?Becoming the next owner after certified Toyota

[Mhayden37]

Hello All,
I am looking at purchasing a 2005 T4R with 100000 miles on it. I would be the 4th owner. It was a lease in NY, then purchased in Utah. The third owner purchased it as a Certified Toyota vehicle in 2010 with 60K on it (Illinois). The 3rd owner had regular maintenance performed at a Toyota Dealer from the time it was purchased until trade in at the same dealership. This makes me feel better about potentially purchasing an older, higher mileage vehicle. Question is, does the fact that it was certified at 60K really mean anything? The dealership keeps throwing it out as a selling point. Also, I got an independent shop to quote me $140 for an inspection before purchase. Thoughts?

BTW: They are asking $13454. It has a third row (which I want) and a DVD (which I will never use). It doesn't have the rear spoiler which is a plus since I use a bike rack frequently. Thoughts on price?

 

[ASUMTNEER]

Hello All,
I am looking at purchasing a 2005 T4R with 100000 miles on it. I would be the 4th owner. It was a lease in NY, then purchased in Utah. The third owner purchased it as a Certified Toyota vehicle in 2010 with 60K on it (Illinois). The 3rd owner had regular maintenance performed at a Toyota Dealer from the time it was purchased until trade in at the same dealership. This makes me feel better about potentially purchasing an older, higher mileage vehicle. Question is, does the fact that it was certified at 60K really mean anything? The dealership keeps throwing it out as a selling point. Also, I got an independent shop to quote me $140 for an inspection before purchase. Thoughts?

BTW: They are asking $13454. It has a third row (which I want) and a DVD (which I will never use). It doesn't have the rear spoiler which is a plus since I use a bike rack frequently. Thoughts on price?

A few thoughts, at least from my perspective. 100k is not high mileage, especially for an 05. I've got an 04 with 160k and it runs flawlessly. The certified warranty has run out, so this is in no way a selling point. $140 for a PPI is very steep. look for another shop. As for the price, it's probably not far off just because it has the third row seating. Third row 4th gens are very hard to find around here. Good luck!

 

[NorthShore4Runner]

The fact that it was certified would bring me some peace of mind. I'm not sure what goes into certifying a used car but I know it's more refurbishment than what a dealer would do for a non certified vehicle. So it hasn't been totally neglected for 100k miles.

 

[hawaiian05]

Agree with the above posters. Buying a CPO is a good piece of mind, but given the "certified" status has now expired, it's not much a selling point for the dealer. The bright side of it is that it most likely had any/all repairs & maintenance done at a dealer, given if anything was to go wrong (bumper to bumper), even something as small as a console bulb, it was replaced with OEM parts (not sure if you can even find aftermarket ones, but different subject). When I used to work for Toyota I would always replace misc crap under the CPO warranty, which always seemed more lenient than the manufacturer warranty, at least at our dealer.

I purchased my previously owned Tacoma from the "certified" owners who had it before me. The warranty was still good for another 6 months or so, but I wasn't too concerned about that. I good thorough inspection and maintenance records can go a long way, much farther than the "certified" status it used to hold. Consider the CPO status an added piece of mind.. kinda.

 

[NuclearN8]

If the vehicle isn't a CPO vehicle, it's not a selling point for your sale and should not add a single penny to the sale price of your deal. Don't let the dealer try to convince you otherwise... negotiate a fair price based off the condition of the vehicle and all the indexes (nada is one i prefer to use for negotiations...) and then personally perform all the maintenance again once you own it.
Remember, even after you buy it, it's used so things are going to break, it's inevitable.... negotiate the price accordingly after a thorough test drive. make sure all the actuators work for 4wd modes of operation and have them put it on the lift so you can walk underneath it... take a good look at the cv boots (it'll be obvious if they're leaking or ripped)... consider tire tread (a set of new tires run anywhere from 600-1300 for this vehicle for a set of 5) in the sale price... plan for the worst and hope for the best... if it's a V6 work in a coolant and transmission flush with the deal if it's a v8 I'd work in a timing belt replacement to the negotiations as these are the likely upcoming big hitters... Make them due a fresh inspection as part of the deal.

remember whatever they tell you, they likely have at most 10-11K into the vehicle on trade... so don't be shy about offering them what you want to pay... say 13000 with a new set of tires (your choosing) and/or a coolant and transmission service or timing belt and water pump if v6 verse v8.. Ask for the world and you just may get it... they could have 8-9K in it... most dealers I know automatically mark up used trade ins 4k for resale.

 

[scw1991]

I picked up my 07' 4Runner V6 4x4 Limited last December with 50,000 miles on it. Because it was more than 5 years old, the Toyota dealer could not sell it as "Toyota Certified". I wasn't too concerned.

Not really sure what the difference is between certified and non-certified. I think a dealership has a certain degree of legal obligation to ensure the vehicle is at minimum in a safe drivable condition. I don't think they can sell a car with worn out brake pads or tires that are shot for example.

It would be a good question to ask Toyota to define the difference between certified vs. non-certified. I'd bet it's more marketing strategy than anything else.

 

[m85476585]

Here's what CPO means:
Certification

Basically, they inspect it and it has a warranty. And the price will be significantly higher because they can use the fact that it's certified as leverage.

Here's what they inspect: 160 Point Inspection | Certified Used Toyota For a lot of these things, who knows how carefully they check it, but at least if there's a problem you can try to get them to fix it under the warranty.

I don't know what obligation a dealer has for a non-certified car, but I'm guessing it's a pretty low standard. If you are lucky they will give you a very limited used car warranty (make sure you ask). Watch out because the sales guy will tell you anything you want to hear or outright lie to you. I tried to buy a car a while back, and I asked if the timing belt had been done. The sales guy gave me an affirmative answer, like of course, everything has been taken care of. I later learned that that particular car has a timing chain, so it never needs service.

What CPO means to you now is that at one point a few years ago, more thorough maintenance might have been done. That's not worth a lot since there will be a lot more it needs between then and 100,000 miles.

To see how much the dealer has in it, look up the trade-in value for the car given the miles and condition. You can also use autotrader.com to get an instant quote that you could bring it to a dealer for, if you were trading it. Like NuclearN8 said, they probably mark it up about $4k. You should be able to easily talk them down to about $2k over the trade-in price, or better.

 

[CXS]

Hello All,
I am looking at purchasing a 2005 T4R with 100000 miles on it.

100K is broken in, I have 180K on my '05.

The price seems a bit high to me but regional prices vary. Check to see if all 100K maintenance has been done, ignore the sales pitch and compare to similar trucks in the area. When it comes down to it the right price is what you're willing to pay.

 

[Mhayden37]

Thanks for all of the information. I will certainly look to have tires replaced if they aren't nearly new. I had an 02 and it was $730 to replace the tires and that was one of those buy 3 get the 4th free deals. Asking price is probably pretty close. I'll certainly haggle (bring my 3 kids along and let them scream and yell through the dealership for a while). I've been looking for a 3rd row T4R since March and the few that I have seen with less than 100K are all at least $16000. Granted most of those are 07 or 08 models.

What is reasonable for a pre-purchase inspection? The dealership is 90 miles away so I don't know the area. Hate to rely on the dealer to just put it up on the rack for me. Rather take it to a professional.

 

[Nervo19]

Before you spend $700 on tires check out Discount Tires Direct. I found out about it here. I got my last set of tires, Cooper A/T3's through them with free delivery. A local tire store mounted them on my 4Runner for $20 each. I have 16" wheels on that 4runner and with discounts they cost about $530. My "new" '08 has 17" tires but doesn't need new ones yet. I got it at 84k miles and it's now 96k. It still performs like a new car.

 

[Mhayden37]

So I pulled the trigger and got the 05 4runner. Great shape mechanically with some body scratches and such. Nothing I can't fix myself. Interior is in great shape. Hoping for at least 10 years and 150000 more miles out of this one.

 

[ASUMTNEER]

Congrats! now we need to see some pics of it. If you didn't get tires worked into the deal, I advise you to follow my link below to DTD's ebay store. $100 off a $400 or more purchase, plus free shipping, plus manufacturer rebates. Get them before the 15th though.

discounttiredirect on eBay