undercarriage thoughts

[Sawdog]

Keep in mind that Maryland does not have safety inspections other than when you buy a vehicle. Many rust buckets driving around that would've been caught in places like PA who have inspection.

 

[ToyotaBrah]

That's a shame. At $7-8K with that mileage I knew it was too good to be true. I wouldn't know where to start with repairing.

It would certainly be worth that asking price if it didn't have as much rust. Even if you got this truck at $3K, I would not buy it. You will be fighting an uphill battle with rust til you're retired. And this is not including all of the other repairs needed on these trucks (rear axle seals, ball joints, radiator).

I would much rather buy a high-mileage 4Runner from Arizona with clear coat issues (which is common in the southwest) over rust.

If you're able to travel, look into other parts of the country where salt is not heavily used.

 

[EAJ4runner]

Keep in mind that Maryland does not have safety inspections other than when you buy a vehicle. Many rust buckets driving around that would've been caught in places like PA who have inspection.

As someone who was born in MD and lived there all the way up until going to college in PA and working in PA, MD does indeed have safety inspections. They just are on a 2 year basis opposed to the yearly basis that PA is on. You could tag it historic in MD after 20 years and get by an inspection but at the age of these vehicles you could also do the same in PA with an antique tag.

 

[Hepar]

Thanks, that's super helpful. I could take it to have someone look at it but don't want to drive the hour to look at the vehicle unless the rust isn't an issue. Just completely out of my knowledge base when it comes to rust.

Just being aware of rust being an issue is a lot more than most people take into consideration when buying a used car. Consider yourself ahead of the game.

 

[DreadPirateJon]

That's a shame. At $7-8K with that mileage I knew it was too good to be true. I wouldn't know where to start with repairing.

Being in NC, I know you can find some much cleaner examples. Just keep looking and I'm sure you'll find something soon.

 

[Sawdog]

As someone who was born in MD and lived there all the way up until going to college in PA and working in PA, MD does indeed have safety inspections. They just are on a 2 year basis opposed to the yearly basis that PA is on. You could tag it historic in MD after 20 years and get by an inspection but at the age of these vehicles you could also do the same in PA with an antique tag.

I was under the impression that Maryland only requires inspection upon transferring ownership of a vehicle.

A bit more research shows biennial emissions inspections are required in 13 of 22 counties in MD, plus the city of Baltimore. Don't see anywhere else that safety inspections are required every 2 years. I went and looked at a few vehicles in MD and each time i stuck my hand through a hole in the frame I was told MD didn't have safety inspections, but hey, I've been wrong before.

 

[Ridgeback00]

Funny, I have those exact pictures on my phone when I inquired about it. I think it depends how much you want to spend, I just waited for one that came up in WA with almost no rust but cost me $1200 to ship uke:

 

[grahamwzim]

Funny, I have those exact pictures on my phone when I inquired about it. I think it depends how much you want to spend, I just waited for one that came up in WA with almost no rust but cost me $1200 to ship uke:

Were you looking at this one, too? What service did you use to find the 4Runner from WA? I'm hesitant to purchase without seeing it in person first, but I know alot of people do that.

 

[grahamwzim]

Thanks again, everyone, for being so helpful.

Yesterday I went and saw an 07 V6 with 140K miles. Went for a pre-purchase inspection and there were no issues with the engine. Drove great. Just brake pads and a some rust on the undercarriage.

I went ahead and put a deposit down on the vehicle and then immediately regretted it because of the rust. I spoke to two people and they said it looks like surface rust and shouldn't be an issue, but I'd like your opinion.

How bad does this look, and what should I immediately do after purchasing the vehicle (if I do) to make sure I can get many good years out of it? Or did I just make a horrible mistake?

 

[sleepydad]

Thanks again, everyone, for being so helpful.

Yesterday I went and saw an 07 V6 with 140K miles. Went for a pre-purchase inspection and there were no issues with the engine. Drove great. Just brake pads and a some rust on the undercarriage.

I went ahead and put a deposit down on the vehicle and then immediately regretted it because of the rust. I spoke to two people and they said it looks like surface rust and shouldn't be an issue, but I'd like your opinion.

How bad does this look, and what should I immediately do after purchasing the vehicle (if I do) to make sure I can get many good years out of it? Or did I just make a horrible mistake?

tons of info on the site about it

site:toyota-4Runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/ rust proof


that does not look bad to me but I live in the salt belt. the CA guys will chime in and say it's terrible, it's not. if you want to help prevent further rusting... fluid film is my weapon of choice.

as long as there are no holes... usually things are fine but it's much more difficult to work on a truck like that. sometimes cutting or grinding off nuts and bolts is the only way to get them off.

don't feel bad that looks like a fine truck.

 

[ToyotaBrah]

I think that underbody rust is manageable. You can see the rest of the frame and it looks solid.

Just will need a little attention in the way of scaling the surface rust off and applying some kind of rust encapsulator (POR 15, Eastwood). What are they asking?

 

[grahamwzim]

I think that underbody rust is manageable. You can see the rest of the frame and it looks solid.

Just will need a little attention in the way of scaling the surface rust off and applying some kind of rust encapsulator (POR 15, Eastwood). What are they asking?

Thanks, that makes me feel a little better. Unfortunately, they're asking $12K for it, likely due to the year, leather seats, sunroof, etc. There is another 4runner on the lot with 110k miles, 04 V6 that they're asking 10K for.

Like I mentioned, I ran the truck through an inspection and the engine is running great. Here in NC these 4runners can come and go within hours. There's such a high demand that it's hard to find one reasonably priced.

If I make an investment in this I want to make sure I'm not entering a money pit and can use the vehicle for another 100K miles.

 

[Mark_BC]

That rust looks fine. For now just apply rust inhibitor and later on work on repairing some of the rusty spots like the diff pumpkin.

 

[ToyotaBrah]

Thanks, that makes me feel a little better. Unfortunately, they're asking $12K for it, likely due to the year, leather seats, sunroof, etc. There is another 4runner on the lot with 110k miles, 04 V6 that they're asking 10K for.

Like I mentioned, I ran the truck through an inspection and the engine is running great. Here in NC these 4runners can come and go within hours. There's such a high demand that it's hard to find one reasonably priced.

If I make an investment in this I want to make sure I'm not entering a money pit and can use the vehicle for another 100K miles.

I can't tell you how many 4Runners I came across that sold within hours of being posted. Pretty wild how quick these trucks sell themselves.

If you are considering buying from private parties as well, download the Craigslist app on your phone and setup alerts when 4Runners get posted in your area. I'm pretty you can add parameters to it so that it only pings you about 4th gen 4Runners. This is what I did and I caught my 4Runner within 5 hours of it being posted. Even still, the guy had like 6 calls for it.

If you're spending over $10K, I would encourage you to look into the V8 models. The gas mileage difference between the V6 and V8 is very minimal, almost negligible. You get a lot in return, though. A very reliable Japanese built 2UZ-FE (note: not the same 2UZ-FE that the Tundra and Sequoia got that's built in the states) and actual towing power. There is a problem with the V8 manifolds cracking. Kind of an expensive repair if they haven't been addressed. Otherwise a trouble-free engine. Has a t-belt that needs to be replaced. The V6 has a timing chain so that's one advantage to the V6.

I ran into a guy last year at the gas station with 550K on his original V8 in his 4Runner. He told me oil changes and regular maintenance was all he did.

Good luck. You'll come across a good one.

 

[kolelt]

Please don’t by that shit. Look at the shitty job they did to fix it. Why waist your money ? There are so many more cleaner 4runners out there.

 

[grahamwzim]

I can't tell you how many 4Runners I came across that sold within hours of being posted. Pretty wild how quick these trucks sell themselves.

If you are considering buying from private parties as well, download the Craigslist app on your phone and setup alerts when 4Runners get posted in your area. I'm pretty you can add parameters to it so that it only pings you about 4th gen 4Runners. This is what I did and I caught my 4Runner within 5 hours of it being posted. Even still, the guy had like 6 calls for it.

If you're spending over $10K, I would encourage you to look into the V8 models. The gas mileage difference between the V6 and V8 is very minimal, almost negligible. You get a lot in return, though. A very reliable Japanese built 2UZ-FE (note: not the same 2UZ-FE that the Tundra and Sequoia got that's built in the states) and actual towing power. There is a problem with the V8 manifolds cracking. Kind of an expensive repair if they haven't been addressed. Otherwise a trouble-free engine. Has a t-belt that needs to be replaced. The V6 has a timing chain so that's one advantage to the V6.

I ran into a guy last year at the gas station with 550K on his original V8 in his 4Runner. He told me oil changes and regular maintenance was all he did.

Good luck. You'll come across a good one.

Thanks again for your help. This is all good to know. I unfortunately have to do through a dealer for this the way my financing is structured. And I'm at the end of my window for searching (one more week or so). The market goes quick, but this is the cleanest I've found at a mileage ~150K save for the rust. Just would hate to finally find a 4runner and have issues down the road in a vehicle that's made a name for its reliability.

Here's the original posting, by the way: Used 2007 Toyota 4Runner For Sale in Chapel Hill, NC - CarGurus

 

[ToyotaBrah]

Thanks again for your help. This is all good to know. I unfortunately have to do through a dealer for this the way my financing is structured. And I'm at the end of my window for searching (one more week or so). The market goes quick, but this is the cleanest I've found at a mileage ~150K save for the rust. Just would hate to finally find a 4runner and have issues down the road in a vehicle that's made a name for its reliability.

Here's the original posting, by the way: Used 2007 Toyota 4Runner For Sale in Chapel Hill, NC - CarGurus

Hey no problem at all. Happy to help.

The rig looks good and straight. Few things I want to bring up with you:

1. The leather in that truck is not OEM or a dealer installed leather. Has a sheen to it and never have seen that in 4th gens. You can tell it doesn't even match the gray of the rest of the interior. More than likely aftermarket leather covers. Not a big deal or deal breaker, but just something to keep in mind when negotiating the price.

2. Has an aftermarket roof DVD player. Again not a big deal, but typically is a negative.

3. The weather tech mat in the trunk tells me whoever owned, cared about the truck. +1

4. If you move forward with this truck, look for VIN tags on all body panels (fenders, doors, trunk lid)

2 hours from you is a dealer selling a clean SR5 that apparently is from the south. Looks pretty solid.

2007 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD - cars & trucks - by dealer - vehicle automotive sale

 

[grahamwzim]

Hey no problem at all. Happy to help.

The rig looks good and straight. Few things I want to bring up with you:

1. The leather in that truck is not OEM or a dealer installed leather. Has a sheen to it and never have seen that in 4th gens. You can tell it doesn't even match the gray of the rest of the interior. More than likely aftermarket leather covers. Not a big deal or deal breaker, but just something to keep in mind when negotiating the price.

2. Has an aftermarket roof DVD player. Again not a big deal, but typically is a negative.

3. The weather tech mat in the trunk tells me whoever owned, cared about the truck. +1

4. If you move forward with this truck, look for VIN tags on all body panels (fenders, doors, trunk lid)

2 hours from you is a dealer selling a clean SR5 that apparently is from the south. Looks pretty solid.

2007 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD - cars & trucks - by dealer - vehicle automotive sale

That's super helpful. I guess the question is, what's more important between these two vehicles.... the extra 30K miles on the one you just sent me (but no rust) or the fewer 30K miles on the one I was looking at, but rust in the rear of the undercarriage.

One more note, I called the guy about that 4R you sent. He says no issues at all with the vehicle. His dad owns a mechanic shop next door, they've cleaned it top to bottom. But if I were to snag it, I'd be purchasing sight unseen (can't get down to Charlotte). So I'd have to take this guy's word for it. And it does have 170K miles

 

[Hepar]

I guess the question is, what's more important between these two vehicles.... the extra 30K miles on the one you just sent me (but no rust) or the fewer 30K miles on the one I was looking at, but rust in the rear of the undercarriage.

Hands down the one with no rust (assuming they're comparable everywhere else). Even if you are diligent on the frame, rust hits more than that. Makes what should be simple jobs into nightmares.

 

[grahamwzim]

Hands down the one with no rust (assuming they're comparable everywhere else). Even if you are diligent on the frame, rust hits more than that. Makes what should be simple jobs into nightmares.

Honestly, I like the OEM seats better compared to leather aftermarket in the other vehicle. Feels more like a 4R. No sunroof, and no hitch in this one. But only $130 for a hitch.

The more I read about high mileage the more it seems to be less of an issue than something like rust. This is starting to seem like a no-brainer, but again I would be purchasing sight unseen.