I may have found it... UPDATED: HELP NEEDED!

[Sam Conder]

I have found a 1995 Toyota 4Runner 2WD for $2500. It is a one owner vehicle with a sparkly clean Carfax report. It has 152,000 miles, but it should still have a lot of life in it. The only "dings" is that is has a bit of body rust and the rear hatch has some issues. I think I should be able to fix the hatch and the looks don't matter to me.

I need "good thoughts" and prayers, as the seller has two people in front of me lined up to look at it. Let's all hope and pray they don't like it!

[Stan]

Best of luck with that one Sam, hope it works out for ya.

[smc331]

An abundance of good thoughts and prayers from North Carolina - hope this is the right one!

[ironhat]

Sounds like a winner. The rust can be stopped with one of the 'rust converter' products from Loc-tite and Rustoleum. The first is clear and the second is flat black.

[Uncle Cracker]

Positive vibes all around...

[Ed62]

Good luck on that Sam. I hope you get it, and get another 152,000 miles on it.

Ed

[Tom Slick]

Is it a V6 or 4cyl? if it's a 4 cyl (22re engine) then it's due for a timing chain. otherwise they are almost bulletproof.

[gwyneth]

152k on a Toyota 4-cylinder is nothing, particularly with the five-speed. Great, great power train.

[cabinetman]

The only data I can relate on a 4 Runner, is that I have a friend that bought a new one in '94. It may be just a quirk for that particular one, but it has had head gasket problems, and I think the dealer changed out the engine. The 152,000 mileage is pretty high. Maybe have a qualified mechanic check it out with those round things that have numbers and needles, or the newfangled digital thingies.

[Sam Conder]

The only data I can relate on a 4 Runner, is that I have a friend that bought a new one in '94. It may be just a quirk for that particular one, but it has had head gasket problems, and I think the dealer changed out the engine. The 152,000 mileage is pretty high. Maybe have a qualified mechanic check it out with those round things that have numbers and needles, or the newfangled digital thingies.

Hopefully it was a quirk or a problem with the '94s. I agree that 152k is high, but unless I want to buy a Kia, I'm not going to be able to avoid high mileage on my budget.

Is it a V6 or 4cyl? if it's a 4 cyl (22re engine) then it's due for a timing chain. otherwise they are almost bulletproof.

It's a V6.

152k on a Toyota 4-cylinder is nothing, particularly with the five-speed. Great, great power train.

It's an automatic. I wish it were a standard, but again I ain't gonna be picky!

Thanks everyone!

[messmaker]

Looks like it has near-new tires. That alone is worth $500. Good luck.

[Sam Conder]

Looks like it has near-new tires. That alone is worth $500. Good luck.

Yup...

And the interior looks pretty clean...

[jziegler]

Looks really good for a car that age with those miles. Hope that it works out well for you.

Toyota does have a good reputation (both cars in my house have Toyota powertrains, even if one has a GM badge on it). You should get at least a few more years from it.

Jim

[cgallery]

It sure looks like it was well cared for!

[ragswl4]

This is one of the many Toyotas that have the V6 engine that developed head gasket and other problems. Although Toyota did not recall those vehicles, they repaired or replaced the engines free of charge and I think it did not have a mileage limit. You may want to ask the owner if the engine was changed by Toyota and also call a Toyota dealer and ask if that program is still alive. They should be able to tell you if that particular vehicle ever had the engine changed out as well.

I had a friend with that exact same vehicle and it had 240,000 miles on it when he sold it. It had the same V6 engine that never developed any problems.