Can't find a 4-runner in our area for sale :(

[JP1224]

My husband and I have been really wanting to get a 4-runner. A vehicle he has always wanted and something I have now come to love after test driving one. Everyone we have talked to who has owned one loves them. Plus the reviews I have read as well. The problem is we can not find one in our area that is in our price range (19,000 or less) with the mileage we want (less than 100k) that is 4wd. My husband insist that it be 4wd. We can find rear wheel drives no problem but a 4wd vehicle is either way to much or they get gone before we can blink an eye. Whats up with that. Why is there so many vehicles that are rear wheel drive but not 4wd. You would think with a 4-runner being a top of the line off road vehicle that you would see a lot more 4wd for sale. So after months and months of looking we are back at square one. Should we go with something totally different? Should we forget about 4wd (husband is having a time budging there)? Do we get one with way more miles (I am not budging there)? Really having a hard time here. Anyone else in this same boat?

 

[fourwd1]

Have you looked in the classified section here and on other Toyota forums ?
Or posted there that you are looking ?

 

[Hepar]

What years are you looking for? You might be seeing only 2wd because within the years you are looking at and your miles and $ budget, it might be the most typical vehicle to pop up. Remember that the 4wd will always fetch a few $k's more than its 2wd counterpart.

 

[Ruff]

4wd

First of all, wecome to the forum.

what part of the country are in? Some vehicle models sell better in some parts of the country.
You might have to expand your search area.

Also, pricing is greatly affected by location.

Last, what year 4runner are you looking for?

Maybe, you need to go on a little vacation somewhere and drive back with a 4runner.

I agree with your husband about the 4WD.

good luck on your search.

Ruff

 

[JP1224]

Have you looked in the classified section here and on other Toyota forums ?
Or posted there that you are looking ?

no, I have not but will do that. new to forum.

 

[JP1224]

First of all, wecome to the forum.

what part of the country are in? Some vehicle models sell better in some parts of the country.
You might have to expand your search area.

Also, pricing is greatly affected by location.

Last, what year 4runner are you looking for?

Maybe, you need to go on a little vacation somewhere and drive back with a 4runner.

I agree with your husband about the 4WD.

good luck on your search.

Ruff

We are on the east coast, North Carolina. We are looking within a 100 miles. In order to finance one it has to be a 2008 or newer is what the bank said.

 

[JP1224]

What years are you looking for? You might be seeing only 2wd because within the years you are looking at and your miles and $ budget, it might be the most typical vehicle to pop up. Remember that the 4wd will always fetch a few $k's more than its 2wd counterpart.

In order to finance one through our bank it has to be a 2008 or newer.

 

[hearno]

Yeah 2008 or newer with low miles for that money will be tough for 4wd. The miles shouldn't scare you tho. These trucks will go 250,000 miles easily if properly maintained.
Not sure what part of nc you're in but I saw this

http://norfolk.craigslist.org/ctd/4303234084.html

 

[andy2008]

Come on up to,WV just few hours away and got all kinds check the web for Toyota dealers in charleston,Barboursville area and you'll find one call them they will hold it if you are serious about driving up. If you have BBT we have them all over here. I got my current 08 had 80 on it for 21,500 good luck with search!:reddance:

 

[Hepar]

I would say then you're going to need to either see if you can get a larger loan or widen your search perimeters. I would increase the miles you are open to. Take a look in the low 100k range too. Low miles are nice, but they aren't the 100% telling line. I would much rather have one that has higher miles from a previous owner who when looking at the vehicle and records, you know took meticulous care of it as opposed to someone who beat the crap out of it for 60k miles.

 

[Ruff]

Patience

Like Hearno stated, it will be a bit difficult but, not impossible.

My suggestions:
Expand your search area.
Keep an eye for private sellers (usually have better prices than dealerships).
Patience.

It took me several months to find mine and I am in Texas. A lot of 4WD here in Texas.

Good luck.

 

[JP1224]

Yeah 2008 or newer with low miles for that money will be tough for 4wd. The miles shouldn't scare you tho. These trucks will go 250,000 miles easily if properly maintained.
Not sure what part of nc you're in but I saw this

2008 Toyota 4Runner Limited 4WD - Affordable Car Lot

I understand that these vehicles get great miles on them and still have no issues. My thing is that we are going to be putting a lot of miles on it. My husband's parents live a good ways away that we visit a lot and his sister lives in texas now and we would like to go visit her. So we will be putting a lot of miles on this vehicle. So I hate to first, go into debt with one that already has tons of miles on it and two, be adding way more miles on top of what it already has. I am getting to the point of just totally getting something else other than a 4runner but now I don't know what. We really need a bigger vehicle though. He wants a truck and I wanted a van so we compromised with a 4runner. Plus I test drove one and loved it. But the dealership screwed us on the one we test drove and ever since then we can't seem to find another one in our price range. Or like I said we do but someone snatches is right when we make the decision to go with it. I hear a lot of people say Pathfinders are very similar to 4-runners. And pathfinders we can find in our price range with the miles we want. However our friend is a Certified Nissan Master Tech and he said he would not own a Nissan to save his life. He said they are a piece of junk. So now we are again back at the beginning of what to do. We can't travel real far because we have two small children and traveling is difficult in a crammed vehicle.

 

[Martinjmpr]

I hear a lot of people say Pathfinders are very similar to 4-runners. And pathfinders we can find in our price range with the miles we want. However our friend is a Certified Nissan Master Tech and he said he would not own a Nissan to save his life. He said they are a piece of junk. So now we are again back at the beginning of what to do. We can't travel real far because we have two small children and traveling is difficult in a crammed vehicle.

It actually sounds like an R51 Pathfinder might be a good fit for you. Not as good off-road because of the independent rear suspension but they are still a body-on-frame truck-type SUV with a more powerful motor than the 4runner, and a 3rd row of seats if you need them. MPG is not as good as the 4runner and they do not have the 4th gen 4runners multi-mode 4wd. There are a few R51 Pathys that came with a V8, and like the 4runner, they have full time 4wd.

Quality wise, Nissan is as good as any other brand these days (wife has been driving a Nissan for a couple of years and loves it.) I see lots of Pathfinders and Xterras around here (Colorado), if they weren't pretty reliable you wouldn't see as many of them on the road. Go over to some Nissan-specific boards and you can find out what the weak points or potential trouble spots are.

If you're dead set on a 4runner, consider shopping out West where 4runners are plentiful and not as expensive. If you can find one you like, your husband may be able to catch a cheap flight out of NC and then drive it back (obviously if you are trading a vehicle this won't work for you.)

 

[drewm]

I understand that these vehicles get great miles on them and still have no issues. My thing is that we are going to be putting a lot of miles on it. My husband's parents live a good ways away that we visit a lot and his sister lives in texas now and we would like to go visit her. So we will be putting a lot of miles on this vehicle. So I hate to first, go into debt with one that already has tons of miles on it and two, be adding way more miles on top of what it already has. I am getting to the point of just totally getting something else other than a 4runner but now I don't know what. We really need a bigger vehicle though. He wants a truck and I wanted a van so we compromised with a 4runner. Plus I test drove one and loved it. But the dealership screwed us on the one we test drove and ever since then we can't seem to find another one in our price range. Or like I said we do but someone snatches is right when we make the decision to go with it. I hear a lot of people say Pathfinders are very similar to 4-runners. And pathfinders we can find in our price range with the miles we want. However our friend is a Certified Nissan Master Tech and he said he would not own a Nissan to save his life. He said they are a piece of junk. So now we are again back at the beginning of what to do. We can't travel real far because we have two small children and traveling is difficult in a crammed vehicle.

If you really plan on driving it far, why not look at an awd Highlander? They are almost as big and get much better mpg. If you don't need a truck for rock crawling or heavy trails a highlander is probably the better choice.

 

[J. B.]

If you have to take a loan..

You could try to find a bank or a credit union that will loan you the money you need on a car that is older. There are some banks (most likely credit unions) that will loan on cars older than 6 years.

Hell... if I owned a bank I would definitely be making those loans.

Also, don't let the miles scare you away. It's all about how you take care of the truck.

 

[Nervo19]

I'm in VA and I recently got a 2008 SR5 V6 4x4 with 86k for $16k with a clean CarFax. I saw a similar 4Runner for $14,900 from a dealer in the paper the other day. I paid a little more because I got the color I want. Try looking on AutoTrader.com. You can expand your search area if you can't find one you like. There were tons of good candidates about a month ago in the Richmond area, before the big snow. I traded a same year minivan and some cash so I could stay loan free. I am finally, after 13 years, free of minivans.

 

[Martinjmpr]

If you really plan on driving it far, why not look at an awd Highlander? They are almost as big and get much better mpg. If you don't need a truck for rock crawling or heavy trails a highlander is probably the better choice.

Or a RAV4 for that matter. Some of the 2007+ RAV4s even have a 3rd row seat and I think they're rated at 27MPG. No 4th or 5th gen 4runner will ever get that kind of MPG and if you don't need a body-on-frame construction or a low range t-case, why take the penalty in cost and MPG to haul them around?

Wife wants to trade her little sporty Nissan in for an SUV (she's tired of crouching down to get in and she got stuck in the snow a few weeks ago!) and I'm thinking I might steer her towards a RAV4. I think it would be perfect for her.

 

[wc11]

Isn't it more like "Can't find a good 4Runner for sale" anywhere?

 

[tamerunner]

You said traveling is difficult. Its one time and one trip.... Make it once to get the car you both want. Difficult is not impossible. We drove 120 miles at the drop of a hat to get the runner we wanted. We all have to make sacrifices to get the things we want. So sacrifice a few uncomfortable hours for the best SUV you could own.

 

[JP1224]

Finally got what we wanted. We found a 2008 Urban Runner, 4WD, V6, with 92,000.