New in Arizona - Looking For Pre-Purchase advice!

Hey Gang,

Brand new to forums. Posting this to get some input and advice. Found a '95 4runner 5-spd 3.0 V6 about 10 miles away from me. Private seller is asking $8000 obo. Appears to have only been owned in Arizona. Don't need a daily driver but want a clean slate that is good for weekend camping adventures and long trips. Won't be towing a boat but may tow small teardrop camper in the future. Will make mods soon to go play in the mud and dirt.

Here are the stats:
Second owner
Originally purchased in Tucson
180k 'highway' miles
New exhaust and cat
Wheels balanced
New battery
New Alt
New fan belts

Said check engine light has been coming on so his mechanic is doing complete "tune up" before he'll let me test drive it. This would be my 4th Toyota Truck or 4runner. I feel confident inspecting / test driving the car. I'll ask about the water pump, timing belt, inspect the fluids, CV boots, transfer cases, cat, etc. when I test drive it. Looks very clean in photos. (See attached from online ad. There are a few more I can post, if it helps in your response.)

If I offer $6000, is that too high in your opinion? '95 isn't the year I would prefer, but if it's as clean as it looks online and he's had it tuned up, I think it might be worth it.

Any input is appreciated. Feel free to respond here or PM me. Looking forward to many more posts here!

Cheers!
Ben

 

Did you KBB it?

 

Seems way too high to me based on KBB.

 

I would think you could find a pretty nice third gen for 6-8k. I'd pay 3500 tops for that thing and even then I don't feel like I'd be getting a great deal.

 

That’s what my gut says, too. KBB is $3500. Going to see it tonight. Want to ask him why he thinks it’s worth so much! We shall see...

 

Sounds like he dumped a shit load of money into it fixing it up and thinks he can get it back. That's not how it works with most vehicles. I'd ask him that question before you waste your time going to deal with an unreasonable seller.

 

I would ask the seller if he is high and then offer him 3k if you really want it. If not find another one. I just did a brief craigslist search local to me and there are at least 6 2nd gens with around the same mileage and only one is priced over 4k.

 

All signs were correct. The photos in his add weren’t even of the same Runner! Told him it’s way too much and wished him luck. I’ll be saving my cash for a better value. Likely a 3rd or 4th Gen.

Thanks for the input!

 

Nice ride.. my 97 4Runner went through water pumps like a champ... Good luck...

 

I'm going to play the contrarian here and say that I don't think 6k is unreasonable assuming the car is rust free and the interior is clean. I know the consensus is that you can get one for 4K but after you're done doing what that kind of 4runner needs, have you really saved any money? Let's face it most second gen 4runners have been pretty unloved for a while now. So they've been neglected because people didn't think they were worth it. But now that the ratio of wreckers to good ones has shifted, the clean ones are starting to get some love. What I would be more interested in than the mileage is the service history.

Also take KBB with a grain of salt on old toyotas. Nobody is financing these things, so I am guessing a lot of people aren't reporting what they actually paid to cut the tax bill.

 

Ask him if he is going to warranty it u

I agree with damn near everything you say. I was more looking at it from how I'd approach it. It sounded like the seller put a lot of work into it and didn't want to sell it for less than he put into it. Sadly though it just doesn't generally work that way on used vehicles. For me I'd rather do all the work myself and make sure it's done right or whatever went wrong is my fault. I just couldn't put that kind of faith in a stranger selling a 25 year old ride. If it was someone I knew it would be a different story except for the fact I don't like to do business with friends. A thousand or so over kbb is reasonable, but over double KBB...and that's red flag city.

 

Hey Ben... are you in Tucson? Or is that just where the vehicle is? Welcome to AZ... just in time for the heat

 

I agree with both of you and my drive confirmed everything. He didn't put the money into it, but said that he did. Almost every claim he made was obviously not true when I popped the hood and crawled under it. He is just trying to rip someone off because they're hard to find in the Valley of the Sun. Also, 8 of the 12 photos on his posting were of a different vehicle. A little weird. I told him to call me when he's serious about the price. He's since dropped it $1000 and uploaded new photos of the actual vehicle. What a skeez.

I would have paid $6000 if it was as clean as his Catfish photos showed and actually ran well. Like most 2nd Gens, it could barely get up to 65 mph on a straightaway. I'll probably get a 3rd Gen I can use for camping right away. I need something that can climb into the high country to get away from this heat!! This 4runner was not that.

Thanks for all of the input!
Ben

 

Hi Julie,

I'm in Phoenix. The 4runner is here, too. It was originally purchased in Tucson, according to the window sticker. I apologize for my misleading thread title. I'm new to the forums, but I've been in the valley for over three years now. Been getting out of town over the weekends to try and avoid this heat. It's brutal!

 

Ahh I see - well if you ever want to do an easy/moderate ride let me know... Im newish at this but would like to get out more