jwbehm

I just got back from a Ford dealership, I test drove a 2000 Toyota 4runner 4x4 loaded wiht everything. It has 129,500 miles on it. On the car fax it is reported as originally a lease vehicle, then it was a Fleet vehicle. It has an aftermarket class 3 tow hitch on it, which worries me. Would it be a problem if it towed alot? I know my sisters Jeep blew a couple axle's because it was towed hard, I'm not sure if that is something to worry about with the T4R's.

Is this too high mileage to be suriously considered? This will be my first car, and I would like to keep it for a while.

Their asking price is 10, 995$, and it has been sitting on the lot for 2 months. They are really looking to get rid of it, so i could probably get their price down quite a bit.

1. Does this seem like a good price?

2. Should I worry about it being a lease/fleet vehicle?

Thanks

-Jordan

garrett1478

11k seems a little high for 130k miles... may want to compare edmunds or KBB.

i wouldn't see towing being an issue, maybe just cause rear sag, but i haven't heard of any blown axles from it.

find out if they have the maintenace records and see if the big things like timing belt and water pump have been replaced.

Roadtripr

1) sounds good to me
2) Lease vehicle should be fine, but fleet has me wondering. It could be any kind of fleet, if it is rental like fleet then I would stay away. Does it have its maintainance records? 125K is not too bad if it was well kept, toytota engines can last long if kept up. But I would look for something with lower milage if you can afford it or find it. Did you drive it?

Lots of 4runners came with a towing package that doesn't mean it was ever used.

It might be loaded with everything, but does it have a locker? (RR Diff switch locker the rear differential sitting to the left of the steering column) - Good ot have offroad.

Depending on where you are there may be plenty of 4runners to chose from (check also autotrader) that will help you compare prices and specs.

If you really like it take it to a local mechanic you trust and have them check it over (50-100$), it could be well worth it in the long run.

lee

sometimes cars are called fleet vehicles when theyre at auction.

Rick F.

If it was maintained, it should be good for another 100,000 miles and more. My '00 has over 100,000 miles and I tow boats and campers without a 2nd thought and I expect to continue towing beyond 200,000. Can Toyota provide any maintenance history?

Sounds like a decent deal, but I'd still try to haggle a bit on the price. If you're only going to put something like 10,000 miles per year on it, I'd grab it!

jwbehm

The price is good for here, dealer retail value on KBB is 16k. The salesman said that it had been sitting for 2 months, and that they would sell it for a loss just to move it.

The lease ran from 99-2004, then the fleet owner put another 40k miles on it in a year and a half.

In the carfax, there arent any reports of it being serviced, but I think that is just because they may have had it done somewhere they didnt report it to carfax.

I think i may take it to my mechanic today, he doesnt charge at all for a prebuy lookover.

Thanks
-Jordan

Rick F.

CarFax will not include maintenance info. If maintenance was performed by a Toyota shop, it should be in their database. Call any dealership service department and give them the VIN. I did that with a used Saturn I was considering buying off of a 2-bit used car lot and the Saturn dealership sent me complete detailed maintenance history (the previous owner had everything done at various SAturn dealerships).

Having a mechanic look it over is always a good idea. Toyota's are tough, reliable and dependable vehicles. Assuming it doesn't need anything major, sounds like you found a sweet deal! And be sure to perform any normal Preventive Maintenance (PM) stuff such as replacing the timing belt (typically recommended at ~ every 90,000 miles), fluid changes, etc..

surf4runner

i wouldn't buy it if you cant get it for around 9k or less. 2 mo on the lot is not excessive and there may underlying problems with it that they are not revealing. plan on getting sevice done (yourself?) after purchase, just in case
any dealer warranty? get a 3mo - unlimited mi w/ it too.

jwbehm

They just lowered the price down from 13 grand, so i can probably get them down to at least 10 grand.

The dealer noticed that it needed oil change, and that the sterio isnt working. Its an aftermarket sterio with a Sony CD Changer. I should be able to get that working.

When i get home, i will get the VIN, and give Toyota a call.

Thanks

rimpainter.com

I wouldn't even consider it without knowing the maintenance history - even at $9K.