WTB: 2002 T4R SR5 Sport Edition

[T4Rnewb]

Don't let distance stop you...every 4Runner I've purchased has been out of state. Bought my 1st one in GA, 2nd one in MO, 3rd one in FL, 4th one in TX and now my current one I bought in NY. They were all just a plane ticket away. I can tell you for a fact that 4Runners have been over priced in AL for the last 10yrs now. I just laugh at some the prices I see here in the State.

With all that experience buying out of state, what methods did you use to be sure you didn't waste a plane ticket and end up having to buy a second one way ticket home? I.E. - showing up to a lemon with unexpected imperfections, making sure the person didn't sell the vehicle before you could get there, etc.

 

[Rock Slide]

With all that experience buying out of state, what methods did you use to be sure you didn't waste a plane ticket and end up having to buy a second one way ticket home? I.E. - showing up to a lemon with unexpected imperfections, making sure the person didn't sell the vehicle before you could get there, etc.

I used autotrader.com to find them all. Out of the 5 4Runners I've purchased, 3 I purchased from Toyota dealers...and thus felt more comfortable about the transaction. Mainly b/c of how much more indepth info I was provided from each dealer about the vehicle in question. Of couse I had carfax reports run on all of the vehicles (granted a carfax rpt isn't going to tell you the whole story, but it does catch some good points owners fail to mention about their cars). I had each seller email me tons of photos inside and out too. Of the 2 private sellers I bought from, they each provided me with extensive service history on each vehicle. One guy even kept a gas log for every fill up since he bought the vehicle new w/ mileage and sevice records/dates too. It about 50pgs long. I thought my OCD was bad, but this guy made me look normal.

But the main factor I had in all of my purchases, was purchasing 4Runners w/ under 50K miles on the OD. You know, the ones little old ladies use just to drive to the grocery and back. I bought a '95 4Runner in MO from a dealer in 2003. It was owned by a 70yr old man since new and he only drove it in the winter, on the weekends, to the grocery and back. Had it religiously serviced at the same dealer. Only had 20K miles on it when I bought it in '03. :bigok:. It's little gems like that, that I only buy. Patience in finding just the right one is a key.

Trust you instincts. If a deal is to good to be true, then it probably is. Have the seller send you documentation and plenty photos of the vehicle. I'm pretty good at reading people and within 5 mins on the phone w/ a potiential seller, I can tell if they are trying to pull one over me or if they are telling me the truth.

Your requirements might not be as strict as mine, but the methods in picking a gem from a lemon are the same. Good luck.

 

[Hepar]

Ya, you just have to follow your instincts. I flew down to San Jose for my '01 on nothing more than a verbal agreement. It also took me all of 5 min of talking on the phone to get a good feeling about the persona and the deal. They also picked me up from the airport!