Should I buy this 2005 SE?

thegreatdivorce

thegreatdivorce

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Should I buy this 2005 SE? // update: bought it!

Salsa Red Pearl, SE, V6, heated leather, nav, sunroof, etc. In great shape in and out, but the miles are a bit high, at 85,000. I know the 4.0 is supposed to be reliable, and with the timing chain, no worries on the 90K service.

Basically, any reason I shouldn't jump on this assuming the price is right? My last 4Runner was years ago, and I traded my '95 in with 160K on the clock for my WRX.

Help a noob out? :frog:

8/17 EDIT: after checking out a couple other 4Runners ('06 SE's with less miles), this one was by far in the best shape. Besides a really faint smoke smell, it's basically flawless. I love it. Thanks everyone for your help. I'm already ordering mods for next week.

photo2lr.jpg~original


photolr.jpg~original
 
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I bought my 05 se with 117k on it and if I didn't tell anyone, you would never know. Drives like there is 20k on it. I'd do it as long as the price is reasonable.
 
Haha, Beretta, I forgive you.

Asking price is $17.5. I'd like to get it around $15.

Good call on checking the 4WD. At the risk of sounding like a complete idiot, how do I know it's actually working? If the light comes on, is that the only confirmation I need?

It honestly drives better than a few Xterras I drove with half the mileage on them.
 
thegreatdivorce said:
Salsa Red Pearl, SE, V6, heated leather, nav, sunroof, etc. In great shape in and out, but the miles are a bit high, at 85,000. I know the 4.0 is supposed to be reliable, and with the timing chain, no worries on the 90K service.

Basically, any reason I shouldn't jump on this assuming the price is right? My last 4Runner was years ago, and I traded my '95 in with 160K on the clock for my WRX.

Help a noob out? :frog:
Click to expand...

:worthless
 
Mileage high??? My 04 V6 is about to top 154k and I wouldn't hesitate to take it anywhere...

I say go for it! Love the color too!!
 
I just bought a 2003 with 155,000. My research prior to purchase was the kind of care it had during the 155,000 miles. Mechanical things break but if care was taken to maintain the vehicle the chances are the breakdowns will be a lot later in miles.
See who did the repair and what kind of mechanic are they. Smell the oil, motor and tranny. It is hard to hide burnt fluids. Hard to get rid of rust stains too, if it ever overheated because of headgasket or something. What does the inside of the tailpipe look like? is it full of black carbon or is it pretty normal. Does the exhaust flow smoothly or is there hesitation? You used to be able to check the valves by holding a clear plastic cigerrate wrapper up to the exhaust. If the exhaust sucked in the wrapper there was a valve problem. Dont know if that holds true any more.

It sounds like a pretty nice ride. Oh yes, CARFAX, check it
 
Good tips on checking the mechanics. It drove fine, sounded fine. There was some typical looking carbon on the chrome exhaust tip, but no more than my WRX accumulated. Idled smooth, had good "get up and go" (as far as I can tell, it's not quite as speedy as I'm used to). Shifts were smooth.

Am I wrong that the tranny is "sealed"?

I have the Carfax on it. No accidents, two owners. West coast vehicle. Seems to be really well maintained. The Acura dealership did a 130 point inspection, and it came back good to go.
 
The 2003 and 2004 have a hidden compartment in the glove box. It is easy to find but you have to look for it. One car I was looking at, the dealer left a paper from the previous owner in this spot and it had her phone number on it. I called her and got the low down on the car. I purchased a different car.
 
thegreatdivorce said:
Salsa Red Pearl, SE, V6, heated leather, nav, sunroof, etc. In great shape in and out, but the miles are a bit high, at 85,000. I know the 4.0 is supposed to be reliable, and with the timing chain, no worries on the 90K service.

Basically, any reason I shouldn't jump on this assuming the price is right? My last 4Runner was years ago, and I traded my '95 in with 160K on the clock for my WRX.

Help a noob out? :frog:
Click to expand...

2006 is when they made the mid gen changes. Thats what I’m looking for. :guitar3: :reddance:
And don’t buy it from a non real dealer lot.... doesn't have to be Toyota dealer
I’ve seen a red ’07 down the street at one of those Iraq lots, been there for almost a year now. I won’t even look at it... I know that they buy them wrecked at auctions, do the body work with their own guys so it doesn't show on CarFax and washed the title if they can.
Sorry for my comments but you have to be careful. Blue Book on that is $16K

The 2006 model year marked the fourth generation's mid-cycle refresh. The changes included revised front and rear bumpers; a reworked grille; new projector-beam headlamps and LED tail lamps; additional chrome trim on the SR5 model; and a smoked-chrome grille with tubular roof-rack and step bars on the Sport Edition. The revised front bumper features circular fog lights and a relocation of the turn-signals to the headlamp assembly. The redesigned bumper eliminates the rear bumper reflectors. MP3 playback capability and an auxiliary input jack were added to all audio systems. In addition, the Limited model was further differentiated from the other trim levels with the addition of unique 18" wheels and a seat memory system.

Toyota 4Runner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
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^^ I hear ya. This is at a large Acura dealership ... as far as I can tell, they're completely legit. I know they took it on a trade for $16700.

I do like the '06+ refresh ... but I'll end up doing a full HID retro anyways, and can always add the LED tails. Not sure, though. There's a clean 06 SE down the street, asking 18500 with 60K on it. Might be able to get them down to 17,500. At that point it's down to would I rather have heated leather, sunroof, and new 265/70/17's, or fewer miles and different head/tail lights?
 
If it were me, I would get an 06+. Heated leather and sunroof aren't all that IMO. You'll be upgrading tires anyway.
 
Mpower3 said:
If it were me, I would get an 06+. Heated leather and sunroof aren't all that IMO. You'll be upgrading tires anyway.
Click to expand...

Any particular reason? I guess I felt like 4Runner's being as reliable as they are, I'd rather have more amenities over a year newer/fewer miles.
 
I'm pretty sure that other than the leather (which is an option on sports) that the 06 you're looking at has a sunroof as well. The mid-generation change just looks better with the tube style rack and steps, led lights, projector lamps. Plus you'll have almost 30,000 fewer miles for what, a difference of $1,000 in asking price?
 
Get the one that has what you want. When I was looking for a 4x4, I decided that I must have a sunroof and a remote start. Was looking at a few Jeeps until I found the 4runner. Yes, the other may have less miles, but if you don't get what you want, you'll be kicking yourself saying "I should have got <x>..."

I purchased my 2003 4runner Sport last month with 150k and absolutely no worries about taking it anywhere. Smooth running and smooth shifting. In fact, as part of my job, I have to drive from Northern Indiana to southern Tennessee twice, and I'm looking forward to the journeys with no worries at all.

Just do your research, and inspect it carefully. If there are no signs of body repair as well as other things that are listed in the other replies, then hell yeah I would get it, and love the crap out of it.
 
I picked up in early 2009 a 2005 SE, with 113k, for 12k.

Drives as smooth as the day she and I drove into the sunset.

They wanted 14.5. Silly stealership :banana:

Work them bro, want the truck, but don't show them you want it
 
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