sketchy dealer?

T4r22re said:
Last thing, does anyone know of a reputable but cost effective shipping company? I was quoted $650 from one company that routinely ships for this dealer. I understand it is not a short distance so I'm not complaining but would like to know if there are any better options?
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Try Uship. The concept is You bid what you want to pay for the transport and the shippers either agree or not. So ya' gotta have a pretty good idea what is fair and shoot a little under that for a good deal. Luck!
 
jgue467 said:
You guys need to learn how ebay motors works! You don't have to pay 100% to see the vehicle!!! You only pay $500 (use your cc just in case) when you 'win' an auction or use "buy it now". That entitles you to go see the vehicle or have someone go in your place (e.g. a mechanic local to the vehicle). Then if you for WHATEVER reason decide against it you get all your deposit back. Its that simple, there are no variations on this policy. I have bought 3 vehicles this way, best purchases ever made and 40-60% less expensive than local, just gotta do your homework. Luck all! :cowboy:
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Well hey, there you go! I've never purchased a vehicle without seeing it myself, so I was not aware of that option.

Maybe it's worth it after all. A little rust is not going to hurt anything (although it does make repairs considerable more difficult), you just don't want welds failing or any weakness.
 
T4r22re said:
Exactly^^
Well I'm having trouble with my computer downloading the pics from my phone,
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email me your photos and Ill upload them...I really wanna see this.

its a beautiful Runner, so I want to see a member end up with it, assuming its clean underneath.
 
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T4r22re said:
Hey everyone, so I have been searching for the right 3rd gen 4runner for a while and I *think* I've found it. I found one on eBay and without listing every detail, here is the link Toyota 4Runner Limited 4x4 No Reserve | eBay

okay so I am the winning bidder, mind you I bought this sight unseen and I live in GA, I have never bought a vehicle on eBay before so I am very nervous as to the actual condition although it looks to be superb.

anyway the point of this post is, I didn't see any good detailed pics of the undercarriage and I saw on the car fax it came from New York. So BEFORE the auction ended I inquired about getting pictures of the underside and especially the rear axle. I requested by email and was told I would receive pics later that day.
A day goes by and no pics, so I email them again and was told the same thing, the next day I am the winning bidder and yet again I ask for pics. mind you I have not paid for the 4runner yet and I will not until I get those pics, but then I call them and explain the situation and was told (today) I would receive the pics today. well the day is over and still no email, messages or notifications etc. I will call AGAIN tomorrow but I was wondering if any of you guys have any experience with this dealer/seller? and if so what was your impression or experience? they have made me skeptical of buying from them as if they are trying to hide something.
judging by what I can see, the 4runner looks to be in great condition and well taken care of and has all the options I have been searching for the past year, and the miles are even better!
but if anyone has any input PLEASE let me know, be it good or bad, it could save me a headache. thanks a lot for any input guys!
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The second owner only drove it 3000 miles a year so it hasn't seen much salt & it looks to be garage kept. Good luck with it.
 
Thanks guys I sent ajon the pics so you should all be able to see them. They came out pretty dark but he said he will try to adjust it. Thanks man!
 
For OP:

Photos of the undercarriage...










It has clearly been coated, so it would be hard to tell (I also had to majorly adjust the exposer to get any visibility on these), but I would probably pay the 5 bills to go take a closer look.
 
Excuse the ignorance but what do you mean by pay the 5 bills to go look at it?
As in I should fly out and inspect it myself?
Also anyone else that sees the pics please give me your thoughts.
 
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T4r22re said:
Excuse the ignorance but when do you mean be pay the 5 bills to go look at it?
As in I should fly out and inspect it myself?
Also anyone else that sees it the pics please give me your thoughts.
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An earlier post eluded to being able to pay 500.00 and then go look at it and pay the balance, if it is up to par. If not eBay lets you out and you get a refund on the 500.00.

At least this is what I gained from reading his post, I can't verify it.
 
In the first pics it looks like someone spray painted over the rust. The second set of pics are bad enough, that I can't really tell anything from them.
 
Those undercarriage pics sure look deliberately crappy. Out of focus, blinding lights into the camera and low light on the actual undercarriage. Funny how the topside pictures are all in focus though...
 
Does anyone think (from what they can see.. Not much..) that the rust that IS there would be properly treatable?
I don't want a lost cause.
But I am willing to put in the work to sand down and coat the underside properly with say POR 15 as I mentioned earlier. But do you all think it's doable or past that point?
 
StreetCreeper said:
Those undercarriage pics sure look deliberately crappy. Out of focus, blinding lights into the camera and low light on the actual undercarriage. Funny how the topside pictures are all in focus though...
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This is what I was thinking. I would ask for better pictures. Specifically, a close up picture of the back of the axle housing where the fill plug is, and a straight on shot of the bottom and inner part of the frame, next to the muffler, and one of the lower rear control arm bracket also next to muffler. All these should be close up with a flash. I would ask for multiple pictures of this area from different angles, as it will tell you the rust level of the truck. If there's any non-compliance, just back out. That gas tank skid really shows a lot of deep pitting which looks worse than my truck, which also spent it's whole life in NY and if it spent it's whole life there it got just as much salt as my truck did whether it was garaged kept or not. The only thing that matters is how it was taken care of (a lot of undercarriage spray cleaning)
I'm sorry, but $11,500 is just too much even for an immaculate truck with those low miles.
 
T4r22re said:
Does anyone think (from what they can see.. Not much..) that the rust that IS there would be properly treatable?
I don't want a lost cause.
But I am willing to put in the work to sand down and coat the underside properly with say POR 15 as I mentioned earlier. But do you all think it's doable or past that point?
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Anything can be fixed/ welded/ treated etc. You just shouldn't have to do it for $11,500

I'm trying to renew my underbody, I have access to a sandblaster, lift etc, I have a new axle housing going in this spring. Also, replacing my gas tank as a preventive measure as when I was checking my fuel pump through the access port under the back seat drivers side carpet, the top of the tank looked really rusted and the metal tubing going to the tank looked very rusty.
I had that spot by the muffler professionally welded. The other side by the tank may get addressed as I saw some pretty good flake coming out when I power washed the inside of the fram rails. Replaced a rusty crossmember under my transmission. Replace a frozen (from rust lower control arm bushing,- replaced all four all with the eccentrics)
RUST AINT NO JOKE!
 
Another thing to consider about rusty vehicles is its a pain in the ass to work on them. Stuck bolts... rust falling in your eyes. Makes everything harder than it should be.

For the price theyre selling I would've thought that car came from the desert, not New York...

You're beating a dead horse here, there is no way in hell anyone can tell the extent of the rust on that vehicle since it has been coated. You need a physical appearance, someone to go over there with a mallet to beat on the frame lol.
 
If it were me, and those were the pictures they sent me after asking for undercarriage shots, I would walk. I understand that you are tempted by that truck and you've been looking for a while, but I'm from the same region as you and I see some pretty nice ones for sale in our area, and if it has been here all its life rust won't be an issue.

If you're patient you can probably find one with a good maintenance history, and at a price where even if you had to put a some money into it you would still come out spending a good bit less than what you would have in this one. Sure, it will have more miles, but if it has been taken care of it will last you for a long time to come. Also, you can put your eyes/hands on it - or pay someone a small fee to do it for you - and not have to depend on making the call based on some pictures of what the seller wants you to see.
 
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