07 4runner Carfax Questions..

[DirtyD61]

Hey all,

Made an offer on a 07 4runner limited today with 107k miles, one owner, bought and sold locally here in Washington by a Toyota dealership.

I noticed later on the carfax that there are notes on Exhaust seal/head gasket/intake manifold gasket/and water-pump and gasket having been replaced at various times throughout its life (once each not multiple times). It also shows entries for the 15k 30k 60k and 90k recommended maintenance having been performed.

Should I be worried it's some sort of lemon engine or an overly maintenance concern previous owner? It was owned and is being sold in a wealthy area so I wouldnt be too surprised if they just brought it in and let the shop do w.e. they suggested.

Thanks for any information!

 

[Morphyne]

Sounds like it was well maintained and at some pint had its head gasket replaced. I think you might be buying a good vehicle.

 

[DirtyD61]

Sounds like it was well maintained and at some pint had its head gasket replaced. I think you might be buying a good vehicle.

That's the hope! Here is the excerpt from the Carfax report.

 

[DirtyD61]

Additionally it still has to go through their shop/get detailed/fix some bumper scrapes/and pass safety inspection so I wont be able to take receipt of it for about 14 days so there's a bit of time to investigate it.

 

[RonJR]

That seems like a lot of non-routine maintenance to be done to a 4runner in 107,000 miles. Either it has some earlier history that compromised it, or Michael's Toyota and Greg's Japanese Auto took the previous owner for a ride and are putting their kids through college on this vehicle.

You can also go to Toyota Owners Official Web Site, create a login, input the VIN, and find out everything that was done at a Toyota dealer. Might give you some more detailed info.

 

[Joseph_Conrad]

That's strange history, no doubt, especially for a 2007 which isn't known for head gasket issues. I'm familiar with all those shops and places and they seem to have good reputations. Additionally, if the 4runner did really have issues, it should definitely be taken care of now. I've heard of people contacting a vehicles former service stations to try and garner information, maybe it's worth a try here. Ultimately however, if you drove it and it felt good I reckon it'll be fine overall.

 

[Morphyne]

That seems like a lot of non-routine maintenance to be done to a 4runner in 107,000 miles. Either it has some earlier history that compromised it, or Michael's Toyota and Greg's Japanese Auto took the previous owner for a ride and are putting their kids through college on this vehicle.

You can also go to Toyota Owners Official Web Site, create a login, input the VIN, and find out everything that was done at a Toyota dealer. Might give you some more detailed info.

Agreed. This was owned by a guy who really like giving money to his dealer.

 

[fromLRtoT4R]

If you noticed, there are phone #s to those shops who supposedly performed these thing. I would call them and nag them until they give you some information.. Especially Michaels Toyota.. They should have files on this 4runner in their system

 

[Bluesky 07]

RonJR's first paragraph sums up my opinion. I would add that unless you can determine that either unnecessary repairs were done or the specifics behind the more serious repairs, IMO you should pass. For example, the radiator and water pump. I'm a relative 4R noob (one year of reading this forum & owning an '07 Sport) but that seems like a red flag considering the previous owner's apparent obsession with maintenance. Maybe others know something I don't that indicates otherwise?

On the other hand, there is pretty strong evidence that this may have been a (gullible) nanny owner who would go get a dealer detail if a bird crapped on the paint. I get someone wanting OEM floor mats, but who buys them at the dealer and has them installed there? There has to be a book listing for labor on that, right?

Also, great suggestion to check the online history at the Toyota site. Be aware that while the way to do it is not very intuitive, you can drill down for details on each service entry.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.