How's this for a deal.....need advice by Friday!

[BamBam]

You'll have to forgive me, I am a total and complete noob to this site. I have been shopping for an FJ for quite a while, and in my shopping (and after several bad dealer experiences) I have come across a 4runner.

A guy has a dealership that sells only FJ's and 4runners that he acquires from Toyota at the end of leases, or as repos, or returned from rental fleets.

Anyway, to make a long story less long, he has about 4 2007's V6 4Runners with under 20,000 miles on them (with 4x4) in the low $22,000's. He has a few FJ's as well, and I called him to discuss it. I said I was sort of interested in the Sport model (if I decide on a 4Runner) and he said he just got in a 2007 V8 Sport with full time 4x4 and 25,000 miles on it for $24,800.

That seems like a pretty screaming deal to me. I have arranged to go look at it with him on Friday afternoon. I just thought I'd get some feedback from the experts here. I was pretty set on an FJ, but I haven't found any this cheap new, and the used ones are about $1000 more than this 4Runner.

What do the experts here feel about this deal? I am upgrading from a 2003 Pathfinder which I sold because of the horrible experiences I had at the Nissan dealership. It was really awful the way they treated me (including the time they forgot to put my skid plate back on and lost the bolts. When I brought it back to complain the service manager handed me a handful of mismatched greasy bolts and said "Good luck, it shouldn't take you more than a few to put that back on.")!

 

[keylay31]

Sounds like a pretty good deal. As always, barter it down, say you were planning on getting a FJ, but if he sweetens the deal...

 

[toto]

25,000 miles is a lot for a vehicle that's only 1 year old.
As with any used vehicle, find out as much as you can about its past, including maintenance information if possible. Get an idea of the "private party" value from Edmunds and KBB. You can also get an idea from other dealers that have similar vehicles sitting on their lot. The dealer will advertise "dealer retail" price, but people really pay more like the "private party" price - dealers leave themselves room to come down.

 

[p nut]

Which dealership are you going to?

The FJ will be a better off-roader out of the box. So if you're going to be using this as mostly an off-road rig, I'd keep looking for an FJ. However, the 4Runner with some mods will keep up with the FJ.

I was looking at FJ's, too, but couldn't stand that huge blind spot, suicide doors and the windshield issue. Rest was awesome.

Also, do you tow? If not, why not go for the V6? Test drive them back to back (V8 vs. V6). Few advantages with the V6 - Easier oil changes, better fuel economy, selectable 4WD (V8's are full time 4WD), and timing chain (V8 has a belt).

 

[Colemanfu]

I'll sell you my 04 4r 4x4 v6 for 19K. 41,000 miles, 3 in lift, never any issues. Sharp rig.

 

[George]

You'll have to forgive me, I am a total and complete noob to this site. I have been shopping for an FJ for quite a while, and in my shopping (and after several bad dealer experiences) I have come across a 4runner.

A guy has a dealership that sells only FJ's and 4runners that he acquires from Toyota at the end of leases, or as repos, or returned from rental fleets.

Anyway, to make a long story less long, he has about 4 2007's V6 4Runners with under 20,000 miles on them (with 4x4) in the low $22,000's. He has a few FJ's as well, and I called him to discuss it. I said I was sort of interested in the Sport model (if I decide on a 4Runner) and he said he just got in a 2007 V8 Sport with full time 4x4 and 25,000 miles on it for $24,800.

That seems like a pretty screaming deal to me. I have arranged to go look at it with him on Friday afternoon. I just thought I'd get some feedback from the experts here. I was pretty set on an FJ, but I haven't found any this cheap new, and the used ones are about $1000 more than this 4Runner.

What do the experts here feel about this deal? I am upgrading from a 2003 Pathfinder which I sold because of the horrible experiences I had at the Nissan dealership. It was really awful the way they treated me (including the time they forgot to put my skid plate back on and lost the bolts. When I brought it back to complain the service manager handed me a handful of mismatched greasy bolts and said "Good luck, it shouldn't take you more than a few to put that back on.")!

I paid 27k for an 07 Sport w/11k miles a month ago. It was a pretty darn good deal from everything I looked at. (shopped the whole country)
That is with the 'main' package of accessorys (name escapes me), sunroof, etc and in showroom concition. The higher miles means your warranty will run out much faster. ($ bumper to bumper, still have the drivetrain coverage) Could be closer to needing new tires (something to check, $)
Ask them for a carfax on it. If it checks out ok, yep, that's a REALLY good deal. (IMO)

 

[BamBam]

Thanks for the advice everybody. I am going to go drive it tomorrow and see what I think. I don't think I'll jump on it unless it is pristine. I have a Carfax account, so I will run one as well.

It's good to see another local here p nut. Thanks for the response. I am in Orem. The dealership is a place called Kentson motors (I think) up in Bountiful. The guy I talked to was very nice and very straight forward. I just know I'll never deal with a Ken Garff dealership again. I tend to trust the small local dealers that have been around a while (They have been there for 10 years) and specialize in one thing (these guys are Toyota 4Runners and FJ's exclusively). I figure they will know what they are talking about.

You talk to some of the guys at the big dealerships and they are completely clueless (or at least act that way). I will at least give these guys a chance since I haven't had very good response from the Toyota dealerships. The worst thing was that I had an FJ purchased, but couldn't get the finance guy to fax the sale agreement to my bank before closing and he screwed it for a very nice salesman. We just found out we are expecting though, so maybe an FJ was a very bad idea and a 4Runner makes more sense.

 

[BamBam]

I drove it today. The thing was awesome. They are certainly beautiful vehicles. It felt a lot like my 2003 Japan made Pathfinder (please, nobody punch me). Smooth, powerful, comfortable, and all around sturdy vehicle. Only it was more comfortable, quieter, and more powerful. Like a much improved and bigger/better version of the 2003-2004 Pathfinder (which is huge praise from a former Nissan fanboy like myself).

The guy that I talked to is fantastic. He definitely knows his stuff when it comes to 4Runners.

I think somebody will buy it before me though. My bank is closed, and somebody else was interested. I can understand why for the good price. If he still has it Monday then I will buy it. 4Runners definitely rule. I see what the talk is about. I just feel like I've been missing out for all of these years!