I share my 2cents only with people from the forum, where most know how to wrench something on these trucks...
The ad doesn't seem to be suspicious except for the fact that this guy IS definitely looking to make a few grand off of this 4Runner. No doubt. Nothing wrong with that tho.
Not sure why some people are suspicious of the 4Runner not being registered in CA. The seller does state that the car is under his name(on Arizona title), and that the car is located in CA, but he never states that HE is from CA. He could be visiting friends/family... So whatever...
In the ad he does mention that is has a CENTER diff lock. The car DOES have a center diff lock which controls an actual differential lock in the transfer case, which(aside from the off-road capability) adds value to it. You can drive it fast on slippery surface while in 4WD and not worry as much that you will slip.
Being the later model 3rd gen, it even has VSC to add to the slippery driving in 4WD, which is a great system if you know how to use it on-road and off-road. That alone adds value. At that mileage, I would not worry if it's gonna fail at that low mileage.
The wheels in the pictures are Toyota OEM base model stock 15x7 steel wheels. Pretty simple good wheels. They look new.
Assuming all wiring is untouched (before on-the-spot inspection), the whole car looks like a great SR5 platform to start building a rig. It probably has some wiring preinstalled already like for adding fog lights, and a partial rear diff lock harness, even tho Toyota never installed them with the 'I' shift multi-mode transfer case. Piece of cake to retrofit it as I have on mine. You'd probably wont even get your hands dirty judging from the underside pictures.
Rust I won't even mention.
Someone said that parts on the truck at low mileage don't get used up all that much. Excellent point. Assuming the miles are correct, this truck has not even been broken in yet!
A visual inspection of all weatherstrips and rubber bushings would give an idea how much sun and wear this car has seen. Usually the sun is very unforgiving in CA.
I would definitely go see it in person if I were close. If the front bumper, engine, transmission and frame all had corresponding numbers to frame, body, and to the title of this car, it probably means that none have been changed for whatever reason- repairs, accidents. One test I would like to do, if I were to pay higher price, would be to check the compression of the engine. Everything else wouldn't be a problem to fix in a day or less on the side of the street.
Asking the seller to show paper work from dealers/service shops for work done on this car...it had like what? 10 oil changes? Not sure you'd find much more.
If I would sell this car I would probably price it at around 16K after it passes everything on the home brew physical exam. If it were manual, I will look to get close to 20K as there is no chance you'll pay for a milkshake.
Considering the extreme durability of this particular model, in a rust free environment, this 4Runner is invincible, unless you or someone else brakes it. Only problem is that in another 20years, most likely there wont be any parts for it. But who knows, there still are parts for the TLCs from the 70s.
I own the diesel version which is pretty much the same car except that it was a base model, and now it has everything OEM retrofitted except a sunroof.
Even at 150Kml(240Kkm) I would not exchange it for a new car because the same durability, versatility, practicality, efficiency, and negligent maintenance cost, offered by the 3rd Gen 4Runner, ranges between 30K & 50K.
