Hello everyone, I am new to the board and I must say it is an awesome place for info

I just sold my superduty and am looking to buy a 4runner. There have been no runners for sale locally in the past month or so, so I guess I'm gonna be doing some traveling. How does this sound to you guys?

1999 Highlander - auto - 107,000 miles - power everything - sunroof - body in great shape.

I haven't been able to drive it (it's 4 hours away). It is for sale on a small private car lot and the owner wants 10.5k

I offered him 9.5 and he is willing to sell for that amount.

All things be okay, aesthetics, drives well, not a pile, etc... Would this be a good deal?

Thanks guys, love the board, and appreciate the help!!

Judd

 

Sounds like a good deal to me if it looks and drives as good as it sounds. Once they hit the 100K mileage mark folks will drop the price a chunk...those are the ones to get for cheap(er).

 

Thanks wabbit. I have a company truck so I'm not gonna put a boat load of miles on it each year. My last truck I put 15000 miles on it in 18months... I mainly want the runner for going to the dunes a couple times a year and running around town and the occasional road trip.

What things should I look out for when I go to see it?

Thanks again, Judd

 

See if they have a maintenance history, it timing belt has been done around 90K, rear axle seals are bad about leaking on 3rd gens, general appearance, runs well, that kind of thing. I generally trust my initial gut reaction and if it says "no" I walk away. Not my "impulse" demon, but my "gut". The dealer will have cleaned it up, so make sure to look and listen. I always get flat on my back and crawl underneath with a flashlight, as you'll see things that way that most dealers are too lazy to clean. Once you get it, take it to a Toyota dealer for a used vehicle inspection and then drive it til the wheels fall off.

Good luck.

 

Thanks wabbit. I cannot wait to buy my first yota!!!

Judd

 

that's a very good price.

i have a 99 limited w/ 150k on it w/ the original timing belt and i have yet to hear of a single timing belt failure on any 3.4L engine in the 4runners or tacomas.

even if the belt does break, it's not like a honda and grenade the pistons and valves, it's a NON-interference engine. if it breaks, then the engine quits and leaves you stranded, so it's not a "required" maintenance item but a "strongly suggested" maintenance item. i'd also hold off until 120k or more to do them. at 90k, they're still fine.

like waskilly said. crawl in, around, and especially underneath. look for accident damage under the hood down by the battery and the air cleaner. look for oil/fluid leaks underneath. if it looks ok and you're happy with it, then snatch it up - you won't regret it.

 

I would ditto what all have said. It's a good price for a very good truck.

A couple of other things that you may not have known prior to joining the board that make this a "truck to have":

1. It has the scooped hood that many people want. Others including myself have gone to some lengths to get one of these and replace a perfectly good hood.
2. It is a '99 w/ the one-inch taller springs. If you don't plan on lifting the truck, it's already taller than the other 3rd gens.
3. It's only got 107k miles for a '99. Not too bad based on what others have seen for the same year. I got my '99 w/ less than 100k and it runs great. Being anal and not leaving anything to chance, I had all the required maintenance done and even swapped in synthetic fluids. I really want my truck to last.

Good luck.

 

Thanks guys, exactly what I wanted to hear!

I've been lurking here for the past few weeks and from what I read I knew the 99 Highlander was exactly what I wanted.

I let ya'll know how it goes.

Also, I want to run some 285x75's on the truck, with the 1" taller springs what needs to be done to clear the tires lift wise? I'm gonna offroad it so I need something both streetable and can handle some offroad duty...

Thanks again, appreciate the help!

Judd

 

either a big body lift (not advised) or search for "TRD TUNDRA LIFT" and read it all.

 

Edit.

 

99 4Runner "highlander edition"...later named sport edition

 

Edit.

 

Hey Judd-

FYI - In the 99 Highlander edition, Toyota offered an optional electronic rear locker. To tell if a truck has it, look for a button to the left of the steering column marked "RR Dif Loc" (or something to that effect). This is a highly sought after feature around here, and one I didn't know was an option till after I bought my truck. The truck you are looking at is still a good deal if it doesn't have it, just a better deal if it does.

This page has lots of info about the 99 Highlander edition, and all the various options, etc.: http://www.top4runners.com/ja/

Good luck!

-Scubaduck

 

I made sure the truck has the diff lock... Might be going down to check it out/pick it up this week!!!

Thanks, Judd