Looking at a 1995 Runner tomorrow. Seller states the motor may be shot and “won’t turn over”, but only wants $1500. The body and interior appear to be In great shape with 200k on the clock, so my thought process is;

worst case, I have a great starting point for a new buggy

best case is there’s nothing terribly wrong with the engine at all and I have something to drive around a bit before a rebuild.

Should i I forget it and do something better this weekend?

thoughts?

 

Sellers generally are not known for full disclosure. If this seller says the engine is "shot," I would tend to believe him. Obviously, there are exceptions, so you can always choose to risk $1,500, the cost of moving, registering, and ultimately disposing of the truck. Do you live in the country, surrounded by 3 weed-choked acres filled with rusting vehicles? Do you live in an inner-city apartment where you have to park on the street? Do you own a Toyota Dealership that runs light on service work in the winter? These make a difference.

 

Yup, I agree on the full disclosure thing. I do live in a rural area of the world, with plenty of room for storage and not so nosy neighbors, so that's not a concern. I'm accepting it as a bit of a gamble, and hope that he's serious about entertaining other offers, then possibly I can offset the cost of transport. We will see in a few hours how it goes,

Thank you.

 

Id say its too much. I wouldnt pay or 1k for something that needs major engine work.

 

It is done, $1100+$100 to cart it home. If I can diagnose the starting issue (no obvious damage or unusual leaks or fluids in the wrong holes yet) and can get it to at least turn I’ll be happy. Brand new tires, usual wear and rust issues. Future crawler as far as I see it.

 

1k is not terrible. Several years ago I got lucky and found a 1995 4x4 4runner with a huge knock on the top end. Started buuuuuttt... scary. $500 bucks, because the owners were not ar people and didnt know what to do with it. lol.

If you eventually quit on the thing rest at ease, you can sell parts and make a lot of money. I bought the 95 for parts, it had the 4.88 diffs that I wanted. Kept those and many other parts to myself and sold over 2500 in other parts. Then dumped it at scrap yard.

If you are in CA, you may have problem registering it because you can't smog it.

 

do a compression check
i paid $400 for mine after my niece's idiot husband fubar'ed an easy front brake job and the right front wheel locked up 200 miles later