Is it safe to buy a Canadian ‘runner?

Hey all,
I’m in the market for a 4Runner and have come across a 2014 Limited with 78k miles for $34000. It’s a nice rig in person, the mileage is good and the price is in our budget, but I have some questions and concerns.
The truck is being sold by Northwest Motorsports: they’re primarily in Washington but have locations in Montana and Idaho. They offer a lot of newer, nicer tacos and runners but almost all of them come from Canada and have a minimum of two owners, based on the provided carfax reports. The concerns that I have about this particular vehicle are these:
Being from Canada and its climate should rust be a concern? I got on my back on the asphalt to look but most of the undercarriage was painted black with what looks to be linex from a spray can…or dirt spray painted over.
The carfax report shows that it’s a 1-owner vehicle with 12 records but the records only state, “Vehicle registered, color is black”. Nothing about any oil changes, recommended services etc.
Can any experts and northern neighbors tell me if my concerns are legit, or what I’ve described is normal?
Any feedback on Northwest Motorsports?
Thanks for any input.
https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx?
partner=DVW_1&vin=JTEBU5JR7E5179361
https://www.nwmsrocks.com/for-sale/2014-toyota-4runner-limited-4x4_130667

 

With how much 4Rs are marked up nowdays its not that much of a crazy price.

Is the undercarriage smooth or does it look like they just hit rust with a spray can to hide it. The owner could of very well been proactive and sprayed it ahead of time but with no pics we can't tell.

 

There’s a very good chance they spray-painted the rusty undercarriage, which is really bush league. Most honest sellers will just show you the surface rust and you can make a decision whether it’s not a big deal.

I don’t know what they do to the instrument clusters to convert them over from kilometers to miles, if anything. That might be annoying for some people, may not be an issue.

I know that back when they used to do dealer registration forms by hand, not electronically, sometimes they would forget to put in the vehicle color and at least in the US that gets listed as white. My original Florida title lists my truck as white. Maybe in maple syrup land that gets listed as black? I wouldn’t know.

I know that in Canada they have fewer model choices and they tend to blend the features together, either for simplicity, so yours might be slightly different than an American model, but not to any degree that it matters.

 

I should’ve snapped a few pics but didn’t think of it
The undercarriage is mostly painted and it’s an uneven texture - not evenly textured like a Linex’ed truck bed…but then again, I also thought it might have been a proactive owner. I reckon I can ask the dealer for some type of guaranteed, in writing with a warranty assurance.

 

Good luck with the warranty.

If its not even they sprayed over something. And probably used something like Line X so it feels solid.

 

A 2014 would have no warranty.

 

Correct, but I’m thinking after market 3rd party. Maybe that’s not an option though

 

That was my first thought too

 

Any warranty you’re going to get on an eight-year-old vehicle that initially originated in another country is not going to be worth the paper it’s printed on.

 

Yeah, good point. And the answers I’m getting so far justify my reasoning for starting this thread.

 

No different than buying one from Michigan or Ohio or any of the near-Canada states.
The weather is the same. It varies from person to person to take care of their cars. I, for one, rustproof all my vehicles, even though I change them very often. Better resale value and you never know when my fortunes turn around and I am stuck with it in the long run.
Due diligence is key here, like with any other vehicle. With a Canadian car, you have less chances to get a rebuilt/salvage/flood vehicle.
Do not take Carfax as the go to source for maintenance, I would not trust that at all. Too many stories and all. At the best, get the VIN and ask a dealer to run it to see what it shows up with. No need to disclose any private info like name, just maintenance history.
Canadian models are almost the same, nothing you guys dont have in the US. SR5 is SR5. TRD OR is your TRD OF Premium. The speedometer will have the larger font in KM, but you do have miles too. You can change the digital one as you wish. DRL are on by default, Canadian law.
Take your time and look it over as you'd buy one from the same state. As I said, do your homework and you'll be fine. If something is iffy, trust your instinct and pass.

 

Thanks CB

 

@Jackstraw, in the interest of selling said vehicle, is Northwest Motorsports willing to snap some photos of the undercarriage, and send them to you? If so, we'd have something to base an answer on...

 

Good question- I’ll have to ask them

 

Yep, not legally enforceable.

 

I have a rule to never trust a Canadian.

They have shifty eyes.

All of them.

The only good thing to come out of Canada is Canadian bacon.

 

Yeah, I agree but I wanted to get their feedback before I showed my true colors

 

“That’s the only thing you like about Canada, eh buddy?”

 

I’ve bought three used 4Runners. 1995, 2001, and 2014. I keep all until they are over 300K miles. One trick I have when the ‘CarFax’ shows limited entries is to go to Toyota’s owners website and if you don’t have an account, create one. Then enter the VIN as your 4Runner. You will then see the Toyota service records if any. After you are done, remove the VIN. I tried to get a Toyota dealership to give me a history of a 4Runner VIN but they tried to sell my one of their used 4Runners. You may have better luck asking. I just use Toyota Owners trick. This always works. Just remember to remove the VIN.
https://Toyota.com/owners

I was going to pass on my high mileage 2014 due to lack of service records on CarFax. There wasn’t an oil change listed in the CarFax. Turned out the owner had all the proper service done at a Toyota dealership. All the oil changes were done at the proper intervals. He bought tires and a battery from Toyota too. All this showed up on in the Toyota owners history for the VIN. Bought at 125K and have 225K on the 4Runner with zero issues.

If possible, I would look in the South. Cleaner undercarriages. My 4Runners were bought in AZ, TX, and MO. Just my two cents.

I love Canada. Great place to vacation. People are awesome. Cannot say enough about my positive experiences there.