Hey guys, have 4 hours to make the decision on 2000 4Runner

[duke808]

Coming from a BMW here and am sick of bottoming out and likely ruining my suspension on rough dirt roads when going camping. Plus i want a car I can sleep in (4runner). 3 series isn't cutting it. Here's the link:

Cars for Sale: Used 2000 Toyota 4Runner in 2WD SR5, San Diego CA: 92126 Details - Sport Utility - Autotrader

Anyways I have been looking for a week or two now and found a 2000 black 4Runner 2x4 (would like 4x4 just in case but seems hard to find) and the truck has 126,000 miles. the low miles is more important to me than finding 4x4.

as for the shape, it's in excellent condition. owned by an older man, well-taken care of it seems.

My main questions -

Is this a good deal? (SR5, interior spotless, exterior excellent) - I got them down to $9,500 out the door after tax and license. was posted for 9,000. am I simply paying too much for a 16 year old car? these things no matter where I look seem to still be holding their value and are selling for at least 7k.

can I expect to still get 7 or 8k out of this car if I decided to sell it? I mean I would think it's for the most part past the point of depreciation at this point. my BMW is only worth 15 and probably falling faster than I'd like, so a big part of this is having a car I can unload in a few years for more than 5 or 6k (if I wanted to, though I'd likely keep).

is this a pretty reliable truck? my buddy has a 99 with 208k and seems great.

thoughts? anything else I should look for when taking it in for pre purchase inspection? thanks all!!!

 

[Denis_Ruso]

Coming from a BMW here and am sick of bottoming out and likely ruining my suspension on rough dirt roads when going camping. Plus i want a car I can sleep in (4runner). 3 series isn't cutting it. Here's the link:

Cars for Sale: Used 2000 Toyota 4Runner in 2WD SR5, San Diego CA: 92126 Details - Sport Utility - Autotrader

Anyways I have been looking for a week or two now and found a 2000 black 4Runner 2x4 (would like 4x4 just in case but seems hard to find) and the truck has 126,000 miles. the low miles is more important to me than finding 4x4.

as for the shape, it's in excellent condition. owned by an older man, well-taken care of it seems.

My main questions -

Is this a good deal? (SR5, interior spotless, exterior excellent) - I got them down to $9,500 out the door after tax and license. was posted for 9,000. am I simply paying too much for a 16 year old car? these things no matter where I look seem to still be holding their value and are selling for at least 7k.

can I expect to still get 7 or 8k out of this car if I decided to sell it? I mean I would think it's for the most part past the point of depreciation at this point. my BMW is only worth 15 and probably falling faster than I'd like, so a big part of this is having a car I can unload in a few years for more than 5 or 6k (if I wanted to, though I'd likely keep).

is this a pretty reliable truck? my buddy has a 99 with 208k and seems great.

thoughts? anything else I should look for when taking it in for pre purchase inspection? thanks all!!!

Yes that is a steep price for a 4x2.. Since it looks like it's from a dealer. However that thing looks spotless and I doubt you are going to find another one this clean. So yea you can get another one cheaper, but the interior and exterior is going to show a lot more wear than that.

Reliability is what these cars are known for. Hopefully all the maintenance records are there and you want to make sure all the major maintenance has already been done since it's about that time... timing belt, water pump etc.. If all the maintenance is on time there are plenty of guys on here getting 250- to over 300k miles out of their trucks with basic maintenance.

As far as resale value, you can probably still get around 4k with 200K miles on it.

 

[duke808]

Yeah I'm concerned about the price... I feel like it's a lot for a 16 year old car. Kind of all I'm seeing though around these parts. might have to hold out for another one.

 

[Denis_Ruso]

Yeah I'm concerned about the price... I feel like it's a lot for a 16 year old car. Kind of all I'm seeing though around these parts. might have to hold out for another one.

You're going to get a better price from a private party every time. The dealer needs to make a profit on every car they sell.

It just all depends on what you are looking for. Are you looking for a spotless interior like this one? Because if you are, you are definitely going to end up paying the higher end of the price like this.

 

[duke808]

it's not absolutely necessary, but mainly looking for something that has been mechanically taken care of. however that said, these cars are old and seem somewhat hard to come by. I'm sure if I wait and be patient a cheaper one will show up.

 

[Pyrotek]

Coming from a BMW here and am sick of bottoming out and likely ruining my suspension on rough dirt roads when going camping. Plus i want a car I can sleep in (4runner). 3 series isn't cutting it. Here's the link:

Cars for Sale: Used 2000 Toyota 4Runner in 2WD SR5, San Diego CA: 92126 Details - Sport Utility - Autotrader

Anyways I have been looking for a week or two now and found a 2000 black 4Runner 2x4 (would like 4x4 just in case but seems hard to find) and the truck has 126,000 miles. the low miles is more important to me than finding 4x4.

as for the shape, it's in excellent condition. owned by an older man, well-taken care of it seems.

My main questions -

Is this a good deal? (SR5, interior spotless, exterior excellent) - I got them down to $9,500 out the door after tax and license. was posted for 9,000. am I simply paying too much for a 16 year old car? these things no matter where I look seem to still be holding their value and are selling for at least 7k.

can I expect to still get 7 or 8k out of this car if I decided to sell it? I mean I would think it's for the most part past the point of depreciation at this point. my BMW is only worth 15 and probably falling faster than I'd like, so a big part of this is having a car I can unload in a few years for more than 5 or 6k (if I wanted to, though I'd likely keep).

is this a pretty reliable truck? my buddy has a 99 with 208k and seems great.

thoughts? anything else I should look for when taking it in for pre purchase inspection? thanks all!!!

I wouldn't get a 2x4. I had 2x4 tacoma and wished I had gotten a 4x4 from the beginning. Now that I have my 4x4 4runner, I wish I had the 4x4 a long time ago. Don't be impulsive, be smart. 4x4 rules!

Jon

 

[Denis_Ruso]

it's not absolutely necessary, but mainly looking for something that has been mechanically taken care of. however that said, these cars are old and seem somewhat hard to come by. I'm sure if I wait and be patient a cheaper one will show up.

Search Craigslist daily.

1998 Toyota 4Runner
2000 Toyota 4 Runner limited

and don't be afraid to search as far as San Diego for the right car.

 

[duke808]

right on. thanks for the responses. that's insane. if I could find something for under 5k then I could keep the BMW too. :eyebrows:

those two are actually sick. I might look into those. I have no problem dropping 5k on this, but 9k makes me take a double take for sure!

if a 4wd shows up, definitely would jump on it. my friend's got us out of snow we were stuck in, on an embankment, at 2 am up in the sequoias with no phone service. would have been screwed!

 

[gshphoto]

4x4 without a doubt.

 

[gshphoto]

also, low mileage is great, but if you find a well maintained one with higher mileage, maybe some upgrades, for 5k while you are considering spending 9....4k goes a long way in fixing/upgrading/replacing things on these. You could toss a whole rebuilt engine in and have aftermarket bumpers and maybe even squeeze a simple lift for 4.

 

[Denis_Ruso]

right on. thanks for the responses. that's insane. if I could find something for under 5k then I could keep the BMW too. :eyebrows:

those two are actually sick. I might look into those. I have no problem dropping 5k on this, but 9k makes me take a double take for sure!

if a 4wd shows up, definitely would jump on it. my friend's got us out of snow we were stuck in, on an embankment, at 2 am up in the sequoias with no phone service. would have been screwed!

Although mine is a Salvage title I didn't care since things break when offroading. I was able to find it with all the mods(lift, CBI front bumber, air compressor, skidplates, rims and tires, trail lights) and maintenance history for about 5500$ 4x4 with the rear diff lock at 160k miles.

It only took 4 months of checking craigslist everyday and being the first person to look at it. So just keep looking. You can definitely get a way better deal if you are willing to sacrifice the interior a bit and have the time.

 

[duke808]

also, low mileage is great, but if you find a well maintained one with higher mileage, maybe some upgrades, for 5k while you are considering spending 9....4k goes a long way in fixing/upgrading/replacing things on these. You could toss a whole rebuilt engine in and have aftermarket bumpers and maybe even squeeze a simple lift for 4.

absolutely. I'm used to the $1,200 brake job on my car, though I DIY. ready to get back into a toyota. alright I'll let this one go then. It was funny, while I was there, two guys called about it. guess theres more people than just me who will pay 9k for this old of a car :noidea:

 

[duke808]

Although mine is a Salvage title I didn't care since things break when offroading. I was able to find it with all the mods(lift, CBI front bumber, air compressor, skidplates, rims and tires, trail lights) and maintenance history for about 5500$ 4x4 with the rear diff lock at 160k miles.

It only took 4 months of checking craigslist everyday and being the first person to look at it. So just keep looking. You can definitely get a way better deal if you are willing to sacrifice the interior a bit and have the time.

definitely. I would think salvage on a car worth 5k wouldn't be much of a deterrent,esp one you will be taking offroad. I imagine if I got a 4x4 i'd be likely to take it off road. I used to love 4x4 in my jeep out in the desert. right now my only need for this truck is to sleep in it and head out to joshua tree. im sure though if 4wd equipped i'd find more uses for it!

 

[TXLX1]

Although mine is a Salvage title I didn't care since things break when offroading. I was able to find it with all the mods(lift, CBI front bumber, air compressor, skidplates, rims and tires, trail lights) and maintenance history for about 5500$ 4x4 with the rear diff lock at 160k miles.

It only took 4 months of checking craigslist everyday and being the first person to look at it. So just keep looking. You can definitely get a way better deal if you are willing to sacrifice the interior a bit and have the time.

You got a smoking deal if you didn't have to fix much on it.

 

[Denis_Ruso]

You got a smoking deal if you didn't have to fix much on it.

Yah, I know, I waited for a looooong time for it. Nothing needed to be done. Previous owner did everything, flushed all the fluids, replaced all ball joints and tie rods, and all the mods were done in the last year. The only thing I have to do is replace the front left limited fender flare.

 

[Pyrotek]

right on. thanks for the responses. that's insane. if I could find something for under 5k then I could keep the BMW too. :eyebrows:

those two are actually sick. I might look into those. I have no problem dropping 5k on this, but 9k makes me take a double take for sure!

if a 4wd shows up, definitely would jump on it. my friend's got us out of snow we were stuck in, on an embankment, at 2 am up in the sequoias with no phone service. would have been screwed!

I got my 1997 4x4 for $4500. It was in pretty great condition. However I did do a ton of work on it to make sure it was offroad ready. There are great deals out there, you just gotta keep an eye out every day. Good deals pop up all the time. My buddy got his a few weeks ago for $4800 and it was also a 4x4 with bilsteins and other options.

 

[Rock_Rat]

Coming from a BMW here and am sick of bottoming out and likely ruining my suspension on rough dirt roads when going camping. Plus i want a car I can sleep in (4runner). 3 series isn't cutting it. Here's the link:

Cars for Sale: Used 2000 Toyota 4Runner in 2WD SR5, San Diego CA: 92126 Details - Sport Utility - Autotrader

Anyways I have been looking for a week or two now and found a 2000 black 4Runner 2x4 (would like 4x4 just in case but seems hard to find) and the truck has 126,000 miles. the low miles is more important to me than finding 4x4.

as for the shape, it's in excellent condition. owned by an older man, well-taken care of it seems.

My main questions -

Is this a good deal? (SR5, interior spotless, exterior excellent) - I got them down to $9,500 out the door after tax and license. was posted for 9,000. am I simply paying too much for a 16 year old car? these things no matter where I look seem to still be holding their value and are selling for at least 7k.

can I expect to still get 7 or 8k out of this car if I decided to sell it? I mean I would think it's for the most part past the point of depreciation at this point. my BMW is only worth 15 and probably falling faster than I'd like, so a big part of this is having a car I can unload in a few years for more than 5 or 6k (if I wanted to, though I'd likely keep).

is this a pretty reliable truck? my buddy has a 99 with 208k and seems great.

thoughts? anything else I should look for when taking it in for pre purchase inspection? thanks all!!!

Way too much for 2WD. Here's a link for a Limited 4WD with decent mileage here in Portland. Super clean! This is actually a good deal up here from a dealer.

2001 Toyota 4Runner Limited

 

[duke808]

One more guys!

Automatic 2000 4Runner 4x4 Fully Loaded

this is one I saw the other day. talked to owner, family owned it's entire life. looks clean. however, 220k miles. too much $ for the miles? and in general, should I stay away from one with that many miles? it IS 4wd, however. looks like timing belt and water pump were done at 186 too.

 

[Kbuch1]

One more guys!

Automatic 2000 4Runner 4x4 Fully Loaded

this is one I saw the other day. talked to owner, family owned it's entire life. looks clean. however, 220k miles. too much $ for the miles? and in general, should I stay away from one with that many miles? it IS 4wd, however. looks like timing belt and water pump were done at 186 too.

That is not a bad deal.
Looks clean, the big maintenance item is covered, and 4x4.
Buy it, and you could easily get your money back, but I doubt you would ant to sell it. At that price you can do some mods and fix some other maintenance items and have a very reliable truck.

 

[duke808]

That is not a bad deal.
Looks clean, the big maintenance item is covered, and 4x4.
Buy it, and you could easily get your money back, but I doubt you would ant to sell it. At that price you can do some mods and fix some other maintenance items and have a very reliable truck.

talked to the dude again and he doesn't want anyone taking it to a mechanic to have it looked at. "it's a 4Runner, its in good condition and we just had the smog done so we know it's fine." damn. that's a pain. at 220k a pre purchase inspection I would think is a good idea.