absailing

Hi all,

Thanks for providing a great place for newbies like me to ask questions.

I'm looking at a 2004 4Runner Limited V6 4x4 in Minnesota. I have attached two photos of the undercarriage. One is the rear axle area, and the other is along the driver's side of the vehicle. Could anyone please provide their opinion of the severity of the rust?

I'm going to be bringing the vehicle to Oklahoma if that matters. I hope to purchase this vehicle soon, so thank you to everyone who takes the time to provide their feedback.

Cheers,

Oscar

rear axle area


driver's side perspective

Charchee

It's about like the 02 I bought last year. If you like to work on them and kind of restore them like I do then it's going to be a PITA. I bought mine for an extremely good price because of the rust and over all, I got my money's worth. Truck runs great and no mechanical issues other than rusted up brakes which I replaced. Had to buy a new skid pan and it needs bumpers front and rear. They are rusted all the way through. You wouldn't know the bumpers were rusted until you see the small holes that have showed up now. I'm good with a drill and tap and have a lot of patience. Also have two other trucks I can drive so mine at half price was a good deal. I am working on the rust but it's always going to come back and I'll have to battle it until the day I move on to the next one. Don't pay anything like what NADA says a truck like that is worth though. There are others out there without the rust.

Take a wire brush attachment for a drill or grinder and brush a few spots on it until it shines like new. Then take a look at the pitting the rust has caused to see how deep into the metal it has gone. If it polishes up pretty smooth then you may be ok. If it makes you sick to your stomach or big chunks break off and go flying, you may want to back out but hard to tell until you get down to good metal and see what the damage is. I've heard stories of folks sanding their rear diff housing so they could paint it and oil starting to come through it.

Overall it doesn't look like a total loss. Just don't pull down that skid plate thinking you are going to paint it unless you have your tap handy. The bolt in that picture isn't coming out.