2006 Toyota 4Runner SR5

Hi y’all.
May be on the way to purchasing my first 4Runner! Have wanted one since the early 90’s.
I have never purchased a vehicle w/out having a mechanic look it over first. In this case & in this market, I may go against my norm, put a deposit down & drive the two hours to look at it & purchase on the spot.
Would those of you who know your way around these babies & their potential issues be willing to share what questions I should ask the seller (besides normal maintenance)? Would be much appreciated!
153,000 miles. Has not been used to tow or off road.
PS-I’m already dreaming of what extras I can put on it!

 

V6 or V8. Which model did you get? And congrats on your purchase. I hope you looked at the frame closely?

 

Thanks @trlhiker.
Haven’t seen it up close or purchased it yet. It’s a v6.
Tell me about the frames on these. A 4th gen. issue?
Thanks!

 

Frame rust is really common and can get pretty ugly on the 4th gens.

when I bought my 06 the power steering lines were rusted through and the exhaust was rusted through as well but those were easy enough to fix that I still purchased it.

I’d recommend checking all the electronics, power locks/windows/sun roof (if applicable), check the 4x4 system (if applicable) the actuator tends to stick

otherwise good luck

 

@06_dark_knight-thanks for the heads up on all of those things! My biggest concern is not being able to have our trusted mechanic look it over based on distance from where I live to where the 4Runner is located. We’ll see…

 

I wish you the best of luck! I wish I was smart enough to ask what to look out for before buying mine. But I’ve have mine for 6 years now and I’m so happy with it I’m glad I took the risk

 

Welcome! Here's the things that would run through my head:

- The frame will be your biggest concern. Crawl underneath and look at the rails, especially near the engine mounts. That's where it tends to get flakey and start creating holes. Surface rust is normal and fine, but deep rust that is flaking is not going to be good.

- V6's are pretty bullet proof model years 2006+, 2005 and earlier had some head gasket issues that occasionally pop up. If it's had the oil changed regularly you'll be doing alright.

- Take a look behind the front wheels and try to see if it's the original suspension. If you take it on the test drive and it starts bouncing all over the place after you hit a bump, it probably is and is probably worn out by now.

- Run the transmission through all the gears as you drive, stop in a parking lot somewhere and try to engage 4-lo and 4-high, along with the diff locks if you have them, make sure they all engage and the lights go solid. Don't try to turn on drive pavement in 4wd or with anything locked up. Transmission chatter can occur on these if the fluid changes weren't kept up on. Try going up a steep hill if you can.

- Look at the CV axles behind the front wheels, make sure the boots aren't torn up and leaking grease

- Look at the color of the fluids in the engine bay. Brake fluid should be golden to amber, not black, and power steering fluid is normally a dark red, again, not black. Check the oil level and assess the condition. Should be a dark amber and not dark brown or dark black. If the fluid is right on the money, fill-wise and clean, usually a good sign they took care of it.

- take a look at the tire tread depth, is it going to need new tires in a year?

- if it has a sunroof, any evidence of leaks in the headliner area?

If any of the above aside from the frame aren't quite right, use it to your advantage to negotiate a price. I wouldn't let any of it scare me away (again, aside from frame rust, that's a nightmare), these things are very easy to work on.

Any pictures you can share of it? We can point out anything obvious if so

 

Well y’all, the seller just informed me after 3 days of online communication that they sold the 4Runner to the first person who responded. Wish I would’ve known I was third in line three days ago.
@spencermarkd-
that is excellent advice. Thank you! I will keep that in mind as soon as I get over the disappointment of losing out on two vehicles (a Rav & a 4Runner) in the past 5 days that I thought were the ones.

 

Unfortunately if you are a buyer, you have to act fast when you see a good one.

 

@trlhiker-Going as fast as is in my control.