44k 5spd 3rd Gen on Bring a Trailer--NOT mine

[habskater11]

Saw this on bring a trailer. Looks pretty darn clean, worth a watch- again not mine

45k-Mile 1998 Toyota 4Runner 5-Speed for sale on BaT Auctions - ending February 11 (Lot #16,244) | Bring a Trailer

 

[RCopp17]

Wow, nice find!


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[raKnizek]

This is very interesting. Despite the low mileage the entire frame and most of the suspension has been changed due to rust (according to the seller).

Probably pretty stout but raises a few flags.

 

[habskater11]

current bid 10K! holy crap

 

[RoyBell]

current bid 10K! holy crap

That was my bid. Definitely an interesting truck. I questioned seller on the frame, will see if he responds with the vin to prove it's not a wrecked frame. I don't see how it only has 45K miles with the condition of rust. My 160K midwest truck has less rust.

For the right price, I think it's a good value. Any higher than it's current bid I think will be hard to recoup in the future. If it had a factory frame I think it would go for mid 20s.

 

[Kanoe]

That is one strange 4runner. The running gear that has not been painted is super rusty. And rebuilding the upper and lower control arms at 40 some thousand miles? Very suspicious, most do this at high mileage.

And who would put this level of work into a 4runner and use non-oem ball joints? I'd like to see this but it sounds very odd to me.

Running board brackets just cut off and left in place? Wow. And super dirty engine bay.

 

[RoyBell]

I agree 100%. I don't see how a vehicle with that kind of mileage can have that much rust. The mileage seems right per the car fax and the interior and body are representative of the miles. The bottom though? Was it a flood vehicle? If the seller posts the requested before pictures, then it may give some indication of what happened.

If a seller refurbishes any vehicle and they don't have any before photos they are hiding something imo.

 

[ToyotaBrah]

It spent most of its life in Maryland before relocating to Colorado, which explains the rust.

And you can tell it saw some serious salt action. Look at the Transfer case; it's completely oxidized and driveshafts are rusted. He applied some kind of undercoating to the body to conceal the body rust. And as mentioned, running board brackets cut
instead of unbolted. Rushed build. Major points though on galvanizing the frame. Haven't seen that done before.

 

[RoyBell]

It spent most of its life in Maryland before relocating to Colorado, which explains the rust.

And you can tell it saw some serious salt action. Look at the Transfer case; it's completely oxidized and driveshafts are rusted. He applied some kind of undercoating to the body to conceal the body rust. And as mentioned, running board brackets cut
instead of unbolted. Rushed build. Major points though on galvanizing the frame. Haven't seen that done before.

The time lapse videos indicate the frame wasn't too terrible. The frame number references a '98 auto. Just waiting for seller to confirm the donor car vin to prove it wasn't wrecked. The picture of the frame number seems off to me because the first 4 digits are barley legible indicating that the frame may have been ground down to knock rust off or it's not an oem frame.

 

[dogtail]

It spent most of its life in Maryland before relocating to Colorado, which explains the rust.

And you can tell it saw some serious salt action. Look at the Transfer case; it's completely oxidized and driveshafts are rusted. He applied some kind of undercoating to the body to conceal the body rust. And as mentioned, running board brackets cut
instead of unbolted. Rushed build. Major points though on galvanizing the frame. Haven't seen that done before.

It looks like some brushed on zinc paint, not a hot dipped galvanized frame. Can see some rust streaks on it too.

 

[slomatt]

Did 5spd 3rd gens become collectible when I wasn't paying attention? That seems like a crazy high price, even given the low mileage.

 

[RoyBell]

I am quite amazed it sold for $18,250 + 5% auction fee. I figured reserve was right around $18,000 and thought bidding would fall off around $16,000. Seller never produced donor Vin, despite calling the "installer" and getting answers on other questions. That is a huge red flag to me. Plus the frame number stamping was off since the first 4 digits were not readable. Just too many questions for me to part with that much money. I would had paid good money for a clean version because I plan on handing mine down to the 16 yo and keeping the clean model for many years to come.

3rd gens will not lose money if the frame stays in one piece. I can sell mine for more than what I paid for it, 4 years later.

5 speeds on these are an enthusiasts setup imo. Enthusiasts will spend more on a vehicle than the average joe so that drives the the cost of them up.