New Member Looking at Used Truck

I am considering purchasing my neighbors 2004, 203K miles, regular oil changes, New Tires, good shape except dash for my daughter. Price is $2000. I know nothing about these trucks but have a lot of experience working on my Land Rovers, BMW Track Car, and Air Cooled 911's for last 40 years. Currently own and Maintain a 86 930, 1997 NAS D90, 2015 LR4, and 2005 L322, E46 Track Car.

Anything I should look at and replace before I give it to her other than Plugs/Filters/Oil/Cooling System?

Tim

 

As others will chime in... since it sounds like you are mechanically inclined, just look out for things you CAN'T do... and that would be to make sure the frame isn't rusted through.

 

X2

Rusted frame is the Achilles’ Heel of the 4Runner

 

Thanks, I'll definitely look for rust on frame/body, but from what I've seen so far....zero rust.

 

V6 or V8? The V8 has a timing belt so check if it’s been replaced, otherwise you’re good as the V6 has a chain. If it’s 4WD, cycle through all the modes to be sure they work. The actuator can get gunked up from disuse and not engage, and that’s usually not a cheap or easy fix. If it works, great, be sure to engage it monthly to keep it happy.

No rust? Very fortunate as you wouldn’t believe the horror stories people have.

 

V6, I’ll ck for 4wd, and if it has it, I’ll run thru the functionality.

BTW: How often should the transmission/xfer/and diffs get fluid changes on these trucks?

Where is the best place to buy OE (Toyota) parts?

Tim

 

Couple more questions:

1) Most important, where do you guys buy your OE (Toyota) Parts online? I was hoping FCP Euro sold parts for TOY but they donot.

2) What kind of mileage can I expect out of the V6 Engine and Transmission? This truck has used Mobil1 for most of it's life with oil changes at least once a year. I would assume trans prob only had one drain/refill.

 

1) Toyota's parts site is parts.toyota.com but there's a process to get the best price b/c some dealers offer a substantial discount while others don't. Go there and find your part(s), then it should offer a list of dealers near you. Check each one's price and you'll discover who discounts online orders and who doesn't. Once you sort that out, most dealers have an individual url you can use from then on to simplify the process.

I always pick mine up at one of the local dealers but they often offer free shipping. The discounts, at least here in metro Atlanta, are such that I can get Toyota parts at very competitive prices vs. aftermarket. That's why I went all-OEM on my last brake job, getting the pads and rotors for the same price as the PowerStop kit I had before.

2) I've tracked MPG at every fill-up through the Fuelly app for 40K miles and my average is ~17 MPG. The terrain here in north Georgia is hillier than many places so yours may vary depending on the local topography. Beware the dash MPG display, they're notorious for being inaccurate. With that said, mine got significantly more accurate after the faulty fuel sending unit was replaced.

 

Thank you.

My second question was misleading, this truck has 200K on it, what kind of miles can expect? 300-400K on engine and trans? It's had Mobil1 every 10K for most of it's life after warranty expired...

 

Welcome!
03' to early 05' V6s had some head gasket issues, but some of these same model years have gone 300k without issue, so it's not all of them. Check for HG leak and frame rust under the condensate drain and where the rear lower link frame connectors are located.

 

@timc930 HGs are somewhat common....
https://www.4runners.com/threads/4-0l-v6-blown-head-gasket.1451/

 

Totally misunderstood that one. LOL Your estimate of 300-400K is well within reason. Bought mine in 2014 at 96K miles having never imagined buying a used vehicle with that many miles. Asked my mechanic while he was inspecting it and his reply was, "96K? This thing's just getting started." I'm at 248K now. Toyota will even send you a window cling for every 100K milestone if you send them a pic of your odometer and FB has a .

 

V6? Check for blown head gasket (common for 2003-2006), timing cover leak near the power steering pump (affects almost 100% of V6s, just varying severity), and steering rack leak (wetting at the bellows).

Mcgeorge Toyota often have the best prices (i.e. they discount parts off MSRP more than many other dealers with online presence). Partsouq in the UAE can have better prices if you can afford to wait for shipping from the UAE.