How much would you pay? / Should I do it?

[alleghenyman]

I've done my homework on this site and have been looking for an occasional hauler and family camping vehicle. I don't know whether the one I found is a bargain with manageable problems or a money pit.

I drove a 1996 SR5 with 220k miles (seller claims 167,000 miles on the engine). It's 4wd automatic. The engine pulled strong, the trans shifted smoothly, the 4wd system worked, nothing leaked or smoked afterwards. It has a little bit of surface rust underneath but the frame, axles, rockers, and wheel wells are rust-free. The AC, heat, wipers, sunroof, and stereo worked.

Major problem areas are:
- vibration at highway speeds - u-joints, tie rod ends or steering rack? Ideas on how much this costs to fix?
- fair amount of steering play - do they all have this?
- rear window made a noise and tried to move but failed. I can fix this but it seems like a potentially expensive hassle.

Minor problem areas are:
- ABS light is on
- driver's side window is off its track. I can fix this.
- Body has some dings and little rust spots on paint chips, but no bondo or signs of major collision repair.
- Interior tired but all there.
- Needs new rear tires.

3rd gens are common around here but list for $5-6000. I got the guy down to a little less than $4000. What do you think?

 

[combatmedic]

No way would I pay 4k for that, is there paperwork regarding the mileage issue? Also it could be something major thats causing the play in the steering, ABS light could mean a number of things (some expensive), needs tires, another 400 dollars, rear window (this is my favorite part about the 4runner, could need a new motors, another couple of hundred bucks.

Dont get sucked in man. Keep looking.

 

[jdlarsen]

No way would I pay 4k for that, is there paperwork regarding the mileage issue? Also it could be something major thats causing the play in the steering, ABS light could mean a number of things (some expensive), needs tires, another 400 dollars, rear window (this is my favorite part about the 4runner, could need a new motors, another couple of hundred bucks.

Dont get sucked in man. Keep looking.

I could not agree more. Lots of better stuff out there. Loose steering...cumon man, someone abused the crap out of this thing.

 

[PitbullRescuer]

I'm a cheap S.O.B. but I wouldn't even give him more than half of that for it. It's a $4000 truck (even in Pittsburgh) without the issues you mentioned. That's a $1,500 project truck.

 

[JohnsD90]

Wow if I listed mine at $4k it would seem a steal compared to this!

 

[alleghenyman]

Thanks for talking sense. I haven't looked at any others yet because I have trouble with $6000 asking prices for 10-16 year old suvs with at least 160k miles. Unfortunately that's what the market looks like around here because all of the 3rd gen's contemporaries are clearly inferior.

Are any of you paying $5-6 grand for a clean 160k miile third gen with no problems?

 

[theizzardking]

Thanks for talking sense. I haven't looked at any others yet because I have trouble with $6000 asking prices for 10-16 year old suvs with at least 160k miles. Unfortunately that's what the market looks like around here because all of the 3rd gen's contemporaries are clearly inferior.

Are any of you paying $5-6 grand for a clean 160k miile third gen with no problems?

i just paid more than that and didn't even flinch, it's a free market and supply and demand drives these things, they are probably one of the most reliable 12 year old cars you can buy regardless of the mileage, i would take a higher mileage toyota over a lower mileage jeep for the same price, i think alot of people know that and that's why the price sits where it does..it's the nature of the beast, you get what you pay for when it comes to these, you're just lucky your not in my area where we tend to be 30% higher the kbb value....

no doubt you get more features and options for your money on other platforms but you trade the bells and whistles for a solid mechanical/electrical foundation in that case, i loved all of my jeeps but every single one had a major issue pop up around 100k or so, i am not doing that again to save a couple of grand.

 

[1985taylor1925]

OP, just to shed a little more light on the front end stuff . . . the front end looseness and high speed vibrations are very common on 3rd gens. I wouldnt rule it out simply for those reasons. Granted I would probably never buy a 3rd gen with that many miles. I'd rather just save for one with lower miles in excellent condition. But the front end looseness doesnt mean its been abused at all. Mine had a ton of front end slop at 160k. It was due to original front end components, which are regular maintenance items on any vehicle as Im sure you know. For me putting in a remanufactured steering rack made the biggest difference. But I basically replaced my entire front end to get rid of the clunking/slop.

The vibrations . . . well, thats something of a mystery to me. Ive had three different sets of tires, and two sets of wheels, along with 5 balances (the expensive one) all in an attempt to get rid of my front end highway speed vibrations. Discount tire did the best balance thus far which got rid of the vibrations for the MOST part. I havent changed my u joints or cvs yet, so I cant rule those out as contributers. But every week on this forum you see a new member post a thread about vibrations or front end slop. So its very common.

 

[1985taylor1925]

Oh, and his ABS light is probably on because he pulled the fuse. Many of us with 96-98 3rd gens have pulled the ABS fuse because it's absolutely horrible, to the point of being dangerous even. If you search the forum you can find threads about this. People sliding across intersections that they could have easily stopped at had it not been for the ABS kicking in. I think they redesigned it in 99. But some of the 99-02 owners on the forum have pulled their ABS fuses as well

 

[alleghenyman]

Thanks for the feedback. The guy admitted to me that he couldn't afford insurance on two cars but didn't want to go much lower on the price because if he waited until the winter he could get 5k which is probably true. I'm inclined to let him sit for awhile and offer him 3.

How hard is it to install a steering rack? I'm fairly handy.

I once had a fairly new Suzuki Sidekick that had a fair amount of steering play. It was engineered this way so that it would be more forgiving on rutted trails. Land Rovers are built this way too. Is it normal for the T4R to have some play too? It could be the difference between a bad rack and bad tie rod ends.

 

[Hacker]

i just paid more than that and didn't even flinch, it's a free market and supply and demand drives these things,

To be fair, prices/values for 4Runners in the Pac NW are notably higher than in other parts of the country.

 

[4R99JB]

My '99 SR5 (2WD) also experiences slight vibration at hwy speed, about 70. With or without cruise it still tracks straight when I let go of the wheel. It is a pretty common issue posted here and I wouldn't let it kill the deal. I have 221k and still running strong. :hello:

 

[PitbullRescuer]

Thanks for talking sense. I haven't looked at any others yet because I have trouble with $6000 asking prices for 10-16 year old suvs with at least 160k miles. Unfortunately that's what the market looks like around here because all of the 3rd gen's contemporaries are clearly inferior.

Are any of you paying $5-6 grand for a clean 160k miile third gen with no problems?

I just sold one with 196K miles on it for $5800.

 

[KHoffRunner]

Thanks for talking sense. I haven't looked at any others yet because I have trouble with $6000 asking prices for 10-16 year old suvs with at least 160k miles. Unfortunately that's what the market looks like around here because all of the 3rd gen's contemporaries are clearly inferior.

Are any of you paying $5-6 grand for a clean 160k miile third gen with no problems?

I paid $5500 for my 2000 Limited with 169,000k. Now about to trip 190k with no problems. Look around though because I bought my '97 with 136,000k of an older man for $4,000.

 

[Whitson Metalworks]

ive got $10k tied up in two 99's, one we paid a little more for but they are hard to find around here and the price is the price, and it had 184k, the other has almost 250k but still runs great. dont let the mileage scare you too much, the 250k 4runner felt sooooo much better than our old 2003 ford ranger with 140k, theyre just great vehicles.

 

[gornish_hick]

Oh, and his ABS light is probably on because he pulled the fuse. Many of us with 96-98 3rd gens have pulled the ABS fuse because it's absolutely horrible, to the point of being dangerous even. If you search the forum you can find threads about this. People sliding across intersections that they could have easily stopped at had it not been for the ABS kicking in. I think they redesigned it in 99. But some of the 99-02 owners on the forum have pulled their ABS fuses as well

Excellent point, this is what the great ABS on the 4runner is good for

Defiantly keep looking bud, a lot better deals out there if you got the time and patients to wait. I was on the search for about 2 months and came across my current 99. It wasn't listed 5 hours and i picked it up for $4000 with 197,000kms = about 120 000 miles on it and it was mint.

 

[SJC]

Sounds like this one has been jumped

 

[farmerjon]

No way would I pay 4k for that, is there paperwork regarding the mileage issue? Also it could be something major thats causing the play in the steering, ABS light could mean a number of things (some expensive), needs tires, another 400 dollars, rear window (this is my favorite part about the 4runner, could need a new motors, another couple of hundred bucks.

Dont get sucked in man. Keep looking.

agreed, 4K is way too much. I would keep looking for a better one... It's out there!

 

[Dark Lord]

Toyota : 4Runner SR5 Toyota : 4Runner SR5 | eBay

319K miles going for $4595???

I think this is one of those cases where you should just go with your gut. When I was searching for the 4runner I have now, I knew it when I saw it. This is the one I'm looking for. I looked at one that had about 5-10K miles more and it was priced significantly cheaper (about $900-$1000). I ended up paying the extra money because mine was completely spotless, nearly zero rust, and had the timing belt and all that done. The other one just flat out looked like it wasn't in good hands before. I almost pulled the trigger on it too in order to save some money. I just kept thinking in my head, this just doesn't feel right. After that I went back to the other dealer and bought the one I have now.

 

[1985taylor1925]

Thanks for the feedback. The guy admitted to me that he couldn't afford insurance on two cars but didn't want to go much lower on the price because if he waited until the winter he could get 5k which is probably true. I'm inclined to let him sit for awhile and offer him 3.

How hard is it to install a steering rack? I'm fairly handy.

I once had a fairly new Suzuki Sidekick that had a fair amount of steering play. It was engineered this way so that it would be more forgiving on rutted trails. Land Rovers are built this way too. Is it normal for the T4R to have some play too? It could be the difference between a bad rack and bad tie rod ends.

Its not that hard. I changed mine, along with my inner and outter tie rods myself.

I dont think the 4runner rack is designed to have any slop. They just wear out over time