To but or not to buy?

[rknight]

I just checked out an 02 SR5 with <110K miles on the clock. One owner, no accidents, 50/50 dealer maintained, all records (it's like a dream!).

It'll need at least a windshield and tires for safety, and I'll have my mech. inspect it next week. Got a reasonable quote on Michelin Latitude Tour tires for the 16" wheels, anyone have any thoughts on that rubber?

All the elex works (including AC and rear control!). Rides nice, steering is tight, but the exhaust sounds a bit loud. It does feel a bit underpowered - is that blasphemy to say aloud? I wonder if a CAI would help at all... (I'm sure there are many a thread about them?

The hatch has some rust (flaked) on the outer edge of the chrome around the license plate housing and inside the "T" emblem. I wonder if body work could really help slow it down... ? Anyone have any luck with DIY rust work?

I found that the seat cushion was rather short and unsupportive. Eleven years would flatten the support, but does anyone have any remedies (OEM or third-party) for the short seat cushion? Does the Limited seat offer any more length/support?

All emissions systems passed except the Evap and the Cat because they were "Not Ready". Either the battery was unplugged or drained and boosted, or someone reset the computer. Is this a sign of sketchy business? The dealer has had it for a week, traded-in.

Thanks everyone! I'm getting closer to finally getting that elusive 3rd Gen.

 

[ABOZEYAD]

TB kit?

TB kit is the Timing Belt kit.

 

[rknight]

TB kit is the Timing Belt kit.

Ah. Of course it is :brick:

 

[rknight]

My biggest concern for this guy is the rust on the hatch.

 

[rknight]

The owner is also unsure of why the cat. and evap system were "Not Ready". He is not aware of any issues with the battery or an electrical drain of any kind.

Overall, the truck was good to him except for a coolant system issue. An inner hose blew and pressurized the system, and tranny fluid got into the coolant system. They replaced the entire coolant system, flushed the tranny and also did the timing belt while they were in there. He can't recall if they did the water pump as well. That was two years ago.

He put on new brake pads last summer, undercoated once upon purchase in 2001/2002 (I'm surprise there's only the one rusty spot on the hatch). And he confirmed he never had an accident in the vehicle, reported or not.

He enjoyed it quite a bit, overall. Enough to keep it for eleven years!

The dealer list price is $7000.00.

 

[rknight]

They accepted an offer from me, pending the vehicle passing the emissions test and pending my mechanic's inspection!

I'm sorry if I alienated myself by admitting to feeling as if this truck was unpowered. I suppose that is all relative and subjective.

I did discover another post about finding the SR5 seats uncomfortable, and that the Limiteds have "better" seats, the sport seats. Does the SR5 also have the sport seats, was it a SR5 option? Or were both the cloth and leather options for the SR5 the "basic" seats?

 

[I_bRAD]

transmission fluid in the rad makes me suspicious. Do you know about the pink milkshake problem? Look into that further before you put your money down

 

[rknight]

Yeah, the pink milkshake concerns me too and I will certainly have my mechanic pay special attention thereabouts during his inspection.

 

[Steve240]

I picked up a runner in toronto, one thing to pay close attention to is the state of the rear axle. on my search I saw 3 that were rusted right through the rear diff cover around the ebrake cable bracket. all 3 had been covered with sealant. only 1 owner told me about it up front so be careful.

I also wouldnt worry about the km's I got mine at 190, replaced the rad and tb right away, the trucks been great for the 40,000 i've put on.

 

[rknight]

Thanks Steve.

I'm going to mention all the issue flagged in the 3rd Gen Buyers' Guide, mentioned what the previous owner disclosed, a few other things I'm worried about and then hope for the best!

 

[rknight]

Oh, and she's got the dead antenna.

 

[Steve240]

^ autopartsway.ca will be your best friend.

 

[rknight]

^ autopartsway.ca will be your best friend.

Thanks Steve. I'm about to read the Power Antenna Motor thread.

 

[rknight]

Hoping everything goes well, I will be looking into some good rubber for the truck fairly immediately.

'02 SR5 4WD with 16" wheels. Does any have any suggestions, or know of a good thread?

I'll be looking for all season tires, and getting a set of winter tires for the winter season. For now, I'm looking for a nice all-season road tire. 10% of my driving will on a gravel rural road, the rest will be city and highway. I am hoping for a good balance between suspension and cushiness, handling, ride comfort and road noise. With a priority towards handling and suspension.

Michelin Latitudes were recommended to me by my tire shop. But he doesn't know 4Runner like y'all do.

Thanks everyone.

 

[rknight]

Emissions passed!

It passed the emissions and my mechanic is putting it through an inspection right now

Does anyone have any insight on my tires questions? on 1010tires, it seems the Michelin Latitudes are not a customer favorite, but the Pirelli ScorpionATR, Yokohama Geolander ATS, Firestone Destination AT, Michelin LTX M-S2 and LTX AT2, Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo 2 seem to have really good ratings with a lot of customers.

Does anyone use any of these? If the vast majority on my travels are on pavement, does it make sense to get an all terrain tire?

 

[jgeorg]

It passed the emissions and my mechanic is putting it through an inspection right now

Does anyone have any insight on my tires questions? on 1010tires, it seems the Michelin Latitudes are not a customer favorite, but the Pirelli ScorpionATR, Yokohama Geolander ATS, Firestone Destination AT, Michelin LTX M-S2 and LTX AT2, Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo 2 seem to have really good ratings with a lot of customers.

Does anyone use any of these? If the vast majority on my travels are on pavement, does it make sense to get an all terrain tire?

The only tire I really know about on your list is the Revo 2. We had them on our 2003 Honda Pilot. It was a good SUV tire, and it pulled through our snow very nicely. Wear is also good! For something that won't be doing a lot of heavy "off-roading", the Revo will be a good tire. Congrats on the passing emissions, hopefully all else goes well!

 

[rknight]

Thanks jgeorg.

My mech. has provided some feedback post-inspection. Overall, it's a pretty healthy truck still.

However, the transmission cooler lines look quite rusty and are sweating. Rust I expect at this age and especially in this region/climate, but is sweat something to really worry about?

There is a grayish milky fluid in the rad that he thinks could be stop-leak, but he's not sure. Anybody put stop-leak in their rads and yield this color too?

There seems to be the start of a leak in the axle seal of the right rear wheel. If we replace the seal (and bearing) now to nip this in the bud, is there a good chance the problem won't return? Or, for those of you who have had axle seal leaks, does this become a problem that persists?

Many thanks.

I'm going to head over there and take another look.

 

[rknight]

In the end, I passed

Back on the hunt...

 

[mastee]

This might give some reference.....

I bought a 98 4wd with elocker on ebay for $4700 add $250 for the flight and gas to bring it back to ATL that was 3 years n 30k miles ago (it had 180K on the clock when I got it).
The truck was 100 miles outsides Kansas i.e no stop n go traffic of a large city otherwise I would have looked for slightly lower mileage, it had been with the same person all its life (registration at the same DMV since 99), no rust, 0 accidents, the seats had couple of rips but besides that no other major issues...
I immediately installed an external cooler and bypassed the rad, and upgraded to tundra brakes n rotors, Bilstein shock/springs, sparkplugs, air filter.....some cosmetic stuff that was not needed.....
During my search I looked at several comparable ones in ATL all were over $6800 at least at the time and sold really fast....... there were two deals that I saw that may have been better/comparable to what I got but these guys were gone within a day or so.... moral of my search dont rush and also look for other avenues.......

 

[BigSlim]

Does anyone have any insight on my tires questions? on 1010tires, it seems the Michelin Latitudes are not a customer favorite, but the Pirelli ScorpionATR, Yokohama Geolander ATS, Firestone Destination AT, Michelin LTX M-S2 and LTX AT2, Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo 2 seem to have really good ratings with a lot of customers.

Does anyone use any of these? If the vast majority on my travels are on pavement, does it make sense to get an all terrain tire?

I have the Yokohama Geolander's on my 97. This is probably the 4th set of Yoko's I have had on a 4x4 and I love them. Get great mileage out of them and they are excellent in rain, snow and moderate off roading. These really give a nice smooth ride.