Advice needed on purchasing a 99 4Runner

[yormas1911]

A friend is selling his 99 4Runner with 140k miles and I am thinking of buying it. The vehicle spent 8 years in California, then 8 years in the upper Midwest where it was exposed to salt. It drives great, has been well-maintained, and has 140k miles.


My only concern is rust. In the attached pictures, you can see some pictures of the underbody. How bad is this? How much longer will this vehicle last without issues and is it worth purchasing? Thank you.


Imgur

 

[Bt08231]

Looks very clean, frame looks great. All the rest is just surface rust. Buy it if the price is right. What's he asking?

 

[Blitzkrieg]

8 years in California = no rust.
8 years in the Salt Belt = lots of rust.

I have a general rule that I would never buy a car from the rust belt because they just get beat to hell but that is me.

If the price is right and you like it, go for it. Just realize that what you see happening down under will continue. My .02

 

[alanflies]

Based on those pics, there seems to be some rust issues under an attempt to paint over them. Can't really tell for sure the severity of the damage without actually crawling under there. Check the inside face of the frame rails where the rear link hangers are welded up in (pic #4). If that looks good, you got a good chance of having only surface rust.

 

[Link12]

Looks like it was coated after the rust was already there. I think more and more is going to flake off revealing a lot more rust that is already showing. It would have to be a very good deal if I were to buy one with rust like that.

 

[jreask]

Looks like surface rust. Take a screwdriver or sharp object and poke several spots to see if they are still solid. IF they are solid I wouldn't have any problem buying if the price is ok. 5K?

 

[Nervo19]

The actual frame looks great. The rust seems to be on the rear dif. You can climb under there and decide if it has rusted through. You should treat the rust it as soon as you can. It looks like a great truck.

 

[reelamin]

For me...that's a LOT of heavy rust...but I can't tell by the pics how deep it goes. It all depends on your area and what is the norm. In our area that kind of rust would easily knock 1-2K off the price immediately even if they could sell it. So, as others have said..it's all about the bottom dollar.

 

[gamefreakgc]

With a paint job like that underneath... I don't know. Looks really sketchy, I'm no fan of rust. Makes any sort of repair to steering or suspension twice as hard. I don't know if you can paint over it either, since the first layer is going to continue to flake off anyway.

I'd keep looking if I were you. I wouldn't say it's a "well maintained" 4Runner, washing off the salt is part of maintenance if you live in those conditions. Even if he does sell it to you real cheap, it would be very sad if you end up making it your own and in 5 years the rust progresses to the point of frame damage and it's send to a salvage yard.

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

It's funny reading posts like this. The guys down south and out west say it's bad rust and the guys up north say it's just surface rust. I have seen rust up close and personal and trust me that's just surface rust. It does look like it was painted in some areas but it is very smooth. If it was bad rust you would see chunky flakes or pitting if it were cleaned up and painted.
OP if the price is right and has what you want then buy it and clean up the rust and treat it then coat the underside with some POR 15 or KBS Coatings and be happy with your purchase.

 

[yormas1911]

It's funny reading posts like this. The guys down south and out west say it's bad rust and the guys up north say it's just surface rust. I have seen rust up close and personal and trust me that's just surface rust. It does look like it was painted in some areas but it is very smooth. If it was bad rust you would see chunky flakes or pitting if it were cleaned up and painted.
OP if the price is right and has what you want then buy it and clean up the rust and treat it then coat the underside with some POR 15 or KBS Coatings and be happy with your purchase.

Solid real deal advice. Thank you!

 

[gamefreakgc]

It's funny reading posts like this. The guys down south and out west say it's bad rust and the guys up north say it's just surface rust. I have seen rust up close and personal and trust me that's just surface rust. It does look like it was painted in some areas but it is very smooth. If it was bad rust you would see chunky flakes or pitting if it were cleaned up and painted.
OP if the price is right and has what you want then buy it and clean up the rust and treat it then coat the underside with some POR 15 or KBS Coatings and be happy with your purchase.

Haha, very true! Any rust out here means severe neglect.

 

[JNYD401]

So, what is the poll on best rust protection? I have used POR15 in my T100 tank, but nowhere else. Saw good things about Eastwood and KBS but never used any of them as an undercoating. I'm looking at a 99 SR5 that looks the same underneath with 180K for $3500. figure i'll do it but know i should do rust prevention before next winter hits. Thoughts/suggestions?

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

So, what is the poll on best rust protection? I have used POR15 in my T100 tank, but nowhere else. Saw good things about Eastwood and KBS but never used any of them as an undercoating. I'm looking at a 99 SR5 that looks the same underneath with 180K for $3500. figure i'll do it but know i should do rust prevention before next winter hits. Thoughts/suggestions?

I used the KBS stuff. A lot cheaper and easier to work with. Lot's of colors and finishes if that's your thing. Believe it's made by some people who used designed POR15 if I read that correctly.