Thoughts on whether this is a good deal or not ?

Hello all, I found a used 2022 4Runner TRD SPORT 4WD in army green with only 10000 miles for 41k. It looked great in pictures with nice method wheels . However, In person the car had a deep scratch and a small dent on the rear passenger fender which looked like it couldn’t be buffed out. Prob cost 2-3 grand to fix. More concerning was the fact that the rear cargo area was covered with what looked like water damage. When I asked the salesperson he said it doesn’t have water damage since the car has a clean carfax and he thinks it’s just bleach. Should I take a gamble and buy this and spend a couple grand fixing .

 

If you’re willing and able to spend 41k, I would buy a brand new one. You can find new SR5’s for less than 40k. At least in my area.

 

A clean Carfax is no guarantee of no damage.

 

I live in the Los Angeles area, and 4Runners here are extremely popular in SoCal. I looked at multiple dealers in the entire state of California and they all want at least 5k over sticker.

 

Abort, or at least have a reputable mechanic shop not associated with the dealer/seller take a good look.

4runners new are running at least $5k over msrp in major cities and surrounding towns.

if you look for 2021s with higher mileage 30-40k you may get a deal. Highly recommend buying Toyota Certified used because they are vetted pretty well with optional extended warrantees.

If you really need a TRD trim then you need something dependable so def don’t cut cost by sacrificing the chance to own a solid vehicle.

 

They are extremely popular here in Idaho as well, but pricing in the last year seems to be improving. It would be worth a plane ticket to save several grand.

 

Was the salesperson saying if it’s not on carfax, it never happened? Carfax is not a super duper CIA spy agency that tracks your car’s history from factory to junkward.

The defense of “it’s just bleach” is a little odd. Anything that needed bleach to clean up tends to get my imagination going with the possibilities of why that might have been necessary. I’m not sure I wanna be driving a vehicle that needed to be bleached out.

Walk away and take a break. You’ve just seriously considered paying top dollar for a used car that had to be taken to the cleaners. That suggests you might be feeling pressure to get something now/fast. That’s a bad position to be in as a buyer.

Also, I thought the Sport trim only came in 2wd. Am I remembering wrong?

 

This truck has issues. Hence the price. No point pretending.

If you really want it. Ask them to fix the problems. Clearly written in the sales contract.
Scratches and biohazard Issues don't show up right away except reported.
Or just walk away.

Did you test drive yet. ?