Please help me find 3rd Gen beauty!
Ok! Found it! After nearly a year of looking. I've learned a few things that may help others...
It's not just private buyers (like me) looking for these rigs. Private dealerships have buyers strategically placed in most major markets (Phoenix, Tucson, All of California and Las Vegas). So as they troll EVERYDAY for good buys they show up with cash in hand and scoop it up before we have a chance ("we" with regular full time jobs). And they aren't just buying 4Runners. Anything that sells quick... Jeep Cherokee XJ, Land Cruisers and Tacomas. There's a guy in Glendale, CA who said to me, (in a foreign accent) "My friend, I have buyers all over. You'll never get there before me!" So annoying. BTW He's had a 2002 4Runner Sport 4x4 on his lot with 170k miles for a year and is asking $12,000. And won't budge on any of his prices. Hopefully it's still sitting there in 10 years.
So how did I beat him? Troll more than he trolls. Act faster than he acts. My 2001 4Runner Sport 4x4 came up on CL at 9:30pm on a Thursday. The price was right and it was just what I was looking for. It helps when the seller doesn't know EXACTLY what they have. I contacted the seller at 10:00pm and showed up at his work at noon the next day. Between those times he had 13 calls for the Unicorn. He showed me after the deal was done.
Have cash in hand and if it's what you want, the price is fair then pull the trigger. Haggle and you'll lose it. Look everyday. A lot of deals go down on Saturday & Sunday. Understandabley. If you can go during the day and Mon-Fri try that too.
CAUTION: Some of these buyers are buying from outside the dry states (Colorado, Utah and east coast). Rust is a big issue as these vehicles notoriously don't hold up well in rust. Few do, but these toyotas are especially bad. Look for rust... anywhere. Do a carfax not just for accidents and a clean title, but also to see where it has been. And don't let your emotions take over when you've found your truck and overlook something like major rust. Be patient.
Look at other places too:
Carsforsale.com
AutoTrader.com
And just google searches
