Would this be a deterrence if you were considering buying a lightly used 4Runner?

Was considering selling my 4Runner but then it got keyed a week ago. Scratches go down to bare metal. Debating on how to go about fixing it and was curious from a resale value standpoint, what would you prefer if you were buying this as a private party sale? How much would you expect to knock off the price for each option assuming asking price is 40k on a 2022 TRD Off-road with 25k miles? For reference, Carmax offered 37k as is when I went in person for a quote.

1. Leave as is so you as the new owner can decide to do whatever you want with it.

2. Have it touched up with some quality touch up paint just so it doesn’t rust. You’ll probably add more scratches to it anyway but at least you still have factory paint on the rest of both doors.

3. Have it fixed by a body shop. Would include sanding down both doors, new paint and clear coat, and blending it with the adjacent panels. You might not notice or the paint might not match perfectly. Either way it’s not factory paint.

 

To quote my favorite mob movie: Leave the gun, take the cannoli's. Choose option 1. Take the money and run. You won't get a ROI if you fix cosmetic stuff on a vehicle.

 

The way I would look at it if I was a buyer.

I would assume the owner got a check from the insurance company and then didn't fix it. So, if your sale price was $35k, I'd assume you took a check from insurance for $5k and the vehicle was really worth $30k, since, if I was buying it I'd have to pay $5k out of my own pocket to get it fixed. Essentially I'd be thinking you're not getting paid twice, the price of the repair and the price of an undamaged vehicle.

I'd figure your 4R is worth ACV (the value of a non-damaged vehicle), less the repair cost.

I'd either fix it, or I'd offer a deep discount on the selling price.

 

There’s quite a few lunar rocks for sale right now and that will cost at least a few hundred to about 1500 to fix. Since I know of 5 lunar rocks for sale right now personally, I would chose one of those if I was in the market for a lunar rock one.

 

Tis but a scratch, literally. People pay normal market prices for 4runners with so much frame rust that they’re essentially totaled and worthless. So I think you’ll have not problem asking what you want for it.

The buyer can decide if it’s an issue or not. If it is, they’ll counter offer, if they really want it.

In the meantime, get a quote for a spot repair, and for a respray of the area. That way you know how much you should budge on a counter-offer. Or if maybe you should make an insurance claim.

 

Take it.

 

Yeah I was afraid it would be a non starter and someone would rather find another Lunar Rock that was pristine. Not sure how much would need to be knocked off the price to entertain a potential buyer.

The quote I got from insurance was $1400 so I was going to aim for selling it for 38.5K.

I guess what I’m getting at is if Carmax is offering 37k as is, is it worth taking that or dealing with the potential headache of trying to sell something with this sort of cosmetic damage and trying to squeeze out another 1.5k

 

That’s pretty low offer what state are you in? I have a lunar rock 4Runner with 18,500 miles and plugged it into carmax just to see my offer and mine is 42k also I would hit up the Toyota stealerships believe it or not they’ll most likely offer you more than carmax

 

I'm considering a Lunar Rock, what's your location?

 

Pavo, any of those LR's out west?

 

I am sorry this happened to you. Now...

1. Buff the whole rig out, wax it to minimize this scratch if possible. Does not feel honest, does not feel alright. Up to you. I would not do that. I have seen some sick stuff done to cover scratches and some people can do miracles, does not cost much.

2. Be upfront about it, honest sale, full disclosure, Do not repair if u cant do it yourself.

3. Depending on ur insurance, file a claim. Have it fixed, disclose the damage to the buyer.

4. Dont go to carmax. You should get 39 K for it, if someone wants to negotiate. There may be some other lunar rock 4rs, but they wont be on the market forever.

5. You might find some buyer who can fix it by themselves and give u around 39 K.

 

some there’s two I know of for sale in SoCal right now. Not sure why so many people are selling their lunar rocks

 

I've found several too, but they're at stealerships. Would rather buy from a private party.

 

Offer a cash discount to a prospective buyer off your list price. It should cost around $1000-1500 to fix those. Once the buyer knows he is being compensated for it, he will look at the vehicle beyond the cosmetic damage.
Alternatively fix it yourself and then put it up for sale.

 

Thanks for the feedback. My preferred option would be to leave it as it is now and be upfront about it.

I just wanted to get some opinions. At first thought, I imagined that it would be a big detractor for potential buyers. After more thought, I don’t want to go through the headache of getting it repaired and then potential buyers saying “man I wish you would have left it alone, I would have preferred to have the factory paint rather than a paint job, even with the scratches”.

 

The older that vehicle gets, the harder it will be to do a match on that paint

 

Also, since you said it happened in the parking lot of your apartment I would be worried about it happening again

 

You can't really fix it, but a good detailer can make it a lot less noticeable.

 

Agreed. Leaving it as-is hides nothing. The buyer may be fine with touching it up himself. And this way, you've invested no time or money. Heck, if you want, you can even get a check from insurance and offer that money to the buyer to use as desired, letting them see the paperwork as proof of the settlement. Price the truck appropriately first, of course.

 

"It's just a flesh wound!"

Take it. I had a similar mark on my 2014 Accord. Took it to a body shop, the owner smirked and said, "I got ya..." and fixed it in less than 15 minutes for $10 AND gave me a free car wash.

 

If you’re not in a rush, I would try to sell it as is, to see if you can get close to what you want. Worst that can happen is that you say no to someone that wants less than you expect. And if that really doesn’t work, then move to the next option to have it fixed.


PS: I see a lot of people selling their 4R with less than 3-4 years old. Am I the only one who bought one to keep it forever?

 

Nope. I bought mine as my "keeper." God willing the salty air where I live doesn't take it out before I'm ready to be buried in it 30 years from now.

 

Option 3. Typical buyer (i.e. not a body shop professional) won't be able to tell in typical lighting conditions and therefore this won't come up in negotiation during the selling process.

 

More importantly what are you going to get if you sell this vehicle; find another used 4R or another vehicle entirely?