Opinions about high miles on a 2017 SR5

[2ndhandyotaman]

1st post in this section, I currently have a 3rd gen that I've been considering getting rid of and updating to a 5th Gen 4runner or a 4th gen Taco. A local Toyota stealership has a 2017 SR5 for a great price, around $20K. The catch - the rig has 115K on it! It was sold and serviced at the same dealership and it has a clean carfax, and if you didn't see the odometer you'd never guess it has racked up that many miles in 2 years. It looks clean and drives perfectly.

My concerns- given that it took 20 years to rack up 230K on my '99 Limited, this rig is only 2 years old with half of that mileage. There's no type of meaningful aftermarket warranty for the 2 year old rig with 115K, I'm not sure how many miles to expect from a much newer 4runner. I don't want to be 2 years into car loan loan and have a catastrophic mechanical failure. What types of mileage are you guys ( and gals) seeing on your 5th gens without any big mechanical repairs?

Any thoughts would be appreciated concerning how smart of a purchase this might be.

 

[Senorlechero]

Holy cow! I thought we put a lot of miles on vehicles!

Was it a rental? If so, I would pass.

If it was owned by a person(not a company) and there are detailed service records I wouldn't worry about it too much.

And remember, just because it's a 2017 doesn't mean it was sold in 2017. And we're almost in 2020. So if was sold in 2016 it could be 3 years old. Still a TON of miles in a short period of time.

 

[flyrv9]

Did you drive it? You do know a clean carfax and similar places like vin check and auto check are not all that accurate and often disagree with each other - right? I'd pass without more info, test drive and a look underneath.

 

[flyrv9]

I see you did drive it - my bad!

 

[Rightside Up]

Screen name checks out.

 

[Y2Ksport]

Personally, i'd look hard at something a little older but with less miles if I was set on a specific budget. You have a lot of options when it comes to 5th gens considering they've been around now for a decade.

 

[Generalisimo]

You’d be money and peace of mind ahead to save like crazy until you can put together a good deal for you! There’s a reason it’s priced where it is. Put your “wants” aside while saving with a goal and get a new one or low mileage late model with a warranty. BTW used car dealers have earned a widespread reputation for “fictional truth telling” when it comes to a vehicle’s history.

 

[Reinout]

That high of mileage in a short period most likely means highway miles which isn't a bad thing.

Everyone should install a Hour Meter from mile zero for a more accurate reading on what sort of miles.

 

[IrieRider]

If it was a one owner, and not a rental or fleet then I would consider it. Lets say you can get it for 20k OTD, and normally a lower mileage would be 29K OTD...

That means you have $9,000 in 'warranty' so to speak. Also, if it does have a major issue, I bet you could trade it in or sell it and not lose a ton. I doubt it would throw an engine, trans, ECU...

Then again I got a 2019 new with a 125k warranty because I didn't want to worry... I did pay 38,500 for a SR5 Premium with the 125k warranty and 3rd row seats...

 

[crossfire190]

That high of mileage in a short period most likely means highway miles which isn't a bad thing.

Everyone should install a Hour Meter from mile zero for a more accurate reading on what sort of miles.

I believe my 2017 has an hour meter... one of the screens on the display shows "hours"....

 

[arehman11]

I believe my 2017 has an hour meter... one of the screens on the display shows "hours"....

That can be reset and does not track engine hours. That's more for tracking how much you drive.

 

[John in NC]

If it checks out like what others have mentioned above, maybe give them an aggressive low offer and see what happens? Tell them $18,500 out the door taxes/ tags/ dealership fee and all.
You never know.
Maybe ask to take it on an extended test drive, reset the MPG computer and get it on the highway at 75mph and see how it does, should be in the 22mpg range highway, reset it again for some around town driving, should be around 18 city. If I reset mine and keep it to 65 with a light load I'm in the 23mpg range highway.
Has it had a trans drain/ fill (not flush)?

Crawl all around under it looking for rust, make sure it wasn't a rental or some sort of fleet owned deal...

I've got 120K on my 2011 and I'll probably take it to 200K before I even think of upgrading. I did see a SWEET 2013 Shoreline Blue Trail a while back, before I could get up the energy to go look/ consider the financial side of it all it sold, 2013 pre-facelift shoreline blue trail.... Wow!
This is not the one I looked at, just an example of a Shoreline Blue early Trail, just for kicks.
JTEBU5JR6B5062169 | 2011 Toyota 4Runner Trail for sale in Easton, PA

 

[pDubs]

That high of mileage in a short period most likely means highway miles which isn't a bad thing.

Everyone should install a Hour Meter from mile zero for a more accurate reading on what sort of miles.

I'd have to double check but I am pretty sure my OBD2 scanner (used to pull codes, clear CELs, etc.) has a live monitoring section where I can see Coolant Temp, Trans Temp, etc. and there's a section for engine hours, and definitely a section that shows how many times the vehicle was started and then reached operating temp.

Could be good info to have when buying this vehicle.

This is the one I got: Amazon.com: ANCEL AD310 Classic Enhanced Universal OBD II Scanner Car Engine Fault Code Reader CAN Diagnostic Scan Tool-Black: Automotive

 

[mteolus]

Have a mechanic hook up an expensive code reader tool (that they should have if they are worth their salt) and have him analyze the results (should have logs of any issues) and also have him visually inspect the vehicle. Also definitely user AutoCheck as well as CarFax.

Otherwise it might be a good deal, I bought a 1992 Toyota truck (probably about 4 or 5 years later, maybe 1997) with 163,000 miles on it and sold it 10 years later still running with 410,000 miles on it.

Change all the oils and grease all the joints and you should be good. If it is not a 4x4, have them drop the price. Make sure they didn't put sheety tires on it too.

 

[John in NC]

PS to the novel I wrote above, is it 4x4??
If not keep that in mind for future resale, you'll have a much smaller buying audience and the price will suffer some compared to 4x4.

Is it Super White? If so there can be some chalky/ uneven paint issues. Pearl white (what I have) is also questionable I hear although mine is holding up fine.

Age of battery, conditon of tires, last brake job?, any fluids changed- trans/ diffs/ transfer case/ radiator/ power steering/ brake fluid? $$$$ If not some of that stuff is on the horizon. Just thinking out loud here, I over analyze bad so take it all for what it's worth- $0.02 if that.

 

[El Dusty]

High Mileage thread for reference:

Just Wonderin', Who has the highest mileage?

I'm another vote to pass on this deal and look for something with less wear. Regardless of brand reliability, the first 100k miles will determine the remaining lifetime of the car. Without knowing how it was driven for 115k it is too big of a risk at 20k IMO.

 

[Teamoatmealpie]

Personally I would want to know exactly how many oil changes in that 115k.

If truly sold and serviced by that dealer, the service dept should be able to print out the entire service history for you.


As you already know Toyota's can be very reliable and run for quite a long time. But maintenance is the key to longevity.

 

[Jivewalker]

Look down the filler tube with a flashlight, look for black or very lacquered color inside. Also, easy to remove the cam position sensors and look in there with a flashlight. Any signs of sludge or heavy lacquer would make me think twice. I'd also check the ujoints to see if they were greased, and look for rust. If it was maintained well and the price is right, should get another 200k out of her.

 

[2ndhandyotaman]

Thanks for all of the quick replies. I'm planning to go back tomorrow after work and have a closer look at it. I didn't drive it yet, just did a quick peek at it on Saturday afternoon. I personally hate dealerships, and especially salesmen so I wasn't about to start playing their silly games.

I'm leaning towards just paying more money for one with less miles, the biggest attraction of this vehicle to me is that it's a SR5 premium, so it has heated leather seats and NO SUNROOF, something that I actually want, and seems to be almost impossible to find. This rig is 1 owner, personal use, purchased new from this dealership and pretty through maintenance records. It's still a metric sh*t ton of miles in just a few years. It's like driving from Baltimore to San Diego and back 8 times a year...

What seems to be the common weak points on these 5th gens?

 

[tristero]

Things to look at: diffs, transfer case, CVs, driveshaft and joints, valve cover, headers. Also get a laptop and install techstream if you don't have one already.

If it all looks clean, I'd take it for $18.5-19K