Found a very clean '99 Limited with 108K and all maintenance up to date with records. Needs nothing. I have a '00 Limited in good condition with 137k. Still need to get timing belt/water pump replaced and there is a light whine from the rear diff (might be time replace the 3rd). I won't be doing either myself and will go to an indy Yota shop to get these done.

If things go the way I want. Buying the '99 and selling my '00, $1k would be the out of pocket expense for this transaction. But, it'll cost me about $1200 to do the work I mentioned above (~$475 belt/pump and ~$715 for refub 3rd installed).
So, in the long run, I'd technically save $200 and have a runner with 29k miles less. Decisions....

 

Thats, IF you sell your 00 for what you plan on.

If you feel its a good choice then go for it!

 

Yup, selling mine is the big IF. I'm basing all this on private sale prices from various sites. But it's only worth what someone's willing to pay for it. I hate craigslist, I always find something that I really don't need.

 

Its a bit of a double edged sword, but look at it this way, you know what the story is with the 2000, you get the work done and you know what is solid on your vehicle. buying another vehicle, unless you have all the records, are comfortable with the person/dealership it comes from then it might be a good deal, but then again, sometimes things happen with another vehicle that you are not fully aware of so do your homework, if it feels like the way to go, then go for it. Getting what is reasonable in cost for yours is always the big 'if'. sometimes a little extra money spent gives more peace of mind in the long term. Good Luck

 

IMO, I would never do it. Even if I found a prestine 01 Tacoma DC with 50k less miles (I'm at 127k), I would not do it. I know the history of my truck. I know what has been done and what needs to be. I know that thus far, there are no known quirks.

You're looking at a vehicle that's a year OLDER, uncertain past maintenance history, and all that hassle to get what? The EXACT same vehicle? It would be foolish to do this, IMO.

Also, were you planning to sell the 4Runner with that known problem? I'm guessing you were going to do it or disclose this to the buyer, which means you'll be out $2200, not $1000.

 

I don't know the full maintenance history of my current rig. Just know the belt hasn't been replaced and the whine is slight and likely to get worse. Fixing the potential issues before selling pretty much defeats the purpose. My whole point was do I dump the difference in repairs and keep it or sell it as is and get the '99. My numbers are all "what ifs". And, yeah, full disclosure.