New Member and a Purchase Question

I

IWannaBeA4rnr

New member
Hey all!

Been lurking around these forums, reading up, taking in tons of information and have settled on a third gen as what will most suit my needs. Combination of price and reliability seems to be right in my wheel house.

I've been checking craigslist daily for options, and I came across this one and would love feedback. It seems to be priced a little high (based on what Edmunds estimates it's worth) but seems to be very clean all the same.

2001 Toyota 4Runner 4 WD

127k miles for a 2001 seems quite reasonable. I'd love any and all input on this one.

Thanks, and I'm glad to finally have posted!
 
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The ad seems a bit too climactic... lol

There are differences in the 4wd 96-99 and 2000-2002 then locker etc...what's your goal or plans for wheeling......with that price range look around.
 
I would shop around, I dont know how the prices are in Cali, buy I think it's a little overpriced in my book
 
I actually thought it seemed really good and I know a lot of people in my neighborhood wouldn't have a problem paying 8k for it.
 
Yeah that's really not a bad price. They can be had on the cheap if you reeeaalllyyyy hunt them down, but for a nice clean truck that's been taken care of, that's not a bad deal at all. I'd run a carfax on it, and check on the toyota owner's website to check service history. Also make sure the owner will let you take it to a shop for a pre-purchase inspection. It's worth $100

-PC
 
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I hate to jump in on one of the first ones I've looked at, but after perusing craigslist for a few weeks this seems to be a pretty fair price from what I've seen. I continually see dealers marking up 4runners way over fair market value, which I am sure is their negotiating tactic to make it seem like they're marking them down a ton when they do go to sell them.

pcleary if you have some time that would be awesome. Definitely be nice to have some experienced eyes taking a look at it before I make the trek up there.

Thanks again everyone!
 
It appears to be a clean looking rig. As long as all the maintenance has been done I would not hesitate to pay $8000 - $8500 for it. The leather looks good in the one picture of it and the paint and body looks good too. As others have said, do your due diligence and if it passes make them an offer. Clean all stock 3rd gen 4WD 4Runners are getting a little hard to find so if this one checks all your boxes I say go for it. That 4Runner would sell for $8500 all day long in Texas.
 
That Ad reads like poetry

i tell ya. i like how it reassures possible buyers that the vehicle hasn't been in an accident, the miles are really 127 and that you will get this and more for the great price of $8500.00.

When i was scouring northern california for a 4runner before buying mine i came across alot of very clean private party 4runners which sold within 48 hours of being posted on CL or other places.

IMO i'd pay 10k for a perfect 4runner from a private party before i'd pay 8.5k for a 4runner that someone, maybe a wholesaler, is telling me is perfect. reread the buyers thread and follow the steps toward guaranteeing this things perfect.
 
Thanks for the feedback everyone, and I agree the ad does read like a pro, but it could be just someone trying to be different and overly enthusiastic. I'll probably check it out this weekend.

I also found this one:

2001 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4x4

which seems a bit overpriced but with some negotiation I could get it down to the $7-$7500 price that it's both worth and what I'm looking for. I emailed asking about A/C service and tire tread, this is what I get (and raised some flags):

"Hi,

This is a gift from wife's sister last year and we don't drive it much since we
mainly use our Camry. So I am not sure if the A/C service was done.
Since we don't drive it much (only ~2000 miles since they gave us), I
would believe the tire thread is fine (I knew they replaced the tires
not long time ago). I could check the thread after work today.

Smog is current I believe since we did in in early 2011 at the time
they gave us the car and they also did a detail maintenance before
they gave it to us. The last oil change was done ~1 month ago and also
the battery was replaced ~ 1 month ago.

As I said, this 4Runner was a gift from sister in law and we barely
use it, so I don't know a lot of the details.
You are welcome to check it out.

We are only available in this coming Saturday. So far the schedule is
flexible. Please let me know when you plan to see it.

Thanks."

Any insight from the pros?
 
I'd keep a close eye out at SFBay.craigslist.org. I've seen 3 4runners, 2 w/ 5-speeds, all under 140k/mi, sell for under $5k. The deals are out there, but they dont show up in Sacramento much. The bay is where the money is at and you're more likely to find a good deal and less likely to find someone trying to price gouge.
 
Thanks again for the speedy reply.

I just realized I didn't give much feedback into what I'm looking for. So 10+ posts in I should probably do that haha

I'm looking for 4x4, not going to do a ton of off roading but would like the option to. I'd actually prefer an automatic as it will be my daily driver. Limited or SR5 isn't really a huge deal for me but I'd love a sunroof. My previous vehicle was a convertible and would love the sunroof option.

Thanks again for the replies!
 
IWannaBeA4rnr said:
Thanks for the feedback everyone, and I agree the ad does read like a pro, but it could be just someone trying to be different and overly enthusiastic. I'll probably check it out this weekend.

I also found this one:

2001 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4x4

which seems a bit overpriced but with some negotiation I could get it down to the $7-$7500 price that it's both worth and what I'm looking for. I emailed asking about A/C service and tire tread, this is what I get (and raised some flags):

"Hi,

This is a gift from wife's sister last year and we don't drive it much since we
mainly use our Camry. So I am not sure if the A/C service was done.
Since we don't drive it much (only ~2000 miles since they gave us), I
would believe the tire thread is fine (I knew they replaced the tires
not long time ago). I could check the thread after work today.

Smog is current I believe since we did in in early 2011 at the time
they gave us the car and they also did a detail maintenance before
they gave it to us. The last oil change was done ~1 month ago and also
the battery was replaced ~ 1 month ago.

As I said, this 4Runner was a gift from sister in law and we barely
use it, so I don't know a lot of the details.
You are welcome to check it out.

We are only available in this coming Saturday. So far the schedule is
flexible. Please let me know when you plan to see it.

Thanks."

Any insight from the pros?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry about it. It sounds ok to me. I would only worry about it if they start saying stuff like they're selling it for someone out of the country and ask for some sort of weird payments or a deposit.
 
The mileage is always a good thing to look at but nothing speaks as loudly as documented service history. I'd rather have one with 150k on it with a solid service history than one with half the mileage with no evidence that it had been properly maintained. If the work has been done with paperwork to prove it, I wouldn't consider 8 or 9 thousand too much at all. The way it is equipped, it's basically a limited with SR5 bumpers. The seller goes to great lengths to brag about the features, options, and mileage but says little or nothing about the service history. Has the water pump and timing belt ever been changed? If not, it should have been done 50k miles ago and you would need to do it and there is a cost involved in that. That's just one example.

I assume you've read the 3rd gen buyer guide sticky. If not, read it and be familiar with what to look for and ask when you go look at these things.

Good luck
 
pcleary1210 said:
I'd keep a close eye out at SFBay.craigslist.org. I've seen 3 4runners, 2 w/ 5-speeds, all under 140k/mi, sell for under $5k. The deals are out there, but they dont show up in Sacramento much. The bay is where the money is at and you're more likely to find a good deal and less likely to find someone trying to price gouge.
Click to expand...


Plus there are just a ton of the 3rd gens running around the bay area, so the odds are pretty good you will find one sooner or later.

OP if you need someone to take a look at one in the San Jose area, feel free to PM me or something. I get around to the rest of the bay fairly regularly, but not daily.
 
"Running Boards: They look funny without them, these stock running boards make the car."

This part of the description is poorly written, it should be worded "they look funny with them, these stock running boards make it a car."
 
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