'99 Limited at the Dealership... $3500, to buy or not?

[Keros]

Hello,

I've been lurking around the forums for quite some time now. But alas, I need advice.

My beloved '96 was toasted by a drunk driver a few weeks back, now after getting screwed by insurance I'm driving a rental out of pocket.

Anyway, nice 4Runners are hard to find in Calgary, they're either rusty and expensive, or cheap and beat to hell.

Anyway, a dealership has a '99 Limited sitting around that they're willing to move to me for $3500. It has bald tires and got stuck on flat icy ground. I figure it hasn't been driven in 4x4 for so long it won't shift in easily. Also, I think the e-brake is dragging on the driver's rear wheel. Common problem here in rusty Alberta.

The only thing that stops me from buying it is that my dad, while I was inside talking to the salesman, tried to shut it off and restart the truck, and it only cranked, didn't fire. I came out and it fired right up for me... but is this common in that year? Is it likely hacked wiring?

The truck has 200000km and given its condition, has suffered serious neglect. It'd be a great vehicle to find after an apocalypse with all the crumbs under the seats, if you could eat around the grime on everything else. The pain appears fine under all the dirt.

For $3500 if I knew the drivetrain was good and it would start everytime, I'd already own it.

Any comments are appreciated.

-Don

 

[shadow247]

I might offer 3000 if it's having starting issues. Could be a simple relay, could be a starter solenoid, could be the starter itself. If you can't engage the 4wd that's a pretty big red flag.

calgary cars & trucks - all classifieds "4runner" - craigslist

Here's a few 4runners for sale in your area.
1997 Toyota 4runner - This one looks like a pretty good deal, especially if it's rust free underneath.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Don,

Go back and take some external and engine bay pics if you can and then post them. We can get a better idea of the condition of this 4runner.

If the 4wd is not engaging, it could be one to three of the sensors on the transfer case. But since I personally have never dealt with replacing them, I'll let others chime in.

If it did not start, then fired up, it sounds like the starter contacts. But drive it around for at least 10 miles (km ?) to see if a check engine light comes on. If it does, walk away.

 

[downpour11]

Strange a dealership is selling a dirty car with bald tires and easily fixed mechanical issues. Seems like they would at least vacuum the car out and wash it

 

[Whitson Metalworks]

i would be super leery of a dealership selling a 4runner anywhere near a reasonable, private party price. it could mean that they have looked into it's issues and have decided theres no way they're fixing it (and they can do it much cheaper than you).

 

[chris360hawks]

i would be super leery of a dealership selling a 4runner anywhere near a reasonable, private party price. it could mean that they have looked into it's issues and have decided theres no way they're fixing it (and they can do it much cheaper than you).

Really not unusual at all. They probably just got it in on trade and were either going to wholesale it or run it through the auction. Then someone asked about it and were like sure we will sell it to you if you want, but we aren't going to do any work to it. I'm sure if he bought it they would clean it up for him. It's not unusual to show someone a vehicle that was freshly traded and hasn't been through service yet.

 

[Keros]

I did alot of thinking on this one... and I just don't want to put in the time to make it nice. I'm sure the truck is salvageable.

I've looked at most 3rd gen 4Runners around Calgary that are for sale, seems alot of people want too much for junk. Lots of shady trucks with weird problems. Either Rusty but Trusty, or just Rusty.

I'm looking into buying a 4th Gen Limited V8 at this point.

Thanks for the comments guys!

Also, I made a type-o in the original post, I meant to say 300000km on the odo on that wholesale truck.

 

[downpour11]

I wouldn't give up at this point, even though 4th gen's are real nice. Just expand your perimeters a little bit. It could be real worth it to pay a friend for a ride to go get the one you want.

 

[Kung]

IMHO, while it might be worth it, at the very LEAST I'd fork over a bit of money to have some other trusted source OTHER than the dealership verify the problems it may have; and if the dealership really wants a sale, they'll have no problem with this.

 

[Keros]

After careful consideration, I decided to look elsewhere. I bet that '99 would have been a great deal... but I don't have room for another project. We have a 2000km road trip to do this time next week and I don't want to drive a rental or need a tow.

The Wife drove an '07 Limited V8 and was hooked. I wasn't far behind. That particular truck turned out to be slightly dimpled in a few hundred places by hail, so we bailed because the seller wanted $16000 for it, with 208000km on the clock. He said it was "priced right". I offered $10000, he hung up on me.

We're buying an '05 with 170000km, dealer maintained, original owner for $18000 tomorrow.

The third gen will always hold a place in my heart... but we need something now, pronto, that doesn't need work. So ultimately, we arrived at a newer truck.

Now to sell off the $3000 worth of parts I have laying around for 3rd gens...