250,000 miles: Should it stay or should it go?

N

notanyoldjoe

New member
Hi everyone,

I have been a very happy owner of a 2005 Toyota 4 Runner Sport V8 since 2007. I bought it used and although it has some issues, they were all easy to resolve and it has been trustworthy ever since.

As you can tell from the title of the post, the SUV now has 250,000 miles on the Odometer, and it is showing some signs of age. However, I'm not sure if they are worth fixing or if it's time to look into a new vehicle. Here are the symptoms:

1. High revving sound when I start the 4runner up. It lasts about 1 minute. Then goes away.

2. Lights for the dash radio have gone out.

3. Trunk stopped wanting to open up for me about 2 months ago. Now I have to lower the rear window to get back there.

4. Lock in the rear drivers side door no longer locks automatically. I have to do it manually.

5. Front passenger side headlight seems to go out after about 4 months consistently.

6. Alignment needs to be fixed.

7. Due for timing belt change.


That's all the stuff I can think of at the moment. Because my wife and I just had a child this last year, it has been tough to afford to take her in to a mechanic, so I would be working on this one myself...aside from the timing belt and alignment stuff. Other than that I think I need some basic maintenance and tune up work.

I'm hoping she still has life left in her, but would like to know if you think it's worth it with this many miles on her.

Thanks again for the time and expertise. Any advise is much appreciated.

- Joe
 
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notanyoldjoe said:
Hi everyone,

I have been a very happy owner of a 2005 Toyota 4 Runner Sport V8 since 2007. I bought it used and although it has some issues, they were all easy to resolve and it has been trustworthy ever since.

As you can tell from the title of the post, the SUV now has 250,000 miles on the Odometer, and it is showing some signs of age. However, I'm not sure if they are worth fixing or if it's time to look into a new vehicle. Here are the symptoms:

1. High revving sound when I start the 4runner up. It lasts about 1 minute. Then goes away.

2. Lights for the dash radio have gone out.

3. Trunk stopped wanting to open up for me about 2 months ago. Now I have to lower the rear window to get back there.

4. Lock in the rear drivers side door no longer locks automatically. I have to do it manually.

5. Front passenger side headlight seems to go out after about 4 months consistently.

6. Alignment needs to be fixed.

7. Due for timing belt change.


That's all the stuff I can think of at the moment. Because my wife and I just had a child this last year, it has been tough to afford to take her in to a mechanic, so I would be working on this one myself...aside from the timing belt and alignment stuff. Other than that I think I need some basic maintenance and tune up work.

I'm hoping she still has life left in her, but would like to know if you think it's worth it with this many miles on her.

Thanks again for the time and expertise. Any advise is much appreciated.

- Joe
Click to expand...
250,000 miles is nothing. It depends on your budget on how much you are willing to spend to make it last another 250k. I've spent about $4,000 on upgrades to my 2003 V8 and its about 210,000 miles. I expect this to last another 200k without major problems.
 
notanyoldjoe said:
Hi everyone,

I have been a very happy owner of a 2005 Toyota 4 Runner Sport V8 since 2007. I bought it used and although it has some issues, they were all easy to resolve and it has been trustworthy ever since.

As you can tell from the title of the post, the SUV now has 250,000 miles on the Odometer, and it is showing some signs of age. However, I'm not sure if they are worth fixing or if it's time to look into a new vehicle. Here are the symptoms:

1. High revving sound when I start the 4runner up. It lasts about 1 minute. Then goes away. How high are the RPMs? Every car Ive ever owned "revs" at a higher RPM at start up then lowers

2. Lights for the dash radio have gone out. Plenty of how-to's on the site for that. Is that really an issue worth debating getting rid of a good vehicle for?

3. Trunk stopped wanting to open up for me about 2 months ago. Now I have to lower the rear window to get back there. Is it the hatch release? If so, easy DIY and can find parts on Amazon and eBay for not that much

4. Lock in the rear drivers side door no longer locks automatically. I have to do it manually. Can you use a tester to see whats bad with the locking mechanism? You can probably find a replacement, if needed at a junk yard or online. Do you have backseat passengers often?

5. Front passenger side headlight seems to go out after about 4 months consistently. Is the bulb burning out? Do you have a short? Blowing fuses?

6. Alignment needs to be fixed. $80 at Firestone and done. This is part of owning a vehicle and to be expected

7. Due for timing belt change. Part of maintenance schedule for the model. Still not bad considering the reliability of the V8s


That's all the stuff I can think of at the moment. Because my wife and I just had a child this last year, it has been tough to afford to take her in to a mechanic, so I would be working on this one myself...aside from the timing belt and alignment stuff. Other than that I think I need some basic maintenance and tune up work.

I'm hoping she still has life left in her, but would like to know if you think it's worth it with this many miles on her.

Thanks again for the time and expertise. Any advise is much appreciated.

- Joe
Click to expand...

Answers above. No offense, but all of what you listed is typical wear and tear, and minor issues; nothing worth getting rid of a vehicle over. You said its been tough to afford take it in to a mechanic, then how are you going to swing a new/er car?
 
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Thanks for the feedback. And no offense taken at all. Sounds like these trucks are solid from what I'm reading. And I'd much rather keep. Just looking for peoples opinions and recommendations and appreciate yours.
 
All of those things are common in a older vehicle and to be expected. Most of it can easily be done yourself using this forum, Google and YouTube.

I had to replace my climate control lights, twice. It is about $30 bucks for all the bulbs at the dealer and takes 15 min to replace. The high idle at start up, try a basic tune up at first, (clean MAF sensor, clean throttle body, seafoam it and doesn't hurt to change out the spark plugs if they haven't been yet) all that and it hopefully will help the high idle and it's all fairly cheap.

Having to pay a mechanic every now and then for the bigger more complicated jobs isn't that bad when you could be paying a guaranteed car note every month. Its always worth to keep fixing what you have (if its in good shape and not a throw away vehicle) until the repairs start approaching what the car is worth. The Toyota 4runner is one of the most reliable vehicles money can buy, they are always worth fixing.

And plus, it seems most average car notes are not much less then that once in a long time mechanic trip anyways haha.
 
Those are very minor issues, many of which you could probably address yourself if you have any hint of mechanical ability. I think whether or not you should upgrade depends more on your financial situation and longer term life plans. The opinion of most on this forum will be that the truck has plenty of life left if you’re willing to deal with the minor mechanical/aesthetic problems here and there.

I just bought an ‘06 with 187k miles from a southern state to avoid rust. I’m sure I could have “afforded” a 2015 or newer but felt owning an older vehicle outright was the better option than taking out a loan. Lots of factors influenced my decision. A big one is I really thin the 4th gens are sharp and the 5th gens are decent looking, but maybe overly aggressive?

Anyways, the issues you describe are minor and should not be reason to trade it in. If you were looking at $2k+ for some big issue, then I’d consider other options.

Good luck to you!
 
the biggest factor that would make me let go of my runner is the frame rot. Her underside had taken a pounding (ha!) for the salty new england winters. Ive already welded on some patches....
 
[MENTION=64580]notanyoldjoe[/MENTION]

You don't list where you are or where the truck has been for the last 12 years.
The only things that will kill the 4.7 is neglect, an accident, or rust.
Assuming everything is good in those regards the 4Runner should last you.
 
Your maintenance repairs would be cheaper then a year of car payments. You've head that saying, "Its cheaper to keep her"
 
Last edited:
Elan750 said:
the biggest factor that would make me let go of my runner is the frame rot. Her underside had taken a pounding (ha!) for the salty new england winters. Ive already welded on some patches....
Click to expand...


What would you even do at that point? Part it out? I'm doubting anyone would buy it unless it was really cheap.
 
Yea, you'll save a ton of money keeping her vs buying something newer. Even with 250K on her she will give you less trouble than many cars that you could buy slightly used or even brand new. I bet you'd see a car lot trying to sell that for 7 or 8K, which is ridiculous (but not ridiculous) for a 250K vehicle, but there is a reason. Most cars at that age probably wouldn't bring $500.
 
I'd keep it until some big expensive thing happens, then unload it (for $0):
pollution blower
brake booster
transfer case
transmission
 
Cheaper to keep it.

I was considering the same thing and decided to keep it and instead of just replacing parts I am going to double down and upgrade and make the truck extra fun. Now that I have an older vehicle I want to throw it around a bit more offroad.
 
its falling apart. and eventually it will leave you stranded.

i would dump it as fast as you can. these trucks are POS when they hit 250,000

I'll help you and i'll be generous with my $500 offer. its going to take a lot more time and effort on my part to HELP you. so you better appreciate my offer.
 
Vehicles cost money to operate. New, you generally make payments. Used, you can pay cash and then only pay for repairs. All vehicles need maintenance, but you've chosen on that needs fewer repairs than most, but still needs some.

Outside of knowing what you're really trying to accomplish, you've got to decide when you feel you've put too much money into repairs and it's not longer worthwhile to keep. Generally motors/transmissions/ AC, other big ticket items last a long time so it may just end up nickeling and diming you to death. Some things you may choose to ignore, radio lights, since I don't use it, don't bother me. Not having a working lift gate? I'd fix that for sure.
If you're handy this sight has plenty of info for the DIY person. Good luck in your choice.
 
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