Thinking of buying (another) 4Runner

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dk312

New member
Greetings all,

I used to have an 07 4Runner and then sold it after moving to a city in which a vehicle was more of a burden than anything else. I'm now in need of a vehicle, and naturally I want another 4Runner! I've got my eyes on an 06, but the only problem (as far as I can tell) is that the mileage is high. 136XXX. My previous 4Runner was near new, so I don't have any knowledge/experience with a high mileage one. Should I be concerned at all, or is the consensus that it'll last for a long, long time? Also, the price listed is $12,500 which seems pretty reasonable, but again, I don't have a ton of knowledge on this.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!
 
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I'll render an opinion, but that's all it is.
If it's been well cared for, maintained, had minimal exposure to corrosive environments, and has the features you want, it might be worth the $. To me it seems high, as I bought an '04 v8 earlier in the summer with nearly identical mileage for 30% less. Region can be a factor, but I too am in the salty midwest. I didn't feel mine was a screaming deal, but I walked away happy that I got what I paid for. Condition and care-and-use history are far more important to me than mileage or age, but they're still factors.

I'm a huge believer in the concept of "it's woth what somebody will pay" so far be it from me to say it's too high. I would however shop around some if you can afford the time. Consider too how you'll use it and/or plan to modify it anyway. If you need transportation, you need reliability and road-worthiness, and that's worth hunting and paying for. If you intend to cut it up and make it yours... a solid frame and mechanicals matter, but after that... well, it's gonna get changed anyway, so no sense paying extra.

There's folks on here with FAR more mileage than our "high mileage" trucks, and they're still going strong, so it can certainly be done.

dk312 said:
Greetings all,
I used to have an 07 4Runner and then sold it after moving to a city in which a vehicle was more of a burden than anything else. I'm now in need of a vehicle, and naturally I want another 4Runner! I've got my eyes on an 06, but the only problem (as far as I can tell) is that the mileage is high. 136XXX. My previous 4Runner was near new, so I don't have any knowledge/experience with a high mileage one. Should I be concerned at all, or is the consensus that it'll last for a long, long time? Also, the price listed is $12,500 which seems pretty reasonable, but again, I don't have a ton of knowledge on this.
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!
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I just picked my '06 up with 92k miles. Realizing that you can put the VIN into the Toyota Owners website and have it show all the Toyota maintenance was a helpful hint for me. While looking for one at the dealer I was able to punch the VIN# in while working with the sales person and show him what was done and what was not done (at Toyota dealer anyway). Nice tool. My '06 showed that it had all Toyota dealer routine maint. from 40k to 90k. The first 40k is a question mark but I figure the past 52k it had good maint. Carfax only listed a few of its actual services.

Also, as the owner of a lot of high mileage vehicles over the years (my main commuter VW Golf has 256k, my previous '97 4runner had 170k, my last Mercedes had 233k) if the steering and suspension feels loose and makes a lot of noises, keep looking unless the price is set accordingly. If the engine leaks anything I also walk the other way. If the owner or dealer hasn't taken care of leaks before selling keep looking. The dealer almost had me talked into an '04 Tundra but just felt shaky and loose. The 4runner feels tight as a drum.
 
NuclearN8 said:
less talk, more action.
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What does this even mean?

To brian.j and cek77, thanks for the input. That VIN tool is nice to know, but unfortunately there are no service records for this vehicle at the dealership.

Anyone else care to provide some insight?
 
dk312 said:
What does this even mean?

To brian.j and cek77, thanks for the input. That VIN tool is nice to know, but unfortunately there are no service records for this vehicle at the dealership.

Anyone else care to provide some insight?
Click to expand...

It means anyone can talk about it buying a 4Runner all day, just go buy one... You're obviously knowledgeable about them, you've owned one before (and liked it enough to buy another one)... and there's enough info on the stickies that if you took the time to read them (like the pre-purchase info thread)... you wouldn't have to create this pointless thread... You're gonna get 500 different opinions, so just find one YOU like and think is a good deal in your area and buy it and enjoy it. Not to be critical but you have to buy the vehicle that will make you happy, not someone on this forum, ya know?
 
NuclearN8 said:
It means anyone can talk about it buying a 4Runner all day, just go buy one... You're obviously knowledgeable about them, you've owned one before (and liked it enough to buy another one)... and there's enough info on the stickies that if you took the time to read them (like the pre-purchase info thread)... you wouldn't have to create this pointless thread... You're gonna get 500 different opinions, so just find one YOU like and think is a good deal in your area and buy it and enjoy it. Not to be critical but you have to buy the vehicle that will make you happy, not someone on this forum, ya know?
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Ah, you're one of those guys. You should just put a disclaimer in your signature saying something to the effect of "my entire purpose here is to piss all over the place and add nothing of value."

Nothing wrong with me asking people who like 4Runners enough to join a 4Runner community their opinions on 4Runners. Pretty novel concept, no?
 
We sold our 06 V8 in 2010 for a Prius. Big career changes put me working at home and my wife commuting a LOT. The Prius saved us a buttload of money over the years but I knew that when the time came that it made $ense, I'd have another 4R to sit beside the high mpg commuter in the driveway.

4 years later I found a clean '05 V6 at a dealer for a bit over ten grand and i went for it. I had the same issue, wanted low miles, and this one had 145k. I looked at a half dozen other trucks, all with lower miles, many newer years, every one of them was more expensive and in terrible shape (rusty frames, stinky, wrecked interiors, obvious neglect, etc.)

So the high mileage one got my sale. It was in the cleanest, best shape, from a dealer so I had a little recourse if it fell apart shortly after purchase, and very complete records showing it to be somebody's Connecticut cream puff (all dealer serviced, etc.)

Miles shouldn't scare you away IF it's in good mechanical shape and you have maintenance records.

Do your due diligence on head gasket (V6) and timing belt service (V8) and enjoy your next 4Runner.
 
dk312 said:
Ah, you're one of those guys. You should just put a disclaimer in your signature saying something to the effect of "my entire purpose here is to piss all over the place and add nothing of value."

Nothing wrong with me asking people who like 4Runners enough to join a 4Runner community their opinions on 4Runners. Pretty novel concept, no?
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I hardly need a disclaimer, and think whatever you want about me not contributing.... you're the one with a total of 3 posts buddy.

I admit, I am a realist and what I typed wasn't meant to be personal, so lighten up a bit please. Go buy a sr5, v8 (that's had the water pump replaced if high mileage) and be done with it already.
 
I bought my 2004 SR5 V6 with 159,000 & no hesitation whatsoever. I was trading in a 2006 Tacoma with just over 100,000 & I now have 167,000 on it & it still starts every time & runs great. I would say go for it because these vehicle if well maintained easily go 200K. I actually LIKE having the higher mileage vehicle just because it shows how durable these vehicles really are. I don't worry one bit each day & know it will get me where I want to go. I plan on putting as many miles as possible on this truck just for the satisfaction of knowing it can get there.
 
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Similar here. One of my favorite things about my truck is that it's in great shape, runs fantastic, and is still fun and secure to drive, but because of its mileage and history I don't have to feel afraid of it. I don't abuse it, but I work it and don't lose sleep over every little scratch.
The $30k difference between mine and a new one will buy a LOT of gasoline, maintenance, and upgrades to keep it going comfortably for many more years and miles.

There are some things for which my feelings border on hatred too, and I've tried to get used to them, mainly Toyota's assumptions with regard to conveniences and electronic drive-train controls. This morning was probably at least the 5th time this summer that I came out to find my rear window had been down all night during a downpour, and I've sat on my panic button more than once in the middle of the night. I think I'm removing the key fob from my keychain. We take the good with the bad, and learn to adapt, but there's a number of reasons these trucks hold their values.

4RunnerSR52004 said:
I bought my 2004 SR5 V6 with 159,000 & no hesitation whatsoever. I was trading in a 2006 Tacoma with just over 100,000 & I now have 167,000 on it & it still starts every time & runs great. I would say go for it because these vehicle if well maintained easily go 200K. I actually LIKE having the higher mileage vehicle just because it shows how durable these vehicles really are. I don't worry one bit each day & know it will get me where I want to go. I plan on putting as many miles as possible on this truck just for the satisfaction of knowing it can get there.
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Just an update (in case anyone cares)... I did in fact wind up buying this vehicle (got it for $11,500) and couldn't be happier. It was 4+ years between 4Runners and I'm SO glad I have another one now!

Now to figure out what I want to do to it!
 
dk312 said:
Just an update (in case anyone cares)... I did in fact wind up buying this vehicle (got it for $11,500) and couldn't be happier. It was 4+ years between 4Runners and I'm SO glad I have another one now!

Now to figure out what I want to do to it!
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Congrats on the 4Runner purchase and for negotiating down to $11,500. Considering it came from a dealer, I think that's a decent price.

And the thing that truly matters is that you're happy with it! Now to start doing some tasteful mods on it :)
 
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