Colorado and Rust?

vanion2

vanion2

New member
I have a 2001 4Runner and love it but I tow a 3800# PUP once a month for camping trips and have decided it is time to move up to a V8 (plan to move up to a 5700# camper down the road).

I have test driven a 2nd Gen Tundra and was not impressed. Lots of power for sure but driving it was boring. Last week I test drive a 4Runner sport edition and was very happy. Problem is here in Albuquerque the dealers think these are made of gold and was asking more than it was worth considering of I could pick one up on Colorado I could save $5000 for one that was almost identical. In fact, I have been tracking the market for some time and they are consistently cheaper for lower mileage V8's.

My concern is rust. I know Colorado gets a lot more snow and if buying an 06-09 model saves me $5k average then spending a weekend up there would be well worth it but dealing with rust is a deal breaker for me. I am hoping you Coloradians can give me an honest opinion of what to expect.

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I know most of Colorado has switched from putting sand and salt down to a liquid mixture to melt the snow and ice. The main reason being you couldn't drive through the state and not have 2 rock chips in your windshield, that and the effect of a ton of sand and salt being dumped in the environment.

The mix they use, pretty sure it's the same one the use here in Kansas, is still corrosive to cars and needs to be washed off. It will be a case by case basis on how well the owner took care of their Runner though. We get a fair amount of weather here in Kansas and my runner is pretty rust free for the most part, because as soon as the salt is washed off the roads I wash my ride. My neighbor on the other hand, has pretty much the same Runner I do but has three times the rust on the frame rails... the thing is always dirty.

If you find one you like, just have the seller snap a couple photos of the underside, hard to hide rust in photos.
 
In general I have not experienced near the rust here in Colorado that Midwest and NE states seem to. My '06 spent almost all its life in the Ft. Collins area, and all of the suspension bolts, skid plate bolts, etc., are rust free and no problem to loosen. We use a lot of mag chloride here for ice melting on the roads, and while somewhat corrosive, it doesn't seem to be as bad as calcium chloride. Also, because of the high number of sunny days in CO, and the relatively short duration of storms, people on the Front Range tend to wash their vehicles pretty quickly after the roads dry off.

The only rust issue I've ever dealt with in CO is around the fenders of my '94, and that's a classic issue with the 2nd gens. You should be able to find a clean 4runner here, although I'd be surprised if they were that much cheaper. I certainly didn't find a lot of bargains when I was looking for my '06, and good ones sold in a matter of a couple of days.
 
Thanks for the information. I will be shopping seriously next summer after all the snow is done and people are unloading to pick up new rides.

Just looking through Craigslist there is an 05 Sport with leather that looks just like the one I test drove last week. That one was an 08 with cloth interior, sun roof but had 2000 more miles on it than the one in Denver. Price difference is $5000 after trying to haggle a bit with the store manager who wouldn't go lower than $20k. NADA clean retail for my area with all the options it came with puts it just under $18K. NADA clean retail on the 05 lists around $14K for less mileage and minus some of the light upgrades that came with the 06+ models (I usually retrofit them anyway). So spending a day haggling in Denver would net me $5000 in savings. And that's just one example. A private seller has his 07 Sport V8 4x4 for sale asking only $13k and it only has 117k miles. He's basically just asking the clean trade in value. That ad was posted 4 days ago.

In short, they market here in ABQ is over inflated compared to Texas, Arizona, Colorado, and even Utah. The dealerships think just because Toyota made it it is worth way more than it is. My problem is I know what I am willing to pay and this isn't the first time I have bought vehicles out of state to get a better deal. This time next year I will have family living in Boulder so that will make things a lot easier.
 
I wouldn't call it over inflated...they just hold their value well and people buy them up quick. You just have to find ones that are clean and don't have big issues that may need fixed. I just bought an 06 V8 Sport w/ 152k on it for $15k. WAY over KBB, but here in CA...these things are like gold and they don't stay on the market long. At least here in the Bay Area and that could be for a mix of reasons that I won't mention. But mine didn't have any leaks, outside was nearly perfect except for some rock chips and the inside was in great shape. High mileage, but I had this V8 in my Tundra and I know it'll run forever. I'm just upgrading the stuff like lights and mirror and radio for now and will get to the suspension when my Triumph Resto is done and these tires are worn out.

Sorry...doesn't help much on the CO rust front, but I will be in CO next week biking! Can't wait! Miss living there!
 
The stuff they put on the roads here eats the crap out of aluminum alloys cosmeticaly speaking. If you're not religious about keeping thingsseem clean that is. I've never had any issue with rust here with modest maintenance. And Toyota finishes tend to weather far better than most other cars. Too cold in the winter I've been told. To dry in the summer. Vehicles keep in heated, moist garages are the at the most I've been told. And of the rust I've seen around here has been surface/wheelwell rust which is kind of obvious. But, make sure you check it out. If it's anywhere around The Lake George area I'd be glad to go poke at the frame, take a look at obvious spots like cooler lines, exhaust system and vacuum plates and take pics for you.
 
Any where they use any salt on their roads, you have to wash with clean water under your truck, when the Temp. get above freezing.
 
I haven't had a problem here with rust in Colorado. I am surprised you're finding cheaper 4runners in CO than NM though, usually these demand a premium here.

For what it's worth, I have had my V8 Sport for 6 years and still LOVE the engine.
 
By that time I just might sell my 4Runner and I will be in Colorado :) Oh and you ask about rust? Mine is anti rust coated all under the vehicle all black like it just left the factory. Check out my new member thread with some pics on it.
 
The only reason I can think of that a T4R would be cheaper in CO is because it is a 2wd. The 4wd T4R's go for more in CO than almost anywhere in the country. There are several salesmen/dealerships in Denver that travel to New England auctions just to pick them up and transport them back to sell.

As far as the rust goes, most dealerships here with scrape off any obvious issues and repaint. I looked at over 20 T4R's before finding mine. The previous owner had a yearly membership to a car wash (with undercarriage washer) since new and it still had evidence of rust.


As long as it is just surface rust, I wouldn't worry about it.
 
theMayor said:
The only reason I can think of that a T4R would be cheaper in CO is because it is a 2wd. The 4wd T4R's go for more in CO than almost anywhere in the country. There are several salesmen/dealerships in Denver that travel to New England auctions just to pick them up and transport them back to sell.

As far as the rust goes, most dealerships here with scrape off any obvious issues and repaint. I looked at over 20 T4R's before finding mine. The previous owner had a yearly membership to a car wash (with undercarriage washer) since new and it still had evidence of rust.


As long as it is just surface rust, I wouldn't worry about it.
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That's crazy. I must just have surface rust then, as I rarely wash the underside and have no protective coating on my CO 3rd gen.

OP, you shouldn't find more than surface rust on rigs here in CO, I'm also surprised at NM prices being higher than CO. 4Runner/FJ/Tacoma/anything Yota 4x4 is like crack in CO.

I had a friend once offer someone on CL like $2k above asking price for a Taco.
 
Ralph Blake said:
Any where they use any salt on their roads, you have to wash with clean water under your truck, when the Temp. get above freezing.
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We get some pretty heavy spring rains here. I find and rely on those to rinse off my underbody come spring. Seems to work as I've never had a rust issue, I do a token hose off at the coin-op regularly after storms but I don't think that gets it all off.
 
Take your time looking and check out everything. I looked for almost 2 years before I found the one I wanted. I was always stuck on the 06-09 and really wanted a limited v8, after driving multiples of both v8 and v6 I really did not see any advantage to the v8 plus I hate the fact that it is always in 4wd and the power really feels about the same with way less maintenance and expense for the v6, I am very happy I went this way and I tow a 25 ft airstream no problem I will be adding air bags though. I am in the northeast and will agree we probably have the worst rust in the country however it all depends on the owner I drove as far as maryland to look at a couple of these and to my surprise I found one right in connecticut with zero rust that was here since new. As far as price like others have mentioned they hold there value and I really think you will be paying abouut the same anywhere you go. If you are looking for one with less then 100k you will pay $15-20k if its clean. Also the old 3.4L is no comparison to the 4.0L
 
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There's no rust here in CO to speak of really. And I'm not aware of anywhere here that uses salt. Rust should be the least of your worries, unless it originated from out of state or back east.
 
milehigh05 said:
There's no rust here in CO to speak of really. And I'm not aware of anywhere here that uses salt. Rust should be the least of your worries, unless it originated from out of state or back east.
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Depends on the season. When the snow is dumping in the winter, CDOT just throws sand on the road.

However, we have seen a few cold winters with less snow and more ice. CDOT's "go-to" is Magnesium Chloride. Just as corrosive as salt.
 
Every Colorado-native 4Runner (and other cars) I looked at were basically rust-free. It was very obvious which ones were from out here vs. back east by looking at the frame. I'm surprised to hear you're seeing them cheaper here though, CO had just about the highest prices in the country on 4x4 Toyotas when I was looking a couple years ago.
 
Diamond_D said:
Every Colorado-native 4Runner (and other cars) I looked at were basically rust-free. It was very obvious which ones were from out here vs. back east by looking at the frame. I'm surprised to hear you're seeing them cheaper here though, CO had just about the highest prices in the country on 4x4 Toyotas when I was looking a couple years ago.
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It's still the same.

Source: In Denver, looking for 4runner..
 
My 4Runner spent its first 100,000 miles in Colorado, then the next 50,000 miles in Michigan. As most others have said, Colorado DOES NOT salt their roads (mostly due to runoff into the rivers). They use a mixture of sand and I believe it is a liquid containing magnesium chloride.

The magnesium chloride does a number on aluminum, but not to the steel. All 4 of my aluminum wheels took a beating and had showed signs of significant corrosion. My underbody and frame were totally fine when it left Colorado. Magnesium chloride DOES NOT cause rust like salt does though. However, the sand/gravel beats the crap out of your paint, which is why so many people in CO as the 3M clear bra to the front their vehicles. Also, you're lucky if you get more than 12 months out of a windshield without a major chip or crack.

Michigan is a different story. Salt has caused significant rust and corrosion on my frame, underbody, nuts, bolts, bottom of tailgate, etc.
 
theMayor said:
Depends on the season. When the snow is dumping in the winter, CDOT just throws sand on the road.

However, we have seen a few cold winters with less snow and more ice. CDOT's "go-to" is Magnesium Chloride. Just as corrosive as salt.
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I see your point that mag chloride has some corrosive properties to certain car parts (brakes and wire harnesses), but not close to salt. If that was the case, we'd have rust proofing companies sprouting up. CO state regulations require mag chloride to be 70% less corrosive than rock salt.
 
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