I recently bought a mint, manual transmission, 93 4runner with unbelievably low miles and Im looking into putting it on BAT. Ive been trying to source the parts in the same condition as the car and its driving me crazy. Id like some input on what I should fix / change to increase its value and just in general

​​​​​​it's also missing the owners manual and tool kit from the trunk. If there was a jack thats also missing.

I have no experience really with this stuff and this car is way out of my league but I knew I had to buy it. Its hands down the best feeling car i've ever driven. Id like to get another one that I can beat up and not worry about getting dirty.

Id appreciate any input. Do I need the owners manual and tool kit for BAT ? the gas door latch and stock rims? should I get better tires?

thank you guys

 

BaT seller and buyers are a mixed bag, so it's hard to say definitely what's best.
We always put new tires on a vehicle as we prepped it for sale. BaT sellers? Almost never. Street tires may not be the preferred tire for most buyers, but it does send a message. Street tires say the last user drove it as a DD, not an off-road beater. (we removed most aftermarket hitches from vehicles so potential buyers didn't think it was used to haul loads)
The scratches I'd just wet sand and polish. You might check around and see if anyone in your area does airbrush touch up. That tends to keep the paint on the affected area.
I'd pressure wash the underside. If its clean and rust free take lots of photos.
Toyota put VIN stickers on the hood, both fenders, doors, rear tailgate(and a few other places). assuming those are present I'd photo those. too. A saavy buyer would know what that means
That was a pretty common color. I'd just try and buy used gas door the same color.
Tool kit/jack? wrecking yard.
Owner's manual? Hard to find. eBay, but be prepared to be blown away at price.
(I cringe when i think about the stacks of owner's manual i threw away bitd.)

 

Thanks for the reply. Im going to get better tires for sure. It has all of the vin stickers and is completely rust free. This 4runner had 2070 Miles on it when I found and its in amazingly good shape. Ive found everything but the tool kit so its coming together. Just need a mechanic to do a once over and make a list of all the upgrades the previous owner made before he died. dont ask me why someone put so much into this car and never drove it, its really strange but a toyota mechanic looked it over and was pretty much speechless.

 

oh yeah I just found Mildew on the top of the sunroof visor so I need to deal with that somehow.

 

Two thousand and seventy miles. ???
Not likely even twenty thousand seven hundred miles.
Not in this world.
What does a carfax say.

 

agree, would need to see a lot more comprehensive photos to say it only has 2070 miles. otherwise, it’s a mirage.

 

2,070? I agree with Millball, that's a bold statement. A picture of the odometer isn't going to cut it. You better run and provide a CarFax report to somewhat verify that claim. Even then, it might be prudent to offer a disclaimer.
fwiw, we used to laugh at Carfax reports on some of the used cars we ran when we were prepping them for Toyota Certification. But for mileage events they were ok.

 

it has a clean carfax and the last reported miles were 1,217 in 1994. The previous owner renewed the registration a few times up until 2017 with no more reported miles. its rust free underneath and basically flawless inside without wear in the usual spots. it also has some factory parts on it that look brand new. My Toyota mechanic was very skeptical at first and when he popped the hood and looked at it with the shop guys they started freaking out. They said it seemed legit but Id like a more thorough look at it.

 

The "clean" CarFax is good for BaT, but read the details. That's the real value in the report. Look at the history on the report where it shows date of sale, registration, smog, etc. Besides dates it gives miles. Look for any apparent discrepancies. I still remember one report where the vehicle had 200,000 miles, then six months later it had 75,000 at a smog cert. The funny thing is CarFax had a big green check "odometer check". This was ages ago, CarFax has improved, I'll give them that.
Toyota Corp. may be able to give miles/dates when recalls were performed. There were a few significant ones besides the V06. If the P.O. went to a certain dealer they may be able to provide repair order info.
There's nothing on the vehicle besides the odometer that would verify mileage, and the odometer readings are all taken with a grain of salt. This is where paperwork/ repair order documentation will help you.
If the vehicle is THAT clean then I would invest in a paint mil reader and take readings on all the various panels to prove that the paint is oem and free of Bondo/filler.
This would be another huge plus to the buyer that knows their stuff. I used one on all the Certified Used Toyotas we prepped for sale. The paint thickness on the fenders, doors, and 1/4 panels should be very, very close to the same, I mean essentially identical. The hood and roof may be a mil thicker.

 

yeah I want to get one of those paint readers. Maybe Ill just post a picture of the Carfax here? or is that a bad idea? the Carfax doesn't have much info which I guess is a good and bad thing. it shows two odometer readings around '93 '94 and then it basically sits for 22 years until 2017. The recall for the stearing relay shows up but thats it no garage or indication it was fixed.

 

They never got the relay Rod recall done? Yikes. I saw a few of those where it broke. Not good. Maybe call the dealer and see if you’re still eligible.

 

Why would have anyone been motivated to change the original wheels on such a low mile truck??
You say that there are other new factory parts parts installed.
What kind of parts might these be??
I remain skeptical.

 

I meant that it has parts on it from the Toyota factory that haven't been changed nor show any wear like various belts in the engine and muffler etc. This was mentioned by the Toyota guys i brought it to briefly. the wheels are strange but i believe the person I bought it from did that because the previous wheels were damaged unfortunately, or maybe he thought they would look better. It was sitting at a tow yard for a while before i bought it and was hot-wired by some idiot on drugs and then abandoned. thats why there are scratches and various small pieces broken or missing. believe me the wheels and that whole deal have me skeptical also but Its still a manual 4runner in amazing shape so im happy with it either way.

 

"Mint" 4Runner with 2,070 miles and in a tow yard? This saga gets odder with ever post.

 

How does CarFax get mileages? I'm pretty sure that reported sales are available to CarFax, but even there the mileages are self-reported. Here in California mileages aren't reported with registration renewal. I'm in a County with Smog Checks (which report mileage), but there is a lot of California with no smog check. I suppose garages can report mileages when service is done, but the only time mine has been serviced in a garage since 2003 (other than my own) is for the Relay Rod recall.

So if you live in a place without smog checks, and do all the service yourself (after all, that's why you hang around here), and haven't sold the vehicle, CarFax shouldn't have anything.

Even with all that, this won't be the first vehicle where the owner disconnects the odometer.

I would try to decode the tire manufacturer code. That includes a date-made. If it comes back 1992, and there's most of the tread still on the tire, then maybe. Otherwise, if the truck has new tires I would be surprised if the true mileage was less than 40k.

 

So you found a 4Runner in very good shape with a few miles on the clock and missing some bits, and you want to flip the truck to make some money and buy another one in worst shape, that will need work and probably you will end spending the money in repairs and mechanics because this "I have no experience really with this stuff and this car is way out of my league ". Just keep it. Find the missing parts and enjoy it. By the way, the second gen rims are easy to find. If things are the way you said, you had a very good deal, you will regret selling it.
If you do not mind me to ask, how much money did you pay for that 4Runner?

 

I don’t know where Carfax gets data, but I assume DMV. Smog checks and change-of-ownership events would require mileage to be recorded. Vehicles that went through auction also have the event recorded(now THAT is valuable info). Ca does have basic and enhanced smog zones, but I'm not aware of any area being exempt. And as far as body/collision work goes, that used to be really hit and miss on those reports. Not sure how much they’ve improved that. And that’s the one that most potential buyers want to know the most about.
I'm no fan of Carfax because much of their data is missing, or misleading, but in trying to determine mileage it could be helpful. It can't really validate the odometer reading as being true, but it could reveal evidence that it's not. Service/recall records from a dealer or service center would be even better.

 

I missed something, what engine is in this 4 runner?

I might be misremembering but didn't the 93 6 cylinders have a recall on the head gaskets or cylinder heads? If it was brought in for a recall repair, would there be some document trail with Toyota?

-jim

 

I recently called the dmv because the milage didn't show up on the Carfax after I purchased the 4runner. I have to write the milage on the old title and mail it back for that to reflect on the Carfax, they don't report it. Cars over a certain age are exempt from milage i guess, at least in Oregon. Ive looked at a few Carfax's for similar milage 4runners on BAT and its almost the same. A few reported miles many years ago and then no miles recorded, only registration renewal and other services.

 

There are some zip codes (and some entire Counties) (out in the sticks) in California that don't require smog checks for registration renewal. https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicl...g-inspections/ So far as I can tell, a smog check is required everywhere in the State for transfers, so those locations aren't "exempt."

Then there are plenty of other places outside of California with no smog checks as well.

Carfax is nice for "newer" vehicles, where the owner is likely to get regular service and most dents repaired. But I don't think you'd have to look too far for a 4Runner or pickup that hasn't got a mileage recorded in the last 20 years.