Purchasing a 2016 TRD - Need advice

Hi all,

I'm about to take ownership of a 2016 4Runner Premium TRD. It's got 99K miles and is going through a general inspection before I take delivery as it's hot off the auction.

I've done quite a bit of research to the reliability of these vehicles and I am greatly impressed to the point I should have picked up one of these pre covid before the used market went nuts. That being said, what are some of the things I should look for in regards to potential issues and service? I plan to change fluids and lube on everything that has a port or drain plug for starters. Are there any wear parts I should look at that could be potential issues or that just might freshen up the feel of the vehicle?

Also, I've looked at a few things for performance and fuel economy upgrades. One is to re flash the ECM, air intake, and throttle response module. I am wondering if these in combination might raise the highway fuel efficiency by a 3-5 miles per gallon?

Thanks for any suggestions or advice in advance.

TJ

 

The engines are pretty bullet proof as I have not seen any issues with them on these forums in my 9 years of ownership. One thing I would mention is to check for rust especially if the vehicle is coming from the rust belt.

 

Also, make sure 4x4 engages. Depending on whether or not the previous owner(s) have exercised 4WD regularly or not, may be something worth checking.

 

Thanks! History shows it's spent most of it's life in Florida, but doesn't mean it hasn't been driven on the beach. Got a good look at the underside and it was really clean. No visible rust or damp areas like oil leak or similar.

 

Yes! Thank you, that's part of the inspection and I get to refuse taking ownership if that does not pass.

I read a recommendation was to run it in 4x4 at least once a month. I do a lot of mountain biking and live on a park in NW Georgia. The lot and double track are all clay and gravel, so I'll make a point to do this monthly.

 

The 4Runner gets mediocre fuel mileage at best. I'd be skeptical of anything promising 3-5 mpg gains.

 

The usual used car stuff applies, maybe it's been flooded, repaired poorly, is the frame rusty, was it taken care of? etc.

These are solid vehicles but not invincible.

Make sure 4WD Hi and Lo shifting works as it's something to exercise occasionally if you got 4WD.

If fuel economy is the only goal, don't bother with mods. You're not going to get any magic 3-5 MPG improvements.

(Maybe if you attempted some serious DIY aero work but that'll be more of a science experiment rather than something you'll do seriously.)

Assuming it's stock and without aggressive off-road tires, just keep your speed down on the interstate (closer to 70 MPH) combined with not much gas/brake input and you can beat the current 5th gen 19 MPG highway rating. The easiest and most effective mod will be your driving.

68-73 MPH gave me barely computer-estimated 23 MPG on a trip from Austin to Dallas but the suburban traffic lights at the end dropped it fast to a final hand-calculated trip average of 21.8 MPG.

My record so far is (also hand-calculated) 24.5 MPG on a one-way 100 mile trip halfway to Waco but speeds were lower than the interstate. You can hit surprising numbers in most any gas vehicle if you're cruising around 50 for a while.

 

Be careful with all the mods you mentioned. The reliability and performance is due to the original design. Once you start modding things, it opens the door for additional problems. Put 10-20k miles on it before you start the mods journey. If you want better gas mileage, get a RAV4 or something else.

 

If fuel mileage is something that concerns you, there are other vehicles better suited.
With a light foot doing about 55-60 on the highway, it will manage over 22 mpg. Increase the speed and it will go down immediately.
Also performance and mileage gains are juxtaposed to each other.
The 4runner is not brisk to start with. If you alter the ECU and run a map that favors mpg over power, you are barely going to be moving in that thing.

 

Welcome.

Pay to have a pre purchase inspection done by a mechanic of your choice.

 

This is reasonable, and better than I thought. I figured being at 70 would put it around 17-18. I'm coming from a very tired 2005 Honda Odyssey with almost 300K miles. I generally manage to get 20-22 highway. Probably would be better if it wasn't so worn out. Sounds like I won't be too far off that mark.

The tires on it currently have good tread but I don't recall what they are. When I put a new set on, I will likely keep the same size and look at overall weight. I have buddy with a Jeep who put 35s on it but bought something that was lighter than he previously had (I think M-Thompsons) and it improved his in-town driving mileage a little bit due to less rotational weight to spin up.

 

I believe that is being done on Friday. Waiting for schedule confirmation.

 

If flashing the ECM was able to improve MPG's by 3-5 MPG, we'd ALL be doing that shit on a regular basis. Since I've never heard of this "mod" I'm guessing that it will get you an improved 0MPG. But hey, I could be wrong. I usually am on Tuesday's.

 

my old ‘98 Sienna would get 24 MPG at 80, sadly the 4Runner isn’t as miserly.

Under more normal conditions whether it be hills and traffic, I’d say the EPA estimate is pretty realistic on at 19. At 80+ you’d probably get the 17-18 you’d expect.

Good point on tire weight too. I think my set of stock Defender LTX’s are around 40 lbs but don’t quote me on that.

 

If you are not scheduling and paying for it, you are not guaranteed to get all the inspection results.

While some dealerships have a policy of auctioning anything over 6 years old, it is still unusual to see clean 4Runner at the auction. My initial reaction would be "what is wrong with it" followed by "is this a repo?".

 

Good catch, who’s doing the inspection?

I had a big Toyota dealer ask me “why would you get it inspected, we’ve already inspected it!” but I took the ‘15 Outback on their lot to another place which found a head gasket and cam carrier leak.

They offered a grand off asking but told me it’ll be auctioned again. I wonder if it just sat until it was purchased by the first person who didn’t look.

Edit: and on the flip side, I went to look at a Borrego at a different dealer and they said it wasn’t going to meet their standards to sell to the public and go to auction - the online listing was premature.

 

watch for it being a flooded car gor FL. Lift carpets, check inside frame rails, make sure diff fluids dont look like milkshakes and make sure they can take all bolts in and out of skid plates, etc so theyre not frozen by rust, etc.

 

Sorry, I meant ECU like the VRTune. A friend suggested this, but he's coming from more of a performance car perspective. Said his mustang mileage improved as a result. I have no idea as I've never had something like this done to a vehicle I own which was why I was asking.

 

The dealer who got it for me is a personal friend as well as the mechanic shop. He scheduled it for me, but I am paying for it. Bought several cars through him and all have been winners thus far. Thanks for that note though, I would agree that a general 'inspection' could be little to nothing.

 

Thanks for the heads up. It's stock, but I agree that doesn't mean someone took it through the Everglades during the summer/rainy season. However, this is something I honestly didn't think of, much appreciated!

 

At 99K miles nothing really needed to be done to it but oil changes, brakes, air filters and tires. I have 108K on mine and those are the only things that have been done so far. If you buy it you might as well change out most of the fluids, the serpentine belt and the spark plugs and you’ll be good to go for the next 100K miles.