TRD Pro Purchase Decision

Hey I've been a member her for about 3 years but never posted, only got really great info. So my question is my 2018 TRD Off Road Premium is coming off lease and I have the option to purchase of course. I only have about 24K miles so my local dealer is willing to give me about 4K in equity towards the purchase of a 2020 TRD Pro in Army Green with about 15K miles on it. They are asking about 53K for it. It is one owner (who happens to work at the dealer) and all service records. Looking at the Carfax the steering gear was replaced at 11K so thought that was odd. So I suppose the questions are is the price fair and any concerns for the steering gear replacement so soon?

Thanks!

 

53k for a used pro? The pro isn’t some holy grail for that kind of money. Hard pass in my opinion.
Are you after the color?

 

Is this USD or CAD?

 

It's USD and in California so dealers here are asking almost 10K over for new Pros.

 

The car was serviced at the same dealer who is selling it so I have seen the maintenance records and are correct. The dealer is the same as where i get mine serviced.

 

Why not just keep the ORP? I am so confused.

 

I may keep the ORP but my lease is up in 30 days so just need to make a decision!

 

Right. Why not just purchase the ORP at the end of the lease, rather than take a bath on a Pro with 9,000 fewer miles?

 

My amateur opinion would be to look at the underside of the 4runner and see if there is any indication he's hammered the thing off road. Maybe he just had bad luck with the steering gear.

I would have a hard time paying 53 for a used TRD pro. I looked around craiglist in my area and there is one with 2500 for 60K - Army Green 4Runner TRD Pro - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle... (craigslist.org)

 

Thanks for the link to the one in WA and I may be wrong but that's a difference of 7K for 12K miles so thinking it's about equal. The one I am looking at was owned by the sales manager at the same dealer and it was almost all highway miles between SF and Reno.

 

I was going to say the same. I chose the ORP and I can pick my suspension (kings on the way), wheels (sitting in my garage) and tires for less than the pro.

 

I paid 50 for my Pro with 6 miles on it so I’d say no thanks if I were you.

 

Thanks this helps!

 

im also Bay Area based and yeah it’s impossible to get that price around here. I found mine in Elko Nevada. If you can search outside CA for a deal I recommend that route. The registration process is a pain but not costly.

I love my pro but I’d be really hard pressed to pay over MSRP for it.

 

Yea this one originally came from South Lake Tahoe. Not easy here so may end up passing on the Pro.

 

Why don’t you just purchase out of state from a reputable dealer w/ out the markup? You’d save thousands by opening your horizon to a nationwide search, taking a one way flight and driving back. That’s what I did - best decision I made when looking and purchasing.

 

No way on $53k. Id fly to this side of the US and get a new one for msrp and drive it back. Hell I’d sell you mine with less than 1000 miles for not much more than that. I get the AG is appealing. It got me for sure!

 

The issue is that OP is in California, dealing with California dealers. Pro’s are marked up higher than most states possibly all states. I’ve seen a dealer mark up a 2020 Pro for $70K in the summer of 2020 and I’m sure it sold, mostly likely at that price. This is one of the reasons why used Pro’s hold their high dollar value in this f’d up state. The used $53K Pro that OP is interested is worth much less in other states.


Here’s a good example but I don’t think this guy is in California


https://youtu.be/188u8yXuJtc

 

Here's the bottom line mloomis: You have a great truck that you know and that you know is solid. Research a fair price for purchase off lease and if the dealer will give it to you take it. There's good reason to worry the dealer is trying to make you a sucker with a high price on a problem vehicle. The Carfax is nearly worthless. I recently traded in a total POS to the dealer that tried multiple times to fix it with no success. They put it up for sale on their used car lot. I looked it up on their website. They'd priced it like it was the Hope Diamond. I ran the Carfax on it. The report showed literally zero of the problems it had -- problems that the dealer itself knew all about.

If you really want a Pro, turn your ORP in at end of lease and go shop for one. But better yet, keep the damn thing! It's a known quantity! You know it's a good truck! Plus, as has been documented a thousand times on this website, you can mod an ORP into a better truck than a Pro for less money. Is the color or the "Pro" emblem that important to you? If it really is, turn in that ORP at end of lease and go buy a new Pro -- one that doesn't come with a big fat "Warning" label on it.

 

People out here really considering 4Runners at $50 and $60K+... Don't get me wrong, they're great vehicles. I just don't see the value add of a $20K markup. Anybody want to buy some tulips?

 

we have beat this horse to death ad nauseum on this forum though so it shouldn’t be a surprise.

 

Yes I know. The surprise is when I come back in a few months and another $10K is added.

 

If you treated your 4Runner well - you cannot possibly get a better deal than keeping your car. Every time you trade to another vehicle dealer WILL make SOME money off of you, and then you have to pay sales taxes and registration (and possibly other fees), and on top of that you’d be taking on larger loan.
You already have equity on the 4Runner you got, you gonna owe a lot less than you would moving to pro (I am assuming by magnitude of $15-20k) so the SMART thing to do is to keep it and pay it off. Do not throw your money away to the dealership or state....
And if something on the pro appeals to you that much - think about how much you can do with the money you’d be saving!


--- Also, the steering rack replacement that early is worrying to me. Makes the early trade even more questionable. Now you're dealing with the fact that someone (who was willing to pay silly markup to have that car) decided to take a significant loss just to get rid of it.
If you are that set on upgrading - a out of state trip would be a much better option as your local markups are just wild. I'd take a 8-12 hour road trip and save thousands.

But, again - best, and smartest, choice would be to keep your current car, the low loan balance and the positive equity that you have. If you are itching for an upgrade - build a rig to your liking that will be far more capable than a TRDPro and for far less money.

 

put number you want to be at in mind do not tell them that number then make them low ball offer go to bat and keep on swinging until it is at or very close to what number make the most sense. I went to my bank with all the information on the Trd Pro I just purchased got the number they look at when making financing decisions and went from there.
It was a long battle that went from the sales associates hands <----- he was kinda ticked at that, to the Sales manager to work with me on it however in the end I got to walk out with a deal on a New 2020 Trd Pro 4Runner with 11 miles on it (had 9 before I test drove) that I feel is pretty good. I did have an card to play to my advantage and that was I had a awesome trade in that they revealed their hand on with the "I want it We need it" and that was a super clean 2018 Trd Pro Tacoma with the Manual 6 speed.

 

I totally agree with this advice. This is your best approach.

 

The only Issue with the "New" 4Runners that the guys down at the 4 wheel drive mod shops are talking about that gives headache is the Safety sense system on them it limits off road front bumper selections like the hoop and front lights that many folks want and how much lift can be done without messing up the safety sense system so they are kinda backing off from doing too much there, then the KDSS setup is not lift friendly. This is what we been hearing from several shops I have only been told this by 2 different Pro shops while I was checking out pricing for doing what I might want.

 

I agree with single minded. You know your current trucks history. The incremental miles you have on yours vs the Pro is nothing.

Car fax is only as good as the data that is put in and as honest as the people are who enter it.

 

As others have stated, keep your ORP. You know the history vs going into a used 4R someone else owned.

 

One way plane tickets are cheap. Find a reasonable dealer, pay MSRP on brand new, and road trip adventure home.