Possible purchase 2003 SR5 - frame advice

[Broadwinged]

Hello all,

I am new to this forum. Been looking for a couple months for a good 4th gen 4R for under $10K while keeping the miles reasonable. I need a no drama 4Runner to get to my work sites - I do river restoration work - and then to haul a horse on weekends.

Trolled Craigslist and a variety of dealer sites and might have found a good one. The owner has complete records, seems decent enough and the truck is good looking. 2003 SR5 v8 (what I'd prefer) with 106K miles. Owned by one owner all its life, being sold by a friend of his. The only thing, per paperwork, that needs doing is a timing belt. I will of course go down to check it out before committing but I like to do as much with photos and documents as possible. I read the recent thread by drallen and will use that advice if I move forward.

Everything sounds pretty good. Had seller send photos of the frame and I'm wondering how much rust is acceptable? The one side seems fine to me, the other...hmmm. I'm just not used to trucks or Toyotas on this issue. Thoughts welcome.

Thanks.

 

[NuclearN8]

buy it and immediately service it with fluid film or POR-15... add $50 for the former and $250 for the later if you apply it yourself.

that's not bad to be honest, looks like surface rust to me...and that's common on every undercarriage that uses salt in the winters in northern states. It's pretty much unavoidable if you actually drive the car in the winter untreated/ unprotected.