So there is a pretty nice 06 Limited with 113K miles for sale nearby. I like it but there are two things that stick out as weird to me.

First is that it doesn't always switch to 4Lo. When we test drove it, it switched from 2Hi to 4Hi just fine but a beeping in the cabin started when the 4Lo switch was turned on. It never engaged until later in the ride. I was thinking that it hadn't been used all that much and it was pretty cold out so it was probably just getting warmed up. Once it was switched into 4Lo, it didn't switch back to 4Hi or 2Hi. The switch was turned to turn off 4Lo and the previous beeping started without 4Lo disengaging. My dad then threw it into neutral and recycled through the gears back to 4Lo and then back to 4Hi. It disengaged and worked fine through the rest of the test drive. The sales lady said she would have the techs look at the transmission on Monday. Is this something we should be concerned about? I see it happening frequently but can't find how serious a problem it is.

The second is that it is from Mew York. I live in SC and we use sand on icy roads. I know that the salt used in the North can really damage cars. There is some rust underneath and in the wheels by the brakes but my dad didn't seem to concerned (he was a mechanic for 5 years and has worked on his own cars his whole life). The first owner owned it for 7 years and put 80K miles on it. Then it was shipped to SC and since then, the other two owners have sold it within a year of buying it. It has also been for sale at a Toyota dealership for 4 months. Do you think there is something wrong and that is why nobody was keeping it? There are no recorded accidents and service reports were kept.

Sorry for the long post but I don't want to spend a bunch of money on something that is going to crap out on me in a couple of years

Thanks!

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You've answered your own question. Walk away from this one. The last two owners did but not until they lost money on the deal. Use the experience as gained knowledge of what to look for and keep looking. Personally, I would never buy a vehicle that ever lived where they salt the roads. No offense to those who live in those areas.

if your pops is a mechanic, then i wouldn't be too concerned. yes we get our roads salted but all you gotta do is clean all the rust and undercoat it.
as far as switching to 4h and 4l, i think theres a saying here that goes something like "use it or lose it" if it wasn't previously used, you just gotta engage those motors more often so they can engage properly.

Thanks y'all.

Price is 15900 which is a little over my 15K budget but not impossible.

We were thinking that the last two buyers might've just not been able to afford the vehicle (It's in Orangeburg which doesn't have a lot of money). Everything sounded fine and it ran nice and pretty but 2 owners in less than 2 years seems kind of sketchy.

P.S- Dad isn't a mechanic (he's actually an IT guy haha) but he definitely knows his way around cars. I completely trust him but y'all are the 4Runner experts so I thought I might ask here. Also, he has said something along the lines of "if I'm paying for it, I'm not fixing it" countless times so I can't totally rely on him

That price seams high for a 2006. My buddy just bought a 2008 SR5 with 100k, V6, 2WD for $12k. Granted it is not 4WD but it is two years newer.

They sold a gazillion 4th generation 4Runners so the supply of used ones is plentiful. For $15K you can get a pristine example with 113K miles. I'd pass based on what you've described and find a non-rust belt example without actuator issues (look up this repair - really pricey).

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-ge...4x4-build.html

Check out this guy's thread for a beautiful looking truck with rusted suspension.

Good luck!

Make sure you know how to shift it to 4lo - you have to be in neutral to do so. It beeps, as you know, when its not engaged. I payed 13,800 + taxes for mine. One owner in texas/oklahoma, good service records, 115k mi. 4wd Sport V8. I was patient though. Don't give up, and you'll find one you're looking for.

I'm still looking guys haha. They're really aren't that many for sale near me and it's starting to annoy me. When I first decided that I wanted a 4Runner, there was an 09 Limited with 90K for less than 17 thousand. It sold in less than a day lol. It seems as if that was the last good deal for a while

I live in Louisiana and the market here was really high priced for used 4Runners. I started to expand my search and found the same thing in Mississippi and Alabama. I couldn't figure it out so I expanded my search to Texas. They were much better priced in Texas. I eventually found a beautiful 2007 V8, 2WD with 168K miles that looked almost new in San Antonio which is 8 hours drive from my house. I paid less than $10K.

The point is, look beyond your immediate area if you haven't already. I used Craigslist mostly. Good luck.