Possibly buying a 4runner in SoCal (help)

[sinister94]

4runners are almost impossible to buy in Arizona. They literally sell within hours of the ads being posted. Anyways I located one I'm interested in that's in San Diego. I'm worried about rust since the truck is near the ocean so I asked the guy to take some pics of the undercarriage for me.

It's a 97 limited 4x4 ... price is pretty good and everything else seems good. Just wondering if you guys see anything I should be worried about?

Thanks

 

[04desertrunner]

Just from looking at the pics the frame looks good, where in San Diego is it at? I can go take a look at it for you. Link the add.

 

[jgue467]

Don't like the grease/oil everywhere

you need to find out the source of those leaks. rear diff looks like it is or did leak in past. Front could be Many things, some EZ/cheap (e.g. tightening down vc bolts) or Really expensive (e.g. rear main engine seal and/or front tranny seal). So ya' gotta get in there or just get it really cheap to offset the possibilities.

Don't despair and settle, keep digging into this one or keep looking. I like ebay, yeah ya gotta shop like anywhere else but the quantities are better, you usually can get one for a much lower price and that'll offset the ship cost. Luck.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Why not drive south east for the purchase? Cars are cheap in TX. Especially 4Runners.

 

[sinister94]

Thanks for the offer desertrunner... but after talking to the guy on the phone he told me that the transmission has a bit of a whine until it warms up and a slight hesitation to go into reverse so I'm gonna pass on this one.

I'll definitely take a look at 4runners in TX, Brian. Thanks for the suggestion.


Thanks for the help all. I used to have an FJC but sold it for something a little more economical driving 30 miles each way to work. Now I have a little spending cash and have been looking for a 4runner. The hunt continues... :becky: