98 4 runner good deal?

[glockman]

I have an acquaintance who wants to get rid of a wrecked 4 runner. It's a 98 with just over 100k on the clock. What do the Toyota experts think it's worth.
What's not in the picture is in near perfect condition.

 

[KWight]

That all depends on if it has frame damage or if it is just the radiator support and the rest is able to be straightened out. More pictures would help, but you will need to take it to a body shop to find out if there is frame damage.

 

[glockman]

He said he drove it a few miles to his house and it does drive. He told me he would let it go for $1k. It's at a body shop now but he didn't want to put much money into it I'll ask if he had them check it out.

 

[sixstringsteve]

if that thing was mint with a clean title, I'd say it would be worth around $7-8k. Maybe $9k. If the motor/trans/tcase are all fine, I'll bet he coulld get $1k. I don't know a thing about the value of wrecked toyotas.

 

[glockman]

If the frame is straight, I think I could put a new hood and quarters then custom build a bumper and be less than 5k into a clean runner. I'm going to look at it tomorrow.

 

[Spork]

Easily $1k as long as the air bags didn't go off.

 

[Kevin B.]

Tell me more about the 4Runner. 3RZ or 5VZE? 4WD? Auto or manual? Elocker?

From the pic, I'm guessing it's going to be more than hood and quarters. There's not much room between the grill and radiator on those, I'm betting the core support and radiator are bent in. I took on a similar project a while back, never did get the core support lined up and straight again. Got it good enough for the guy who was buying it, but it was plain to a casual inspection that it wasn't right. There's a reason body shops charge big bucks. If the frame is tweaked badly enough it might not be worth trying to fix it, but a solid axle might make a midly tweaked frame irrelevant...

If the rest of the truck is clean inside and out, it's at least worth $1000-$1500 just in parts. If it's a 4cyl it could be completely trashed and still be worth $2000, that motor is in high demand.

 

[ricsrx]

Are you going to keep it or flip it?
i would go 1k if i was keeping it. i can live with some imperfection, that is a fantastic deal!

years a go i did 1700 on mine that had been flopped on its side, salvage title, it was good to keep for myself but i never would have got a good return on a flip due to the fact i didn't make it perfect and it would have cost a lot more to make it that way and then have to deal with a salvage title.

 

[glockman]

All good info. Keep it coming. Air bags did not go off. I'll try to find out what options it has. I'm pretty sure it's a v6 auto 4wd.

 

[boogie_4wheel]

That runner is trashed. He's trying to unload a headache, that's why he offered $1k for you, but you don't want a headache do you? No, you don't.

Lucky for you (and him), I can take a headache every once in awhile, and I've got $1k.

 

[KWight]

The powertrain in that is a good one. I had a T100 previously and was told those engines can go for 300,000-400,000 miles no problem. I purchased a 2 door Toyota Corrolla Coupe several years ago that had similar damage. I purchased a hood at a wrecking yard that was the same color for it. I parked right in front of a tree wrapped a tow strap around the tree and put the hooks on either side of where the core support was dented in. Then I got out the scissor jack from the back of the car, placed it in between the tree and bumper of the car and cranked it out until the core support was straight enough for a visual inspection. I put the hood on and called it good. So, if all checks out and you can live with knowing the history, I would say go for it.

 

[Spork]

Looking at Rock Auto...
Hood - $83.79
Grill - $51.99
Fenders $32.79 each (65.58)
Radiator Support - $52.79

Bumper ~ $100 (lists it in various pieces)

 

[zmotorsports]

I have built a lot of wrecked vehicles over the years, some to flip and most kept for a long time. That said, frame being bent is not a good thing, but not the end of the world. There are places that are capable of pulling a frame to within factory specs.

That said, ALWAYS, plan on extras and make sure you have enough cushion in there as far as budget. I have seen people cobb them together and pawn them off on some poor sap and I have driven several of them for a couple hundred thousand miles with no rattles, squeeks or even minor issues. It comes down to how they are repaired/put back together. I can't tell you how many vehicles I work on doing general mechanical work and start noticing missing clips, fasteners and trim or small filler panels. Upon inquiring with the owner if the vehicle has been wrecked they will inform me that they had such and such shop rebuild it after an accident and what a great job they did. All the while I am thinking what about all the missing fasteners and wiring not put back in the proper location. The little things can come back to bite you in the butt later on so just prepare for the things you can't immediately see.

Mike.

 

[glockman]

Good advice Mike. I went and looked at it this morning. It is a v6. It has a locker button on the dash, does that mean it's got a locker?
The frame is not bent. The quarter panels aren't even touched . It just needs a hood, grill, bumper and core support. The radiator is barely bent enough to leak so it will need to be replaced as well. I'm picking it up tomorrow.

 

[glockman]

Are you going to keep it or flip it?
i would go 1k if i was keeping it. i can live with some imperfection, that is a fantastic deal!

years a go i did 1700 on mine that had been flopped on its side, salvage title, it was good to keep for myself but i never would have got a good return on a flip due to the fact i didn't make it perfect and it would have cost a lot more to make it that way and then have to deal with a salvage title.

I'll be repairing it to keep as my daily driver/mtn bike hauler/ camping vehicle.

 

[glockman]

A visual inspection of the frame may not show that it is bent. I'd still take it to a reliable shop that has a rack and check it out.

Still, I think a grand is a pretty decent deal.

Good point. I will probably get a shop to give me a bid to see if it's worth my time to do the work myself. For a couple grand to have it fixed without having to do it myself I'd be happy.

 

[Kevin B.]

Look for the actuator on the rear third to be sure, but button on the dash probably means it's got a locker.

Almost everything you ever wanted to know about a 3rd gen 4Runner.

 

[zmotorsports]

Good point. I will probably get a shop to give me a bid to see if it's worth my time to do the work myself. For a couple grand to have it fixed without having to do it myself I'd be happy.

You can also check by looking at things like door gaps, the consistancy and variance in them. Open and close doors and see if they align perfectly or have elevation changes as they open or close, a good way is to watch body lines. Another trick I do on solid color vehicles that are hard to tell is run a piece of masking tape along the door edge and quarter then put a mark with a Sharpie and when opening/closing the doors watch to see if the lines stay aligned. It can potentially be hinge bushings but you can tell that by opening the door and grabbing it, lifting up and down and checking for play. If no play and the lines offset when opening and closing something is not aligned. Also look for any warping or bubbles in the roof or the long rear quarter panels. These are generally good indicators that there is something with the foundation "tweaked". Those are things I look for immediately when viewing a vehicle. Once in the shop crawl under it and there are holes that are symmetrical along the frame from side to side. Pick several and check measurements not only side to side but diagonally. This is all a frame shop does and will tell you immediately if you are off or not.

Oh and congrats on the new ride. Post up some pics of the progress.

Mike.

 

[BoostedRNR]

I would buy that in a heartbeat! I payed 1600 for mine a little over a year ago. It had been lightly rear ended with 250k miles on it. I still feel like I did alright after replacing the hatch and bumper.