Sanity check here

[eds72]

OK experts, I have located the following vehicle:

Cars for Sale: 2006 Toyota 4Runner 4x4 Limited in Springfield, OR 97477: Sport Utility Details - 321773386 - AutoTrader.com

I have done tons of research and have a price range in mind, but would like to see what others think to make sure I'm in the ballpark. FYI I've run a Carfax on this vehicle and looked it up on the Toyota service site. It's a one owner (before being sold/traded in at the dealer on 5/10/2012) and every service has been done on time by the dealer. Timing belt was done at ~90k. No red flags I can see.

For those who have purchased recently, or keep up on such things, what do you believe is a fair price range to target? Also any concerns about the 125k on the odometer? From what I've read I don't think so but it still gives me just a bit of pause.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[krupnation]

That seems a little high but I'm sure you can talk them down a bit. Just as a reference (even though mines a SR5 V8) I purchased my 4th gen last Feb for $17,500 down in Klamath Falls OR. It was clean, had 92k miles on it, and just had a full service done (timing belt, water pump, etc). I'd try and talk them down to $18k if I were you.

You mentioned you did tons of research, I'm sure you checked the value on all the usual sites? KBB.com, nadaguides.com, edmunds.com?

 

[Gatafly]

I know Carfax gives you the amount over or under book value, but they are usually off by a bit. IMO they are asking at least $2000 -2500 too much.

 

[superman3043]

Thought it seemed a little high on price myself. KBB puts it at $18,034 which I feel is about right.

Aside from that, she is beautiful. The glaring service history is a nice plus, and with 125K on the clock, she's just getting broken in.

Now as a reference though, a close friend of mine purchased a 2006 SR5, V8 2WD just before Christmas. It was CPO with only 45K on the clock and dealer was asking $18,500... And they didn't budge one cent off of that price, because they knew they could sell it for that, and they were right. And cars here in my area are generally fairly cheap.

Good luck with your search. I'm certain you'll be very happy if you get this one, but if you'd like to wait until it feels right, by all means.

 

[eds72]

You mentioned you did tons of research, I'm sure you checked the value on all the usual sites? KBB.com, nadaguides.com, edmunds.com?

Yep, in a nutshell depending on which you believe the range is about 15-20k for a vehicle with that mileage in "very good" condition.

I also forgot to mention in my original post that the belts and front brakes were replaced at 105k.

I was thinking somewhere around 17k would be a good target. I think as much as 18k is still reasonable, but obviously I will shoot for the lower end if I get to the point of negotiating.

 

[robhurlburt]

i had a long discussion with a guy that works for a dealership very recently here. basically if its a trade-in, ask for $2k off the price. If it was bought at the auction, 1k. Anymore than that and they probably can't go much less. Never hurts to ask, and this was KY but I assume its close to the same in most states.

Case in point what we just bought:
'07 SR5, 55k mi, trade in, one owner, clean carfax
List: $19,995
We offered: $17,995
They wouldn't go below $19K so we walked. 5mins later they called us back and took our offer.

BTW don't buy the bullsh*t "you guys are beating us up over the price" argument. Its either they accept your offer or they don't. Its up to them on how much they want to make. If they want to make more off of it, sell it to someone else, no hurt feelings.

 

[talonjade]

J-FYI: Carmax doesn't haggle with their prices (policy). If they say $19,000 that's what they will sell it for, best savings maybe from getting them to drop misc. charges or taxes. Wiggle room of about $500 MAX...

FYI- I bought my 03 V8 Sport @101K for $12,000 flat in Colorado around February this year. My mechanic who works for (Liberty Toyota) says if my truck were at his stealership it would have sold for around 17-19K (There are great deals out there just don't feel like your running out of time, the right truck is there you just have to find him! GOOD LUCK!:cheers

(I hope you get what your looking for!)

 

[pat_304]

I spent about two months searching for an 03-05 4runner on autotrader all over the east coast. In my experience dealers weren't willing to come down much if at all. I would suggest checking out craiglists. I finally found my 03 V8 SE 4x4 with 85k there listed for 14k, bought it for $12,500 from a private seller. IMO it was a great buy and anything comparable at a dealership would have been around 14k-15k atleast.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

I would not pay anywhere near that for an 06 with that many miles. For another 9 grand you could buy a brand new nicely equiped Xterra with zero miles.

 

[eds72]

First, thanks to everyone for chiming in.

These dealers never cease to amaze me. I called and spoke with someone who said that he had personally taken that vehicle in on a trade and that it was "beautiful". I told him I would stop by to take a look before they closed. Once I arrived, I was quickly approached and asked for the person I had spoken to on the phone. He was "with a customer" (yeah right). The vehicle was sitting right there so I just said I wanted to look at it. As I approached, I could immediately see that the rear bumper had damage likely from backing into something. There was also paint transfer on the corner where it appeared something had swiped it. Walking up the passenger side, I could see numerous places with paint transfer and several chips down to metal. I thought there were a bunch of chips near the front wheel but it looked like it was actually tar. Why would they not clean it off?

At first the interior looked better. Carpet looked good and no rips or defects in the leather. However, there were a number of spots where the leather was clearly dirty. I suspect it would have cleaned up, but why would they not do that? I also noticed that the speaker grille on the left rear door had a big hole in it.

The front end was a disaster. Lots of rock chips, but moreover there were some sort of scratches on the front of the hood as if the car had been driven under something that it didn't clear? It was hard to tell.

At that point, I didn't even bother looking any further. I told the guy that I was shocked at how beat to &^%$ the car was and that his coworker and I clearly had different definitions of "beautiful". I was respectful and didn't turn it into a pissing match, just told him I was disappointed and wasn't going to waste his time looking any further. His body language suggested he got it, and he limited his replies to "I hear ya", "OK", etc.

In the picture I linked earlier, I noted that the car looked dirty and wondered why they hadn't bothered to wash it. Interestingly, my wife commented on never having been to a dealership where all the cars were so dirty.

It seems like I have to re-learn the lesson about dealerships every time I search for a used car. I've probably bought a half dozen used cars in my life, and every time I get sucked in and think maybe going to a dealer isn't so bad. And every time I end up walking away disgusted and eventually finding something from a private party that is of higher quality at a lower price.

I understand why people call them stealerships. It blows my mind that with all the choices and options consumers have in this day and age there are still so many of these places that can stay in business with their slimy and even downright dishonest practices. Just a lot of poorly informed pushovers out there I guess.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

I do not see how a vehicle with 126k miles would not have some rock chips and worn seats. I sure there a other problems also that will show up after someone buys it. They will quickly find out why the last owner got rid of it.

 

[Dougtoms01]

Have you tried
cargurus.com
I kind of liked that search engine. Seems like they pull all private and commercial listings from a specified radius.

Just another tool in your search.

Good luck

 

[JDSupreme]

I searched all over ebay for a nice V6 with under 80k and was considering hopping a flight down to Houston where this big dealer had a bunch of nice ones in the $17-20k range. Then a 06 SR5 4X4 V6 dropped into my lap off Craigslist. It was at a used car dealer about an hour away. He was asking 16800 and I ended up trading my Forester valued at 14000 plus a $1000 cash for the T4R. With the accessories its booked at just under 19000. Normally a private party on CL will tend to yield the best deal. I just got lucky and found a good used car dealership.

Check out http://www.searchtempest.com/ its a master search for all of CL. Its GREAT!!

After I had made the deal, the dealer mentioned that he usually offers people their aftermarket warranty but he said I'd basically be throwing $$ away which is very true. I know how much those guys make on those warranties too so that's when I knew I found a good, honest used car dealer. On the way home I avoided hitting a unicorn as well eace:

 

[d_clark]

Seems the prices for 4Runners in my area has jumped. There are a few 2007/2008s that they are asking $27-$30k for.