New T4R, Worries, Mileage, Etc..

[daugherty83]

Going to pick up a 99 SR5 Sport tomorrow. If truck runs and drives ok, I will be bringing it home. The truck has 169,000 on it, and all these miles are making me a little uneasy. The owner, who appears to have taken care of the vehicle stated he has a close family friend who owns a shop and he has always had his maintenance done there. He said the timing belt was done there. I am most worried about this and the fact he stated the water pump was not done. Everyone here recommends you get the belt, etc, done at a Dealer and with an OEM timing belt. Should I ask what type of belt he used, etc..? I don't wanna drill the guy on every maintenance item he has done, but would def. like to have some peace of mind. I love T4R's and really like this one, I just don't wanna get it home and a month or two into ownership have problems springing up. :cursin: There is a Toyota Dealer about 7 miles from the place I will be looking at the truck, should I try to take it in and let them look it over. I will be about 4.5 hrs away from home to look at the truck, so I will have limited time. What would a once-over on the lift cost me at a Toyota Dealer? And would it have to be made by appointment?

 

[96743runner]

If the truck has been taken good care of, then that amount of miles shouldn't be a concern for you.

I would say to go ahead and take it to the dealer to get it checked out if it is something that you really, really want to do. However, be ready to pay an arm and a leg for it. If you don't want to pay the dealership's cost, then just find a good private mechanic that friends have heard good things about.

 

[pat161]

I second finding an independent to do a once over for you, but being far away you may not know anyone so the dealer may be a good option. I would expect to pay at least an hour labor at the dealer, or maybe they have a flat rate for pre-purchase inspections. The water pump not being changed would not concern me at all, people say to change them as it is easy to do when you are accessing the T-belt, and most, like mine, will be leaking a little bit. But if its not leaking then its not an issue, and at 170k you will be due for your next T-belt at 180k anyway, its a 90k mile item, so thats not too far away. One thing you didn't say, which tranny does it have and what maintenance did they do on that?

And just as a side note a 99 w/ the hood scoop would be a Highlander model, the Sport name was adopted in either 00 or 01. Does it have the rear diff lock, look to the left of the steering wheel for a button that says RR Diff Lock, if it has that then you have a pretty desirable truck there.

 

[peter78]

My local mechanic quoted me $45 to look it over and $75 to look over everything and check the engine. I would think the dealer might be a bit higher. I also think you will have to make an appointment, or at least call to see if a dealer can do this service.

I doubt the mechanic will even know what brand of timing belt he put in, most likey it wasn't a Toyota brand. Sure it would of been nice to of changed the water pump, but one good thing going for you is that the engine is a non-interfernce engine. This means that, if you water pump goes and the timing belt breaks because of it, the valves won't get destroyed. Sure it will be a bad day, just not a really bad day.

I somewhat disagree about the miles on a 4Runner. 169,000 is a lot and just be aware things are going to break down. My guess is, it should last till about 250,000 and after that if you have a big problem, it won't be worth fixing.

I actually looked at a 98 last year with 168,000 miles. It was a 2WD and they were asking $6,500. It did show some signs of age. My 2001 with 110,000 looked much better. I decided to get a 2004 with 41,000 miles for $12,000 instead. If the 98 was in better shape, I would of been tempted to get it.

 

[daugherty83]

Thanks guys. I will post up tonight if I bring the truck home. Fingers crossed