Should I buy a 2015 'Runner with 66k miles or a 2021 with 46k?

Hi folks - new to the Forum and asking for some "expert" insight before I buy into the 4Runner Club.

I have two options before me, as per below. Thoughts on which is the smarter buy?

1. 2015 4Runner Trail Premium Sport
- 66k miles
- Single owner
- $33,000

2. 2021 4Runner SR5 Premium
- 46k miles
- Former rental car
- $35,000

While I enjoy going off the beaten path I'm not and don't look to be much of an "off-roader." I like the extra options on the 2015, which includes crawl and the pullout cargo tray in the back... but it's also 8 years old and the tech is outdated. I'm not opposed to upgrading the head unit... but then again, wouldn't need to with the SR5.

What's a guy to do?! Pay a bit more for a newer 'Runner with better tech... or negotiate down on the older model and make the head unit upgrade myself?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

I'm surprised there's not more cost difference in the two. Lots of posters here on the forum have struggled with head unit replacement for pre-2020 Gen 5 4R. You might want to research the cost and feasibility of replacing the head unit. The 21 is going to have CarPlay and the Android equivalent which is worth a lot to me just to keep things factory. The safety tech on the 21 is a nice thing to have too.

I understand the hesitation on the 21 being a rental. Just invest in a REALLY thorough pre-purchase from a trusted technician and you should be OK. Also pull a pay-for CarFax on it. You still have the balance of the 60k powertrain warranty if anything is wonky in that department. It's transferrable.

Good luck with whatever choice you make. FWIW, I'd opt into the 21 vs. the 15. The newer tech is sure nice and the cost between the two is really small in the grand scheme.

 

2015 but I like trails.

 

If you search, you can find a new one for less than 40k. So your talking just a few thousand more?

 

Me too. I actually thought we'd never use Crawl Control but we do. Our 21' Venture is the neighborhood load mule for hauling everyone's stuff to the beach near our lake house. It's been stuck in the sand too many times to count. I've never had to winch it out. So, that is one thing about the 15' the OP is talking about that is really nice on the trails. But, if you're doing less-intense trails, fire roads, etc.. Crawl Control might not be needed.

 

Check the frame especially on 2015 for rust.

 

I appreciate that, Brad-Texoma - thanks. Gut tells me something similar - go with the newer version if only for the modern tech. Also, I would preseume, higher resale (if it ever comes to that)

 

check for rust. both vehicles. inquire about service records, if any

 

If you’re able to swing it, is it possible to get a new 4R? You’re pretty close price wise ~$6k to a new SR5. Good luck with the direction you go and enjoy your new rig.

 

You are very close to some FWD 2022 SR5 around 38K. With very good tires.

 

+1 at those prices, if you can stretch the budget a bit I would buy new. If your financing either way you can likely get a lower rate on a new car loan which helps close the gap.


I never liked the idea of buying an ex rental, who knows what kind of abuse it’s been through.

 

Thanks, Icetenka - a new Runner would be nice but when you add in the government's take (taxes) it's a bit more than I'd like to part with at this time.

 

Just picked up a Sr5 4x4 with 40k for 31,500. It too was a rental but toyota certified then added the extended warrenty thru toyota for a bumper to bumper zero deductable for 1100 more.
Could not pass that up. Giving me 5 more years and 60k. (7/100)
Helps with piece of mind buying a rental

 

+2 on buying a new one. I realize it’s a bit more but if at all possible I would. You’re getting all new obviously, plus warranty, plus knowing the history from day 1 of ownership. The incremental cost especially at a lower interest rate for new car as noted by others is helpful.

I know we all look at things differently but if it were me I don’t think you’d regret that decision in year, two or three from now.

You’re paying a high residual value on someone else’s vehicle especially a rental and we know how people beat the crap out of those. I wish you best in your decision

 

I was say go with the older one to NOT have the modern tech.

 

The modern tech is a mixed bag. I’d eliminate that from my calculation. If it was me I’d be focused solely on which one is likely to last longer, with fewer repairs. You’d think that would be the newer one, but really it depends on how they were used etc. As others have noted, I’d look closely at frame rust. That’s maybe the single biggest danger area for the 4Runner. If one is significantly worse, I’d take the other. If they’re similar I’d prob take the newer one. While you don’t know how it was driven as a rental, at least you know that all the parts susceptible to age (belts, hoses, gaskets etc) are way younger. Time is a factor, not just miles.

 

Ha - valid point!

 

LONG POST

Maybe I can be of assistance. I actually just purchased my 21' 4runner Torp just a few weeks ago through Avis Rental company. Like you, I was hesitant on it, but I had a strict budget since I upped it quite a bit from 15k, but literally at vehicles with 80k miles and it didn't make sense. Looking at NEW, there was nothing in my area without a dealer markup for the trim I wanted. We were talking 50k-55k for a Torp and about 70k for a Pro brand new. So, I looked within a 500mile radius, for the past few months, and same thing, about 10k difference give or take in my area. Granted, I could travel, but then the cost of flying, stay, shipping / driving back, I would have broke almost even. So after looking and looking, I came across an Avis Rental where they were getting rid of the 2021 to bring in the new fleet. The bonus of me looking at this was time and scheduling. With one car, it hard to schedule time with my wife and I to drive out of town to look at a vehicle and most of the time their closed Sundays. I was able to book the vehicle, and they held it for me for a week, without any deposits.

During this time, I did my research. While buying from a rental can be scary, but it can save you quite a bit of money on the "perfect one". I requested a Carfax, and maintenance paperwork which the agent was able to send to me. Schedule a pre-inspection from a dealership or a trusted mechanic for day of. When you get there to view the vehicle, make sure you have a checklist of things to look for, Under the 4r, engine bay, exterior cosmetic, interior, any weird smells, leaks under , etc. Aside from the minor cosmetic I would expect from a rental, everything was perfect. So with that, I booked a 2 day rental at a discounted rate, and would be refunded if I proceeded with the purchase. I had a 2 hour drive back from Tacoma so during that time, I drove with the radio off. Checked for everything to see how it performed. When I got back, I picked up my buddy and went to his Toyota dealership and had him put it on the lift and checked it out for me inside and out. He pulled off interior and exterior panels to check wiring, engine bay, threw it on the lift to check underneath it, and scanned it with an OBDii to make sure there wasn't any weird codes that were cleared, def more than I would have thought of to look at, and took about a few hours. But it passed his check list. I had an unbiased view and it came back clear. Same make model trim and options, I was still looking at about a $8k-10k difference used, so the money saved was a bonus.

Spend the next few days driving it around and see how comfortable you are with it. I got mine for $35k (not including TTL), and it had 45k miles. This was something I was completely fine with given the track record on mileage you can get out of the engine, and I work from home so eventually, I will break even in mileage. So, it's literally a weekend/emergency car me. If we take a road trip to go surf or anything, I would take my wifes CRV, as I get about 31mpg on that thing, it's ridic. The whole process is done remotely, so if you plan on moving forward with the purchase, no need to bring the vehicle back, you keep it the whole time. With the holidays (Christmas & New Years), it took about 3ish week to complete the purchase, which isn't bad.

The only thing I have done to vehicle since purchasing it, was put on new tires (Toyo Open Country A/t iii), alignment, changed the windshield wipers, added more wiper fluid, and blacked out the emblems. The next maintenance, I will be doing a full flush, they literally just changed the oil on the vehicle.

To sum it up, I had an awesome experience, not the same can be said about everyone, but do your due diligence at getting the vehicle looked at by someone who is unbiased. Don't cloud your judgement due to any excitement. If this isn't the one, there's always the next one. I am still looking around just for fun and still see fleet moving around. Just keep in mind, for most rental companies, this is how they make their money, off rentals that work, if it's not working, they lose money and off to auction it goes. Their hopefully, at best, keeping it maintained internally. Expect some cosmetic things and hope it's on the bumper, cause you can replace that easily. lol

Good luck, if you have any questions just let me know.

*I am not a professional in anything, take my words with a grain of salt and do your own due diligence*

***EDIT: forgot to mention it still had Toyota warranty and dealer purchased from warranty. All books and keyfobs accounted for.

 

Always buy a single owner - golden rule when buying used trucks/cars. No exceptions.

I bought a used single owner 2015 inferno pro last year. Why did I buy a 2015? You don't have to worry about safety sense bullshit. You actually have a key & don't have to worry about some dickhead stealing your fob signal & truck. No sunroof means no leaks = longevity! (2015 pros had no sunroof & if your tall - way more headroom) Also you get a locking diff with the trail - big resale value for you & utility. 20k more miles is nothing on these trucks. Please don't pay that for a SR5 RENTAL! One day a lady told me she rented a 4Runner & drove it around Utah. Then she tells me she literally drove it into an abandoned mine and fell into a hole....think about that being your truck. Non single owner rental is a hard pass!

I vote for the Single Owner. Be patient! Lots of nice single owner 4Runners for sale with a locking diff & heated seats!

& a cargo tray!!! YES PLEASE!!! You can update the head unit for way less than $2k

Also**
Sign up on Toyota Owners . com & input the vin's into the system for a real look at maintenance through Toyota dealers. You will never get much on there with a rental vin, but if it had Toyota problems you should be able to see it. I highly recommend you do this before any purchase on any 4Runner & or Toyota!

Good Luck!

 

I bought a used 2012 Sequoia from Hertz car rental sales with 16k on the odometer in 2013. Now approaching 180k miles. Zero problems other than the well known engine cam tower oil leak which was covered by the Toyota powertrain warranty.

 

I'm looking at a 2021 ORP with 46K miles, ex-rental vehicle, from a dealer a few hours away - it's Toyota Certified which is good, but from Minnesota which is not so good I think. Asking price is about $37,300. It's tempting but I think I'll wait for the brand new 2023 I ordered for about $50K. I think I'd rather have the new one with the sunroof, KDSS, and all the latest features. And if/when I go to sell it it will be worth more as a single owner, non-rental.

 

I bought a 18 Trd Off Road a month ago. It had 58k miles and lacked all the latest bells and whistle. What stood out to me was the underbody, it lacked rust seen on many northeast cars. It drove smooth and had a good service history. I passed on several newer low mileage models due to a lack of care inside and out. Personal I never go for rentals and prefer one owner vehicles. Test drive and check the 4hi and 4lo if possible to make sure it's in working order. Good luck!

 

If you live in the rust belt, or anywhere salty, get the new one. Having Apple Carplay/Android Auto is really, really, really nice. Does the SR5 have 4wd? Then that is the no brainer. Do you need 4wd? These are questions you need to answer for yourself to make the best decision. Nothing should be inherently wrong with the trail edition just because it is older, so long as it has a good maintenance record.

 

I would definitely purchase new with like 6 miles. I paid 46k for 2022 4Runner TRD Off Road with KDSS. Of course tax on top of that, but vehicle cost was $46k. Doesn’t make sense to buy used when you can get new for same cost or even cheaper with 3 year/36k warranty. Just my thoughts…hope it helps making the purchasing decision a little easier. Good Luck..

 

I think about the Jeeps I rented when I was younger and beat the snot out of on vacations. I think I did the same with some Mustangs too hmm

 

Wow, are people still paying these crazy markups? 55 for an ORP???? I got a Pro for 56 in freaking Boston! And only waited a couple weeks.. keep looking, the market is going soft and deals have to be out there.

As to the tech.. I have to agree with the above that CarPlay and the bigger screen is really nice to have and once you have keyless push to start you will never want to go back. All these systems have been out there in other models for years and are reliable. The rest of it can mostly be disabled if you don’t like.

Also, before freaking about tax, carefully check the tax regulations in your state. I don’t know where you live but here they charge sals tax on all sales, new or used (it’s collected at registration) so no big savings there. And they let you deduct trade in value in from sales tax so that helps even more.

 

4Runner prices were high for new and used vehicles back in May of 2022 when I needed a vehicle. Nobody was negotiating on used vehicles and new ones had a 5-7 thousand dealership market adjustment. More for the TRD pro.

My transmission was starting to slip on my Nissan Murano Platinum AWD at 79,000. Nice vehicle but I expected more than 79,000 miles from a $45,000 vehicle. I decided I needed a reliable vehicle and had previously owned a 4 Runner and Toyota pickup in the 90’s that were always reliable. Cost for a used 2018 Limited or a 2019 ORP at that time was a little over $40,000 as the dealership had both used vehicle’s on the lot. I grabbed the 2018 Limited as it only had 30,800 miles on it and was in nearly new condition. The market has eased slightly in the six months I purchased mine but it’s still rough out there. Yeah I paid way too much but I needed a vehicle at the absolute worst time in the market. Seems that’s my luck for most things. Ha ha.

 

I just picked up a 21 with 45k for 30k, happy with my choice. Closest one I could find at that price was a 14 with 70k for 35k, it’s a Toyota, the 4.0 will last forever. I didn’t see the point in spending more on an older truck with higher miles. Yes it was a rental, with excellent service history and no accidents. This is the 2nd time I have purchased a truck with a fleet history. Never had any issues. I’m in PNW, any Toyota anything costs a fortune

 

That’s a great deal ehen I was looking prices were stupid.. more for used than straight off the lot. Glad you found a nice rig.. Enjoy!