want to buy a 4runner need advice

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karinas

New member
:driving::girl:I am now in the position to buy a new vehicle...but my friend -known her seeral years...very honest and reliable-is selling her 4runner 2006 not limited or sport v6 125,000 miles new tires everything works great shape...she had it detailed regularly and did maintance regularly...also she had the seats customized with leather at an upholstery shop....it is a one owner vehicle....I need to be able to drive at our farm at times in the country...but I live in on the outskirts of Houston....not really city, but not country either....well....I want a nice, reliable vehicle to take long trips...2-3 days to other states....that is why I was going to buy new...but I could not afford anything as nice as this 4 runner...looks new! She wants to try to get 14,000 for it....dealer told her she could trade it in for 9,000....which I think is low....just wondering if someone could give me some advice...I am a single woman and hate to break down...would you buy this for your daughter to drive long distances.....I no longer have a Dad and want some advice from people that drive the 4 runner to see if it would be a good choice...any advice or ideas would help...also, is there a way an individual can buy an extended warranty...or would any type of warranty still be on a 2006 with this many miles...thanks a bunch! :):driving:
 
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Truthfully, I wouldnt have any worries driving a well cared for 4runner with 125k cross country. BUT, why get an SUV with poor gas mileage for traveling? Personally, if I were buying my daughter a vehicle that would be driven a lot of miles I would get a small or midsize car.

I don't know if 14 is a good price or not, seems ok but look up on NADA and Edmunds to get a better idea. You can get 3rd party warranties for pretty much any vehicle. I would call a Toyota dealer, ask if they offer anything and if not who they would recommend, they might have one they know of that covers a lot and is good to pay for things.
 
Pricing 4runners is difficult, IMO. I got a fantastic deal on mine because the dealer didn't know how to price his. I wouldn't go for an extended warranty - 4runners are notorious for being built like tanks --- fantastic reliability. 125xxx miles on a runner really isn't all that bad. I just bought mine with 80k on the clock and I wouldn't even consider buying any other car with that many miles. Other cars I considered were 03/04 fx35's with <40k miles, 2007 BMW 328i's, 2007 528i, Nissan Murano AWD...all of those had to be low miles but I was willing to take a runner with lots of miles.

Just get a pre-purchase inspection --- they are incredibly useful and worth the money.

Let me know if you have other questions.
 
As far as reliability, well cared for Toyotas should last well beyond 200,000 miles. I've owned 6 Toyotas; 3 of them 4Runners; and I can easily say that 200,000 miles is a piece of cake.

I can't speak for prices so check around and find out what prices for your area are like. Good luck and enjoy it if you buy it.
 
If the dealer is offering $9,000 for a trade in it mean they will probably sell it around $12,000. I would go lower on the price.

I would look at the service records closely and see if the major service has been done around 120,000. Tranny Flush, Differential (front, rear and transfer case) have been done, spark plugs and the brakes. Those things can be expensive to have to do after buying the vehicle.
 
125,000 miles on a cared-for 4Runner is like 25,000 miles on nearly any other car. Any toyota owner can tell you that. When I was car shopping, I drove an 04 4Runner with 200k miles on it and it felt more solid than any other car I drove, including a 2 year old Xterra with 20k miles on it. It was at that point I decided I was going to buy a 4Runner, no matter where I had to go to get it. I ended up finding an 03 SR5 4wd V8 about 250 miles away with 60k on it for $12,300. This was at the end of 08.

Point is, The 4Runner was worth the wait and the search, and I kept searching until I found one I could afford, that was in good shape (they all were).

The warranty shouldn't bother you too much with a 4Runner, as long as you have a good pre-buy inspection. I'd recommend a Toyota dealer to do the inspection.

If the timing belt hasn't been changed, it should be.
 
Skywlkr said:
If the dealer is offering $9,000 for a trade in it mean they will probably sell it around $12,000. I would go lower on the price.

I would look at the service records closely and see if the major service has been done around 120,000. Tranny Flush, Differential (front, rear and transfer case) have been done, spark plugs and the brakes. Those things can be expensive to have to do after buying the vehicle.
Click to expand...

Whenever you purchase a used car, especially from a private party, always expect to perform SOME of the normal maintenance up-front. Brakes, tune-up, fluid changes (tranny, differentials, radiator, possibly even brake system), belts, wiper blades, yada yada. But from what the OP said, she should be able to get the maintenance records and determine what needs to be done.
 
Not sure what you have on the car. I plugged in some numbers, including 4WD, sunroof and it was "clean" condition @ edmunds and got these prices:

Edition 4dr SUV 4WD w/V6
Trade-In Private Party Dealer Retail
National Base Price $14,760 $16,358 $17,564
Optional Equipment $412 $463 $558
AM/FM/Cassette/CD Audio System $77 $86 $104
Power Glass Sunroof $335 $377 $454
Leather Shift Knob Trim $0 $0 $0
Color Adjustment
White $35 $39 $42
Regional Adjustment
for Zip Code 30101 $-12 $-13 $-14
Mileage Adjustment
125,000 miles $-2,104 $-2,104 $-2,104
Condition Adjustment
Clean $0 $0 $0
Total $13,091 $14,743 $16,046
......Private Party Dealer Retail


So, there is about a $2,000 hit because of the high mileage. It really depends on the condition, where you are and what is on it, but $13,000 from a private person is about right. The mieage is rather high and things will go wrong with a used car so just be prepared to have some money for up-keep.
 
You're describing my 4runner to the T. I just got mine with 95k for $13k. I'd get her to somewhere around 12 on it and not a penny more.

If she can't sell it, she can't get the new car anyways... she should be willing to let it go for less.
 
In your case, I'd go with something that has lower mileage. I just got one with 65,000 miles for around 19K.

Also, post a picture of yourself. I think it will help us give you better advice.:whip2:
 
Flyer said:
In your case, I'd go with something that has lower mileage. I just got one with 65,000 miles for around 19K.

Also, post a picture of yourself. I think it will help us give you better advice.:whip2:
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm gonna have to agree here...pics of you or your daughter would help provide us with necessary information to determine the value of the car. Standard procedure, really.
 
Used Runner

I agree that around $12K is a fair price. You will get a lot more life out of a 4Runner with 125,000 miles, but the gas milage is awful. I only drive around 6,000 miles per year, so I don't care. For long trips the Runner is fun to drive, but be prepared to cough up the gas money.
 
Some good posts.Gas mileage will be 19 to 21.The car may have 125 k on the odometer,but it is only 4 years old.If it has had regular maintenence,you will get at least 200k,probably closer to 250.$12,000 to $13,000 would be a good price,I don't think you can go wrong.Good luck.
 
I'm averaging right around 21mpg during mixed driving, but I'm at 6500' in elevation so I use a bit less gas than the low-landers! I also have less power than you, but this 4Runner is way faster than my Gen3 was!

I just flipped 68k on the odometer.

~Doozi
 
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