Future Owner of 4th Gen, Have Questions

[Ryker]

Hey all, I'm new here but I've been browsing through the site the past couple of months looking at a bunch of useful info about 4Runners.
I had narrowed what I wanted to a mid-sized SUV and got down to the Jeep Commander, a Trailblazer, a 4Runner, a Pathfinder, or a Durango.
Well, the Commanders got the worst MPG out of the 5, and A LOT of bad reviews, so it was off. The Trailblazer...well, the most boring of the choices, and so I just heavily preferred the others. The Durango feels so bulky when driving, so the wife wouldn't be able to drive that, and the Pathfinder, I saw from info on here, is nowhere near the 4R on quality. The 4R was my favorite anyway, so It's good it turned out this way.

There's a couple of 4R's that I'm looking at tomorrow, and was wondering if I could have advice on which one is a better buy.

The first one is a 2004 4Runner Sport Edition V8 with 4WD, leather, sunroof, and around 113,000 miles.
This one can be had for 11 grand, with TTL bringing me to around 11,864.

The second is a 2005 4Runner Sport Edition with the V6, 2WD, Leather, Sunroof, and around 106,000 miles.
This one is listed at 11 grand, but I haven't asked about a lower price yet, I'm emailing back and forth with the owner. That's not including TTL.

Neither has any cosmetic damage that I've noticed in the pictures, and both owners claim there's nothing wrong with them.

Both have decent tires. The 05 has at least 80% left on tires, maybe 90%.
Don't know the approximate life of the tires on the 04, the owner doesn't speak english very well and I speak spanish worse than his english, but the tires are good is what I was told.


Links-
TOYOTA 4RUNNER for the 2004

2005 Toyota 4Runner for the 2005.


Is there anything I should ask either of them? Which one seems like a better buy?

I would have to get the 2005 down a little in order for the TTL to be under 12k all in, does this seem like a better buy considering it isn't 4WD? I couldn't care less about whether its a V6 or V8.


Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[NJshadow93]

Hey all, I'm new here but I've been browsing through the site the past couple of months looking at a bunch of useful info about 4Runners.
I had narrowed what I wanted to a mid-sized SUV and got down to the Jeep Commander, a Trailblazer, a 4Runner, a Pathfinder, or a Durango.
Well, the Commanders got the worst MPG out of the 5, and A LOT of bad reviews, so it was off. The Trailblazer...well, the most boring of the choices, and so I just heavily preferred the others. The Durango feels so bulky when driving, so the wife wouldn't be able to drive that, and the Pathfinder, I saw from info on here, is nowhere near the 4R on quality. The 4R was my favorite anyway, so It's good it turned out this way.

There's a couple of 4R's that I'm looking at tomorrow, and was wondering if I could have advice on which one is a better buy.

The first one is a 2004 4Runner Sport Edition V8 with 4WD, leather, sunroof, and around 113,000 miles.
This one can be had for 11 grand, with TTL bringing me to around 11,864.

The second is a 2005 4Runner Sport Edition with the V6, 2WD, Leather, Sunroof, and around 106,000 miles.
This one is listed at 11 grand, but I haven't asked about a lower price yet, I'm emailing back and forth with the owner. That's not including TTL.

Neither has any cosmetic damage that I've noticed in the pictures, and both owners claim there's nothing wrong with them.

Both have decent tires. The 05 has at least 80% left on tires, maybe 90%.
Don't know the approximate life of the tires on the 04, the owner doesn't speak english very well and I speak spanish worse than his english, but the tires are good is what I was told.


Links-
TOYOTA 4RUNNER for the 2004

2005 Toyota 4Runner for the 2005.


Is there anything I should ask either of them? Which one seems like a better buy?

I would have to get the 2005 down a little in order for the TTL to be under 12k all in, does this seem like a better buy considering it isn't 4WD? I couldn't care less about whether its a V6 or V8.


Thanks in advance for the help.

If it were me, I would rule out the '05 because it's not 4WD. Find out if the timing belt has been done on the V8 (due at 90k). My guess is that it has not been done, so you might be able to negotiate with a private seller because of this. It's typically a $700-$1200 job depending where you go.

Make sure all the 4WD functions work (you only need to worry about the center diff lock working and 4 LO). Foot on the break, transmission in neutral, turn the knob to 4lo. If the light stays solid, you're good. You can test the center diff lock in Drive.

Other than that, check for frozen calipers (not a deal breaker IMO but just a somewhat common problem), Listen to the V8 start up cold if you can. A loud ticking that goes away when the engine is warm can be indicative of a cracked exhaust manifold.

Have you seen this sticky at the top? http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-g...modifications-write-ups-quick-links-faqs.html

 

[morphious]

[MENTION=107426]Ryker[/MENTION]

Toyota 4Runner History

 

[toyotatech84]

Even though the tires may be good. I'd want to know the maint records on it. Trams service. Those year 4runners were type t-4 and had dipsticks to service instead of sealed trans like the 06 and newer ones. Coolant service, thats a long time having the same coolant in it. Like mentioned brake work. On it. How recent and the calipers condition. Make sure the vin tags are there or if gone see how bad or big the damage was. My truck had all the vins until a Deer made my left front corner it's ***** and had to have it fixed.

Granted a lot of the maintenance items can be done with little no problem. Just patience and tools.

 

[NJshadow93]

Even though the tires may be good. I'd want to know the maint records on it. Trams service. Those year 4runners were type t-4 and had dipsticks to service instead of sealed trans like the 06 and newer ones. Coolant service, thats a long time having the same coolant in it. Like mentioned brake work. On it. How recent and the calipers condition. Make sure the vin tags are there or if gone see how bad or big the damage was. My truck had all the vins until a Deer made my left front corner it's ***** and had to have it fixed.

Granted a lot of the maintenance items can be done with little no problem. Just patience and tools.

Both of these trucks have the sealed 5 speed transmission with no dipstick.

 

[Ryker]

If it were me, I would rule out the '05 because it's not 4WD. Find out if the timing belt has been done on the V8 (due at 90k). My guess is that it has not been done, so you might be able to negotiate with a private seller because of this. It's typically a $700-$1200 job depending where you go.

Make sure all the 4WD functions work (you only need to worry about the center diff lock working and 4 LO). Foot on the break, transmission in neutral, turn the knob to 4lo. If the light stays solid, you're good. You can test the center diff lock in Drive.

Other than that, check for frozen calipers (not a deal breaker IMO but just a somewhat common problem), Listen to the V8 start up cold if you can. A loud ticking that goes away when the engine is warm can be indicative of a cracked exhaust manifold.

Have you seen this sticky at the top? http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-g...modifications-write-ups-quick-links-faqs.html

What are the advantages of having an 05 over an 04? I know the 05 has better mileage, and while I want 4WD, its not a deal breaker for it to not have it. I'll be doing minimal off roading, and if I get stuck in the mud my brother's wrangler will always be nearby.
Even then, it won't be often at all. I'd say 97% street, 3% off road.

The owner of the 04 won't move much, so if the timing belt hasn't been done, then the 04 is out of the question most likely because I can't afford to fix it anytime soon after buying it. Wouldn't be able to until September, if then, since I'm a full time student. And this summer I'll be doing a 1500 to 2000 mile drive, so there's no way it'd be replaced in time for that.

The toyota site only has 3 maintainence records for the 04, none of which are brakes or timing belt.

For the 05, the Toyota site hasn't showed another service since 2006, which was SYNTEC BLEND LOF, TIRE ROTATION, FREE MULTI POINT at 30,000 miles.



EDIT:
MPG is also a slight-ish factor, which is why I would consider the 05 even without 4WD.

 

[NJshadow93]

What are the advantages of having an 05 over an 04? I know the 05 has better mileage, and while I want 4WD, its not a deal breaker for it to not have it. I'll be doing minimal off roading, and if I get stuck in the mud my brother's wrangler will always be nearby.
Even then, it won't be often at all. I'd say 97% street, 3% off road.

The owner of the 04 won't move much, so if the timing belt hasn't been done, then the 04 is out of the question most likely because I can't afford to fix it anytime soon after buying it. Wouldn't be able to until September, if then, since I'm a full time student. And this summer I'll be doing a 1500 to 2000 mile drive, so there's no way it'd be replaced in time for that.

The toyota site only has 3 maintainence records for the 04, none of which are brakes or timing belt.

For the 05, the Toyota site hasn't showed another service since 2006, which was SYNTEC BLEND LOF, TIRE ROTATION, FREE MULTI POINT at 30,000 miles.



EDIT:
MPG is also a slight-ish factor, which is why I would consider the 05 even without 4WD.

I would say test drive both. If power is a major concern, you'll like the torque of the V8 and wouldn't mind the slight difference in gas mileage. Also, since both are sport editions, make sure the xreas suspension isn't leaking. If one shock is leaking, the entire suspension needs to be replaced. Also, they shouldn't really have many differences if anything, the major differences came in 06. Also regarding 4WD, you may wish you had it in that 3% you're off road.

 

[Ryker]

But is the 3% worth a 1200 dollar repair?

EDIT: Which may not be done until 140k or more miles, if it can even last that long.

 

[earthrealm]

i raaather hv gun n not need it, than need gun n not hv it )

i prefer hving 4wd u never know when u8 wud need it.
the 05 haaas a 5 speed vvti traanny while the 04 has 4 speed trnny

 

[earthrealm]

i raaather hv gun n not need it, than need gun n not hv it )

i prefer hving 4wd u never know when u8 wud need it.
the 05 haaas a 5 speed vvti traanny while the 04 has 4 speed trnny

 

[NJshadow93]

Both trucks have the 5 speed. 5 speed was available on all years with the V8 and a
2005+ V6s.

 

[Ryker]

As much as I'd like the 4WD, the owner of the 04 won't move the price enough to compensate for the timing belt, but the owner of the 05 will move a bit in the price, helping me save that much more and spend less than I would on the 04.
I'm checking them both out today, so I'll post on here as I go along.

 

[JB.]

But is the 3% worth a 1200 dollar repair?

Since you do your homework and seem to have a good idea what you want, my view would be probably not.

 

[toyo]

Actually this is kinda hard for me to advise you on! I would say take the newer model as that is usually the most wise thing to do. However, the 04 is a V8 and 4WD. These options offset the fact it's a year older. If you ever do go and sell, the 4WD and V8 will attract a much larger buying audience.

I'm not trying to be an ass by saying this.....But if you are going to buy one of these and can't afford to properly maintain it, I would reconsider. What if something fails and it's not a maintenance item and you can't afford to fix it? Again, I'm just trying to play the other side of he coin.

With all this being said, I honestly don't think either one will go down as a bad buying decision vehicle wise.

 

[Ryker]

I ended up getting neither of these. I got an 05 4runner just like the one linked here, but it has 133k miles, fabric seats, and I got it for 9400.
It does need a couple of things, but overall it's in great shape.
I IMMEDIATELY noticed the quali and ride difference between this and GM Cars, which is all I've ever owned. Toyota may have stolen me from GM for good.

 

[NJshadow93]

I ended up getting neither of these. I got an 05 4runner just like the one linked here, but it has 133k miles, fabric seats, and I got it for 9400.
It does need a couple of things, but overall it's in great shape.
I IMMEDIATELY noticed the quali and ride difference between this and GM Cars, which is all I've ever owned. Toyota may have stolen me from GM for good.

Congratulations on the purchase. Got pictures of the new ride?

 

[Ryker]

Congratulations on the purchase. Got pictures of the new ride?

I'll have them up tomorrow. I didn't get home with it until after 10.

It drives like its brand new aside from needing a front end alignment.

The price of the car, plus tax, title, and registration, plus a full tank of gas, and I'm only in 10,348 total. I think I got a pretty good deal.

 

[Ryker]

But I didn't have a chance to get it inspected. Pretty much everything seemed good while at the dealer, then on the way home I double checked all of the window switches and they all worked. But when I got home, the switch inside the car for the rear window wouldn't work for rolling up or down the window. The key fob works, and so does turning the key in the lock, but the inside switch doesn't even sound like the motor is doing anything.
It's strange because an hour from the house while eating, it worked fine.

 

[Kitsune]

Check fuses.

 

[Ryker]

Searched through a little and found out the rear window switch won't work if the second row windows are locked.
Now I feel smart :facepalm:
^Sarcasm