Too many Miles??

OHP

OHP

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I think I know the answer to this question so I guess I'm looking for some reassurance. What is everyone's opinion on too many miles to buy? Been searching for a fourth gen for a while and I've found an 04 sport V6 4x4 with 135K miles on it for ~$10K. The mileage is a bit more than I wanted to find but the truck has dealer service records and sounds like it's in good shape. Haven't seen it, 4 hours away. I'm sure this has been asked before and I could spend the next couple of hours searching threads for the answer, but I thought I would just ask.
Thanks for your opinions.
 
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ANY vehicle no matter who makes it...you run a risk of buying a one with over 100k miles. Maintenance is the key. How well it's been maintained is going have the highest influence on how well it'll hold up years from now.

IF (BIG IF) the 4runner has been maintained well then 135k miles almost nothing. My 05 4runner (v6) has over 200k miles and it runs PERFECTLY....Expect to easily put another 100k on it....but it's been meticulously maintained by me.

If the records are good...you still want to get it inspected.
 
I would not buy it but I am at the point in my life where I can afford a vehicle with fewer miles. I do not like having vehicles with over 90k miles but that is just me. I also can not see how they get so much for them with that many miles. I guess that will be in my favor as my 03 V8 4x4 only has 67k miles and I only paid $29k brand new..
 
If it's been maintained and is in good shape buy it.

I think the 100K mile scare comes as a result of banks not willing to finance vehicles over 100K. If they're not willing to finance a car with over a 100K why should an "average Joe" buy one. IMO, screw the banks!

But yeah, I'm not affraid of vehicles with over 100K--last 2 vehicles I've purchased have had over 100K miles and both are running strong. I know I'll have some maintenance to do and if you're willing to do those maintenance items, go for it.
 
135k is nothing for these trucks. Just look over it carefully and make sure the timing cover isn't showing any leaks. Buy it and don't look back.
 
Do a search for 4th gens with the highest miles. There's a whole thread on it. One guy had something like 250k miles with the original engine and tranny and still running strong! I bought mine with 98K. Have a 105k now in only a few month and have had no issues yet. Not quite 135k but still... I mean I had a saab before my 4runner and it broke down every other week. No joke. It's still weird to me not having my car in the shop all the time. I'll shut up now, but you get the idea.
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm still doing some research on the truck so no decision yet. He did tell me that the rear diff had to be replaced. Is this something common? Any ideas why this would have occured?
 
OHP said:
I think I know the answer to this question so I guess I'm looking for some reassurance. What is everyone's opinion on too many miles to buy? Been searching for a fourth gen for a while and I've found an 04 sport V6 4x4 with 135K miles on it for ~$10K. The mileage is a bit more than I wanted to find but the truck has dealer service records and sounds like it's in good shape. Haven't seen it, 4 hours away. I'm sure this has been asked before and I could spend the next couple of hours searching threads for the answer, but I thought I would just ask.
Thanks for your opinions.
Click to expand...

Mileage is just one indicator but if it's been well maintained, 135KM miles is nothing. I would have a mechanic you trust check it over.
Was it mainly highway miles? Did previous owner do a lot of towing? What is the engine compression. Check the transmission fluid color (is it dark?). Has the transmission fluid ever been changed.

I would buy a car that has a bit higher mileage over a car without any maintenance.

Also, at a certain mileage (provide the car has been maintained regularly), most of the major repairs/maintenance would have been done.
 
I love the fact that you can search the service history on toyota's website. I ran the vin on this truck and it shows that the owner brought it in complaining of overheating. On top of that a autocheck report showed an accident. Both things that the owner said didn't happen. Search continues...
 
I'd be really careful if the service records and accident records show one thing but the owner says something else.

It makes you wonder what else he may not be telling you.

It's too bad this truck is 4 hrs away, but I would at least call the guy and confront him about these discrepancies and see how quickly he can answer with an explanation.....or does he stutter and try to make something up on the fly.......

I would not text or e-mail the guy as that will give him time to think about how he can answer before getting back to you.

I agree with what others have said.....if the truck has been well-maintained and has the service records to prove it, then yeah, 135K miles is nothing on a 4Runner.

Good luck:wink2:
 
Check the transmission fluid color (is it dark?).
Click to expand...

Unfortunately that's difficult to do with this vehicle since it's a sealed unit and there is no transmission dip-stick. Only way to check is to drain it.
 
I bought both of my 4runners at higher mileage from out of state. My 97 I bought at 143k-- it was rusty but I knew that before hand, and I had a head gasket failure about a year in, I'm not sure if that had anything to do with the previous owners maintenance. I don't regret buying the car, but I think I could have made a better choice, especially in hindsight having dealt with the rust. I was just trying to get leather and 4wd for the cheapest price possible.

I bought my current 2003 I think with 135k actually, and the issues it's had are negligible. I had to replace one of the front axles ($80) and I did replace the timing belt and water pump, since there was no sticker or dealership record of the service and it made me nervous. I checked the carfax reports for major issues, but I honestly think you've got to be *really* hard on these trucks to cause major issues with them. People in my car are shocked when I tell them it's not new, let alone a 2003 coming close to 160K, and for the savings it's an obvious choice to me. Just be aware that there may be some issues to be handled and big maintenance items to knock out, but it's the trade off for scoring an awesome vehicle for much less.
 
High mileage advantage

Sometimes you get a better deal with a high mileage car as most people shy away from it.

I bought a high mileage Camry afew years and had zero problems with it. Drove it for another 5 years before I traded it in for a 4runner. It was a 2002 so it still had the tranny dip stick so I would do a drain and fill on a regular basisand changed the oil religiously. The engine and tranny ran like a brand new car even on the day I traded it in. Amazing!!! Before I go on long road trips I would do a oil change and tranny drain and fill.
 
same thing almost happened happened to me..am fixing to buy an 04/05 4 runner v6 around $10k~ , been searching for a while, saw one listed on cars.com with 100k miles $12k~ ran the vincheck and found out that the car didnt hv any issues,..checked the vin on toyota site and it was reported having a 4wd actuator problem with an estimated $2200 repair bill..whcih the original owner declined....suprisingly the dealer denied knowing about the 4wd actuator problem!..i ended up not buying the car as he didnt want to take a price cut or acknowledge/repair the actuator
 
Do your homework ie. Carfax, maintenance records, visual inspection and you should be fine. If the timing belt has been replaced, you will see a sticker on the engine block notating when it was changed. If all checks out, you are buying one of the most reliable vehicles on the market.
 
Mark86 said:
Do your homework ie. Carfax, maintenance records, visual inspection and you should be fine. If the timing belt has been replaced, you will see a sticker on the engine block notating when it was changed. If all checks out, you are buying one of the most reliable vehicles on the market.
Click to expand...

Only use carfax for negative reports. Don't depend on it if nothing shows up. Their database only captures less then 5% of all data that it says it reports on.

The OP is looking at a V6...this has a timing CHAIN...Not a belt. And if it was the V8...the sticker may or may NOT be there. Many independents don't put the sticker on. That doesn't mean it wasn't replaced.
 
I was worried about the same thing. I bought an 04 V8 with 147K for 9,000. I asked the same question here and was reassured that it was not that big of an issue. I checked the Owners site VIN number and found out the oil was changed like clockwork at a Toyota dealer every 5K miles. The only thing that was not done was the timing belt so I had that done right away. So far so good. I think I am going to try that seafoam thing as the gas mileage is not that good. I drive my bike any time I can in the summer anyways so this will be more of a winter ride for short commutes to work and then towing the boat/ATV's. I would go for it if you can get it down in price. Use the gas costs as leverage.
 
I just bought an 03 Limited V8 with 125K on it for 9800.00. Needed some tires and basic service items. Overall I have less than 11k in it and it needs nothing but the oil changed for the forseeable future.
 
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