Looking at 2004 V8 Limited - Questions

Dylan

Dylan

Member
I'm upgrading from a 2nd Gen 3.Slow (RIP) to a 4th gen. There are many V6s in my area, a few V8s but only one V8 with less than 150k Miles on the clock. The one specifically has 118k and is again a 2004 Limited. It had the timing belt changed at 85k, but the previous owner declined to have the water pump replaced (as verified on service history).

The dealer is listing this at approx $14k, marked down from $15k. It is a dodge dealership selling it as a trade in from someone who bought a jeep .

Anywho, my car dealer buddy from a local Toyota dealership said that on paper it looks about $1k over price. He isnt a 4Runner geek, but knows the business and Toyotas in general. I test drove it and it was smooth. It did have a light clicking noise from what sounded like the rear left disc brake/or wheel. Cosmetically it has some scratches and scrapes, but no dents. What would y'all think is a fair price? Honestly, I was going to start negotiating from $11,500...but wanted to see if my guesses were realistic.

Also, while it's for private party sales, the KBB verified it's condition as "GOOD" and gave a value of around $12k.

Thanks for the input.
 
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Although price is dependent on location, I think $14K is too much. I paid about that for my 04 V8 SR5 3 years ago with 74K on it. Obviously there should be no ticking noises. I doubt they will give a long warranty because it has 118K but I would not buy it "AS IS" if that is what they are offering. Make them give at least 30 days or insist you can have a mechanic look at it before purchase and have them fix all problems.

I love mine. I have put 36K on it in the last three years. It has not left me on the side of the road but it has required a bit of maintenance. It has a new timing belt, new water pump, new spark plugs, new cabin air filter, new engine air filter, power steering flush, radiator flush, front, center and rear diff fluid drain and replace, passenger side front axle replaced, both front brake calipers, rotors and pads replaced, rear pads replaced, rear calipers cleaned and lubed, spare tire carrier replaced, electric motor for self closing hatch replaced, and maybe a few other things I can't remember.
I plan on keeping it about 5 more years and should have about 200K. If all goes as planned I will have saved up for a new 4Runner or Sequoia by then.

Goog luck negotiating and keep us informed.
 
04_4runner said:
Although price is dependent on location, ...
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Thanks for the reply. All of those maintenance issues do not worry me aside from the timing belt/water pump, which was replaced at 85k. I'm able to do those repairs on my own.

They are a large dealership with a service department, but again a Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep dealer so I would prefer to go to Toyota for a mechanic to look it over.
 
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Here is what I would do in your situation.
I would find out what the trade in value is on the vehicle. This would give me some idea on what the dealer paid for it. Then I would try to find out how long the dealer has had the vehicle. This will give you some idea on the dealers urgency to sell it. They have to pay interest on that inventory so every day it is on the lot costs them money.

The next step depends on your risk level.

Determine a fair price to pay the dealer. Look at what you think they paid for it, add what you feel is a fair profit (considering they have some money invested in it in washing it, sales commission and actual profit). Then offer that price. Walk away if they say no.

Or

Do the same as above but add in the cost of a warranty to cover the water pump and the ticking noise and any other mechanical issue it may have. You can research aftermarket warranties and have a good idea what they go for. Make sure you get a sound warranty from a stable company.

Make them a offer based on your research and with the water pump and ticking noise fixed.

As long as your offer is fair, walk away if it is rejected. They will call you back the next day or sooner.

That is what I would do.

What you do is your decision. If you make a deal that you are happy with then you made a good deal.

I paid way over market for my for my 2005 but I am very happy with my deal. I paid over market for it because it came with new, good offroad tires, a King suspension, aftermarket leather and heated seats. For me that was about $4,000 stuff. I wouldnot have spent the money on King Suspension but I would have spent money for Toytec. I would have bought a better offroad tire. So I would have invested additional money after the sale if I had paid market price. Bottom line, I paid too much but I am happy with it so that is what matters to me.

Good luck
 
The timing belt was replaced as routine maintenance as it should have been, the water pump should be fine as long as it's not leaking. Most people do them both at once but there's no real need to do the water pump. At 160+K my water pump is doing fine.

I can't judge the price, just do the "start low" and have your top dollar in mind at all times.
 
I paid 16 for my 03 with 95k miles one it. All the options minus RAS rear. Was 100% stock and in amazing shape. I didnt have a problem with the price as i knew what i was getting in to and was a very nice vehicle and didnt have anything i needed to "fix".

Id honestly say its a fair price, maybe go at $13,500 if possible just to feel like you got a good deal. Just check the CDL/4Lo as well.
 
Thanks for the replies. I feel there's enough negotiating room with the expected maintenance for it's current condition, but also from the many cosmetic issues. We're talking 8-10 scrapes/scratches around the body on different panels. Looks like the person bumped into a parking lot full of shopping carts. That and the mystery click from the rear left. The only other thing is two tears on the driver's seat leather, which they 'repaired' by making it look good but not restitching.

Here's the autotrader link in case anyone is curious.
 
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i paid $5800 3/2013 for my sr5 2003 v8 with aftermarket roof and leather and heated seats @164k with some issues but dealer maintained. all easy repairs. i did spend another $3500 on maintainance/repairs/might as well upgrades in the last 7 months. now @ 173k and going strong!
 
gshadow325 said:
i paid $5800 3/2013 for my sr5 2003 v8 with aftermarket roof and leather and heated seats @164k with some issues but dealer maintained. all easy repairs. i did spend another $3500 on maintainance/repairs/might as well upgrades in the last 7 months. now @ 173k and going strong!
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good to know. So the dealer fixed the minor issues? What issues were they if you recall? Also, was the dealer a toyota dealer?
 
No private sale. The guy was a bring it to dealer to fix type of guy. They installed a new trans 20k before I got it. Dealer also tried to rape him for a ac system overhaul of 2000 bucks. I saw that on Toyota care and after I got price to 6900.i dropped the, you refused a 2000 estimate from the dealer for the broken ac, and now you trying to lie to me and say is just a fuse? Showed him my cash, and proceeded to leave. Ended up at 5800 :) Thanks to t4r.org found out dealer replaced the relay in the wrong location, in the fog Light spot. Lol, my sr5 had no fogs. Easiest fix ever. I got lucky.

Dealer=Conicelli Toyota in Springfield pa. Dumb dumbbells. Good for me!

I fixed both manifolds, all the brakes, all the rotors, all the Springs, all the shocks, lifted it while I did the suspension, all the fluids, broken seat brackets, broken seat heaters, blown climate control lights, just to name a few things.
 
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Tough to say. The price isn't completely insane but may be a little high.

The ad at the dealership has a link to an Autocheck (like carfax, I guess, but not as detailed) and it looks like a one owner vehicle. So that's a plus in my experience. You might want check the VIN at toyota.com/owners - just sign up and 'claim' it. :)

Used 2004 Toyota 4Runner Limited V8 Auto 4WD For Sale | Gladstone MO

For reference, in May 2012 I paid $14,500 for a one owner with 100k on it. I did have to get tires later that year. Might have been a tad high but it had excellent service records - everything done on time at the same dealership since new. The owner was a retired Air Force Msgt. who took it easy on it. Seat covers everywhere. the plastic coverings were on the JBL logos on the doors and on the stereo display. Never towed with it. Just a very babied T4R.

Good T4Rs go really fast around here and they fetch a bit of a premium.

As Desert Fox said, if you feel good about the deal, then you got a good deal. I've seen some T4Rs come up for less since I got mine, and you probably will too (if you keep looking at prices after you buy). :) But, the prior history probably wasn't as near perfect, in my opinion, so...

They'll probably take a little less but if it has what you want go for it. There are far worse examples of a used 2004 T4R out there.

FYI, mine now has 122xxx on it and (touch wood) no issues at all. Although I do sometimes wish I'd gone for a 2006 or newer to avoid potential cracking dashboard issues and some of the exterior cosmetic stuff. Plus the placement of the turn signal indicators (blocked by the steering wheel) on the pre 2006 models sucks. But 2006 models were easily 6-7k more and I couldn't justify the extra expense.

Otherwise great truck. Good luck.
 
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What ever happens, don't be scared to walk out. Dealers earn most of their profits on used cars, and most are unwilling to come down over $500 dollars. Remember if you cave in to their inflated prices your also paying extra taxes on the inflated price, then state registration on the inflated price. Most states charge you based on the sale price.

Private party sales are the easiest, cheapest, and best way to buy a new car.
 
boondoggle said:
You might want check the VIN at toyota.com/owners - just sign up and 'claim' it. :)
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Thanks for each of the replies, I really do appreciate it. It's reassuring to hear from you all about similar experiences with your purchases. Since all my experience the past 20 years has been with my 2nd gen, the 4th gens I'm still getting familiar with...although my good friend has a 2004 V8, the exact model I'm looking at.

I did register the vehicle at Toyota's website, along with some other V6 models I was checking out. The service history seems pretty good, the major things have been covered in the scheduled maintenance, save for the water pump. However, the last update was almost 2 years ago 12/6/2011 when the mileage was 106k. So it's gone 12,000 miles in the last two years it seems, which could be why not much service was done since then.
 
Minn3sota said:
What ever happens, don't be scared to walk out. Dealers earn most of their profits on used cars, and most are unwilling to come down over $500 dollars. Remember if you cave in to their inflated prices your also paying extra taxes on the inflated price, then state registration on the inflated price. Most states charge you based on the sale price.

Private party sales are the easiest, cheapest, and best way to buy a new car.
Click to expand...

I already walked out once...when I test drove last saturday. This was for a couple reasons. I found out it had XREAS, which now doesnt bother me after realizing how easy it can be to disconnect without ruining the feature. Secondly, the pictures online didnt show all the scrapes I saw in person. Again, this isnt a huge deal for me. The main thing was the mysterious clicking noise from the rear left wheel area. I plan to go back this weekend to talk to the other sales rep handling the car to see what middle ground can be attained as to finding out what that sound is or covering repair costs to fix it.

I will be buying this vehicle with cold hard cash, but will be waiting to divulge that info until a price is settled since dealers prefer to finance due to the money they make from doing so.
 
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Granted I got mine cheap according to everyone here, but that's WAY too much.

I got my 2007 limited V8 with 94,000 for $13,200. I added a 3 year bumper to bumper warranty for another $2k from Wells Fargo. I think you should look at other vehicles and maybe find something newer for the same money.
 
I've looked at other V6 models. I like the V8 though for a number of reasons. I could end up going the V6 route, but just wanted to see if this was a reasonable deal. I dont have much experience with the 4th gens to know what is fair and what to expect, although I'm slowly gaining more perspective on them.

There's just a couple features I'm looking for: roof rack, under 130k miles, and 4x4. This limited has all of those. The other models I've seen have maybe 2 out of the three.
 
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