Looking at 04 4runner v6 3.5l with really high mileage, 497k km(about 310k miles). All highway, one owner, dealer maintained. Clean no engine codes just vsc and tire pressure. Rear hatch doesn't open. Clean inside and out as used for a 200k a day commuting with only one person. What major things should I be aware of when going over it again? Axles ,trans, hidden rust areas. I have a 33ok km 3rd gen with no problems since I owned it. Any idea of value with this sort of mileage?
Thinking of buying a really high mileage 4th gen
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Whitson Metalworks
New member
Probably going to need a seat too
Martinjmpr
New member
It's going to need another .5l in the engine. 
chompster4runner
New member
It's going to need another .5l in the engine.
Lmao!
With both those lights on it probably needs the zero point calibration.
With anything that high mileage I would definitely check the axles, ball joints, tie rods, how smooth does it shift. Does she have receipts or records of maintenance? I would ask her what she would like for it then use the money you would have to put into it to get it in good condition as a haggling tool.
With anything that high mileage I would definitely check the axles, ball joints, tie rods, how smooth does it shift. Does she have receipts or records of maintenance? I would ask her what she would like for it then use the money you would have to put into it to get it in good condition as a haggling tool.
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Ask10
New member
Main thing is to get it checked out by a mechanic honestly. I mean a total checked up like compression test, leak down test etc. It'll be an hour or two of labor, but if you really want to know the health of the vehicle, it's worth it.
While mileage of course is an indicator for some things, honestly, if it's well taken care of and in good shape, snap it up. Everyone is afraid of high mileage, but I've seen meticulously maintained Fords with 600k (local shuttle fleet I used to maintain) that ran better some cars with 20k which never had an oil change so...main thing is get it checked out.
EDIT: I picked up myself a Mercury Sable in college with 380k on it and drove it to 445k, not a single issue. I gave the guy $500 when the blue book was $4,000, so value is very subjective. He told me he had it for sale for 3 months and I was the first person to even show up to look at the car.
While mileage of course is an indicator for some things, honestly, if it's well taken care of and in good shape, snap it up. Everyone is afraid of high mileage, but I've seen meticulously maintained Fords with 600k (local shuttle fleet I used to maintain) that ran better some cars with 20k which never had an oil change so...main thing is get it checked out.
EDIT: I picked up myself a Mercury Sable in college with 380k on it and drove it to 445k, not a single issue. I gave the guy $500 when the blue book was $4,000, so value is very subjective. He told me he had it for sale for 3 months and I was the first person to even show up to look at the car.
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V8Man
Member
Any car with that mileage has had someone's ass in that seat for a long time. My 1998 Taurus has 250k on it and my boys says it smells like an old man. Farts, BO, and fries!
ARQ91
New member
I recently bought a high mileage T4R with 200K miles on it and it's been great. Watch out for the cylinder 6 head gasket issue on the V6. I sealed mine but I'm planning on doing a rebuild with headers and an intake, plus I'm in the car business so I'm really not bothered since I can source parts and find a good machine shop. I only had 30 seconds to decide whether I wanted the truck or not so I said "F*** It" and here I am lol. Even with 200K miles on a leaky head gasket and being a heavier 4wd SUV I drag raced my friends IS300 and lost by half a car length which is not bad at all.
At the end of the day...even if you have all the records and paperwork and crap you still get either lucky or unlucky with your used car purchase. Obviously it is better to have less owners and more maintenance records. Mine was a semi-local one owner car.
I've been behind the wheel of MANY cars with high miles and lots of signs of abuse and the 4th gen 4runner is the BEST and holds up like a champ. I love this truck and It's why I bought one. For the same price I could have snagged me a lower mileage Land Rover LR3. I think I made the right choice.
At the end of the day...even if you have all the records and paperwork and crap you still get either lucky or unlucky with your used car purchase. Obviously it is better to have less owners and more maintenance records. Mine was a semi-local one owner car.
I've been behind the wheel of MANY cars with high miles and lots of signs of abuse and the 4th gen 4runner is the BEST and holds up like a champ. I love this truck and It's why I bought one. For the same price I could have snagged me a lower mileage Land Rover LR3. I think I made the right choice.
Martinjmpr
New member
Martinjmpr
New member
If it's a 4x4 I would worry about the transfer case actuators being worn to the point of not working.
TripleTS_T4R
New member
Those are all good points, I thought that the air intake issue was an issue on the v8. That was one of the reasons i didn't look at the v8 due to the $$$$? Please educate me if this is something that I have missed in my research.
Also, I have a warranty company issue. Since we are talking about high mileage 4th gens. Mine not so high at 100k but I had to get the wheel bearings replaced on the front. Now the warranty company covers this, however, they stated that they would only cover the bearings ($35) in their eyes. With the hubs on the 4x4 4runner and most trucks(older) getting the bearing separated from the hub is a :vader:. They also only cover $60 in labor cost, what the HELL is that!
I still have time to get another warranty from someone else at this point. Does anyone know of a good warranty company to go with. Thanks of help.
Rishi3
New member
Early v6s 03-04 have a headgasket issue that can cost a pretty penny. V8s have a cracked manifold that can be heard by a tick for all model years (someone correct me if I am wrong)
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OliviasDad
New member
Damn...I hope to get 300+ miles from my 2004 V6, just bought it and it only has 128k right now.
luke87gt
New member
That's a funny marketing term people use for high mileage cars.
I can tell you that with 310K miles, it's seen everything. Highway, street, stop and go traffic, off-road, everything and then some.
I don't know why people include that in their ads or who sees that as a selling point.
