Used 4th Gen, a hot market...

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docboy

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So these past few weeks I saw a few 4G 4R V6 Limited/Sports I was interested in purchasing.

2 of them sold before I even got a chance to test drive it.

Another one I test drove has been on the market for about a month. I found rust on the tow hitch, screws on the rear hatch, rear axle, and certain metal rings in the engine bay, so I passed.

A few days ago (1st day of market) the vehicle was in negotiation while I went on a test drive.

Frustrating to say the least....

Any main differences between the 4G and early 5G? I'm thinking I may have to expand my search a few years and budget. Wife and good friend of mine are telling me to get new, but I want to keep my expense down. I'm not fond of the 2013+ restyle, but ok with 2010-2012.
 
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Consider the 4.5 gen 06-09

I could have had a 4x2 10' 5th gen but wanted to have some money leftover for mods. And i didnt want to pay over 15k.
 
I live in the Seattle area, too, and it took me a while to find my rig.

If you don't want to pay the premium of being in the Seattle area (which I didn't), expand the search to 150 miles. I drove all the way to Bellingham to look at one, and I found mine at a Toyota dealership south of Olympia.

BTW, the first year of the facelift 5th gen is MY2014. Just keep in mind that only the 5G Limited have the same 4WD system as the 4G, with the center diff lock.
 
I had a similar experience when I was searching for a 4th gen. Listings for ones in good condition were being purchased by the time I reached the seller. I finally found my 06 SR5 on a used lot and made the purchase. Glad I didn't settle for any of the abused ones.


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I looked for several months before finally picking one up. Take your time and find the right one. You'll be glad you did.
 
Check the Portland area too, I found quite few there but ended up going down to Salem to get mine. I was also looking for a few months before I got mine.
 
I flew out of state and picked up my 4Runner; $150 in airfare saved me nearly $2000 and the drive home was the best!
 
Just takes time man. What I learned is you just have to get lucky and be that first one. Lucky for me when I found one the dealer actually held onto it for me until I could get up there to get it. Other dealers will let you do a refundable deposit. I searched every car buying site and learned that emailing is waste of time. Usually by the time I got a response the vehicle was gone.
 
I looked for almost a year to find my 2007 Sport. Keep your standards high and be ready to buy when you find it.
 
MikeyMike said:
I live in the Seattle area, too, and it took me a while to find my rig.

If you don't want to pay the premium of being in the Seattle area (which I didn't), expand the search to 150 miles. I drove all the way to Bellingham to look at one, and I found mine at a Toyota dealership south of Olympia.

BTW, the first year of the facelift 5th gen is MY2014. Just keep in mind that only the 5G Limited have the same 4WD system as the 4G, with the center diff lock.
Click to expand...

Agreed, take a look up north in Bellingham areas, or even Portland/Spokane.

4th Gens kick ass, especially if you opt for a V8 (2005+)

I purchased mine for 25k with 45k miles on it back in 2010 if that helps.
 
Have cash in hand and check craigslist every morning. I made bookmarks for each year I was looking for... I entered "2003 4Runner 4X4 4WD" and checked all of the locations under "include nearby areas." Bookmarked that for every year up to 2007. Every morning I would sit down with my coffee, open my laptop and ctrl+click all of those bookmarks to see what was possibly posted in the last day. Be ready to call/text and go visit that day.
 
Took around 2 months for me with about 7 selling before I got to them or were rusted. Ended up flying 550mi away to purchase the only one left for sale longer than a few weeks.

I suspect the only reason it hadn't sold was because it had an "accident" on the carfax. In reality the previous owner hit some storm debris and scraped/dented the bumper then had it repaired. Hardly noticable and otherwise pristine overall.
 
Hey man, I'm just gonna put this out there if you want. I live in the Dallas Fort Worth area and they might be cheaper here. If you find something, I wouldn't mind going to check it out on your behalf before you decide if it's worth making the trip for it. I wanted a galactic gray, black cloth interior v8 4th gen with low miles and sure enough found exactly that and couldn't be happier. And now I'm ordering a frappe from McDonald's...

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Agreed with everyone else. I searched for almost a year and ended up with a 4 hour drive north into another state for mine. I wouldn't jump on them just because they are going quick. A proper inspection will pay you back in the long run. Another option is to go to dealerships and tell them what you are looking for and so they can keep an eye out when they go to auction or if they see something they will reach out to you. Good luck and if anything ever comes up here in the midwest and need someone to look let me know.

Cars for Sale: Used 2005 Toyota 4Runner in 4WD, Ames IA: 50010 Details - Sport Utility - Autotrader

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...=[TOYOTA[4RUN[]][]]&listingId=398957964&Log=0
 
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Okie81 said:
I flew out of state and picked up my 4Runner; $150 in airfare saved me nearly $2000 and the drive home was the best!
Click to expand...

I did the same!
took a few months to find the right one, but also allowed me to hone in on exactly what i was looking for :laser:
 
I'm in Woodinville so I feel your pain. I spent 9 months looking, including as far north as the border, as far east as spokane, and as far south as salem. All the local dealers seemed to just have east coast, mid west, and north east auction 4Runners that they had painted over to hide rust. Eventually I stopped even looking at them and only kept my eyes open at proper Toyota dealerships and private sellers.

I got lucky in that my father works at a dealership and sees cars traded in all the time so we got first crack at it before it had even finished being traded in. There were 2 offers and an ask to test drive my 4Runner while it was still on the lot and I was signing the final paperwork to walk with it...that was the 2nd day (first official day after getting it's trade in service to sell it again) it was on the lot...

Before that I had actually scheduled to go look at one in Portland and another in Spokane in the coming days.

Be patient, don't settle (because you can keep the 4Runner for many years/miles), and be ready to pull the trigger given the opportunity. I would have lost mine if my auto loan wasn't pre-auth'd and all set and ready to go (obviously if you have cash you don't have to worry about it, just be ready to slap that card down, write that check, or make it rain in the vehicle).
 
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