Used 4Runner Purchase - What to check?

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cherishzm

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I'm looking at a 07 V8 4WD Sport with almost 100k miles for possible purchase.

Owner said oil changes were done every 5k miles DIY but other things including fluid changes were never done in his ownership of the vehicle for 7 years.

I have read fluid changes such as brake, transfer case, transmission, differential fluids all need to be changed at some point. (I do know timing belt change will need to be done soon).

Is it okay to not have these fluids changed periodically? How do I test if they are okay?

What would I need to check when looking at it and test drive it? How would I know if 4WD system works properly?

A lot of questions, but hope someone can help :)

Thanks in advance!
 
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i saw that same 4runner on craigslist. its a nice find and it is priced very fair.

I will just comment on what I know since I bought a 05 V8 sport 4x4 in august.

Check the brakes/calipers and see if they are sticking. ask if he had to change the calipers a lot. if so, then you will have to upgrade to 5th gen brakes and rotors. search this forum for more info

check the 4x4 actuator for leaks. The seal on mine has a small leak and will need to be fixed.

See if the waterpump/time belt has been replaced. At that mileage it is close to being due. If not, you can definitely bargain that asking price even more.

See if it has the dreaded manifold tick sound when your driving it. just drive with the windows down and listen for that ticking sound under the hood. My 05' has it and I didn't know to listen for it when I bought it. I plan on purchasing the Thorley headers at some point to address the issue.

That's all I can think of for now, but overall that is a very nice 4runner at a good price that you can probably talk down some more. It will sell fast more than likely.
 
JustinCG said:
i saw that same 4runner on craigslist. its a nice find and it is priced very fair.

I will just comment on what I know since I bought a 05 V8 sport 4x4 in august.

Check the brakes/calipers and see if they are sticking. ask if he had to change the calipers a lot. if so, then you will have to upgrade to 5th gen brakes and rotors. search this forum for more info

check the 4x4 actuator for leaks. The seal on mine has a small leak and will need to be fixed.

See if the waterpump/time belt has been replaced. At that mileage it is close to being due. If not, you can definitely bargain that asking price even more.

See if it has the dreaded manifold tick sound when your driving it. just drive with the windows down and listen for that ticking sound under the hood. My 05' has it and I didn't know to listen for it when I bought it. I plan on purchasing the Thorley headers at some point to address the issue.

That's all I can think of for now, but overall that is a very nice 4runner at a good price that you can probably talk down some more. It will sell fast more than likely.
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Hey JustinCG Thanks for the quick reply!

How/Where do I check the things below?? I'm not really good with cars so need some more details (Don't have much time to research)

-- check the 4x4 actuator for leaks.

-- Check the brakes/calipers and see if they are sticking

-- See if it has the dreaded manifold tick sound when your driving it
(Is the tick sound something I should be able to hear under low speed/load?

And not having all the fluids changes done cause any potential issues?

thanks again!
 
My thoughts in bold

cherishzm said:
-- check the 4x4 actuator for leaks. Look under the truck, about midpoint for a box behind the transmission. Or go look at the truck at a time when you know it hasn't moved for a few hours (early morning?) and look at the ground under it. Any leak should be obvious. Also make sure it changes from 4Hi to 4Lo with ease. The truck will continuously beep at you if it's not engaging.

-- Check the brakes/calipers and see if they are sticking. Take the truck on a drive, use the brakes and see if it pulls to one side. Or after your test drive, run your hand around each of the wheels to see if one is hotter than the other to indicate stuck brake pads.

-- See if it has the dreaded manifold tick sound when your driving it
(Is the tick sound something I should be able to hear under low speed/load? Not a V8 owner, but reading the threads say it's an obvious ticking noise. You'll know it when you hear it.

And not having all the fluids changes done cause any potential issues? I doubt mine was ever serviced when I got mine at 140k. If it was a pavement beater, you should be fine. Change it out when you get it home.
thanks again!
Click to expand...
 
The 4Runner was overall pretty clean and looked good. I drove a 08 V6 2WD for few weeks last year so I know how it drives and surprisingly I couldn't feel the extra torque and power V8 is supposed to have. It drove well but I just couldn't notice any difference.
Is it a great deal for 07 V8 4WD Sport? I think these are hard to find these days especially clean and well kept ones.


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Sorry I forgot to say thank you to ZebRuaj. Your post was very helpful. Thanks!


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cherishzm said:
The 4Runner was overall pretty clean and looked good. I drove a 08 V6 2WD for few weeks last year so I know how it drives and surprisingly I couldn't feel the extra torque and power V8 is supposed to have. It drove well but I just couldn't notice any difference.
Is it a great deal for 07 V8 4WD Sport? I think these are hard to find these days especially clean and well kept ones.


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Click to expand...

Just a couple of things, you said you couldn't tell the different in the V8 and the V6 you have driven before, did you put your foot down to feel the full power of the V8?

Also you're asking us if this is a good deal for the T4R you're looking at, but unless I missed it you and Justin are the only ones that know how much the seller is asking for it, so there's no way for us to answer that question without knowing the selling price!!!
 
AuSeeker said:
Just a couple of things, you said you couldn't tell the different in the V8 and the V6 you have driven before, did you put your foot down to feel the full power of the V8?



Also you're asking us if this is a good deal for the T4R you're looking at, but unless I missed it you and Justin are the only ones that know how much the seller is asking for it, so there's no way for us to answer that question without knowing the selling price!!!
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Oh I thought price was on the post. Seller is asking $14,500 firm and the 4Runner is clean other than two parking lot damages on its rear bumper. Timing belt change was not done yet. Has custom 18" BBS wheels with no tire pressure sensor so warning lights on always.

By the way, I couldn't put down my foot much because speed limit was 45mph and there was no highway nearby. I'm sure I will feel it soon. :)


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For the year, model and miles, I would say $14.5 is LOW in my area, but value varies market by market.

I would definitely negotiate down for the needed timing belt/wp maintenance and the cosmetic faults ... personally, I'd also negotiate down if the BBS wheels are fugly, but that's just me.

Be realistic and defend your negotiation. If the seller is realistic too, he'll meet you somewhere halfway.
 
The thing is that he has 4 other people wanting to buy it if I say no and he won't negotiate at all. My wife really wants leather seats and I've read the sport model's XREAS suspension is prone to failure. These two things are what makes me hesitate the purchase. V8 Limited 4WD would've been perfect but it's very hard to find at this price point.


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By the way, how difficult and costly would it be to find leather seats or put leather seat covers on these?


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My wife and I decided to make a purchase as-is. I'll keep searching for the perfect one but until I find out I'm sure I'll be happy with it.


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We have a '06 that we bought new(SR5 with V-6). It now has about 220,000 miles and still works flawlessly. We considered the V-8 vs V-6, and discovered that there was a difference of about 20 hp between the two engines, so we went with the cheaper engine.

Until 200,000 miles we had nothing done to the vehicle except recharge the A/C. It still had the original brakes. That is possible when you live 120 miles between stoplights.

At 200,000 miles, I had a lot of preventive maintenance done to keep the vehicle running reliably. Things like hoses, belts, starter, alternator, spark plugs, water pump, fan clutch, muffler, brakes, all fluids replaced, fuel injectors, u joints, etc.

So, for another 5K, I got an almost new 4runner that hopefully will last another 200K miles.
 
Bought an 05 V8 Sport 4WD a year ago. 1 owner/I have every service record/had 120k on it/all required services were complete/brand new Michelins on it/NC vehicle it's whole life. I spent about 9500.

The xreas was fine but I did rip it out earlier this week to upgrade


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fatherdoug said:
We have a '06 that we bought new(SR5 with V-6). It now has about 220,000 miles and still works flawlessly. We considered the V-8 vs V-6, and discovered that there was a difference of about 20 hp between the two engines, so we went with the cheaper engine.



Until 200,000 miles we had nothing done to the vehicle except recharge the A/C. It still had the original brakes. That is possible when you live 120 miles between stoplights.



At 200,000 miles, I had a lot of preventive maintenance done to keep the vehicle running reliably. Things like hoses, belts, starter, alternator, spark plugs, water pump, fan clutch, muffler, brakes, all fluids replaced, fuel injectors, u joints, etc.



So, for another 5K, I got an almost new 4runner that hopefully will last another 200K miles.
Click to expand...



Is yours 4WD?


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knowhutimean said:
Bought an 05 V8 Sport 4WD a year ago. 1 owner/I have every service record/had 120k on it/all required services were complete/brand new Michelins on it/NC vehicle it's whole life. I spent about 9500.

The xreas was fine but I did rip it out earlier this week to upgrade


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That is an excellent deal!!


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The XREAS will likely eventually fail, but until it does there's no point in worrying about it. It could easily go another 50,000 miles or more. It's expensive to replace - most people just rip it out when it starts leaking and replace it with quality aftermarket shocks such as Bilstein 5100's.

I paid $15,100 a year ago for an '06 V8 Sport with 120,000 miles, so I think you got an OK deal. My experience was like yours - there's really not much opportunity to negotiate on these clean used 4runners because there are usually 3 people lined up behind you to buy it if you pass it up.

My view on leather seats is that they are great for the first 100K miles of a vehicle's life. After that, you're better off with the cloth seats.
 
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