Buying my first 4Runner! Should I be concerned about this?

Hi, this is my first post here! I'm buying my first 4Runner and just about getting ready to pull the trigger on a 2020. Very excited about it, but when I was checking it out I did notice a little bit of rust. I really don't know much about this and trying to educate myself, but took some pics to hopefully get some advice from folks more knowledgeable than me. Seems like rust can be issue on 4Runners, but maybe less so on the 5th gens?

Does this rust seem concerning? Is this normal on a vehicle 4 to 5 years old? What do you guys think? Any insight would be much appreciated!

 

^Normal. The welds rust first due to poor paint adhesion to the cladding. The rust you see probably occurred after the first winter.

 

Great to know, thanks so much for the reply!

 

Completely normal. Hit it with a wire brush wherever you find it, spray a nice satin black rust inhibitor spray on it and touch up as needed. Fluid film or another spray on protectant should be considered in the future. Dont forget to coat inside the frame rails as well. Enjoy!

 

I would lay under vehicle to see all the tranny and transfer case electric connectors & wiring. Look at all fill & drain plugs for rust or having been opened. I would inspect the gear oil in diffs, the lube in the transfer case and drive shaft U-joint grease. If you do not service your own vehicles-I suggest finding an honest independent shop and talk to them about inspecting all fluids.
I would change them all so you have a new baseline for proper maintenance. Find out if an extended service plan was ever purchased for the vehicle, it might be transferable to you.

 

Thanks guys, really appreciate the replies. The dealer said they can put it on a lift and send me some more pics today. Just the fact they are willing to do that makes me feel pretty good about them.

Currenty no extended warranty from my understanding. They told me this was the owner's son's 4Runner. It is a 2020 with about 47,000 miles on it. It has new tires on it which is good, but not sure how much work will need to be done ahead of the upcoming 50,000 milestone just so I dont get blindsided by a huge bill in a few months.

The financing guy is trying to sell me a CNA 5 year extended "bumper to bumper" warranty. I am not opposed to the idea, but it is very expensive (over $3,000). I never purchased an extended warranty before, but I am wondering how useful it is since it will basically expire when the vehicle is 9 or 10 years old. My friend has a 10 year old highlander and (knock on wood) never had to do anything other than routine maintainence. Worth considering the warranty?



EDIT: Here are the additional pics of the undercarriage the dealer sent me. Doesn't seem too bad and I do appreciate them being pretty upfront about sending the pics.

 

So here's where things stand with me.

I basically have it narrowed down to 2 vehicles:
- A 2020 Trd Pro with 47,000 miles
- A 2022 Trd Off Road Premium with 16,000 miles (no KDSS)

Both are:
- army green
- have similar options (trd wheels, steps, blackout emblems, sunroofs, etc)
- but the TRD Pro is local and I've seen it and test drove it, etc...but the ORP is halfway across the country.
- both are also basically the same price, but I'd have to pay to get the Off Road shipped to me, so the ORP will end up being about $800 more.

Truthfully I'd go with the ORP 100% since it is 2 years newer and basically a 1/3 fewer miles, but I just feel weird about buying a car I have never seen in person. It's really hard for me to get comfortable with that. I don't know why.

Am I being silly? Is the ORP the clear choice? Or should I go all in with the Pro and is the fact that it has 47,000 miles basically a non-issue anyway? At a surface level both trucks look the same, but I know the Pro has a lot more in it than the ORP.

Ugh I need help deciding! I dont want this to linger becaus I dont want to lose both trucks!

 

I've bought cars site unseen before, but I had seen it ONLINE, just not in person. Is that what you mean? Now, I felt comfortable buying because I had driven that type of vehicle before. I knew what to expect for handling, how the seat would feel, the amount of noise in the cabin, etc....

Toyota's have great reliability. But still, I'd always go with the lower mileage vehicle. The TRD Pro is mainly for looks in my opinion. I don't see too many advantages to that trim level (but there are a few). I doubt you'll lose either vehicle. The used car market is kind of weak right now. It's a buyers market. Since you've driven the PRO in person, you'll know how the ORP will feel if you do choose it. I'd spend the extra $800 to have one third the amount of miles and two years newer. You don't know if those are hard 47k miles or if he was a mall crawler.

Also, the surface rust can be mitigated very easily. Wire brush it, then apply wool-wax yearly (this depends on where in the country you live - 'rust belt' states need this done a lot).

 

Thank you! Sorry I should clarify, I have seen the ORP online and the dealer sent me some pics and videos as well. I just havent seen it in person.

Just for my own peace of mind, I have driven a stock ORP locally. Aside from maybe the dual climate control and maybe sound system, I didn't really notice any difference from the Pro and TRD once I was inside the vehicles. Some Youtubers (Ben Hardy) was saying the TRD Pro is a nicer ride and maybe a tad taller...but I didn't notice it in my relatively short test drives.

There are some external differences obviously, I feel I can change any external differences down the road if I must (black valence, front grille), but honestly don't mind the ones on the ORP.

Mechanically it seems like the biggest differentiators I guess would be the suspension and exhaust...don't know if I feel strongly enough to change either of those on an ORP. The Pro exhaust did sound nice though in my uninformed opinion.

My cousin was pushing for the Pro because he says it will have better resale value, but I am looking to keep this truck for the long haul so I don't know if that is really a factor...

 

I've gotten the extendo warranty on 3 vehicles and have never used them. Waste of money. With the 4R's track record I didn't get one when I bought it. Was a 2 year old lease with 17,000 miles that I found on the 'net. 2 hrs. one way to the dealership. If you're in it for the long haul, I'd buy the ORP.

 

Toyota has a" Certified Used Car " program for exceptional used vehicles. Find out if either or both qualify. The cost for the extended warranty is negotiable. Recently I found a 2019 SR5 for my daughter. She wanted one built before all the "nanny" Federal safety features was rolled out in 2020. It was Certified and she had a Car Fax report done on it.
See if the giant Owners Manual set of booklets is with the vehicle-usually in glove box. Also make sure you get 2 keys. If not insist dealer provide.
The deal you make for the vehicle is done with the Finance Manager. He is in charge of the final costs to you. He can adjust prices for most items.
Is there a maintenance history with the vehicle-sometimes the Car Fax report lists maintenance done.
Regarding the value of extended warranty-I used my Platinum 7 year 100,000 mile plan for my 2017 SR5 on a transmission replacement caused by a internal part failure. Dealer back charged Toyota about $8,000. All covered costs with no out of pocket to me.

 

$3000 is insane for an add on warranty. They'll deal on it and if they wont just tell them no. Don't let them talk you into their spray on rubber "rust prevention" either. Way better that you learn to DIY or take it to a fluid film-type shop that specializes in it.

If you're keeping it, I'd go with the lower mileage 2022. That $800 is buying you 2 years and 30k miles. There isnt a person on this site that wouldnt roll back the clock that far for only $800

 

Regarding extended warranty-they are usually extended service agreements or extended maintenance agreements. Only purchase a genuine Toyota extended Service ( warranty) agreement. These other providers are more profitable to dealer. But insist on Toyota.
Research Toyota Certified Used Cars on line. You can select the search area to include neighboring States.

 

Thanks everyone, really appreciate everyone’s feedback and support.

TRD Pro dealer is starting to bug me. Wont accept outside lender, coming in at higher rate than originally (informally) discussed and saying I waited too long and rates went up. And not budging a dollar on the warranty but not a Toyota Warranty, it is through CNA so I don’t want it anyway.

ORP is looking better and better. Some YouTubers seem to say that the Pro is a lot better drive than the ORP, especially on highway and stuff. Is this true? I won’t be modding the ORP as I am already at the top my of budget, is the difference in quality really that noticeable?

 

Tell the Pro dealer little junior can keep driving it then. They have 1 used Pro to sell, there are 426 TRDORs on Car Gurus alone with less than 50k miles for under $40k for you to buy.

 

Mmmmmaybe? They come with different shocks than the other models. I picked the ORP because I liked the metallic grey. The Pro is the one that comes in limited release colors. I got mine a little too late for Desert Sand. My year (2019) was the nail polish (per my wife) blue color. Yeah, no. Grey it is!

 

To me, this car looks clean-enough. You do, however, want to rustproof the frame. I recommend thoroughly washing it inside and out then liberally applying Fluid Film or Krown.

 

I know why, it is called common sense. 100% with you in never buying sight unseen.

 

The fact that they won't deal with an outside lender would be a deal-breaker for me. Also, the reason why we buy Toyotas is to NOT need extended warranties, I wouldn't buy one on a 4Runner.

The TRDOR is definitely the better deal, but I get you're hesitant to buy sight unseen and have to travel halfway across the country.

As far as the ride between the two, 1)I wouldn't put too much stock in what Ben Hardy says, I don't know how he has so many followers because I really don't think he knows anything about cars, he's the worst reviewer. I've seen. 2, shocks are a wear item, and if the PRO has almost 50k on it, it may be nearing the end of the service life of the shocks. You can usually find a set of nearly new takeoff Pro shocks on eBay from somebody upgrading, or the aftermarket offers better solutions anyway.

And it's not even like the PRO in question has an exclusive color.

If you plan on keeping it long-term, I wouldn't really worry too much about resale value. It'll just be a nice bonus 15 years down the road when it has 300K on it and you can still actually get something for it.

It just occurred to me, if that TRD that's halfway across the country is in the South or Southwest, it will be rust free, which is a nice bonus. You can get it treated ASAP and really extend its life.

Or just skip them both, and keep looking.

 

When I shop for vehicles I always am NON-commital about financing. The salesman and sales manager does not make the decisions, only the finance manager!
I get the exact particulars on "their" deal = monthly $ payment times number of payments = total $ cost. That is the most important number. The loan interest percentage is mis-leading at best. Ignore it! Compare total $ cost for a few lenders. That will give you the best choices.
Almost always I request a " Due Bill" when I close the deal. Then I bring my payment check from my chosen lender to complete purchase and drive away in my new vehicle.
Dealer get a fee (kick back) for taking you to their favorite loan source. Careful homework can save you money.

 

Thanks everyone for all the replies!

I ended up going with the ORP!

I did like the Pro a lot , but 2020 vs 2022 and 47k vs 16k miles was just too big of a difference to ignore. I probably put 10k to 12k miles a year so we’re talking almost 3 years for me.

I will say the headaches dealing with the Pro dealer made the decision even easier to go with the ORP. One of the last conversations I had with them was about the black out emblems. Basically they said they can black out the word “4Runner” on the back but they won’t do the Toyota emblem because they didn’t have the part and would have to order a full set to do that. So it would be half blacked out. The sales guys was just like buy an aftermarket one on Amazon.

not trying to make a big deal of something as minor as an emblem…but it’s indicative of the whole process with them as they literally fought me on everything. By the end of everything I was just exhausted and gave up.

the ORP dealer on the other hand was great. Sent me lots of additional photos about things I asked about, did a virtual test drive and sent me videos as well. It’s also “Toyota Gold Certified” which I don’t know if it counts a whole lot, but maybe feel a little better buying out of state. (the local Pro was not certified at all.)

well I’m happy with my decision so hopefully this truck will last me a long time with little headache and drama and will be better than my previous MUV (mommy utility vehicle) 2014 Nissan Pathfinder

thanks everyone for all the support and feedback. Really happy to see such an active community here.

 

You can also add an extended warranty the the ORP. It has be done within 3 years or 36k miles from the original purchase date. You can search the forums for the Toyota extended warranty deals.

 

You already bought the other car, but I want to adress this point.

This is nothing to worry about. Car loans can be refinanced just like house loans, and in fact much easier. I’ve dealt with many car dealers that insist on their own financing, I take it (actually makes the paperwork easier), walk out and literally refinance the next day.

You can often get a much better rate with a credit union or AAA. Look around you may be blue to save money even on the loan you took for the ORP.

 

Oh and just forget the extended warranty. It’s a Toyota, you won’t likely ever need it and most of those 3rd party plans are full of conditions that make them really hard to actally use anyway…