Should I buy a 2011 SR5 that has under 40 k miles?

[Teraxx]

And complete lifetime service records from a Toyota dealership?

Hi everyone, my first 'real' post and I'm a prospective buyer...

There's a very nice 4Runner SR5 for sale near me with low (39 k) miles, but its priced over $22k.

1) Is there anything I should look out for when I go for a test drive?

2) Do you feel that is 'too old' for a 4Runner? I am aware of their good rep for durability and the service records show consistent care.

3) Is that price too high? I'm hoping to negotiate it down to around 18k before tax, title, license fees.

Any advice or thoughts would be GREATLY appreciated and I really would love to be a card-carrying member of 4runner.org

Thanks in advance.

 

[BobsTrail]

Don't know about the price. I have an old 2013 with 64K on it. No problems, no repairs. 7 year warranty expired unused. It has been on a lot of dirt roads, rough trails, sand dunes and snow with no problems, no rattles or squeeks.

See if they will put it on a lift and let you look under it. Check for heavy mud, skid plate damage and other signs of hard use. Mine has a few shallow scrapes on the front skidplate and all is OK.

 

[port-injected]

How does the underbody look like? Is there any rust? Are the rubber seals looking good(weather stripping, the sweep, etc.)?

What matters greatly when looking at an "old"(in years) vehicle with low mileage is how it was "garaged" over those years, I've seen low mileage cars that were left out in the elements for years and had rusting and weathering(rubber components) that made the car a less stellar buy.. all the while you'll find a gem that was garage kept with low miles that's in near mint condition.

note: I see that you're in New York, definitely check the undercarriage for signs of rust. I'd also try and see if they have a list of any work done to the vehicle when they received it(body work, changed hubs, new rotors, etc.).

 

[Rack]

I own a 2011 SR5 with about the same mileage.
I have had no issues, its not a daily diver. but I live in a dryer climate.

The suggestion of putting on a rack and inspecting the under body would be a good thing, also have them pry up one of the rocker panels in the door jams and look for mud. (They just pop out and snap back in).

A lot of cars have been in floods in the last few years and some of them are shipped to dryer climates to dry out.These are considered a "salvaged" and should be listed with the title. some times they slip through the cracks.

The biggest issue I see would be Rust and future electrical issues if the truck was flooded.

Check out the wear and tear on the upholstery and floor mats look under them for signs of rust. Smell the air inside if it smells like a fragrance then I would question that.
also check how many owners it has had if is more than two, walk away.

There is alot of IF'S when buying a used car. Take a second pair of eyes with you. some one with mechanical skills or experience with cars.

Is this from a Toyota Dealer or a "Sand Lot" dealer. what kind of Warranty do you get?

Its priced right for a pristine 2011 with that low mileage but try and work a deal its still a used truck.

Keep us all in the loop
Good Luck

 

[port-injected]

Also wanted to mention to check out the HVAC system, try running both the A/C and the heater for a while and see if there's any "funk" to the odor. Going back to mentioning how older cars with low mileage can be tricky depending how they were garaged, often if it was left outside (or even inside sometimes) for long periods of time and wasn't driven much, rodents can go in and nest. I've had some relatives(elderly) who didn't drive much and rodents had nested under the hood and in crevices... they'd turn on the hvac system and there would be this nasty funky odor pumping through the ducts, and I'm not talking mold.. smelled like a dead mouse or something... like it crawled in one of the tunnels and died somehow... whew, couldn't get rid of the smell, tried spraying lysol in various places to help it but didn't really work as the carcass was probably somewhere deep in there, probably had to take apart the system and vacuum it to take care of it.

And also adding on to asking for a record of what might've been replaced (I mentioned the hubs..), often when a car isn't driven much, parts can weather/rot/rust more easily than a car that was driven regularly... take for example, I have a neighbor who hardly ever drives(I'm guessing he works from home, dunno what his story is but hardly ever drives despite being a younger guy), bought a brand new car...and we have annual safety inspections in my state and I saw him a year later outside and he had just come back from the safety inspection and told me he failed inspection for his severely rusted out rotors. Since his car was left out un-driven for so long his rotors had rusted so bad that it penetrated deep into the steel, even though the car was literally only 1 years old... I'd also be concerned about the hubs, though most have sealed bearings, the lube could unevenly displaced or there could be rust creep in there.

So I'd also say to take the car for nice drive on the highway too and listen for any noises coming out of the hubs("whirring" noises), incase they need to be replaced.

Best regards, and keep us in the loop man!

 

[Teraxx]

Thank you for all three of the responses.

It appears this vehicle was babied and not off-roaded (just from the photos), but I will certainly inspect the skid plate, look for caked mud anywhere (such as inside a rocker panel) and I ALWAYS look for rust on the undercarriage, since we're near the ocean. But I will also peek at the floor pan beneath any floor mats too. Yes, checking all the rubber bits/gaskets for wear is also important and something I would normally look for.

I do not think this has any flooding issues and it is definitely not a salvaged title. Hurricane Sandy hit the South Shore of LI and NYC and flooded out many a vehicle, but this 4Runner was owned and housed much more inland, away from that area, so its safe from any chance of being flooded in the past.

Interesting note about the price...I haven't begun negotiations yet, but imagine they're going to be a stickler about 'demand' and 'condition' (high demand, excellent condition with a pedigree of trackable service for its lifetime).

I'll report back what I find out, everyone!

 

[flyrv9]

Any accident record? As others suggested, I'd get it up in the air and take a good look. Also look at the oil - is it dirty? How old is the battery? Might be worth it to have a mechanic run a history scan and run some tests. Is everything there: all 3 keys (two with fobs and 1 valet key), spare tire, jack, handle - tire lowering rod, factory anti-theft lug socket, plastic hub removal tool. Owners manuals, etc.

I'd make an appointment with you local mechanic and tell the dealer you want to take it and have your mechanic check it out. If they balk at this - walk away quickly. I'd also check and see if your Entune / Nav head unit software version/update is at the latest revision if you plan using it for nav and phone. Is state inspection current? Dealers usually charge for updates and keys and programming is not cheap.

 

[mcat707]

2WD or 4WD?

That is a major factor in pricing and resale value.

 

[Teraxx]

2WD or 4WD?

That is a major factor in pricing and resale value.

It's a 4WD SR5. Sunroof/Moonroof appears to be the only option for it too.

 

[Teraxx]

Any accident record? As others suggested, I'd get it up in the air and take a good look. Also look at the oil - is it dirty? How old is the battery? Might be worth it to have a mechanic run a history scan and run some tests. Is everything there: all 3 keys (two with fobs and 1 valet key), spare tire, jack, handle - tire lowering rod, factory anti-theft lug socket, plastic hub removal tool. Owners manuals, etc.

I'd make an appointment with you local mechanic and tell the dealer you want to take it and have your mechanic check it out. If they balk at this - walk away quickly. I'd also check and see if your Entune / Nav head unit software version/update is at the latest revision if you plan using it for nav and phone. Is state inspection current? Dealers usually charge for updates and keys and programming is not cheap.

No accident record and very clean Carfax.
Will ensure it has 2 key fobs and 1 valet key, spare, jack, manuals, etc.
It was before they had Entune afaik. No nav. Inspection is currentish as it was just purchased by the dealer (from the 1 owner its had) recently.

 

[LandCruiser]

If it's been in New York all that time, probably not, unless all those 40k miles were in the summer.

 

[CMS516]

A. If it has never seen the salt of winter then yes, buy it.
B. If it has seen winter and it's been undercoated, carefully inspect.
C. If neither A or B is reality, move on IMO

 

[Teraxx]

A. If it has never seen the salt of winter then yes, buy it.
B. If it has seen winter and it's been undercoated, carefully inspect.
C. If neither A or B is reality, move on IMO

A. It definitely has seen salt in winters because its 9 yrs old and spent its whole life on Long Island. However, this vehicle was gently driven, consistently, about 4 k miles per year.
B. I can find out about undercoating...many dealers add this 'extra' to SUVs here.

 

[LandCruiser]

A. It definitely has seen salt in winters because its 9 yrs old and spent its whole life on Long Island. However, this vehicle was gently driven, consistently, about 4 k miles per year.
B. I can find out about undercoating...many dealers add this 'extra' to SUVs here.

Lol, no. Run. Get one from the Southeast.

Toyotas rust like crazy. That's probably why he's selling it.

 

[85GT-79FJ40]

I bought my 2011 trail in 2018 as a CPO and it only had 35k miles on it. I paid $25k for it and it almost made me ill to pay that much for an 11. But it was exactly what I wanted and ridiculously clean. Insurance was a lot less than the 16 I was headed to check out next that was $2500 more and had over 70k. I'm at 66k on my 11 now. No issues.

 

[Teraxx]

Lol, no. Run. Get one from the Southeast.

Toyotas rust like crazy. That's probably why he's selling it.

Yeah, Im not going to go to those lengths to buy one.

I will check underneath and look for signs of rust...its a dealership, he has no incentive to 'sell it' like a private party would (who traded it in...to this Lexus dealership). It appears, so far, to be in outstanding shape and was cared for, dutifully and properly (based on Carfax records, which are quite detailed w frequent updates as to what was serviced on each visit to the Toyota dealership). And I dont think I'd find one with such low miles anywhere close to me either (39 k!)

 

[Teraxx]

I bought my 2011 trail in 2018 as a CPO and it only had 35k miles on it. I paid $25k for it and it almost made me ill to pay that much for an 11. But it was exactly what I wanted and ridiculously clean. Insurance was a lot less than the 16 I was headed to check out next that was $2500 more and had over 70k. I'm at 66k on my 11 now. No issues.

Good to know there's a used 2011 success story out there! :guitar2:

 

[mteolus]

Get a mechanic to run a diagnostic on it and check it out. Probably will cost $150 but worth it. The more expensive machines that a mechanic has can read all codes that have ever popped up on it and can tell you what problems with vehicle had in the past. In addition, do an AutoCheck as well. Competitor of CarFax but may have information that CarFax doesn't have. Used car buying tips

Also remember Hurricane Sandy happened in 2012. Could have been a flood damaged vehicle.

 

[LandCruiser]

Yeah, Im not going to go to those lengths to buy one.

I will check underneath and look for signs of rust...its a dealership, he has no incentive to 'sell it' like a private party would (who traded it in...to this Lexus dealership). It appears, so far, to be in outstanding shape and was cared for, dutifully and properly (based on Carfax records, which are quite detailed w frequent updates as to what was serviced on each visit to the Toyota dealership). And I dont think I'd find one with such low miles anywhere close to me either (39 k!)

Ok, but since this is NY, the dealer will think that a rust-eaten truck is normal or downplay rust. And... Toyotas rust. A lot. Can't stress this enough.

The price you're quoting is for a vehicle in pristine condition (i.e. no rust) and be advised that if you're willing to travel a bit, or truck a vehicle, you can get one that's pristine for that price.

And, FWIW, my 2013 has VERY detailed maintenance records, too, lol.

 

[importman]

Considering the fact that these things are good for 300k miles(or more) you might consider getting one with 75-100K miles. Probably be 4-5000 cheaper and you could use that money for mods, (if that's something you want to do). But, unless the owners have kept it in a garage when the roads were salted I would consider trying to find one from the southeast. Like others have said, you need to take a close look at the underside for rust.