2008 V6 purchase. Anything I need to know?

[Samm25]

I’m possibly looking to purchase a 2008 4Runner V6. All maintenance has been done to it and the only “major” repair was replacing the spark plugs, which isn’t that major at all. It has 84k original miles and it’s been in town in San Antonio it’s whole life. Any common issues on this year and engine that I would need to know about? It’s also only a 2wd

Thanks in advance.

 

[TowMeOut]

Shift it into and out of 4Hi, 4Lo and Diff-Lock about 30 times. Drive it in circles on some big dirt patch. Make sure it actually works. Our stupid electrical actuator is the weak link in the 4th gen.

 

[Anonymous4Runner]

I’m possibly looking to purchase a 2008 4Runner V6. All maintenance has been done to it and the only “major” repair was replacing the spark plugs, which isn’t that major at all. It has 84k original miles and it’s been in town in San Antonio it’s whole life. Any common issues on this year and engine that I would need to know about? It’s also only a 2wd

Thanks in advance.

Check for rust underbody. People do travel long distance with 4Runners so you never know if they hit snow while on the road at one point

I'm guessing the previous owner did not replace the timing chain. It's always good to replace your timing chain every 80-90k miles. While you're at it, you should replace the water pump since you or a mechanic would have to go through this in order to replace timing chain. So safe to say you should probably do this right away or soon once you take possession of the 4Runner. Saves money on labor costs if not DIY


Now I noticed you mentioned the 4R being 2WD...awesome! I used to have an '04 V8 SR5 myself and I loved it. However there were times where I'd have sure liked to have 4WD but did not. I pinched myself every time this happened.

There is indeed a price difference between 2WD / 4WD but if you truly think you will not see yourself traveling to areas with snowfall then I say you should go with the 2WD 4R. Otherwise shop around for 4WD 4R's because it's definitely nice to have 4WD handy should you find yourself in a situation requiring 4WD!


I also recommend a Pre-Purchase Inspection or have a trusted mechanic inspect the 4Runner prior to discussion on sales price. If going through PPI, have it done at a certified Toyota dealership (one that you trust if possible, otherwise do research online and see how reviews hold up).

**Ensure the seller will include the fee for PPI to be included as part of sale price in case things check out otherwise you should be prepared to spend $75-$100 out of pocket for a PPI. Better than investing thousands into a 4R that would quickly turn into a money pit!



Report back (hopefully with pics of whatever you end up scooping!) to us and let us know what happens! Good luck

 

[bombventure]

Check for rust underbody. People do travel long distance with 4Runners so you never know if they hit snow while on the road at one point



I'm guessing the previous owner did not replace the timing chain. It's always good to replace your timing chain every 80-90k miles. While you're at it, you should replace the water pump since you or a mechanic would have to go through this in order to replace timing chain. So safe to say you should probably do this right away or soon once you take possession of the 4Runner. Saves money on labor costs if not DIY





Now I noticed you mentioned the 4R being 2WD...awesome! I used to have an '04 V8 SR5 myself and I loved it. However there were times where I'd have sure liked to have 4WD but did not. I pinched myself every time this happened.



There is indeed a price difference between 2WD / 4WD but if you truly think you will not see yourself traveling to areas with snowfall then I say you should go with the 2WD 4R. Otherwise shop around for 4WD 4R's because it's definitely nice to have 4WD handy should you find yourself in a situation requiring 4WD!





I also recommend a Pre-Purchase Inspection or have a trusted mechanic inspect the 4Runner prior to discussion on sales price. If going through PPI, have it done at a certified Toyota dealership (one that you trust if possible, otherwise do research online and see how reviews hold up).



**Ensure the seller will include the fee for PPI to be included as part of sale price in case things check out otherwise you should be prepared to spend $75-$100 out of pocket for a PPI. Better than investing thousands into a 4R that would quickly turn into a money pit!







Report back (hopefully with pics of whatever you end up scooping!) to us and let us know what happens! Good luck

All good points, although the timing chain shouldn’t need to be replaced till about 200k+ miles (or failure), at least from everything I’ve ever read about it. I was under the impression they lasted, or they’re suppose to, the lifetime of the engine.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bossman]

Some links that might help:

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Toyota/4Runner/2008/

https://www.edmunds.com/toyota/4runner/2008/consumer-reviews/

https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/toyota/4runner/2008/reliability

 

[Samm25]

All good points, although the timing chain shouldn’t need to be replaced till about 200k+ miles (or failure), at least from everything I’ve ever read about it. I was under the impression they lasted, or they’re suppose to, the lifetime of the engine.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree! I think anonymous might have gotten mixed up between the timing chain and belt. The chain should last the life of the vehicle, that is, unless any unforeseen issues start with it. But usually the chain good the life of the vehicle.

 

[Samm25]

Check for rust underbody. People do travel long distance with 4Runners so you never know if they hit snow while on the road at one point



I'm guessing the previous owner did not replace the timing chain. It's always good to replace your timing chain every 80-90k miles. While you're at it, you should replace the water pump since you or a mechanic would have to go through this in order to replace timing chain. So safe to say you should probably do this right away or soon once you take possession of the 4Runner. Saves money on labor costs if not DIY





Now I noticed you mentioned the 4R being 2WD...awesome! I used to have an '04 V8 SR5 myself and I loved it. However there were times where I'd have sure liked to have 4WD but did not. I pinched myself every time this happened.



There is indeed a price difference between 2WD / 4WD but if you truly think you will not see yourself traveling to areas with snowfall then I say you should go with the 2WD 4R. Otherwise shop around for 4WD 4R's because it's definitely nice to have 4WD handy should you find yourself in a situation requiring 4WD!





I also recommend a Pre-Purchase Inspection or have a trusted mechanic inspect the 4Runner prior to discussion on sales price. If going through PPI, have it done at a certified Toyota dealership (one that you trust if possible, otherwise do research online and see how reviews hold up).



**Ensure the seller will include the fee for PPI to be included as part of sale price in case things check out otherwise you should be prepared to spend $75-$100 out of pocket for a PPI. Better than investing thousands into a 4R that would quickly turn into a money pit!







Report back (hopefully with pics of whatever you end up scooping!) to us and let us know what happens! Good luck

Thanks for the help! I would be purchasing it from a certified dealership so they will be doing all the service, etc. on it so hopefully they won’t miss anything on it. I just went to test drive it and it drives great, the only issue I see is the paint on the roof is starting to peel so at some point it would need a paint job

 

[oljedi11950]

Sticky above ^ pre-purchase info +all questions answered !!

 

[f250ben]

Sam just read through this. Couple of thoughts:
1) At face value, from your descriptions, seems like the vehicle is an OK one. If you don't have access to a free carfax report, LMK and i can text you login info for a dealer I'm connected with. You can run a full carfax like that without spending the 15 or 30 bucks or whatever it is. Make sure to run that.

2) make sure to enter the vin in the toyota owners website too, to see what service has been done at dealers. Can give you a much better picture of the type of service life it's had.

3) I'd just give myself a few days before doing anything to really make sure investing in a lower mile vehicle is worth the expense. Practically, trading in a vehicle means you're losing money on it. Make sure that financial decision makes sense for you. Personally, I've considered this type of situation multiple times in the past, and after TRULY counting the cost, I ended up realizing I could spend less than HALF of what I would spend on the new car, and have a budget for over the top preventative maintenance, and awesome mods.

Personally, after looking into a trade in/upgrade to newer/lower mile but otherwise similar vehicle multiple times, I've come to the conclusion I'd rather keep the old vehicle, and invest into preventative maintenance and some fun upgrades. Not to say choosing the other direction is wrong, just make sure you're counting the cost both ways.

Cost of upgrading:
-value lost on trading in current vehicle
-higher monthly payments, or going from no monthly payments to having to make them
-if buying cash, then the cost is simply sinking more money into the basic vehicle itself. IE, driving around 15K worth of vehicle instead of 8 or 10K worth of vehicle.
-moving away from the vehicle you know, to an unknown vehicle, with unknown issues or gremlins. You can do your homework, but nothings ever certain.

Cost of keeping the same vehicle:
-increased maintenance cost associated with higher miles
-sometimes boring (seems silly, but if it bugs you, then its a thing)
-there may be legit specific things you don't like about your specific vehicle


I hope these thoughts are helpful. Also, post some pics if you go for another test drive. :worthless:

I realized after posting that it's OBVIOUS my inclination is to NOT do what you're considering. That's my personal opinion based on my situations and priorities. None of this is to say I necessarily disagree with choosing to invest in lower mileage, newer vehicle. That can be a very wise/prudent/fun thing to do. Just not the direction I've chosen to go in.

 

[Samm25]

Sam just read through this. Couple of thoughts:
1) At face value, from your descriptions, seems like the vehicle is an OK one. If you don't have access to a free carfax report, LMK and i can text you login info for a dealer I'm connected with. You can run a full carfax like that without spending the 15 or 30 bucks or whatever it is. Make sure to run that.

2) make sure to enter the vin in the toyota owners website too, to see what service has been done at dealers. Can give you a much better picture of the type of service life it's had.

3) I'd just give myself a few days before doing anything to really make sure investing in a lower mile vehicle is worth the expense. Practically, trading in a vehicle means you're losing money on it. Make sure that financial decision makes sense for you. Personally, I've considered this type of situation multiple times in the past, and after TRULY counting the cost, I ended up realizing I could spend less than HALF of what I would spend on the new car, and have a budget for over the top preventative maintenance, and awesome mods.

Personally, after looking into a trade in/upgrade to newer/lower mile but otherwise similar vehicle multiple times, I've come to the conclusion I'd rather keep the old vehicle, and invest into preventative maintenance and some fun upgrades. Not to say choosing the other direction is wrong, just make sure you're counting the cost both ways.

Cost of upgrading:
-value lost on trading in current vehicle
-higher monthly payments, or going from no monthly payments to having to make them
-if buying cash, then the cost is simply sinking more money into the basic vehicle itself. IE, driving around 15K worth of vehicle instead of 8 or 10K worth of vehicle.
-moving away from the vehicle you know, to an unknown vehicle, with unknown issues or gremlins. You can do your homework, but nothings ever certain.

Cost of keeping the same vehicle:
-increased maintenance cost associated with higher miles
-sometimes boring (seems silly, but if it bugs you, then its a thing)
-there may be legit specific things you don't like about your specific vehicle


I hope these thoughts are helpful. Also, post some pics if you go for another test drive. :worthless:

I realized after posting that it's OBVIOUS my inclination is to NOT do what you're considering. That's my personal opinion based on my situations and priorities. None of this is to say I necessarily disagree with choosing to invest in lower mileage, newer vehicle. That can be a very wise/prudent/fun thing to do. Just not the direction I've chosen to go in.

All great point! And I appreciate the input.

I, myself have been contemplating trading in mine just to get a car payment. I constantly go back and forth wondering if I should just keep mine and put money into the work considering finding a V8 under 200k miles is hard to do. Though I’m right on the verge of 200k (190k as of now) I still honestly feel like I have a bunch of life left in this vehicle.
Still justifying whether I should drop $10k after trade in on a vehicle that’s only 3 years newer and DOESNT have the V8, but yes, lower miles.