What to look for when buying 4th Gen T4R??

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kmanvt

New member
I’m new to 4Runners (Don’t hate me, but I was previously a Jeep guy). Anyway I’ve been look to get a 4th Gen T4R for about 3 months now. There are VERY few for sale in my area (actually been looking in about a 200 mile circle of me). This is going to be my wife’s vehicle and she wanted very specific colors (white with gray interior). There has only been one near us (40 miles away) and it sold before it was even put on the lot. I found one about 2.5 hours from us that appears to be a good deal. 2005 Sport 4x4, V6, 46K miles, one owner, with tow package for $17K. She wanted the sunroof (and I wanted the V8), but since it’s been almost 3 months we thought we should get it.

I’ve got two questions. 1) Do you all feel that the price is good? 2) What should I look for when I go to drive it/get it? Is there any problems that I should look for? I was a little worried about the V6 engine when I read the post from "the josh" about the warped head.

Any info would be MUCH appreciated. We are supposed to go get it tomorrow. Thanks
 
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I am somewhat concerned about the V6, being an all aluminum engine. It is not just Josh's V6 another member had a problem. Still, overall our members are getting good results, Consumer Reports have given it good marks. I also like the timing chain and after having my 2004 for a year, I would have to say, it is a marvel. Good power, good response, smooth and I get about the same mileage as my 3.4 in my 2001 4Runner.

That is really good miles for a 2005. The price seems decent considering the miles and it is a Sport 4X4. (I really like the Sport.) The 2005 was the first year for the V6 to have a 5 speed transmission, so you should get better mileage than my 2004.

It would be nice if you could get a shop to look at it. Maybe call the dealership in that area. They can look at the frame and do a diagnostic on it, other mechanics can do that. You could call some shops before you take that long trip. If you can get the VIN over the phone you could also do a service that checks on the history of the unit. Something like carfax or another on-line service. It might save you driving all that way.
 
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I've got the Carfax on it and everything seems fine with it. They said they have taken to the dealer for all the maintence and said that I could go there to have it looked at. The problem is that I'll be getting there around 4pm so I'm not sure if I could get to the dealer before the mechanics leave.

So far the things that I've found the site to look for is a seat rattle and the driveline thump?
 
Where do you live?
I would maybe part with mine(my wife maybe a different story) 04 V8 sport 4wd white with the sport inerior, sunroof, 75?k miles or so. I am the second owner, carfax shows oil changes from the 1st owner every 3-4000 miles from the dealer. No accidents. I'm in OH, truck came from Southern KY.
 
I'm on the Virginia/Tennessee border. Ohio would be a little over twice as far as this one. Thanks for the offer though.
 
Read up on the 4wd and make sure it cycles through it's various modes properly. A few people have had issues. IMHO there's issues if it never gets excersised (switched 2wd-4wd and back occasionally). It's not a normal t-case. The Torsen diff in the t-case is one of the best features ever but it has some quirks engaging and disengaging.

There's a few stickies at the begining of the various sections and these will help too:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?threadid=12
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?t=92
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=42645
 
kmanvt said:
So far the things that I've found the site to look for is a seat rattle and the driveline thump?
Click to expand...
Driveline thump is not unique to the 4th gen, and it just means you need to lube the slip yokes every time the oil is changed.

I have a very early model V6 and it's been fine. The fuel rail recall was minor and applied only to some 2003 models. As far as our members are concerned, two people come to mind who has problems -- Josh, and a guy whose wife ran it without oil. He changed the engine and all has been fine since.

Have you checked Edmunds or KBB to see how the price looks for your area?
 
I called the Toyota dealer closest to where the people live and asked if they had any records on the vechicle. The owners were telling the truth when they said they had the dealer do all the maintence. The service guy said that it appeared the vehicle had been taken care of.

According to KBB, the price appears to be pretty good. It's about $1500 below the private party value, but the guy said it needs tires (still has the orginals on it). The reason for the sale is that he just bought his wife a new Lexus.
 
Here's a few others I just found out about (after I bought by 07):

  • Driveline clunk - normally found on the V8 4WD
  • Moonroof problems - rattling, stuck, needs lube, check for rust under the moonroof seal
  • Stereo - check to make sure the Aux port works (mine didn't - I think there's a TSB about it for the 06-07, not sure about 05)

Good luck with the purchase.
 
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