3rd gen T4R purchase advice.
 

Hello everyone. I am new to this forum and I need some advice about the perspective purchase of a 2000 T4R Limited. I would be buying the car from an out-of-state dealer in the Northeast (PA). I don't get a warm and fuzzy feeling about buying a car that I have never seen, but I have a lot of detailed pictures of the interior/exterior and I had the vehicle inspected at a Toyota dealership this morning.

About the vehicle...It’s a 2000 Limited with 105K miles, a locking rear diff, and good tires. The interior and exterior are in great shape considering the age, and there are some service records available (including a timing belt change at 80K). The service tech that did the inspection (who also owns a 99 T4R) said it’s in good shape and everything works like it should. The only thing that concerns me is a note in the inspection that says "a lot of surface rust under the car." I know they salt the roads often up there, so I assume that is the what caused the rust. The tech said he would buy the truck for the right price. I attached a few pictures of the undercarriage.

The dealer is asking $9500 for the truck and is willing to split the cost of the inspection ($100) and the cost of a 6 month warranty if I buy it. My question is whether or not I should avoid the truck because it has "a lot of surface rust?" Also, does $9500 seem like a descent price? That price is in line with KBB/Edmunds, but I'm not sure how excessive rust would affect the price. Any comments/advice would be greatly appreciated.

The pics of the rust don't look too bad but they are small and it's hard to tell. A good pic of the rear diff would be better as they tend to rust more than the frame on these and if it rusts bad enough it could form a hole and start leaking. I think the price is a little high also but that's expected from a dealer. 105K is low miles, maybe offer around $8-8.5K if you're really interested. Good luck!

$8500 was my original thought. But, I have been looking for other 3rd gen 4Runners and these things hold there value! I’ve been having trouble finding a truck in descent shape with < 160K miles for a good price. That is why I was thinking about paying a little extra. I do think this guy is asking too much, because I will still have to either have the truck shipped or fly up and drive it back. Oh well… Thanks for the advice.

By the way, I called the mechanic who inspected the truck again and he thought $8000-8500 sounded about right. Thanks again.