Hope you all can give me some direction.
The Mrs has a gx470, I like the better look of the 03-09 4runner. My Jetta lease is FINALLY up and I have been searching for a fair deal here in KC. I am not afraid of working on a 4runner. I plan to give it to my son in 3 years. I have other cars in the past with the old toyota 1uzfe and am familiar with the 2uzfe non vvti in the 04 gx470.
My issue - I seem to keep missing 4wd 4runners that come up that are priced right. They sell withing a day or two of posting. I never can get away from work to get ahold of anything. Others are way above market and sit and that seems to be the norm for anywhere inside of the 60 mile area around KC.
I found one that is the right color combination and features and engine v8 that I am looking for, it is a 2003. Only downside it is a 2wd. Also, the owners seem to not be up on maintenance. They bought it at 70k, it now has 131k and the timing belt has not been replaced. Brakes and AC are the only recent items addressed.
I figure I could get a good price with the Tbelt issue on this and get it fully up on maintenance for 90k of use to 220k. I have rims that I will powdercoat and headlights that will need to be swapped out. The paint and other items seem fine. The interior is tan cloth but immaculate with a sunroof.
Avoid or pursue?
If pursue, what items should I look for? The GX has issues with pinhole leaks in the radiator (check the bottom for signs of rust/leaking) and a common differential leak at the actuator (is that 4wd only?) Not sure what is similar between the two, gx vs 4runner.
Where are the pain points on the 2wd v8 4runners to look for?
I will be getting my mechanic to look it over but don't want to waste anyone's time if this isn't a smart thing to pursue. I am on the fence.
Appreciate input here...
The Mrs has a gx470, I like the better look of the 03-09 4runner. My Jetta lease is FINALLY up and I have been searching for a fair deal here in KC. I am not afraid of working on a 4runner. I plan to give it to my son in 3 years. I have other cars in the past with the old toyota 1uzfe and am familiar with the 2uzfe non vvti in the 04 gx470.
My issue - I seem to keep missing 4wd 4runners that come up that are priced right. They sell withing a day or two of posting. I never can get away from work to get ahold of anything. Others are way above market and sit and that seems to be the norm for anywhere inside of the 60 mile area around KC.
I found one that is the right color combination and features and engine v8 that I am looking for, it is a 2003. Only downside it is a 2wd. Also, the owners seem to not be up on maintenance. They bought it at 70k, it now has 131k and the timing belt has not been replaced. Brakes and AC are the only recent items addressed.
I figure I could get a good price with the Tbelt issue on this and get it fully up on maintenance for 90k of use to 220k. I have rims that I will powdercoat and headlights that will need to be swapped out. The paint and other items seem fine. The interior is tan cloth but immaculate with a sunroof.
Avoid or pursue?
If pursue, what items should I look for? The GX has issues with pinhole leaks in the radiator (check the bottom for signs of rust/leaking) and a common differential leak at the actuator (is that 4wd only?) Not sure what is similar between the two, gx vs 4runner.
Where are the pain points on the 2wd v8 4runners to look for?
I will be getting my mechanic to look it over but don't want to waste anyone's time if this isn't a smart thing to pursue. I am on the fence.
Appreciate input here...
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