About to buy my first (2000) 4Runner Limited but...

[SuperSpiker]

After searching and looking at a TON of Runners I found one that I like.

It's a 2000 Limited, 156k.

A few questions for the vets:

1. The guy selling it to me says that the headlights stay on all the time. Is this standard behavior for a 2000 runner?

2. The leather is worn on the drivers seat and will need to be replaced. What is the best way to replace the leather? Will I have to replace the whole seat?

3. I want to buy a brush guard. What is do people recommend?

Thanks!

Joe.

 

[Clemsonfan15]

156k miles for a 2000 is a lot. My 1998 only has 108k. I would make sure he really took good care of it. I would say that it is not normal for the headlights to stay on all the time.

 

[peter78]

The brochure in this link (PDF file) says Day Time Running Lights are standard on the SR5 and the Limited has everything that the SR5 has plus other stuff.

http://www.top4runners.com/ja/runhist/3rdgen/2000_4runner.pdf


So, I guess the 2000 4 cyl model does not have the DRL's. My 2001 SR5 has DRL.

 

[mikehinthehouse]

they are DRL's mine had them and is a 2000 SR5...

a good interior shop can do the bolster only but you might just wanna get the whole seat done so it looks perfect.

there are several brush guard options try the search feature on this site it will give you severeal ideas

 

[SuperSpiker]

Are DRL's the same as the headlights?

This runner's *headlights* stay on all the time.

The DRL's function normally as far as I know.

As for the high miles... I'm going to pay $9,250 for the runner and other than some minor cosmetic issues it's in great shape... and has super beefy tires

Would you pay 9250 for this runner?

 

[bgmac]

Are DRL's the same as the headlights?

This runner's *headlights* stay on all the time.

The DRL's function normally as far as I know.

As for the high miles... I'm going to pay $9,250 for the runner and other than some minor cosmetic issues it's in great shape... and has super beefy tires

Would you pay 9250 for this runner?

Me, Personally no. Think about it for a minute, after tax and tags your going to be paying almost 10gs for an 8 year old vehicle with 156ks miles. Granted it is a 4runner but for that kind of money im sure you could find a better deal. It took me almost 2 months before I found the 4runner I wanted for the price I was willing to pay. So just be patient and keep on looking. The price the guy is giving you is a Kelly Blue Book price.

 

[004Gunner]

IMO you should talk the guy down or like Mac said just keep looking. I swapped the driver's and passenger's seat bottom to preserve my leather but it may be too far gone for that. The DRLs can easily be disabled if you don't like them btw. Just simply unplug. MikeH's bull guard looks nice. But I personally didn't care for the look of my full brush guard and ended up selling it. I would recommend finding one with a brush guard on it and make sure it's the look you want.

 

[p nut]

No way in **** I'd pay over $9k for that!!! I don't care if it's in flawless condition. Currently, SUV's aren't that popular due to the rising gas prices. I'd pay $7-8k, and that's if everything's been kept up.

DRL's stay on all the time. There is a way to turn this off, and for a 2000, I believe it's as simple as just unplugging a harness.

Also, don't waste your money on a brushguard. They offer no protection, could decrease your ground clearance and IMO, makes your rig look like a mall cruiser.

 

[Run4urLife]

Thanks for the DRL question and answer, i was wondering why my lights were always on as well and if it was normal.

 

[T4Running4Fun]

After searching and looking at a TON of Runners I found one that I like.

It's a 2000 Limited, 156k.

Joe.

So I just bought a 99 4runner limited with nice new tires, beautiful exterior/interior condition, and with 155k on it, so I thought I could relate and offer some advice to your situation...

First off, if you dont know about the service history, have a prepurchase inspection at Toyota or a mechanic that you know look over it really well!! You can use things found to negotiate price. I ended up finding leaking valve cover gaskets, leaking power steering rack, leaking rear main seal, and I had no record of the 90k service (timing belt/water pump, etc) being done. So even though it was beautiful on the outside...it had some issues under the hood that toyota quoted me like almost 3k to fix all of it.

The car was for sale at a honda dealership for 10,600 at the time. When I showed them all that I had found, they decided to give it to me for what they had into it (supposedly...) which was 8300. Given the kkb value of the car, I figured this would be worth it, considering I still had to put about 2+k into it. Plus it was just so beautiful and exactly what I had been looking for with very little luck for quite a while. (My boyfriend also works at the honda dealership where it was for sale, which helped my situation and their willingness to give me a deal).

So I took it to toyota to have things taken care of right after I bought it. Turns out, they took off the valve covers and found the engine had a bunch of sludge build up and recommended a new engine (about 9k)!! (There is a whole thread on this titled, "what would you do?")

Lesson to be passed on...look it over VERY CAREFULLY!! one member said that "simply removing the oil fill cap" is usually an easy way to check for sludge. Dont rush into something. Its worth waiting for the right one.

Best of luck, and be sure to let us know how it turns out.