more than carfax

[3bears]

so I am looking at a used 99 4runner at a used car lot. They of course bought it from a toyota dealer and said it was a trade in and that the toyota dealer does not keep rigs around this old and sells them off. ( carfax showed it was at the toyota dealer and sold to this used car lot) This lot has had it now for over a month. Lady salesperson wants to deal and move it now....will take almost 2k less than advertised price if I pay cash. As is where is.
They dont have the key fobs, it is/was equiped with a remote starter, and they dont have the fob for that.
Anyway, I run a carfax and it tells me very little, other than its been in the area its entire life and has only had 2 other owners. The last one before trading it in at toyota owned it for over 160k ( acording to carfax) No service records or anything on file with carfax other than tires . Does have a clean title, no accidents reported. All body stickers match the vin.
It looks clean, but that can fool a person. Hardly a dent/scratch or rip. It does not have any stickers for timing belts etc. Engine compartment has NOT been detailed, so its dirty and has a v/c gasket leaking a bit right next to the trans dip stick. radiator, hoses and belts looks like they are maybe a few years old, radiator is still black Still has original factory radio, cd/casette. Everything works.

Is there a way if I have the vin to see if more service records are out there ?
the local toyota dealer wont do it for me without the registration in my hands....privacy thing they said.
Cant use alaska dmv, they wont tell me who previous owers were , privacy thing, as I thought I might call past owner and ask. No old registration or insurance cards in glove box.

I understand the privacy thing and would kind of want that myself. So double edge sword right now.

I will not post the vin on the forum, but will send it to someone who can help through a pm, but you will need more than carfax.....I got that printed in my fat little hands right now.


my recently bought 2001 might be looking for a new home if I got this one.

 

[wtfemery]

register it online and you can see any/all service if it was done at a toyota dealer

Track Your Service Records with Your Toyota Owners Account

Edit: I did this with several 4runners I was looking at before I made a decision

 

[3bears]

register it online and you can see any/all service if it was done at a toyota dealer

Track Your Service Records with Your Toyota Owners Account

Edit: I did this with several 4runners I was looking at before I made a decision

thanks...Ill try tonight when I get the vin number handy

 

[Smog-guy707]

I recently sold my 4runner and the person who got it did not really care about the car fax report I had. They asked me to get one from another source and recommend vehiclepremiumrecord.com

Kinda the same thing as carfax but it is a lot more detail. I learned quite a few things from mine when selling it.

It’s like 25 bucks as well. Only you pay and then after half hour or so of the pulling in records they send you a report

I am in no way affiliated with them

Just a service I recently used for the first time


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Zoom-a-Loom]

If you search for vehicles for sale under CARFAX web site, the report is free.

 

[Brian.]

I wouldn't use carfax to wipe my backside... but that's because when I went to sell my 1997 T100, ov which I was the 2nd owner, they showed it'd had 8 owners. Basically, every time I moved to a different state it showed as being sold. There were some other issues too, but that made it Very hard to sell.

Current 4r, supposedly bought from the original owner, showed ZERO records of any sort, anywhere beyond a few registration listings.

The service is only as good as the info put into it, and that's only as good as th minimum wage monkey putting the info in. IE, it's unreliable junk.

Anyway, as for the remote start/key fob thing... if there was aftermarket there is no longer OEM (something has been removed or cut to disable it). Annoying hassle, but not exactly a big deal to have a new system installed while the old one is removed, thus giving you back a fob and whatever features you want (remote start for instance). Personally, I like coolant heaters on timers more than remote start for cold-weather living.

I was fooled on my 4r about the paint. Look closely at the seals around the windows for evidence. My drivers side rear-most window was taped well, but not well enough to hide that it was taped for paint. Seats were way cleaner than most, but they're easily recovered (and the seats had 100% trashed cushions).

But you know all this, you've built 1 4r and have a second now... you know what to look for that's big, and what you can resolve yourself. You also know that you can Sell it for more than you buy it for if you can show some good maintenance records, given your unique location.

 

[3bears]

register it online and you can see any/all service if it was done at a toyota dealer

Track Your Service Records with Your Toyota Owners Account

Edit: I did this with several 4runners I was looking at before I made a decision

thanks, tried it, it has not been to a toyota dealer since 2006 at 44kmiles so records only go up that far. But it is an interestig site and shows what services it did have to that point, even part numbers used. Then looked up the specs, how it left the factory, etc.
Other than a few minor things, oil change etc, but then it was just a baby still at that point.
It did have its rear bumper, the rt side end cap, the body mount bracket replaced at 37k...which is really interesting, because thats the only body damage on it now, is the rear bumper, right side.


so whatevver service it has had since 2006 has not been reported to anyone, not even to carfax

 

[3bears]

btw...its a 99 limited, millenium silver, locker,220k miles

 

[3bears]

typical, veronica ( sales person) texted to le tme know that they sold it today at asking price. which was 7900....2 days ago she would have taken my offer of 6700.....but I dragged my feets.
oh well....another will come along.....or Ill just start a nice build on my current 2001.

 

[HiLife]

Oh man that wasn't good. At least you were reminded how quickly those get sold up there.
Continue to enjoy driving your 01 and catching up on the maintenance.
And be ready for the next one to come along.

 

[Brian.]

typical, veronica ( sales person) texted to le tme know that they sold it today ...

Happens to me all the time... of course that's because I *let* it happen. My wife and I talk about this all the time, anything listed for sale, if you want it, get it ASAP because if you wait someone else will snatch it up.

Of course, one time in a hundred or two, something Doesn't sell and I'll eventually offer peanuts and have a new toy. But that's really the exception.