one with 109,xxx on it. It should go almost forever. I just picked up an '03 with 158k on it and I'm fairly certain that my truck will be going well into 250k.

Hope that helped somewhat.

joe

The highest mileage 4th gen 4Runner documented on these forums is well over 400,000 miles. A handful over 300,000 miles too, and a lot over 200,000 miles too. A well maintained 4Runner should be the least of your concerns. Good luck!

It's Def. a challenge to find the perfect truck I spent about a year and a half looking and waiting to find the truck i wanted. In the end the only sacrifice i made was the hood scoop lol i wanted a white 4wd w/ toe package at the purchase time it didnt matter to me v6 or V8 I wanted either a sport edition or limited w/ a sunroof. Took forever to find one close by and reasonably priced. In my experience though I'm not regretful in taking my time because i found the exact truck i wanted (other than the hood scoop lol but they dont do much anyway).

Of the choices you posted the 2005 limited for 15,900 seems like the best deal (oldest year of options lowest miles one owner) this tells me that truck has been babied (not abused at all) but i def. wouldnt sacrifice color choice so stick with your guns and find that perfect ride.

like everone else said look for rust, corrosion.
look at the body line and fender gaps between body panels this will indicate if any unknown accidents have occured the lines will be off a bit or the gaps will be bigger than usual. when you test drive pay attention to the idle rpms listen to here if the engine is running rough or smooth. (listen for any weird noises dont leave the radio playing durring the test drive) if it has electronics try them all (heated seats, sunroof, back glass, radio, test everything) there was a recall on some 2003 V8 throttle bodies but i think those have all been worked out for the most part. and there was a gas pedal recall aswell but nothing serious.

I recommend driving a V8 and seeing how you like it it only deffers 1-2 mpg from the V6 and offers alot more enjoyment (towing, kid hauling lol, passing the slow truck in front of you) but its certainly personal preference.

you can use kelly blue book online and input the vehicle info and get a good better best value for the vehicles you have in mind to check an make sure the price point is right. it sounds like you def. know what your looking for its just a matter of finding it good luck!!

Personally I think the vehicles you have priced out are in the "INSANE" category for price... WAY too much! 16,000 for a 2wd v6 too much even with 88,000mi.

I got my 03 v8 with 101K (drives like brand new) for $11,000 here in Colorado in March.

be sure to check Craigslist!

Personally I think those pricess are very high also. I got mine last June with < 95K for $10.5. It's a V8 Limited, but was not in perfect shape mainly because of cat scratches which rubbed out for the most part. Mechanical wise, the interior and the drive are perfect. I also didn't really care for the real dark colors with the tan interior, but a great deal is a great deal.

My son in law had the V6 without leather, and he sold it. He drove mine one time and said if his felt like mine he would still have it. So test drive one with a V8. I would think the V6 2WD should not be in big demand and you should be able to get a great price on one. The lady selling mine was asking $12.5K and I offered $10K thinking I was really low balling her. She came down to $10,800 and I was walking away so she said how about $10,500. Honestly I would have gone $11.5, but was not letting her know that.

Buying from a private owner is where you get the best deal. Buying from New Car Dealerships is where you MIGHT get the best car, but you are going to pay top dollar. Buying from a Used Car Lot, well don't do that.

Thanks for the wisdom from all! I did just get a call from one of the dealers I have been communicating with and they got a 2006 with 47,000 miles on it one owner SR5 with no leather (but they of course will add it for a fee) in on trade Saturday night. I have to see the Carfax to make sure this mileage lines up as that is insanely low for an 06! They wanted 17,000 for it but I told him try again!! He's suppose to call me back. Lol.

As for the prices, believe it or not those are the bottom of the scale around here! There are many 2006-2007 for sake for 22-26K with low miles. I think they are smoking crack myself. Craigslist has not produced anything around here in anything new enough. All late 90's or very early 2000's. There was a great deal on a 2006 but of course it was gone when I called!

I just looked at Craigslist for Charleston, SC and found this one:

2004 Toyota 4Runner Limited 2WD - Call Now

Not sure how good a dealer it is, but looks like a decent deal for $14,995 and I'm sure they would take less.

With two small kids I would want the leather interior.

You're right though there are not many around Charleston. I would keep looking at Craigslist, cars.com and Autotrader.