Trade-In or Maintain current 4th Gen

[miagi]

Hello All,
I current have a 2004 V8 Limited with 113K on the odometer. I bought it used at 73K but now it needs a lot of maintainence work. I still owe about 10K.

My question is, should I put $2,500 into my current 4Runner or trade it in and use the money for a newer vehicle. I drive about 20K per year and need my current vehicle to last to 200K if I put this much money into it.

The following is the maintainance I need/want:

Mandatory - replace timing belt and water pump - $900
Mandatory - 4 BF Goodrich All Terrain's - $902 installed
Elective - 90,000 mile service plus spark plugs - $700ish
Total $2,550 including tax and a 15% coupon

I'm just looking for an outside opinion on which choice would be the best financial decision. I'll have it paid off in a little less than 2 years. Thanks for your help, Eric

 

[Jeff T]

Hello All,
I current have a 2004 V8 Limited with 113K on the odometer. I bought it used at 73K but now it needs a lot of maintainence work. I still owe about 10K.

My question is, should I put $2,500 into my current 4Runner or trade it in and use the money for a newer vehicle. I drive about 20K per year and need my current vehicle to last to 200K if I put this much money into it.

The following is the maintainance I need/want:

Mandatory - replace timing belt and water pump - $900
Mandatory - 4 BF Goodrich All Terrain's - $902 installed
Elective - 90,000 mile service plus spark plugs - $700ish
Total $2,550 including tax and a 15% coupon

I'm just looking for an outside opinion on which choice would be the best financial decision. I'll have it paid off in a little less than 2 years. Thanks for your help, Eric

Timing belt - Agree
Tires - You can do better tham $900
90k Service - You can do most of it yourself

Keep it! Someone just hit 250k with an 04 V8...

These things are incredible, I'll never own anything but...

JMHO.:thumb3:

 

[DocMT]

It is almost always financially prudent to keep and maintain your older vehicle than it is to buy a new one. And lets face it...you're talking about a Toyota that will likely go twice the mileage that it has now without needing a whole lot of maintenance costs.

Now if you had an old Chevy with 250,000 miles on it, I'd probably be singing a different song...

 

[CXS]

Mandatory - replace timing belt and water pump - $900
Mandatory - 4 BF Goodrich All Terrain's - $902 installed
Elective - 90,000 mile service plus spark plugs - $700ish
Total $2,550 including tax and a 15% coupon

Keep it, my '05 has 120k on it and I consider it just broken in. You're talking dealer pricing on delayed maintenance so consider doing some more research. The water pump is not mandatory, just easy money for the dealer. If it's not leaking leave it alone.

90k service is primarily plugs which you can do yourself even if you don't consider yourself mechanically inclined.

Tire prices are all over the place so do some serious checking and consideration of alternatives to BFG A/T's which IMHO aren't the best for this truck depending on your use.

 

[stanleybb50]

Keep it. Those are all just maintenance items that are to be expected. Could run trouble free for years after doing the maintenance.


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[miagi]

Timing belt - Agree
Tires - You can do better tham $900
90k Service - You can do most of it yourself

Keep it! Someone just hit 250k with an 04 V8...

These things are incredible, I'll never own anything but...

JMHO.:thumb3:

Man, where are you getting 4 BFG All Terrain's installed for less than $900. I've been looking everywhere and that was the absolute best price I found. Also, I could save a few hundred by doing the 90K myself. It's really a time factor for me.

 

[Jeff T]

Man, where are you getting 4 BFG All Terrain's installed for less than $900. I've been looking everywhere and that was the absolute best price I found. Also, I could save a few hundred by doing the 90K myself. It's really a time factor for me.

My thought was different tires... Unless you have your heart set on the BFG's.

Time factor - time is $$$. Most of it is not that hard, especially the plugs!!

 

[miagi]

My thought was different tires... Unless you have your heart set on the BFG's.

Time factor - time is $$$. Most of it is not that hard, especially the plugs!!

Maybe I should skip the 90K service and do the tranny fluid, differential, t. case, radiator, zerk fittings and plugs myself. I am able to do it, just really busy right now.

I'm looking for a really good AT tire because we are in the CO mountains alot, both summer and winter. I considered the General Grabber AT2's and Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor's. Any thoughts on durabiltiy/longgevity vs. the BFG AT's?

 

[Jerrydog]

Keep it, the down payment and depreciation on a new vehicle will be 3x that.

 

[Jeff T]

Maybe I should skip the 90K service and do the tranny fluid, differential, t. case, radiator, zerk fittings and plugs myself. I am able to do it, just really busy right now.

I'm looking for a really good AT tire because we are in the CO mountains alot, both summer and winter. I considered the General Grabber AT2's and Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor's. Any thoughts on durabiltiy/longgevity vs. the BFG AT's?

Take a look at Tire Racks rating on tires, the input is from real users. And search the board here for tire options. I'm sure you're not the only CO 4R owner!

Good Luck!:thumb3:

 

[xlaxx]

$900 for tires is pretty steep. Not sure if you're wheelin' or not and/or need swampers,... but I have been very pleased with the Michelin MS / LTX tires. They have been extremely durable for me. I have seen over 70K on a set (4) and went well past 6 yrs with no sidewall rot or cracking. I purchased 4 for <$500 from Costco with a coupon. Out the door was under $125/tire. Your mileage may vary with what you're looking to do in the Rockies.

xlaxx

 

[TOY2G]

KEEP IT

You can do a litle better onthe service, most dealers will apply a 10% discount if you only ask nice.

As for tires, BFG Ats are not a great tire, being natural rubber and all, take a look at the Hankook RF10 or the Cooper AT both are higher silicate and IMO a much better tire. You should be able to get them for around 750 out the door.

FYI I have two T4Rs an 03 and an 04 both V8 andBoth Over 160K ZERO Problems

 

[R.A.]

Sell it and buy another, newer vehicle.

I am finishing up on bringing (my) 04 with 85K to a like new condition. If I had to do it over again, I would take the $3.5K+ ( and I'm not done yet!) that I put into this vehicle, and make a down payment on a newer vehicle with less miles. Just does not make sense to put money into the vehicle this old (only if you really like the vehicle). It's actually my wife's DD, and she likes the vehicle. Tried to talk her into an 08 T4R V6 with a lot less miles and with all the amenties like side curtain airbags and (everything I wanted), but she likes this one.

In the long run, I would not do it again. But it's her vehicle, not mine.

 

[snhrph]

Maybe I should skip the 90K service and do the tranny fluid, differential, t. case, radiator, zerk fittings and plugs myself. I am able to do it, just really busy right now.

I'm looking for a really good AT tire because we are in the CO mountains alot, both summer and winter. I considered the General Grabber AT2's and Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor's. Any thoughts on durabiltiy/longgevity vs. the BFG AT's?

Silent Armors are awesome tires with great performance across the board. They also have the "Snow Flake" symbol, which will come in handy on those snowed mountain roads.

I have about 20000 mile on my Silent Armors, and they still look new.

 

[krupnation]

My vote is to keep it and pay it off. These trucks run forever if properly maintained. My 3rd gen had 188k miles on it when i sold it and it looked and drove like it had 50k miles on it. Quick question though, what are you looking to trade it in for? Something more fuel efficient? Another 4runner?

 

[miagi]

My vote is to keep it and pay it off. These trucks run forever if properly maintained. My 3rd gen had 188k miles on it when i sold it and it looked and drove like it had 50k miles on it. Quick question though, what are you looking to trade it in for? Something more fuel efficient? Another 4runner?

It's looking like I am going to keep it and drive it until it dies. I was initially put off by the price tag with doing the proper maintainence it needs. If I were to trade it in, it would for a lower mileage 4th gen or a Tacoma 6-speed.

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses. I value the information obtained from people on this board.

 

[Jeff T]

Stick around, there's plenty of knowledge as well as opinions!

 

[cabowally]

Now for a completely different point of view....since who are we to presume we have a vote?

I just went through the exact same process. 130k on an 03 that I knew was going to need $2500 inside of 6 months and a likely additional $2500 within 18 months.

Look around.

Not knowing which way to go, I started looking at what was out there. After a month of looking, I found something that seemed to be a good deal that got me thinking about trading up. 2007, 58k with several add-on options for $29k--not certified. Told the sales kid that if he could get me into it for $21,500 with the 2003 trade-in I was interested.

Sales kid missed a beat (a big beat) and we couldn't get the paperwork handled the way I wanted. Wasn't a deal killer but it got me thinking that before I try to force a deal that was now handicapped let me check again to make sure it was what I wanted. As a result, I found a much better deal: 2008, 3000 fewer miles, certified, the "right color", bigger tow package and...$1000 less. And....because this vehicle was certified, Toyota financed it at 2.9% vs having to get the bank involved at 5.9%. Not a huge difference but every little bit helps, right?

So, the short version to a bunch of typed diarrhea is: look around. If you see something you like then leverage your current vehicle to get you into it. Dealers have lots of used inventory are super hungry to move it.

 

[Gatafly]

$900 for tires is pretty steep. Not sure if you're wheelin' or not and/or need swampers,... but I have been very pleased with the Michelin MS / LTX tires. They have been extremely durable for me. I have seen over 70K on a set (4) and went well past 6 yrs with no sidewall rot or cracking. I purchased 4 for <$500 from Costco with a coupon. Out the door was under $125/tire. Your mileage may vary with what you're looking to do in the Rockies.

xlaxx

Those are my favorite tire, but the 265 /65/16 LTX M/S are about $255/tire plus install at Costco. They are the best place to get tires IMO and you can wait and get a coupon, but that is only for $70-$100 off the total. Man I wish you could get them for $125/tire. If you got them for that price please tell me how so I can run there tomorrow. Not being a wise guy, just would love those tires at that price.

 

[Jeff S.]

Those are my favorite tire, but the 265 /65/16 LTX M/S are about $255/tire plus install at Costco. They are the best place to get tires IMO and you can wait and get a coupon, but that is only for $70-$100 off the total. Man I wish you could get them for $125/tire. If you got them for that price please tell me how so I can run there tomorrow. Not being a wise guy, just would love those tires at that price.

I picked up four Michelin M/S 2 (265/70/17) from Tirerack for $805 out-the-door (and I'll be getting a $70 dollar rebate card any day). I picked them up from their Reno warehouse, so I didn't have to pay shipping. Toyota put them on for $10 a tire.