Considering buying a 2005 V8 (What to look for)

[quaylefarmer]

I am considering buying a 2005 V8 4X4 with 69K miles.

This will be my first 4runner purchase (I am a long time Toyota fan but have never been in a position to buy one).

This vehicle is "off lease" at a dealer so I do not have any information on its maintenance history so I assume the worse. (do have a copy of a clean 1 owner carfax).

What should I be watching out for with this age/model?

I have read the maintenance service schedule and many threads regarding routine maintenance but I am looking for more of an enthusiests perspective on what you would be concerned about.

Thanks for your help.

** forgot to mention - this truck is 4 hours away so I will be placing a deposit without being able to drive it first

 

[CXS]

Honestly your concerns should be the same as any other vehicle. As an enthusiast I'll assume you know the basics and know what a solid truck feels like to drive. Drive it, look it over, drive it some more, look it over again. If it feels and looks good buy it.

I have the same truck, '05 V8 Limited that I bought with 113,000 miles and had the delayed stuff to tske care of but all in all I have no regrets and expect it to be fairly trouble-free for the next 100k.

 

[DeafDog]

Just a thought: After purchasing my 4Runner, I registered the vehicle on Toyota's owners site. If you have the VIN then I suspect you could do this for the vehicle you are considering buying. If you back away from the car then you can simply remove it from your vehicle list. No harm done, I suspect.

After registering the VIN for my 4Runner, I was able to see the complete service history. Happily, the list was lengthy but routine.


Cheers!

 

[progress4m]

Honestly your concerns should be the same as any other vehicle. As an enthusiast I'll assume you know the basics and know what a solid truck feels like to drive. Drive it, look it over, drive it some more, look it over again. If it feels and looks good buy it.
....

X2!
In addition, I would definitely make sure that CDL and “4 low” works. If previous owner did not used CDL and\or 4 low much that could be costly to repair because of “stuck” actuator (s).

 

[Hi-Fi]

If it has Xreas, look for leaks around the shocks and the plumbing.

 

[PAPA]

Just a thought: After purchasing my 4Runner, I registered the vehicle on Toyota's owners site. If you have the VIN then I suspect you could do this for the vehicle you are considering buying. If you back away from the car then you can simply remove it from your vehicle list. No harm done, I suspect.

After registering the VIN for my 4Runner, I was able to see the complete service history. Happily, the list was lengthy but routine.


Cheers!

Thank you for the link to the owners site. I looked over the service records at the dealer prior to purchasing my 4runner last week, but now I can review them at my leisure without some salesman looking over my shoulder. 9 full pages worth of service records...