Hey ya'll

I'm moving to upstate New York from Georgia for grad school, and I'm looking at used 4th gen, post-'06 4runners.

many of the ones down here are overpriced and lack 4wd. If I buy up north, is rust a huge issue with these vehicles ? Or are there any rust "hot spots" known for people living in snowy climates. My budget is between 15-18k, and the only years I seem to be able to afford are the '06-'08 most likely. For mileage etc I'm staying away from the v8, it also requires a timing belt change every 90k/6years.

Overall, these are spectacularly reliable (and cool) SUV's, and I'm just needing advice from seasoned 4th gen 4runner vets on things to watch out for when buying a used model with between 60 and 90k.

Thanks!!

Although I'm in the midwest, based on the guys I've seen on here with trucks up north, rust shouldn't be a huge problem. I'd just check it all out to make sure, but don't get over-zealous, in that you decline a great deal based on a small bit of frame rust.

Just go for it. Don't worry about the rust. You can just paint it at a later time to avoid it to rust more. I prefer the V6 since you don't have to worry about timing belt.

I have a 2005 V6 with 95000 miles and I'm still happy with it. I'm in the Northeast so it's exposed to the elements. it's almost 10 years old now and had a few rust that I notice and I ended up cleaning up the rust and rust proofing it.

so far the the maintenance I've done is an oil change every 10K miles using a synthetic oil, brake pad change, rear rotor change, transmission oil change, differential oil change, power steering oil change, tire change, spark plug change. the only thing I notice is that the exhaust pipe connections are really rusted and it looks like to me, it will need replacement at some point. I'm thinking of keeping it another 10 years with TLC.

If a vehicle starts to rust the ONLY good way is to cut the rust out and put in new metal. And it can be very expensive.

I live in the North east also (NH). And my 05 4runner with over 260k miles - the body is rust free.

HOWEVER...Upstate NY (around the Great Lakes) is a different beast all together. I grew up there and still have family there. Areas in the lake effect snow area can easily reach 200-400 inches of snow a year (here in NH we average about 30"). With that much snow...comes a lot more salt use and cars tend to rust out more. It really depends on where in Upstate NY you'll be moving to. Just 50 miles outside of the Lake Effect snow area can make a HUGE difference.

I guess it depends on the rust. if it's only surface rust, then a cleaning and a paint can extend it or avoid it from rusting. but if the rust is punching holes to the frame already, that's a different story and could really get expensive.

a little bit of wire brushing, and cleaning and painting from time to time can go a long way.

MikeInNH, nice if your car is rust free. how often do you have it car washed? Mine, I was it myself and in the winter time under carriage wash. there's a lot of rust there since I don't bring it to the car wash all the time. I'm rust proofing some of the reachable areas though so I could still use it another 10 years. I'm glad I don't have any car payments anymore and enjoying life.

I've never been worried about undercarriage rust. Only body rust. The undercarriage is made of MUCH THICKER steel. So any surface rust there will take YEARS AND YEARS to have any adverse effect.

Can anyone provide any input on these pics? 2008 4runner with 140k on it at a dealer about two hours from me. Asked them to send pics of the frame before I drive up there to get a better look and they sent back these. It looks good but almost looks like it was painted over? idk maybe not

edit: not sure why they are showing up upside down when I upload them, if anyone knows how to fix let me know

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That looks pretty freakin minty if you ask me. The worst part for rust is the front skid plate mount, the cats, and the passenger ac drain on mine. Based on the pictures, you should have any of these issues. Its a really clean looking frame

skid mount crossbar


ac drain

Having bought one a few months ago the wide-range issues are warped front rotors causing a pulsing brake pedal, caused by crap quality rotors. Worn front sway bar bushings causing front end clunk, cheap fix. Malfunctioning rear gate actuator and the part is hard to find and kinda pricey $250.

Mine has been in the north east since new and it has no body rust and a few surface rust spots on the frame, nothing to be concerned about. First thing I did when I went to look at it was the frame. It'll go in for krown rust control once I am done with the mechanical maintenance items (all above done).

jlyles, those pictures are of an immaculate frame!

The frame looks great, the exhaust not so much unless I'm seeing things that are not there. I had to weld in plates where the outer gas tank strap attaches, on one of the trailing arm attachment points and a bottom flat area near where your feet go when in the truck. That one looks worthy of looking at. Do try and drop the spare tire as that mechanical piece like to freeze up.

Thanks guys! I couldn't believe my eyes when I got the pics from the dealer, looked too clean to me haha. I've got them saying they will hold it for me til friday and I've got an appointment with the toyota dealer that's next to them for them to look it over before I purchase it. Here's to hoping I can finally join the club!

I always get a little jealous when I see pics of the clean frames on here. Looks super solid.

To me it looks like the frame has been painted. Two clues. There is a hole which has bright orange rust but no lifting paint around it. Rust starts under paint and causes it to blister and lift. Compare the gas tank sheild vs the frame. They look like they camr from two different trucks. The gas tank shows fading and stains, but the frame looks new. Also look at the frame, the paint has glossy and flat areas, its not uniform, but it looks clean, as if it was just painted.
How bad is it? Who knows. I dont see rot and the PO may have just been proactive. It may have been through a body shop for an accident. Until you see it, its hard to say.

And I see black overspray on the bracket and bolt in the lower right corner of your picture. Its been painted.

Yea it may be too good to be true. It's only had one owner and shows no accidents/damage reported on the carfax for what its worth. I have an appointment with a toyota dealer to look it over before I purchase so I'll voice my concerns with them and see what they can find.