How much should I pay for NICE 4th gen?
- Thread starter jchambers
- Start date
It is a dealer in Florida that find well taken care of cars and trucks and cleans them up for sell. On the 4wd vehicles they add pretty much the same things to each 4runner for example. So they are not off roading them. Just adding the parts and then selling as a dealership if that makes sense.
Bumbo
New member
I’ve seen those types of dealers, we have a bunch of them in our area. I prefer to buy one that hasn’t been modified, one of my favorite things when doing a build is having a nice clean OEM slate to work with without worrying about someone else’s work, or lack of it in some cases.
I prefer to pick my parts, do the work myself, use shops/mechanics I like/trust, and have a little more involvement in what I want vs some turn-key flip from a dealer. You are paying a premium and a markup for something that may or may not be what you really want.
As an example, even if that did come with decent standard diameter shocks, I would end up pulling them out for large body shocks like a 6112 or a King coilover. That’s not to say what is on the truck is bad, I just have a preference towards what I like, and the existing upgrades are just “getting in the way”. I just prefer to build it up myself over time, organically as I find a need or do research on what works for me.
Everyone values things in different ways, but that's my take on it. At the end of the day, they did all that works to make more money, not less.
I prefer to pick my parts, do the work myself, use shops/mechanics I like/trust, and have a little more involvement in what I want vs some turn-key flip from a dealer. You are paying a premium and a markup for something that may or may not be what you really want.
As an example, even if that did come with decent standard diameter shocks, I would end up pulling them out for large body shocks like a 6112 or a King coilover. That’s not to say what is on the truck is bad, I just have a preference towards what I like, and the existing upgrades are just “getting in the way”. I just prefer to build it up myself over time, organically as I find a need or do research on what works for me.
Everyone values things in different ways, but that's my take on it. At the end of the day, they did all that works to make more money, not less.
wkeryder4
New member
They are local. I see them pop up all the time on craiglist when I'm bored. They basically take old 4runners/landcruisers and add "expedition" parts to them, get them professionally detailed/professional photos and sell them for a premium. When you assume they are adding these parts themselves and installing lifts/tires, winch bumpers and lighting the labor alone is probably costing them at least $1k, parts even with dealer pricing is probably another 2-3k. So now you're looking at around 4-5k into it BEFORE the profit they are looking to make on the vehicle. Leaving the truck itself to be worth probably 7-8k. I would look into things like maintenance records, go see it in person to get a closer look at what the HDR photos are hiding. I have a hard time trusting dealerships that spit out "expedition style" vehicles like this.
Yeah thats my worry with it because it is 4.5 hours away from me. If they were local to me I would definitely go test drive it anyway. I know whatever I buy, the wife will make sure mods are slow and steady lol. That kinda makes me want to jump on one with new mods haha. I will be driving on pavement 99% of the time but would like to get into offroading a bit and into some camping and such. My wife loves that idea.
Bumbo
New member
The last you thing you need is a fresh set of mud terrains on a truck that’s going to spend 99% of its time on road. Wet traction sucks, it won’t last long, it won't drive as nice, and it’s noisy… it’s just the wrong tire. Expect to buy a 2nd set of rims and tires for road use, or just destroy them in 15k miles and buy a set of road or ATs.
Honestly a bone stock 4WD 4Runner has so much grit that even without mods it’s capable of a lot. Especially if that is just camping, light off-road, and stuff like that. If I showed you the types of things I did in my bone stock SR5 with no lift, running boards, and a set of Michelin ltx m/s2 road tires, I think most “city people” people would be shocked at what a 4Runner can actually accomplish when you throw a little experience or driver skill at it.
I was in a similar situation looking at a one owner 2008 Urban Runner with 69k miles. Guy would not budge from $18.7k so I let it pass. It booked out at $15.7k. I’d pay a premium for a clean, one owner, low mile but $3k over book value was not worth it to me. Other models/vehicles come into play once you hit certain price thresholds.
I paid $20k CAD (~15.5k USD) for my 2006 Sport V6 with 30k miles (yes, super low miles), and have spent a few k bringing it up to my spec (replace tires, fluids etc). Definitely not cheap for a 12 year old car, but since I am planning to keep the car for a long long time, I was prepared to pay more for lower mileage. I can definitely sell the car today for way more than what I purchased it for though, which is pretty nice...
Basically if you are looking for a long term relationship with your 4runner, I wouldn't personally worry about spending up to a few k more for one that you really really like (and is exactly as you want). If you are looking for a V6 4th gen, I'd recommend the 2006 and up so that you get the 5 speed, revised fascia etc. GL!
Basically if you are looking for a long term relationship with your 4runner, I wouldn't personally worry about spending up to a few k more for one that you really really like (and is exactly as you want). If you are looking for a V6 4th gen, I'd recommend the 2006 and up so that you get the 5 speed, revised fascia etc. GL!
fihnguy
New member
Really? I doubt it if you only changed tires and fluids and whatnot. Sounds overly optimistic to me, but what do I know.
JeffMerr
New member
That's definitely high. I paid 17k for an 09 Trail Edition with 85k miles and in pristine condition, 1 owner, garage kept, and that was in California where 4runners cost an arm and a leg.
My other concern is paying too much for the vehicle because it in such good condition and then totaling the thing and insurance not paying it off. Not that I would ever want to total it but just thinking if something like that happened, how good is the low mileage at that point lol.
Bumbo
New member
Valid concern. It is market value they will look at; Couple that with the fact KBB values are often on the lower end, and overpaying for a truck isn’t a good combination.
On the topic of insurance… and depending on the company you are with, I think there are a couple different things one can consider to help…
You can look into a stated value policy where your documented purchase price comes into play. This was a consideration for me when I was looking at a mint mint mint condition 1997 4WD solid axle Lexus LX for about 21k. It was an e-bay auction and I am quite certain that replacement of this truck, and even valuing it correctly would have been a challenge with a traditional policy.
Additional equipment floater is another way of increasing the value of the truck. It’s a little more expensive to go this route, but this is how I insure any non-OEM parts or upgrades to my 4Runner. Everything from bumpers, shocks, sliders, fridge, radios, lighting, roof rack, dual battery, and other items are covered.
2005 Limited with Bum Engine
Hi,
I started an account to post to this thread. I've been looking for a vehicle to start building and a 2005 Limited just popped up on Craiglist. The engine is gone and the vehicle has 171k miles. It looks really clean from the photos but I haven't been to look at it yet. The poster is asking $2500 and, after an email, he told me that the engine hydrolocked and broke a tierod, damaging the block in the process.
I have no idea if it would be worth while to buy and replace the engine. I looks like I can get a used engine for about $3000 +/-. I would plan on doing the replacement myself.
Any input from somebody who knows more than me (everyone here) would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Hi,
I started an account to post to this thread. I've been looking for a vehicle to start building and a 2005 Limited just popped up on Craiglist. The engine is gone and the vehicle has 171k miles. It looks really clean from the photos but I haven't been to look at it yet. The poster is asking $2500 and, after an email, he told me that the engine hydrolocked and broke a tierod, damaging the block in the process.
I have no idea if it would be worth while to buy and replace the engine. I looks like I can get a used engine for about $3000 +/-. I would plan on doing the replacement myself.
Any input from somebody who knows more than me (everyone here) would be appreciated.
Thanks!
AuSeeker
Elite Member
Not enough info, you say it broke a tie rod, that is a part of the steering, I'm assuming you meant a connecting rod to the piston, is it V8 or V6, 2WD or 4WD, salvage title or regular title, car lot or private seller, general location, i.e. what state are you in?
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Sorry, it's a connecting rod. It's a private sale in southern Maine. The ad lists no title status and I assume it's a normal title and it's private sale. It's a 6 cylinder limited model with 4wd. Here is the link to the ad if it helps.
https://maine.craigslist.org/cto/d/2005-toyota-4-runner-limited/6606467342.html
https://maine.craigslist.org/cto/d/2005-toyota-4-runner-limited/6606467342.html
AuSeeker
Elite Member
OK, first and foremost being that this 4R is in Maine, I have my doubts to the claims that it has no rust, the frame on most 4Rs from the northern and snowbelt states almost always except for a few rare ones have severe frame rust issues, especially if it's been in Maine since new, if you inspect the frame and find it to be OK then I would say you could drop a relatively low mileage used engine in it and have a nice 4R, surface rust is OK but if you see any major rust holes in the frame...RUN AWAY...., one other major concern I would have is the transfer case, since the engine doesn't run there is no way for you to test it to see if it actually works properly, the transfer case if not used around once a month can get stuck and not work correctly, it's also a very expensive fix or replacement if it is stuck and not working.
The last concern is if you truely have the experience to do the work yourself, this not like swapping an engine in a 70s to 90s vehicle, there are several computers, many sensors, etc., if you don't get everything done correctly you will have a big headache on your hands and may have to replace many of these items if you wire something in correctly.
If you do have the experience to do the swap successfully, then you should be able to rebuild or swap out the transfer case if it need to be done.
So that all being said and you feel good about the deal, I would say go for it, BUT I would try and get him down on the price even though at that price you should still be ahead if only swapping the engine out if you have no issues arise, but he has a broken truck on his hands and needs it gone!!!
The last concern is if you truely have the experience to do the work yourself, this not like swapping an engine in a 70s to 90s vehicle, there are several computers, many sensors, etc., if you don't get everything done correctly you will have a big headache on your hands and may have to replace many of these items if you wire something in correctly.
If you do have the experience to do the swap successfully, then you should be able to rebuild or swap out the transfer case if it need to be done.
So that all being said and you feel good about the deal, I would say go for it, BUT I would try and get him down on the price even though at that price you should still be ahead if only swapping the engine out if you have no issues arise, but he has a broken truck on his hands and needs it gone!!!
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Rodtheviking
New member
Bumbo
New member
If its low to no rust, then I would consider it, but I would take a close look with my own eyes and not take someones word for it.
I would haggle the price aggressively... Getting this for $1000-1500 would be my goal since I assume he wants it gone.
Even if you didn’t follow through with this project, you can probably turn it into a parts truck and recoup the cost. You could make your money back on the TC alone if it’s in good functional condition.
I would haggle the price aggressively... Getting this for $1000-1500 would be my goal since I assume he wants it gone.
Even if you didn’t follow through with this project, you can probably turn it into a parts truck and recoup the cost. You could make your money back on the TC alone if it’s in good functional condition.
