Need some advice on buying a particular 4Runner.

Hey Guys,

I just signed up because I'm looking for some advice from experienced owners, mechanics, and/or bodymen regarding the condition of a particular 5th Gen I'm eyeing. I'm trying to determine if this is the best vehicle for my budget with all other things considered (budget is <20k). I also understand that no car will be perfect either. I look forward to participating in the forums later on should this work out, so in the meantime, thanks for having me on board.

Anyway, I have been researching for a few weeks now on getting a used 4x4/4wd V6 SUV, and after some back and forth visits to small dealers and private parties (as well as plenty of online shopping), I've decided to pursue newer gen 4Rs to minimize finding ones with rust. I finally found one that fits my budget, and matches other criteria I was looking for (such as one owner, desert car, clean title, and relatively low miles)

The dealer has provided me with some pictures of the underbody frame and suspension. Everything seems to look great, however I must note that the vehicle has had two rear-end collisions, to what severity I'm not sure. Also, the vehicle is outside of my state, so I can't readily go up to it. I am planning on seeing this vehicle soon should everything check out, up to the point of test driving. The vehicle is very clean inside and out, and it appears the car has not gone off-roading, though I could be wrong.

Attached are the photos the dealer has provided. I definitely appreciate your guys' feedback and advice in advance.

 

Um.. I don’t see any rust.

 

You could eat off of that underside it's so clean.

 

Depending on who did the repairs, I don't think the collisions would be an issue. When mine was stolen it was repaired (15,000) by ABRA which is connected to my dealer. The repair is guaranteed for life, and I can't even tell where any of the damage was though it involved replacing the left front and left rear panels.

 

looks straight and clean to me..

 

Maybe offer up a gift card for food or something for someone on this forum local to go check it out for you.

 

Looks pretty darn good to me also.

 

Amazing. After contacting the dealer this afternoon, they responded back by saying that the car was already sold at 2am online, and that it was already shipped out. That's funny, but I smell bullshit because the car was advertised online for about a month, and there was no option to click to buy online (which was the excuse they used). Definitely disappointed and annoyed, and a true waste of time. Smells like a racket is going on there. Good riddance. I called them out on their bullshit. They just lost a serious customer. Even if it was true, they could have notified me this morning. Bunch of assholes. On the flip side, I understand they may have been annoyed by my inquiries, but they could have just called me out on it and question how serious I was, and I would have responded. It's that simple. They knew I was calling from out of state, that I was planning on showing these pictures to my local bodyman/mechanic this week, and that I was going to follow up in a day or two. I'm done.

 

Boo. GL with your continuing search.

 

I called about 150 local used car dealers in my area this evening, and pretty much only a handful of them had 4 Runners. None of them however had any 4x4 V6 models. Anyway, I will continue searching on Craigslist, AutoTrader and KBB like I was previously, and now that I've joined the forums, I'll post a wanted ad. Thanks guys.

 

Makes me feel good if I needed or wanted to sell the 4runner.... it would be easy.
Hope you find one soon.
Oh... and yea I had the old bait and switch happen to me a couple of times when I was shopping for a rig as well... pissed me off sure.

 

Need to delete this thread if that's possible.