Used Car Sales man...is he for real or just blowing smoke?

[KeeneState83]

Hey all,
I am new to this forum but have been lurking here for awhile. Everybody seems to know there stuff, so I have a couple questions that I have not seen posted anywhere that came up over the weekend while I was out kicking tires.

I am looking to get a T4R and went looking at them this past weekend. I am trying to decided between the V8 and the V6, everything I have read on here has pushed me towards the V8, but I wanted to drive them both myself just to be sure.

So I go to a place that has both, same year, ~same mileage, just different motors. Well long story short, I still haven't driven them, the guy was kinda a pain in the ass and I think he was blowing some smoke...which brings me to my real reason for this post.

There were a couple things he said in trying to sway me toward the V6 that just didn't seem to sit right, so I tought to myself...these are questions for the T4R guys!!! So...here we go!

1) He claimed that the V8 would loose MPG's faster as it aged than the V6...so in the long run the V6 would be cheaper to run gas wise even though as they sit now there is very little difference. Is there ANY validity to what he is saying?

2) He also said that the V8 (which is from the Tundra) in the smaller engine bay of the 4Runner cause exess heat and the headers were "expiring" much sooner than they shoudl and it is like a 2k job to replace them. Again...is there any truth in this or is he full of S***!


Thanks in advance for your comments!
Cheers,
Tom
:beer:

 

[jwyshrek]

Sounds like the guy is not getting enough fiber in his diet.

(in other words, he's full of it...)

 

[Zuke]

1- I have 152k miles on my 4wd V8 and If I baby it I get 21-22 mpg.

2- The 4.7 V8's do have a known issues with the headers cracking. On mine it causes a small ticking sound during cold start ups, but has the engine reaches operating temperature the crack seals and the tick goes away. Its an expensive job to replace them since there are no aftermarket options for headers/manifolds.

Find another dealer.

 

[ncockerham04]

Maybe he's hinting at a known problem that the vehicle already has... go somewhere else with your business I'd say.:cheers:

 

[KeeneState83]

Ok, sounds like my gut was right. I didn't think it sounded right, if it was true, I figured i would have stumbled onto it on this site somewhere.

Luckly, this was a dealer that was out of town. I went home to VT to visit with my mother for the weekend and we stopped in to see what they had. So I will not be doing business at that dealership...for everyone's info it was Heritage Toyota in South Burlington, VT.

I have a line on a '05 in ME...117k miles, they are asking $14.9k...V8 Sport Edition...any thoughts? Seems like a pretty good deal to me. Carfax said it was in a minor accident...got rear ended. You can see a small scrape on the underside of the bumper...other than that I don't see much wrong with it (from the pictures)

 

[Zuke]

With the Sports Edition make sure you check the X-REAS suspension system. They are known to leak and fail.

 

[S p a r k y]

If you encounter the same problem somewhere else with a crappy sales guy. Walk away, go inside and ask for another.. I have done it before and its great.. I watched the movie Exit Wounds last night, reminded me of this lol

 

[KeeneState83]

With the Sports Edition make sure you check the X-REAS suspension system. They are known to leak and fail.

Is this as simple as looking up behind the wheel and looking for nastyness? or is there something else I should look for?

 

[MikeInNH]

Sounds like all he has is V6's on his lot....and this idiot would probably say just the opposite if all he had were V8's on the lot..

Find another dealer...this place can't be trusted.

MOST if not ALL car salesmen haven't a CLUE on how a car runs...They barely know how to put gas in the car.

 

[8086bruce]

Someone else was looking at the V8 so they thought they had it sold and they pushed to the V6.

 

[S p a r k y]

more commission on the V6

 

[HialeahScience]

Isn't the X-REAS Suspension standard on the 2009 Sport Ed?

 

[lonesouth]

1- I have 152k miles on my 4wd V8 and If I baby it I get 21-22 mpg.

2- The 4.7 V8's do have a known issues with the headers cracking. On mine it causes a small ticking sound during cold start ups, but has the engine reaches operating temperature the crack seals and the tick goes away. Its an expensive job to replace them since there are no aftermarket options for headers/manifolds.

Find another dealer.

1. That is on the wish-o-meter right?

2. That is more likely piston slap than a faulty manifold.

oh, and the salesman has no clue what he is talking about.

 

[Gatafly]

Ok, sounds like my gut was right. I didn't think it sounded right, if it was true, I figured i would have stumbled onto it on this site somewhere.

Luckly, this was a dealer that was out of town. I went home to VT to visit with my mother for the weekend and we stopped in to see what they had. So I will not be doing business at that dealership...for everyone's info it was Heritage Toyota in South Burlington, VT.

I have a line on a '05 in ME...117k miles, they are asking $14.9k...V8 Sport Edition...any thoughts? Seems like a pretty good deal to me. Carfax said it was in a minor accident...got rear ended. You can see a small scrape on the underside of the bumper...other than that I don't see much wrong with it (from the pictures)

As a comparison I just bought a '04 SE V8 4WD with 93k in like new condition out of MA for $13.3k. Same vehicle really so I honestly think $14.9k is too much.

 

[KeeneState83]

As a comparison I just bought a '04 SE V8 4WD with 93k in like new condition out of MA for $13.3k. Same vehicle really so I honestly think $14.9k is too much.

Wow! That is a great deal! I would jump all over that! According to KBB they are right on, even a little lower. I am not real happy about going over 100k but having a hard finding something in my price range. I guess this is the old wait it out and it will come along...just gotta keep my eyes peeled!

 

[Hmebuildr]

I just got my 03 SR5 V8 with 75K on the clock for $12.8 look around there are deals out there

A quick search on Auto Trader shows a couple under 15K in the area with less then 100K on them

 

[BReardon21]

I just bought an 04 V8 sport edition in like new condition with 90k miles for 12k originally listed at 14k, I would say 14.9k is way too much especially in New England

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I haven't anything about the 2UZ-FE's common manifold cracking as the salesman would have you think, it does happen but its more or less rare. I would venture to guess its in more frigid climates that this occurs, don't get many out here in CA.

As for the fuel mileage bit, there may be some truth to it, but if you're doing regular maintenence on the vehicle and taking good care of her, it should run just as strong as the day it left the factory until the engine mechanically fails in some fashion (low compression, blown head gasket, ect.)

Lucky bums.. I spent 4~6months searching for a V8 4Runner with 4WD and the best I could get was '04 SE v8 4WD for about 19k... everything is expensive in Nor Cal :violin:.

 

[natevans65]

Here is one back for him......"do the tires still have factory air in them?"

 

[rockwall]

You want to do all of your research on the vehicle you are considering before going to the dealer. They are generally not too informed about specific used vehicles, unless they own one themselves. The V8 is a great, long lasting engine, but so is the V6.

When I bought my 4Runner used I was simply looking for the best one out there, regardless of the year, color, or engine. I wanted clean with low mileage. I was thrilled to find a 2003 V8 in immaculate condition with 32k miles in 2008. After three years and over $5k in mods, I have never looked back.

Good luck and hold out for the right truck.