Getting ready to buy my 1st 4R. Any advice?

[SummerallGuard04]

Buying a 2002 Maroon 4Runner with 110,000k miles. Pretty stoked--I've always wanted one. Any advice for a noob and what to look for tonight when I go to meet with the current owner (other than rust, CV Joints, radiator, coolant flushing...)?

 

[Hepar]

Have you read this?

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/82033-3rd-gen-4runner-buyers-guide.html

If not, take a read and then come back to us with any questions that you might feel are not answered.

 

[DirtDawg]

Buying a 2002 Maroon 4Runner with 110,000k miles. Pretty stoked--I've always wanted one. Any advice for a noob and what to look for tonight when I go to meet with the current owner (other than rust, CV Joints, radiator, coolant flushing...)?

Check the tranny dip stick for pink milkshake. Look over it meticulously and find anything that can be wrong with it. If it has some small un-harmful damages, use them to help negotiate a price. Check to see if it has thrown any codes. There are endless number of things you look for when buying a car. You can even bring it to a mechanic to get it checked out. Also just read this thread: 3rd Gen 4Runner Buyer's Guide

-Dirt Dawg

 

[SummerallGuard04]

Have you read this?

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/82033-3rd-gen-4runner-buyers-guide.html

If not, take a read and then come back to us with any questions that you might feel are not answered.

Read it already. Just thought I'd ask and throw it out there. I'm skeptical of the maintenance history. The 3rd owner has had it 2 years but has only put 2K miles on it...

 

[Hepar]

Read it already. Just thought I'd ask and throw it out there. I'm skeptical of the maintenance history. The 3rd owner has had it 2 years but has only put 2K miles on it...

See if the timing belt and water pump have been done. If not, that will give you some negotiating room. Other than that, just get a feel of how they took care of it. I wouldn't worry about if they only put 2k on it in the last couple of years.

 

[SummerallGuard04]

Buying a 2002 Maroon 4Runner with 110,000k miles. Pretty stoked--I've always wanted one. Any advice for a noob and what to look for tonight when I go to meet with the current owner (other than rust, CV Joints, radiator, coolant flushing...)?

Scratch that...make that a '99 with 67K miles, 2 owners.

 

[Kalva]

Did you pick it up??

 

[96743runner]

Scratch that...make that a '99 with 67K miles, 2 owners.

I'd be cautious. One of the PO's could have tampered with the odometer...

Run a Carfax on it for extra assurance (if it looks like a good deal to you). It isn't a perfect way to determine a quality used vehicle, but it might reveal something important.

 

[SummerallGuard04]

Did you pick it up??

Going to look with cash in hand tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

So, I checked the CARFAX report which is pretty clean. One odd thing: CARFAX shows that the first owner leased it. After it was turned in from the lease, it was listed as a dealer vehicle and sold at auction...in 2003 with 53K miles. The next activity the CARFAX report shows is in 2011 when the 2nd buyer registered it. My question: why did it sit for 7 years with no activity after being bought at auction, AND without any mileage being put on it?! The current owner said that he bought it 2 years ago with around 53K mi. on it.

Racking my brains about it...:ybrick:

 

[SummerallGuard04]

I'd be cautious. One of the PO's could have tampered with the odometer...

Run a Carfax on it for extra assurance (if it looks like a good deal to you). It isn't a perfect way to determine a quality used vehicle, but it might reveal something important.

Yeah, the CARFAX looks good. No red flags.

 

[Hepar]

Going to look with cash in hand tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

So, I checked the CARFAX report which is pretty clean. One odd thing: CARFAX shows that the first owner leased it. After it was turned in from the lease, it was listed as a dealer vehicle and sold at auction...in 2003 with 53K miles. The next activity the CARFAX report shows is in 2011 when the 2nd buyer registered it. My question: why did it sit for 7 years with no activity after being bought at auction, AND without any mileage being put on it?! The current owner said that he bought it 2 years ago with around 53K mi. on it.

Racking my brains about it...:ybrick:

That to me isn't a good sign. Either it sat for 7 years, which wouldn't be good for various reasons or the odometer has been messed with.

 

[SummerallGuard04]

That to me isn't a good sign. Either it sat for 7 years, which wouldn't be good for various reasons or the odometer has been messed with.

Bought the car. Might be becoming more skeptical. How hard is it to mess with the digital odometer?

 

[SummerallGuard04]

Did you pick it up??

Picked it up!

 

[Hepar]

Bought the car. Might be becoming more skeptical. How hard is it to mess with the digital odometer?

I think to mess with the existing one is pretty hard, but you could swap in a new one and it would be pretty easy. I'm not sure if there's a way to tell if the cluster has been swapped. Might be worth checking into.