Looking at buying 03 Sport Edition w/152K

[swanny]

The listing says the car has over 150k on it and you said your loan only work for vehicles under 125k

 

[blindloser1080]

You are very correct. I actually just got approved for that vehicle at 2.99% through Seattle Metro Credit Union. If i go $15k and under 125k i get 1.99%!!!

 

[zonianbrat]

If it checks out I say go for it. You always gamble when buying a used vehicle. I purchased an 04 with over 130,000 towards the beginning of the year and it drives great and I love it but it has had to have an o2 sensor, a bearing and now a very very expensive hydroboost assembly replaced. Again it is a gamble.

 

[ASUMTNEER]

I sold this one for $9300. 154k miles 4x4. FWIW. I'd offer $8k OTD if it checks out.

 

[blindloser1080]

I would question why the first dealer could not sell it to a consumer but sold or auctioned to a second dealer. Look a little closer for problems "on paper" it sounds like an easy sell.

i can answer that one. They never intended to sell it. It was over the mileage they sold their cars for, and was destined for wholesale since it was traded in.

 

[blindloser1080]

And of course i check auto trader and an 05 sport edition dark blue v8 w/115k fully loaded just came on for $13,950. I can't look at it until Monday, but it's a local bank repo...damn!

 

[dadigab]

Ok years ago I bought a bronco II off the wholesale lot which according to some was on its last leg. That last leg lasted through 2 blizzards and 100k miles that I put on it. Paid $800 and put in clutch, I tried hard to kill it. Sold it for $1000 still running then. I still miss that beater.

 

[blindloser1080]

Ok years ago I bought a bronco II off the wholesale lot which according to some was on its last leg. That last leg lasted through 2 blizzards and 100k miles that I put on it. Paid $800 and put in clutch, I tried hard to kill it. Sold it for $1000 still running then. I still miss that beater.

I hear yea. I had an 86 big bronco that i paid $750 with 100k. Beat the heck out of it, plowed thru snow and everything. Sold it when i moved to Seattle because of the 12mpg...loved that truck it had about 220k when i sold it for $700.

 

[blindloser1080]

Doing buyers inspection. No leaks or drips. No leaks from xreas. Water pump pulley has some play in it and will need to be done. Belt was very squeaky when i started it up this morning.

 

[montyMT]

Hey fellow Seattleite,

Man I feel your pain with finding a 4runner up here! It is darn near impossible actually. I had my heart set on 99' Highlander and an 02' Sport among others...all of which fell through.

I looked a bunch of 3rd gens and not as many 4th gens and for whatever reason the 3rd gens seem way more desirable here. I looked an an 01' Sport w/ 200k for $12,000 and two days later bought my 03' Limited w/ 120k miles for $9,500. I'm not sure of what I ended up with. I love the build quality and engine, but I just did not research the rig enough. Being an avid 3rd gen researcher, and owner I expected everything to be straightforward and didn't even realize the myriad of problems w/ XREAS, exhaust, JBL, drive shaft clunk etc...

Just research it to death, and be sure the shop you take it to is familiar w/ the 4th gens. I wasted over $1k paying a mechanic who failed to properly address the driveshaft issue and I ended up ripping it apart myself.

Just got in over my head on this rig, and I have spoken with other owners who have as well. I still love my Runner, and I'm glad I bought it. This forum is saving my rear end & my wallet!!

Good Luck!

MontyMT

 

[hkollie1]

Congrats

I am still running my 03 V8 with 158,000 on it.

I got hit in the first month of ownership, so my record would look questionable too...however, my damage was very slight, but I did claim on it.

I like my fake hood scoop and Cladding too!

ko

 

[zstampe]

For the life of me I can't figure out why someone would drop almost 10k on a vehicle with 150k on it. Why not buy something low mileage like a Honda civic or something for the same price? A 4runner will run a long time but at that mileage a good portion of its usable trouble free life is gone.

 

[One04FourRrunner]

I'd sell my 04 v8 sport for 12 122k everything is new

 

[chris360hawks]

For the life of me I can't figure out why someone would drop almost 10k on a vehicle with 150k on it. Why not buy something low mileage like a Honda civic or something for the same price? A 4runner will run a long time but at that mileage a good portion of its usable trouble free life is gone.

Because what's cool about a Civic? Absolutely nothing.

 

[blindloser1080]

Well i ended up purchasing the vehicle. I will be picking it up on Monday! Got it for $9400 out the door, so not a bad price in my opinion.

 

[zstampe]

Because what's cool about a Civic? Absolutely nothing.

Hmmmmm. When you're on a budget I wasn't aware cool trumped all else.

 

[blindloser1080]

No civic. I've been patiently waiting over a year a 4runner in my price range and it came. I've turned down ones that had rust, white under oil caps, bad rear diffs, . Plus the $1,000 in tires and a leveling kit didn't sway my decision

 

[zstampe]

No civic. I've been patiently waiting over a year a 4runner in my price range and it came. I've turned down ones that had rust, white under oil caps, bad rear diffs, . Plus the $1,000 in tires and a leveling kit didn't sway my decision

lol good deal. Congrats on the purchase. Now we gotta see pics! And fwiw the white under oil caps isn't a huge deal, its condensation from taking a lot of short trips.

 

[NeilC]

For the life of me I can't figure out why someone would drop almost 10k on a vehicle with 150k on it. Why not buy something low mileage like a Honda civic or something for the same price? A 4runner will run a long time but at that mileage a good portion of its usable trouble free life is gone.

I beg to differ, I just had a 2000 Landcruiser with 150,000 get totaled and I planned to drive it another 150,000 miles. I couldnt find any Landcruisers locally for what I had to spend so I traded my wife for her 2006 4runner 4wd and bought her a 2005 Lexus RX330. Granted it only had 47,000 miles but it would have not scared me if it had more and had a good service history. I am surprised how many people buy new vehicles that will last 200,000 to 300,000 miles and dump them with half their life left. Why do they pay extra compared to other brands that dont last so long if they aren't going to take advantage of the longevity. Even if you have a major repair, you still are better off than buying a new one every 5 years. Have the truck checked out but financially it makes since. New 4wd 4runners are between $35,000 and $40,000 right? How is paying $10,000 for one with 1/3 to 1/2 its life left a bad deal? Keep it running and it will likely never be worth less than $5000 at least where I live. You might be able to drive it another 100,000 miles or more for maintenance/repairs and $5000 depreciation. I dont know if I will ever buy another new car. The key to buying good used vehicles is to not buy junk. Sure there are risks but the benefit usually out weigh them.

 

[buckskin97]

The resale market speaks for itself. 4Runners with 150K miles wouldn't be commanding the prices they are if they didn't have a lot of life left. Just today I was appreciating how damn fine my 140K mile '03 is running. Keep it maintained and keep on truckin.