That Blue V8 from Toronto

Newbie here and and new to Toyotas! Got my first 4runner this month as a daily driver in Toronto. Been eyeing on these for a couple of months and previously reading fellow Canadiangearhead newsletter, and I must admit I got sold here. My main passion is old German Audis (have a longtime project), but I needed a reliable daily driver which would be perfect for occasional weekend getaways and countryside adventures.
It was quite a challenge to find a car with solid frame and body, given the struggle with salt here in the rust belt. Well, mine's not perfect (and by perfect I mean not a single spec of rust, even surface), but the frame is pretty solid, with long list of previous maintenance and rust prevention sprays. Usual spots which tend to rust more often, do look good on this car, including the rear hatch (latch and sliding window work perfect), left quarter panel inside the door, lower door edges, sunroof perimeter, etc).
The first impression upon test driving the car was great. Smooth and drone-less engine and no transmission gear grind or harsh speed changes, no other noises from suspension or creaking trim. The only downside is that the car still retains the factory cast iron exhaust manifolds, which I do believe have hairline cracks (you feel the smell on WOT), which will replaced later on.
Interior is pretty solid too. Driver seat has a slight wear and tear from 206.000km (128.000miles) mileage, and the dash cover has hairline cracks. Otherwise all is in mint condition.
I had checked a couple of cars in the range of 5000-7000 CAD, before getting my hands on this one, but those examples lacked serious previous maintenance, and/or were in bad mechanical/body shape. This particular blue 4runner was out of my price range by almost 2x, but I decided to bite the bullet and bet on it, since it was the nicest out of them all. The next best 4runner was available in Montreal (5 hours drive from Toronto, and I did not have neither a car, nor time for that trip), with perfect frame and in great shape, ex-British Columbia car, but that one was priced at 18000 CAD.
Long story short, I offered the seller my price tag, to which he answered that there are two other potential buyers coming to check it out the next day. They offered a bit less than my bid, so I won and bought the car. What can I say? I'm one happy owner of such a great truck!

 

welcome

 

Welcome to the forum from North Carolina.

 

Welcome from Arizona!

 

Welcome, looks like a solid vehicle with low miles, I would consider that a win. Glad you knew to look for rust.

the Canadian gearhead is great I’ve read his website and watched many of his videos.

 

V8 4runner nice grab coming hard to find. Welcome

 

Welcome

 

Welcome

 

Welcome from Wisconsin!

 

Welcome to the forum.