Quick 3rd gen. buying help much appreciated!

J

jordanAperkins

New member
Hey guys,
I'm new to the forum and to 4Runners in general. My cousin has owned an '07 for a few years and I have loved it. Time to get my own - I've been searching for a 3rd generation w/ manual transmission. I've found a very nice looking '98 and am just trying to get a sense of whether the price is right - It's on craigslist.

Details:$10,500 Firm
'98 T4R 4wd V6. One owner, 111,655 original miles.

Special-ordered SR5 with most limited features like leather seats and power everything. Documentation for the following within last 800 miles:

- Brand new timing belt and water pump
- 4 brand new tires from Discount Tire
- Brand new clutch kit (including new flywheel)
- Brand new rear main seal
- Brand new battery
- Fresh oil/filter change

100% factory original. Everything works.

No accidents, ever - All the original VIN stickers are intact.

Hopefully going to take a drive soon and know some about what to look for, thanks to this forum : ) but any tips or links to good sources would be very appreciated.

Thank you!
 
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price seems a bit high as most are going for $4000-$6000 with mileage between 130 and 200. it does have the manual transmission, however to call that high of a price it better have the locker, and basically be mint, and be from arizona.
 
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Even for Colorado, even with low miles, I'm thinking that's at least $2000-3000 too high. Surely there are better deals out there. I bought a 2002 limited with 144K 3 years ago (think 3 more years of depreciation) for $8000 from a used car lot here. Granted, that is in the midwest (but for $3000 I would drive a few hours), but mine was a one-owner, dealer maintained (oil changes every 3K miles, EVERY factory recommended maintenance done), nearly perfect, no signs of rust truck. (It doesn't look quite so perfect now - too many miles in the woods.) I see 98s on craigslist all the time for $4000, but not in as good condition or low miles. But, for the additional $6500 you can do a LOT of maintenance, or buy a newer 4th gen. Around here that kind of money would put you in a 2005 or 2006, maybe even a 2007. Granted 3rd gens are great, but getting into a 4th gen (I have a GX470 and they are pretty awesome) that is 7 or 8 (or 9) years newer seems like a much better investment (if you plan to spend that much money).
 
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jordanAperkins said:
Hey guys,
I'm new to the forum and to 4Runners in general. My cousin has owned an '07 for a few years and I have loved it. Time to get my own - I've been searching for a 3rd generation w/ manual transmission. I've found a very nice looking '98 and am just trying to get a sense of whether the price is right - It's on craigslist.

Details:$10,500 Firm
'98 T4R 4wd V6. One owner, 111,655 original miles.

Special-ordered SR5 with most limited features like leather seats and power everything. Documentation for the following within last 800 miles:

- Brand new timing belt and water pump
- 4 brand new tires from Discount Tire
- Brand new clutch kit (including new flywheel)
- Brand new rear main seal
- Brand new battery
- Fresh oil/filter change

100% factory original. Everything works.

No accidents, ever - All the original VIN stickers are intact.

Hopefully going to take a drive soon and know some about what to look for, thanks to this forum : ) but any tips or links to good sources would be very appreciated.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

10K is a lot for that truck...

I paid $9998 and my 5speed came with a rear diff locker, leather, Supercharger, and only had 83000 miles on it...
 
Thanks for the help, everyone. It does have a rear diff locker and does seem to be in near perfect condition...but price did seem a bit high. Here is the posting :
http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/5117408078.html

I'm not necessarily in a rush to get something but I currently have no car and need one soon. Lot's of options here for auto but this is the best I've found so far with manual transmission. I guess the general consensus here is its probably too much money, but could be worth it if it is really in "excellent" shape as he says...

Prices seem a bit higher here in Colorado.
 
Here's a nice 2000 with a manual, if you don't mind a 12 hour drive to get it.

You could probably get this for $6500 (drive 12 hours to save $4000 :ohwell:).

2000 toyota 4runner sr5 manual

Deals are out there. I looked for 6 months for mine (and looked at a lot of overpriced ones too).
 
Fly n' drive. Searchtempest.com is your friend. The last 4 cars I've bought haven't been in my state. Don't limit your search to your immediate surroundings.
 
With cars as old as these, I would not get too picky about the price for a clean one, especially a low-mile 1 owner with the rare manual and rear locker. $10,000 is still affordable to me, considering that a new 4Runner is bloated and costs $40k, and an Xterra Pro-4X with ugly plastic bumpers and a cheap interior is $30k. Just depends on your budget I guess.
 
Thanks very much to you all. Unfortunately the car sold...I'll keep looking. Is it relatively common for 4runners to make well over 300k miles or is the internet just making it seem so?

I ask because I wonder whether it is worth it to consider 3rd gen.'s with 200k miles like the one I posted above. Thanks again!
 
jordanAperkins said:
Thanks very much to you all. Unfortunately the car sold...I'll keep looking. Is it relatively common for 4runners to make well over 300k miles or is the internet just making it seem so?

I ask because I wonder whether it is worth it to consider 3rd gen.'s with 200k miles like the one I posted above. Thanks again!
Click to expand...

It wasn't meant to be :bigok:

To answer you're question, yes 4Runners can definitely make it over 300k miles....however you NEED to be prepared to fix things. To answer you're other question yes its worth looking for Runners with over 200k if they have up to date maint. records or a mechanic gives it the green light.
 
jordanAperkins said:
Is it relatively common for 4runners to make well over 300k miles or is the internet just making it seem so?

I ask because I wonder whether it is worth it to consider 3rd gen.'s with 200k miles like the one I posted above. Thanks again!
Click to expand...

I bought a 98 in 2010 that had 220K miles on it. It had been rode hard and put away wet. It had been in an accident at some point that bent the frame. It had salvage yard body parts on it (VINs didn't match). I was probably the fourth or fifth owner, and it hadn't had much maintenance. I bought it for $2750, put about $1500 in it (ball joints, shocks, timing belt, water pump, steering rack bushings, transmission cooler, the usual). I drove had it about a year and a half and put about 10K miles on it (then decided I liked driving it so much I found a newer one - my 2002). I sold it to a guy a couple of blocks away (for $4000). He has put about 55K on it (about 285K now) and I talked to him a while back and he said he hasn't put a dime into repairs - just changes the oil. He said it's the cheapest 55K miles he's ever bought (since in reality we are buying miles), and he still drives it several hundred miles a week, often pulling a landscaping trailer. My point is that even an abused 4Runner with lousy maintenance will probably go 300K with a little work. Now if you have to pay someone else to do the work . . .

If you can buy one with 200K and get another 100K out of it, and have $5K or so in it, that's .05 / mile (assuming you scrap it at the end). That is dirt cheap transportation.
 
jordanAperkins said:
Hey guys,
I'm new to the forum and to 4Runners in general. My cousin has owned an '07 for a few years and I have loved it. Time to get my own - I've been searching for a 3rd generation w/ manual transmission. I've found a very nice looking '98 and am just trying to get a sense of whether the price is right - It's on craigslist.

Details:$10,500 Firm
'98 T4R 4wd V6. One owner, 111,655 original miles.

Special-ordered SR5 with most limited features like leather seats and power everything. Documentation for the following within last 800 miles:

- Brand new timing belt and water pump
- 4 brand new tires from Discount Tire
- Brand new clutch kit (including new flywheel)
- Brand new rear main seal
- Brand new battery
- Fresh oil/filter change

100% factory original. Everything works.

No accidents, ever - All the original VIN stickers are intact.

Hopefully going to take a drive soon and know some about what to look for, thanks to this forum : ) but any tips or links to good sources would be very appreciated.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

Sell you mine for $12K
 
I think $10K is a touch high. That's what a lot would charge for a vehicle that they paid $7K for.
I paid $8K for my 97 with similar miles here in Southern Cal.
The 4R had lived it's entire existence in Phoenix and Tucson, so it had not a spot of rust.
I'd looked for about 7 months at that point.
It still needed new springs, shocks, tires...these were expected, and new throttle body and rear axle seal replacement(not expected). I'd advise against old leather seats if you can swing it.
 
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