Likely new T4R owner and need straightadvicee

S

Sharkharvester

New member
Hello to all!!!

I'm looking into buying my wife a 2003 4R SR5 2WD V8. It's pretty clean, single owner and has 155,000 miles. Everything as far as I can tell is clean and maintained and functioning perfectly (and I am mechanically inclined). The cost that I would be paying out the door is $8,000 flat.

The downsides that I am running into about this great truck are fairly simple: I can't find any service records and can't find anything about the timing belt and I have called 5 dealers in the area and Toyota directly and there's no records other than MINOR warranty work. The only other things is that it will need new tires in the next 10k or less IMO. So that is the truck and practically all that I know about it. The dealer is 2 hours drive and I plan to get it on Saturday Morning. I will be looking for the green sticker to see if the belt was replaced but other than that I'm lost.

The big pros to the deal are: the price looks great. The wife loves it. It's gets me all that I want out of the wife's vehicle (carry her and i and the dogs while towing my 3k-lb boat, reliable, safe, clean.). Nt much else to say on that end.


So here's my question(s): what is everyone else opinion, what do I look for, and what do you owners really think I should or should not do. Any and all advise I'll be taken very seriously. Thank you
 
Register to hide this ad
You can register at the Toyota Owners website and put the vehicle VIN in like you own it and you'll be able to see all of the service done at Toyota Dealerships. You said you called Toyota directly and asked for the information so you're probably not going to find the timing belt in there but you may find other things. Things they claim are minor warranty work may not be so minor to you.

If the timing belt hasn't been done you can budget probably around $1000 to get it done. Maybe a couple hundred dollars on either side of that depending on where you live and what else you get done with the timing belt. Most people take the opportunity to get the water pump, serpentine belt and a few other things done at the same time. The spark plugs were due at 100k on the V8 too so don't forget to do those too. Pretty easy DIY job though. And since you're going to be towing it wouldn't hurt to change the rear differential fluid either.

Also, I don't know what boat ramps look like where you live but around here we always have lots of algae and other things growing that make the ramps slippery and 4WD sure does help when trying to pull a boat out of water. But if you're confident you can get it done with 2WD then have at it.
 
One more thing - again I don't know where you live or what part of the country the 4Runner has spent most of it's time but 4Runners are VERY prone to undercarriage rust. Definitely get down there and check the undercarriage. And if you're using a saltwater boat make sure you rinse the undercarriage well after getting the saltwater on it.
 
It is a hard call…

If you will not find any info that timing belt was replaced then you definitely looking at timing belt job (water pump, seals etc).
The only other thing that comes to my mind is to make sure that exhaust manifold is not leaking (this issue appears to affect some of V8 owners and it is expensive to repair)… other than that V8 does not have any weak spots and very very reliable.
As far as buying the truck with 155K it should be totally your call… if you are comfortable with the price and over feel and condition of the truck go for it… it is a Toyota, so at least you are buying best used truck money can buy.:wink2:

Best of luck to you!
 
jimithing said:
4Runners are VERY prone to undercarriage rust. Definitely get down there and check the undercarriage. And if you're using a saltwater boat make sure you rinse the undercarriage well after getting the saltwater on it.
Click to expand...

Since when are they prone to rust? This is the first I'm hearing of this. In the rustbelt, anything will be rusty if not taken care of. Maybe you are thinking of the Tacoma rust problems???
 
Idk about you guys, but if the timing belt hasn't been done by 155k miles, I'd walk. If they've skipped that, no telling what other maintenance hasn't been done. Only other common problem not mentioned is the seized brake calipers. If you haven't seen on, get a history report on it. I'll run an autocheck if you get me the vin.
 
The miles would not scare me very much if well taken care of. But since I also tow a 3K+ boat I would not buy one that did not have 4WD. I got my 2003 V8 Limited with everthing except navigation for $10.5K with around 95K on the clock from a private owner. That was well under KBB Private Party, but deals can be found it you keep your eyes open. I bought it in June of this year.
 
CookieRoe said:
Since when are they prone to rust? This is the first I'm hearing of this. In the rustbelt, anything will be rusty if not taken care of. Maybe you are thinking of the Tacoma rust problems???
Click to expand...

No, it's not as bad as the Tacoma's where they had to do a recall but the 4Runner is still more prone to rust problems than other similar vehicles.
 
jimithing said:
No, it's not as bad as the Tacoma's where they had to do a recall but the 4Runner is still more prone to rust problems than other similar vehicles.
Click to expand...


No arguement intended but I disagree with that statment. I live well above the "rustbelt" and my 03 (actually built in sept. 02)with 125,000miles doesn't have rust "problems". I mean yes there is surface rust on chassis and suspension but all 9 year old vehicles around here do no matter if they're import or domestic.

So yeah the 4runner is made of metal which makes rust inevitable (or close to it) BUT it's no where near as bad as the Tacoma frame rust issue or the older model Toyotas. I would worry more about the timing belt, manifold tick, and frozen caliper issues. Oh and driveshaft clunk, im suprised no one mentioned it but don't worry, you didn't get rear-ended, you just need abit of grease, acutally alot of grease but still an easy fix.
 
Sharkharvester said:
Hello to all!!!

I'm looking into buying my wife a 2003 4R SR5 2WD V8. It's pretty clean, single owner and has 155,000 miles. Everything as far as I can tell is clean and maintained and functioning perfectly (and I am mechanically inclined). The cost that I would be paying out the door is $8,000 flat.

The downsides that I am running into about this great truck are fairly simple: I can't find any service records and can't find anything about the timing belt and I have called 5 dealers in the area and Toyota directly and there's no records other than MINOR warranty work. The only other things is that it will need new tires in the next 10k or less IMO. So that is the truck and practically all that I know about it. The dealer is 2 hours drive and I plan to get it on Saturday Morning. I will be looking for the green sticker to see if the belt was replaced but other than that I'm lost.

The big pros to the deal are: the price looks great. The wife loves it. It's gets me all that I want out of the wife's vehicle (carry her and i and the dogs while towing my 3k-lb boat, reliable, safe, clean.). Nt much else to say on that end.


So here's my question(s): what is everyone else opinion, what do I look for, and what do you owners really think I should or should not do. Any and all advise I'll be taken very seriously. Thank you
Click to expand...

Don't do it. $8000 is a good deal, but think about most of us that have put accessories into our vehicles that are on this forum - I've put in about $3000! Lift, spacers tires, HID and LED lights, seat covers, detail, etc and that's doing most of the work myself, so no labor cost.

Get a quote on the services for 150K before getting it. If you do get it, just get the timing belt done as with all the other services for that mileage. It all evens out with good price and you have peace of mind everything has been done.
 
If KBB says $8,000 in excellent condition, then that assumes showroom condition, good tires and all maintenance records. By definition, 90% of vehicles fall into the "good" condition category. If the timing belt has not been done, I would knock at least $1000 off the price. If it needs tires in 10K, I'd knock off another $500. Also, take a crawler with you and inspect the under carriage. Plan on cleaning the under carriage, applying rust convertor and truck bed lining paint to protect and extend the life. Take an ice pick or sharpe screw driver to poke any rust that doesn't look like surface rust. Good luck. Best regards, Doug
 
So I'm going again to look at the truck today. The rust isn't a problem underneath. The dealer quoted me at $1080 for timing, water pump and all seals out the door. So that in the "budget". But on that note, Toyota and all the dealerships have flat out said that this vehicle was not serviced at a dealer (or possibly not at all??) With that being said the only hope I have is to do a vin search and contact previous owner and flat out ask if the belt was replaced and when.

So-- if anyone can help on that one, here's the VIN- JTEZT14R330010826.

The vehicles was purchased and stayed it's whole life in Melbourne/ Orlando FL. Driven(titled) by woman from what I was told by the dealer sales guy. My main concern is now, and trust me I am diehard Toyota and Honda fan, but I KNOW I can get a chevy suburban or Tahoe for the same price and it'll cost less overall due to cheaper parts, more in junkyards, and they have a timing chain. Do I want to do that? No. But it is a point to ponder. And my question is about the KBb/NADA. Below I have the prices ring from NADA.COM and the prices given are way different than what was stated early about this being a $8,000 in excellent condition. So any ideas on that too?

So far I'm still stuck right in the middle as being a fair deal or another screw up I buy. WHAT DO I DO?!?! Wife says she happy with my decision so I'm really stuck lol





Pricing
Base Price. $7,425 $8,550 $9,450 $12,375
Mileage: 155,000 -$975 -$975 -$975 -$975
Options:
Power Sunroof $300. $300. $300 $350
TOTAL PRICE $6,750 $7,875 $8,775 $11,750
this is based on rough trade/ avg trade/ clean trade/ clean retail

* This Retail price is based on a clean vehicle history report . Don't make a $11,750 mistake. Get a Free VIN Check today. Find out why AutoCheck is better than Carfax.
 
Oh and I do agree with the other earlier post that if the timing belt had been skipped then I'm walking. There really is no telling what else has been missed. I don't mind maintenance done but other than dealers. I mean he'll, NO vehicle I have EVER owned has even been in a dealer lot other than for the initial sales. So that is my main priority of finding out if it had the timing belt done or not ever.
 
I can't find any service records and can't find anything about the timing belt and I have called 5 dealers in the area and Toyota directly and there's no records other than MINOR warranty work.
Click to expand...

If you called the dealerships on MY 05 45unner you'd find the same thing...Yet my vehicle is extremely well maintained...

#1) I do pretty much all maintenance myself.

#2) Any service I do have done because I don't have the equipment or time to do...I NEVER EVER go to the dealer...There are as good or BETTER independent mechanics around that do the work for almost half the price.

Just because you can't find any records doesn't mean that it wasn't done. I'd have a trusted independent mechanic look at the vehicle.

As for the timing belt...If you can't verify that it was ever replaced then it should be the first thing on your list if you do end up buying it.
 
I do quite a bit of my own work on my cars also. I keep an excel spreadsheet on everything I do that I can give to a perspective buyer when I go to sell the car. Granted I could make up a spreadsheet when I go to sell the car, but if you see a car that looks to be taken care of and the owner presents proof of what was done you have to have some faith in it being the truth.

As far as buying from a dealer, the only car that get traded in to a dealer from me are the ones where I know there is something wroing. If it's in very good or better shape I sell it outright myself. If there is something wrong that I don't want to tell them about, it goes to a dealer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 383 (members: 3, guests: 380)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,316
Messages
3,554,111
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top