Looking to buy 03 SR5 V8....worth a 4 hour drive?

[blindloser1080]

Hi all! I've been in the market for about 4 months now for a 4-runner to replace my 96 t-bird. Does this 4-runner look like a good deal? I would be driving 4 hours to see this, so I want to make it worth my while. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/d...&doors=&transmission=&max_price=&cardist=7669

Sorry for the long link, it's the only one that would go directly to the vehicle.

I honestly dont know much what to look for on a used T4R, and this one is in my price range, with the milage that I want. I did talk to the dealership and they just put brand new tires on it over the weekend.

Cliff notes:

03 SR5 V8 with 86K miles
New tires
Few scratches
Good clean interior with very minimal wear (according to dealership)
4 hour drive from Seattle worth it?

Also, do the V8s have enough room inside the engine bay for the DIY'er?

Thank you!

 

[ToyTech99]

Wow, that looks to be a very early '03. Unpainted cladding AND no foglights. You hardly ever see that!

It also has the smaller 16" wheels.

Personally, I'd hold off for another one, but that's just me. I'm not a fan of the unpainted cladding. I'd also look for 17" wheels and factory foglights.

 

[MikesToy]

IMHO, no. I say $12K (out the door) will be reasonable.

 

[ToyTech99]

Also, not to be picky, but the dealer's website states that this 4Runner has foglights and heated outside mirrors.

You can see from the pics that there are no foglights. Heated mirrors were not available on the SR5, so it looks like they are wrong on that too.

 

[blindloser1080]

See, the bad thing is here in the Seattle area all the vehicles are more around 17-20K which is out of my price range. The only other vehcile I have found locally that I like is this 05 with 99K miles on it:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...on=&max_price=20000&cardist=20&standard=false

is 99K too many for an 05 or is it a highway king? I love the grey and the sport edition. They have had this for sale for quite a while, so I am sure I can talk them down quite a bit. It still books for 19K thru KBB. Their "normal price is $20K" and their sale price is "$17,799"

Thanks again!

 

[ToyTech99]

is 99K too many for an 05 or is it a highway king? I love the grey and the sport edition. They have had this for sale for quite a while, so I am sure I can talk them down quite a bit. It still books for 19K thru KBB.

Thanks again!

99,000 miles is NOTHING for a 4Runner. Seriously, you shouldn't even hesitate to buy an '05 with 99K on it. It's only broken-in at that point.

Plus, it looks MUCH better than the other one. I'd jump on that one immediately if I were you. Just do your best to negotiate a good price. Don't let them know that you like it. In fact, tell them that it's not exactly what you were looking for and that you would only buy it for $XXXXX (whatever you think is a good deal)

 

[MikesToy]

Dealers always want to get the highest profit and squeeze every penny out of you. That used one above looks like a Sport Edition V-6. It's up to you if you want to pay $17,999 plus tax and other miscellaneous fees. IMHO, i wouldn't. Most dealers would pay below BB (trade-in) value and sell it at the high (Suggested Retail Value) price.

 

[ToyTech99]

Dealers always want to get the highest profit and squeeze every penny out of you. That used one above looks like a Sport Edition V-6. It's up to you if you want to pay $17,999 plus tax and other miscellaneous fees. IMHO, i wouldn't. Most dealers would pay below BB (trade-in) value and sell it at the high (Suggested Retail Value) price.

That's the name of the game in used car sales, right? That's why they have different values for trade-ins, private party sales, etc... The whole idea is for a dealer to buy a car at wholesale and sell the same car at retail. Actually, that's the way just about everything works. Mark-ups exist on everything from cars to pants.

I looked up that '05 Sport Edition on kbb.com and the asking price seems a bit lower than the actual retail value listed on their website. I think an $18K asking price is just fine for that vehicle. If it is optioned like the typical Sport Edition (in 2005), the MSRP was probably somewhere around $33-$34K. It probably sold for around $31K when purchased new. The price seems okay to me, even though I'd negotiate a better price just because I think they'd come down a bit.

 

[blindloser1080]

Thanks for the input guys, I've been seriously thinking about this one for a while now. It's a lil out of my price range for what I can afford. I will go in on the next day I open and check it out since it's on my way home. Is there a big 100K tune-up coming up on that vehicle? I know there was one on my t-bird and that cost quite a bit. Can always use that as a negotiating tool

looks like trade-in is about 14,300 for excellent, and retail was about 19,000. Im sure they bought it for around the 14K price.

 

[ToyTech99]

Thanks for the input guys, I've been seriously thinking about this one for a while now. It's a lil out of my price range for what I can afford. I will go in on the next day I open and check it out since it's on my way home. Is there a big 100K tune-up coming up on that vehicle? I know there was one on my t-bird and that cost quite a bit. Can always use that as a negotiating tool

looks like trade-in is about 14,300 for excellent, and retail was about 19,000. Im sure they bought it for around the 14K price.

V6 4Runners are scheduled for spark plug change every 30K miles. No need to worry about a timing belt because it has a timing chain (only the V8 has a timing belt) that has no scheduled replacement. There's really no "big" tune-up for the 4th gen 4Runner. If I were you, I'd probably replace the plugs (assuming that the prior owner didn't follow the recommended maintenance schedule), replace the engine air filter and probably the cabin air filter. I'd inspect the serpentine belt to see if it looks worn and replace it if it does. Maybe check the radiator hoses... There's really not too much other stuff to worry about...

 

[MikesToy]

Also ask the dealer why you have to pay taxes on it if the original owner already paid taxes on it. And if you trade-in that T-bird, whatever they pay you, tack on some taxes, too. :biggrin2:

 

[ToyTech99]

Also ask the dealer why you have to pay taxes on it if the original owner already paid taxes on it. And if you trade-in that T-bird, whatever they pay you, tack on some taxes, too. :biggrin2:

Yeah, the whole tax thing is just Uncle Sam getting his grubby hands in on the deal. If a car is purchased new and then resold, say, 5 times during it's service life, just think of all the tax revenue generated by that one vehicle!

BTW, when you trade in a car, it's value can be deducted from the taxes you pay on the car you're buying. You realize that, right? So if you buy a $20,000 car and you trade-in your old car for $5000, then you only pay taxes on $15,000, saving yourself the tax rate on $5,000.

 

[blindloser1080]

Yeah, the whole tax thing is just Uncle Sam getting his grubby hands in on the deal. If a car is purchased new and then resold, say, 5 times during it's service life, just think of all the tax revenue generated by that one vehicle!

BTW, when you trade in a car, it's value can be deducted from the taxes you pay on the car you're buying. You realize that, right? So if you buy a $20,000 car and you trade-in your old car for $5000, then you only pay taxes on $15,000, saving yourself the tax rate on $5,000.

ha ha, if only the t-bird was worth that much kbb says about 750 but you name it i've basically done it. 158K...new head gaskets at 105K, new tranny at 113K (j-modded.....drill holes in plate, replacing/upgrading springs to newer specs), Magnaflow tru-duals (same time as tranny was done), tranny cooler, ect........Big giant T-bird decal on back window.

Just want something I can take in the mountains snowboarding, and hunting

 

[MikesToy]

So if you buy a $20,000 car and you trade-in your old car for $5000, then you only pay taxes on $15,000, saving yourself the tax rate on $5,000.

Not with my experience, it's like $20K + taxes minus $5K.