Considering purchase of 05 4Runner. Need your help.

[05RunnerV8Me]

Hi 4Runner owners,

I am considering buying a 05 4Runner SR5 v8 RWD with 70k miles. Carfax is clean and shows
2 owners. Vehicle is being sold as a toyota certified vehicle (3 month/3k, 7yr/100k).
I test drove the vehicle and it seems all smooth and fine. The price mentioned is between
17k and 18k + fees +taxes +etc. I want to hear your comments before I make this purchase.

By registering on toyota.com/owners and entering the vin here is what I found ( all data
has been anonymized). The miles are all approximate. For eg. where it mentioned 9,9xx
miles in the records I entered 10000 below. One or more records have been merged if the
services were performed at the same exact mileage. Using this data I am unable to understand
if all the necessary maintenance was performed by the earlier owners and if the vehicle
was treated properly-
==
01/11 70,000 USED CAR SAFETY CHECK, UNHANCED SMOG, LUBE, OIL AND FILTER CHANGE
10/06 15,000 15,000 MILE SVC V/8, LIFE TIME OIL CHANGE
04/06 10000 5,000 MILE SVC, LIFE TIME OIL CHANGE, SUSPENSION AND STEERING CONCERN
11/05 5000 5,000 MILE SVC
08/05 5 P.D.I. <.9 HRS>
==
Assuming that the vehicle was first sold as a new vehicle in Oct-05 the Toyota
powertrain warranty will expire next year in Oct. Do you think that the safety
net provided by this warranty is too short? What questions should I ask the salesman ?
What things should I look out for ? Is a mechanic inspection necessary ? This
vehicle is not for sale in my hometown so finding a good mechanic in this new town would
be a problem.

I am expecting this purchase to last me 200k miles and I am prepared to do the proper
maintenence to make this happen. I will not be towing with this purchase. I expect this
vehicle to be driven around 6k miles/yr.

-05RunnerV8Me

 

[Milam]

You should be fine...very dependable vehicle

 

[kai920]

I just bought an 05 V8 4wd leather, sunroof Sport in December . About 75k miles. Paid less than what they are asking for the one your are looking at but mine was parivate party. Mine was certified pre owned when bought by 2nd owner at 36k miles. Second owner had little in terms of maintenance records. He just never kept anything. I have all records up to 36k. That disturbed me a little for a while, but i got over it. It runs great, everything works. Hope it never comes back to bite me in the rear one day.

They're great vehicles, dependable.

Might be worth it to take it to an independent mechanic and get an inspection. I do for all my vehicles and it has paid off. Leave the body stuff to a body shop though. Some mechanics might know little in terms of if body work has been done. I had a mechanic tell me its never been in wreck on a prospective purchase once, then took it to a body shop and they showed me all the body work that had been done. If you have time, a body shop will do an inspection. They can tell you if its ever been on a frame machine and straightened, if any panels have ever been replaced/repainted.

Every panel on a toyota has a VIN sticker. Check all panels to make sure its there. If its missing its been painted or replaced. Check all nuts and bolts behind doors, tailgates and under hood. If the paint has been scratched off they've been removed. Why? Likely body work. If they look factory painted-they're good. Carfax and Autocheck don't necessarily pick up all accidents. If its not reported its not on there. I recently bought a T4R that I ended selling back to Lexus because I found it it had been in accident. Carfax was clean. It was sold right back to the dealership because I was not happpy. Then I found my SE. Check the frame if you cannot find a body shop. Look for teeth marks in frame. Sign its been on a frame machine.

Other than that check for all the normal things you would check for on any other vehicle. If its certified pre owned-ask to see the Certified Pre owned inspection sheet. Its shows everythig they have to check to certify a vehicle. That might help you put your mind at ease.

 

[DaveS]

Mmm - odd that it describes the certification as a safety check - it should be a lot more than that. There's a fair amount of scheduled mtce up to 70k - if they don't know if it has been done, you should have evidence they have done it before purchasing. I am thinking in particular the diff and tc fluids should have been changed and likely brake work done - if its in a high salt area the calipers are likely due to seize right around now if not before.

 

[05RunnerV8Me]

Bump. Wanted more eyes to see this post. Thanks

 

[CookieRoe]

I got my 2005 Limited with 72K on the clock. I paid about $20K but with an extended warranty. I believe I'm covered until 100K miles (bumper to bumper). I took the service records from where I bought it from and where it was purchased. There was a gap of 20K between 50 and 70Kmiles with nothing. I'm guessing it was serviced at a third party garage. I had all the reason in the world to be suspicious. But it ran just fine. I wouldn't worry about it. Ask about an extended "bumper to bumper" if that puts you at ease. These trucks are rock solid reliable! (just stick to what the manual says about maintenance... AND HERE, tons of information on how to care for it). Good Luck!

 

[hlsess]

I also bought a 2006 V6 SR5 with 58.00 miles recently for $20,000 plus an extended warranty for $1,500- for 5 years/100,000 miles- I took it to a Toyota dealership and had it checked out-all was good

 

[KB084RUNNER]

Mmm - odd that it describes the certification as a safety check - it should be a lot more than that. There's a fair amount of scheduled mtce up to 70k - if they don't know if it has been done, you should have evidence they have done it before purchasing. I am thinking in particular the diff and tc fluids should have been changed and likely brake work done - if its in a high salt area the calipers are likely due to seize right around now if not before.

+1 this is what needs to be checked.

 

[05RunnerV8Me]

Thanks for all your replies. I used the below link to print out maintenance requirement details for this vehicle (a 24 page booklet) by clicking on "print all intervals". I will ask the salesman to show me the records that at least some of the important maintenance steps have been done.

Toyota Parts and Service