CARGURU, autotrader and craigslist.
It was from carguru that i found the one i got.
So I have been looking for my first 4Runner and might have missed a beauty
- Thread starter njfastlife
- Start date
CARGURU, autotrader and craigslist.
It was from carguru that i found the one i got.
Paying $20k for a 4th gen seems crazy at this point. The newest ones are beyond 7 years old from their service date.
My advice would be to buy one from the southern/southwest states. The pics I've seen of the ones up in the NE or midwest are horrible from the rust. I definitely wouldn't pay anywhere near KBB for a rust bomb, as it will only cause problems when you need to service it.
My advice would be to buy one from the southern/southwest states. The pics I've seen of the ones up in the NE or midwest are horrible from the rust. I definitely wouldn't pay anywhere near KBB for a rust bomb, as it will only cause problems when you need to service it.
verman84
New member
With negotiation you should be able to find a 2006-08 v6 4wd with 100k for around 14-15k. When i was looking for mine i wanted to go straight for the updated models to avoid alot of the headaches up front. Obviously the newer and less mileage the more it will be. Look for heavy rust, feel for pulsating brakes, check the 4x4 systems to see if they function. Feel for smooth acceleration and shifting. I found that used 4runners sat on the lots a while in the Midwest so it was easy to negotiate the price down. People around here are reluctant to buy vehicles that are 7 years old with 100k miles for $15k
njfastlife
New member
I don't really have the time to fly down, pick up and drive back
Plus I'd be petrified to buy sight unseen
Flyingbread1
New member
You don't have 1 day? It's like a 7 hour drive from VA Beach to NJ depending on where you are. You can fly down in the morning and drive back in 1 day. I have purchased 3 vehicles this way. I had the owner do a very thorough video walk through which you can do over skype. I had them take it to a Toyota dealer and paid $100 for a complete inspection. If everything checks out then you can decide what to do. You are not going to find a rust free 4R in NJ and I would never buy from a small auto dealership unless they get rave reviews from customers. Consider it a little adventure which seems to be why you want a 4Runner anyway. I am not trying to be pushy, just trying to offer up that you have ooptions if you are willing to do a little extra work. If you buy the right 4R you will have it for a long time. Good Luck!
njfastlife
New member
that actually sounds like a pretty awesome idea and i imagine the flight can't be too pricey.
how do you get from airport to the seller?
also as an aside:
if anyone has a second i just came across this super low mileage example but after plugging it into the Toyota website i noticed they had a "check engine" light issue.
mind maybe taking a look and lending your advice?
VIN:
JTEBU14R878104335
TrdLtly
New member
From what I am finding, it looks like it has a salvaged title.
What this guy said.
I've bought 5 cars long distance, and helped friends buy dozens as well. It's really not that bad as long as you do some basic homework, and go in with reasonable expectations (i.e. it's a used car, expect that you might have a few hundred dollars in reconditioning to get it up to your standards in a few areas).
I've never really had an extremely bad experience. Nothing that made me regret purchasing a car at least.
The closest I got was I did get one that had a clean carfax, but it had been lightly hit in the corner. It was a good repair job though, so I doubt I would have found it even looking the car over in person. It took me owning it 2 years and lots of wrenching for me to uncover it. Ultimately it was a non-issue - it's a used car. Stuff like that happens whether you look at it in person, or get a place to do an inspection.
As for inspections, a lot of times dealerships/shops treat it as an Xmas wish list of work they'd LIKE you to do for it. I was selling a BMW M3 one time, it had higher miles (150k), but had been taken care of mechanically and cosmetically very well, especially given the price ($7.5k). A guy pays $250(!!!) for an inspection at some snooty Euro shop, and they give him a laundry list of stuff that was absolutely fraudulent on stuff the car "needed immediately." Examples include, "Shocks are possibly leaking" (they were ~20k mile old Konis), "Recommend replace all control arms and tie rods" (all of it was less than 30k miles old), "Leaking oil from unknown source on engine, could be head gasket" (it had no oil leaks whatsoever, all gaskets in the engine were <30k mi old - it did weep at the steering rack, but you don't need to be a rocket scientist to identify an ATF leak vs. an engine oil leak) etc. There was more, but those were the ones that made it seem like they didn't even look the car over during the inspection, or told the guy (who didn't know anything mechanically) a load of lies while pointing out stuff that was fine.
They just tossed out a bunch of stuff in the hopes that he either A - bought it and spent a bunch of money with them needlessly, or B - kept his current even higher mileage BMW and spent a bunch of money with him.
He ended up not buying the car, and I sold it the next week for asking price (because it was in great shape at a reasonable price). I became friends with the guy, and he took it to the racetrack with no troubles at all many times over the next few years.
Anyway, long story, but I personally trust my OWN assessment of a vehicle far more than a shop's that may or may not have ulterior motives in how they inspect a vehicle.
I've been most happy with having forum members inspect vehicles for me when I'm buying it long distance. Usually there's someone more than happy to do it for you buying them a decent lunch/dinner and talking cars when you get in town.
NJshadow93
New member
I got my '06 V8 4WD 3 years ago with 109k miles for $12k at a Kia dealer in Morris county. I spent an extra $800 for the timing belt/water pump and a new battery and it's been rock solid since now with 153k. I got lucky and it only took a week for me to find it but I see deals like that pop up every now and then
njfastlife
New member
thank you all SO much, some really invaluable info in here so far.
just came across this private party seller. low mileage, 2008. price is "OK" at around $17k.
about to run a carfax, but i plugged it into toyota's site and there isn't one service record on file.
how big of a red flag is this typically?
JTEBU14R48K034840
just came across this private party seller. low mileage, 2008. price is "OK" at around $17k.
about to run a carfax, but i plugged it into toyota's site and there isn't one service record on file.
how big of a red flag is this typically?
JTEBU14R48K034840
njfastlife
New member
Anyone care to take a gander??
JTEBU14R09K037509
JTEBU14R09K037509
the thing is not everyone goes to "toyota" for service.
a lot of us do our own service. I run a performance parts store and i have accounts with dealers so i just get the service bulletin and i do it myself (i have friends with shops so i get to use the lift after hours). As far as parts i usually just get everything from the dealer since i pay wholesale price.
a lot of us do our own service. I run a performance parts store and i have accounts with dealers so i just get the service bulletin and i do it myself (i have friends with shops so i get to use the lift after hours). As far as parts i usually just get everything from the dealer since i pay wholesale price.
mikendallas
New member
Good info here- I'm just starting my search for a 4th generation 4runner
njfastlife
New member
update:
just came across an old CL ad for a 2005 4Runner. It has <70,000 original miles and he's asking $12k.
based in a snowy state but hopefully with the low mileage and the fact that he said he garages it and rarely drives it (has a house in FL) the car doesn't have much rust. he also said "a dealer told me they'd buy it and put it right on the showroom floor".
the CL ad had no picture so maybe the age of the ad isn't too big of a red flag (as these things usually don't last). he's sending me a VIN now.
do any red flags automatically pop up to you?
wish me luck!
only got this image after emailing:
really excited that this could be the one. if VIN checks out i will be heading up tomorrow to take a look.
EDIT:
welp, there goes that. got the VIN from him and this comes up on the Toyota site. why would he even bother giving me the VIN if he was lying? strange...
just came across an old CL ad for a 2005 4Runner. It has <70,000 original miles and he's asking $12k.
based in a snowy state but hopefully with the low mileage and the fact that he said he garages it and rarely drives it (has a house in FL) the car doesn't have much rust. he also said "a dealer told me they'd buy it and put it right on the showroom floor".
the CL ad had no picture so maybe the age of the ad isn't too big of a red flag (as these things usually don't last). he's sending me a VIN now.
do any red flags automatically pop up to you?
wish me luck!
only got this image after emailing:
really excited that this could be the one. if VIN checks out i will be heading up tomorrow to take a look.
EDIT:
welp, there goes that. got the VIN from him and this comes up on the Toyota site. why would he even bother giving me the VIN if he was lying? strange...
Last edited:
Patience is a virtue!
I got my 2005 V6 4x4 from a GM Dealer 2 years ago. It had 64K miles and I paid $14K. I searched for hundreds of miles and found this on Craigslist 5 minutes from my work!
drummeraj12
New member
I drive a V6 98 and I love it. It has better gas mileage than a V8. I bought one dealer and one private. I feel private is better as long as they have had it a while. Some buy them at actions and have no idea what has happened or been done to the car.
JordanHayslip
New member
I have been actively looking for a 4 runner for a month now, I know your pain.
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