Where To Buy 4runner safely

so i have a gti and i’m looking to trade it in for a 2006-08 4runner and i have found some for around 10-13k with 130-150k miles but unfortunately the dealers their at reviews are pretty bad. what are the main concerns and things i look for when i go look at them.


https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...d290&zip=33810#listing=387394911/NONE/DEFAULT

 

also i see a lot of people say 150k miles is nothing how reliable are these things truly ???

 

Very if maintained well.

Just watch out for rust issues. Maintenance records are a good sign as well.

 

If you fill out the location in your profile you may have some more local folks check in and help you out, or some people may be able to give you tips on what to look for based on your area.

 

My wife sold her 2008 with 4.7L V8 about two years ago for $13k if I remember right. We're on the left coast. She had people outbidding each other and someone drove 12 hours from out-of-state to buy it. She could have sold it for me since they were outbidding each other.

I don't know what trim you're looking at, but her 4R was rock solid, for the most part. Some of the lights on the radio were going out/fading, other than that, nothing mechanical. She has around 230,000 miles on it if I remember right. They are nice vehicles.

In your neck of the woods, you might check for rust issues. We don't see much of that here, but maybe you do on the right coast?

 

4Runner is about the most reliable vehicle on the road if it was maintained well.

When buying used your best protection is always to get a Carfax report to check the VIN for insurance claims AND have it inspected by an independent mechanic you trust. As mentioned above frame rust is top on the list to check. DO NOT take a used car dealers word for it on either of these points.

 

If you don’t know what you should be looking for, then schedule a pre-purchase inspection with a mechanic that is very close to the dealership. Let them check it out. If a dealership won’t let you do a PPI, run.

 

Hundreds of thousands of people have moved here from up north, so there will most likely be some frame rust out there. Not usually a problem for Florida in general, unless driven on the beach. But flood and frame rust cars are brought here by the shysters all the time.
Spend the money on carfax and do a full inspection underneath. Just good precaution.

 

I saw a 2008 V8 Limited with 120k miles on craigslist for $20k when I was shopping. I thought that was nuts until the ad was deleted a couple of days later. It was in mint condition.