Looking for my first 4Runner, need advice

[bboone2787]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum, and I'm looking to buy my first toyota 4 runner. I've been looking around the internet and have found some that I am considering. One in particular.

Its a white 2008 4 Runner Sport with 92K miles on it. They are asking about 17,000 for it. The ad is pretty vague about the features. Is the sport the 4x4 model or does it have to do more with the suspension? What kind of maintenance issues might I expect with one with this many miles?

This will be the first vehicle I've purchased on my own and I'm looking for some advice on what to look for, what to watch out for, and what questions to ask about the vehicles I look at to make sure I don't make any dumb mistakes.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated

 

[Bob J]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum, and I'm looking to buy my first toyota 4 runner. I've been looking around the internet and have found some that I am considering. One in particular.

Its a white 2008 4 Runner Sport with 92K miles on it. They are asking about 17,000 for it. The ad is pretty vague about the features. Is the sport the 4x4 model or does it have to do more with the suspension? What kind of maintenance issues might I expect with one with this many miles?

This will be the first vehicle I've purchased on my own and I'm looking for some advice on what to look for, what to watch out for, and what questions to ask about the vehicles I look at to make sure I don't make any dumb mistakes.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated

Welcome to the forum! While I can't help you much with your sport feature questions I can offer my observations on maintenance.....

A well maintained 4runner should easily be able to go 300K+ miles and with 92k you should be aware that you are at one of the major maintenance points.... If the truck is a V8 you should have the timing belt and water pump done.... Depending on your dealer this could run you as much as a grand.... Would also be a good idea to have all your fluids flushed/replaced.... The good news is that once you get past this point most of the maintenance is pretty simple for the next 90-100K..... Lots of good info in the maintenance forum if you want to do some of this yourself....

Other potential problems are frozen brake calipers and the ability to lock your differential/engage 4L..... Really only matters if you are planning on off road but many 4runners are used for highway only and the actuators for both can freeze up if not used occasionally.... Before you buy I would have the seller show that both engage properly.... Repair replacement for these can be pricey...... The most obvious sign for the brake calipers is how smoothly the truck stops.... Any "pulsing" (can feel like a bad rotor) will probably be this.... If possible the best would be to pull the tires and check to see if the pads are evenly worn and the calipers pistons can be depressed.... A quick forum search in the 4th generation subforum should yield lots of detail on all of these as well as the much less common oddball stuff....

Again, welcome to the forum and hope this helps.....

Bob