5th Gen. Toyota 4Runner Purchase Question

[goodcat8]

Hi guys, have begun the hunt for a new do-all, life DD / weekend and vacation adventure rig.
Started hitting up dealers regarding the new tacomas and kept catching my eye's wander over to the 4R's. Grabbed some seat time in one and now the Runner is my prime target. The $3000-6000 dealer mark-up on the tacomas certainly helped as well. That's just ridiculous.
Question is, I know the 5th gens had a mid cycle mild refresh in 2014. But the few 2013 4RTE I'm finding are priced on par with post refresh Trail Editions that are newer with less miles.

Example. This 2013 had over 50k miles and was $32000

Then I find this 2015 TE with 13k miles for $33,900

Neither of the above examples have KDSS. Both seem to have identical features minus the 13 having a moon roof.

 

[bjohnston115]

I just bought a 2011 TE with 35,000 miles for $28,000 (plus tax). Truck is loaded with Nav and KDSS and it is a treat. It was heavily smoked in so maybe the dealer had trouble moving it and i bought it over the phone without ever seeing it. Truck is also CPO. I am very happy with it, drive it about 500 miles a week and it has been a treat. KDSS is great on the highway, no offroad experience yet in the truck.

 

[SDDiver5]

I have seriously thought about buying the one from CarMax. Here's my problem (other than the fact I want white) The mag grey shown above has been transferred 3-4 times in the last month to different carmax locations...everything checks out on the carfax so i cant help but wonder why has it not sold? I think something is wrong with it. And, in addition to that, it is about 4k-5k lower than ANY other similar year and mileage T4R on the market so those are definite red flags...

Since the carfax checks out I think the previous owner was a smoker...

 

[Watt maker]

So one is $32k and one is $34k. For just a few grand more, you could probably have a brand new one in your driveway and not have to worry about its past. In 2014 I paid $36k for my 2014 Trail Edition premium. It doesn't have KDSS but I knew I was going to run some nice coil-overs anyway which feel just as good.

 

[chmura]

So one is $32k and one is $34k. For just a few grand more, you could probably have a brand new one in your driveway and not have to worry about its past. In 2014 I paid $36k for my 2014 Trail Edition premium. It doesn't have KDSS but I knew I was going to run some nice coil-overs anyway which feel just as good.

Agreed buy new.

Its not worth buying a used 1-3 year old vehicle used for saving a few grand.

 

[Styer]

Also looked at buying used a year ago. Wound up buying a brand new 2015 SR5 because the price was so much better. Honestly KDSS is not needed. Especially if you plan on replacing suspension components. And the locker on the Trail is a nice edition but you'd be surprised what ATRAC is capable of.

 

[goodcat8]

I'm not married to KDSS. And as much as I'd like to think I'd need crawl control and terrain select on every one of my outings that's definetly not the case. Which would make a new 2016 nicely optioned SR5 4x4 in the $36-37k range a viable option. Normally I'm a fan of new due to knowing the vehicles complete history and background first hand. I was optioning used in this case due to toyotas reliablilty reputation might make used a little less risky. But that excellent reliability and resale pushes a buyer back towards new because the cost offset is so minimal.
I haven't had a Toyota truck since '96. Mostly jeeps since. Over jeeps these days.

 

[goodcat8]

I have seriously thought about buying the one from CarMax. Here's my problem (other than the fact I want white) The mag grey shown above has been transferred 3-4 times in the last month to different carmax locations...everything checks out on the carfax so i cant help but wonder why has it not sold? I think something is wrong with it. And, in addition to that, it is about 4k-5k lower than ANY other similar year and mileage T4R on the market so those are definite red flags...

Since the carfax checks out I think the previous owner was a smoker...

I checked it out in person New Year's Day. It's a beautiful truck, but I noticed the multiple transfers as well. As mentioned here when spending this much money it gets sketchy real fast if anything sticks out as fishy.

 

[SDDiver5]

Good call. Did you see/notice anything wrong with it? Its just strange to me. Usually they only get transferred once or twice.

I'd do what others are saying and go new. A 2015 SR5 Premium is only a few grand more and a 2016 trail is about 37k...I was looking at used 5th gens but just decided to save up a bit more and go new.

 

[TX03RUBI]

We just bought a new 16' Trail without KDSS for $36 and change.

 

[codename607]

I also say buy new, unless you are using cash to make the purchase. About a year ago I purchased a brand new 2014 4Runner Trail for $36k. I could have got a one year old used 4runner trail but the monthly payment was a lot more since the APR on a used car is more.

With all that being said I did just trade in my 4runner in on a 2016 Tacoma. They gave me $32K for the runner and sold it for $33k.

 

[goodcat8]

Good call. Did you see/notice anything wrong with it? Its just strange to me. Usually they only get transferred once or twice.

I'd do what others are saying and go new. A 2015 SR5 Premium is only a few grand more and a 2016 trail is about 37k...I was looking at used 5th gens but just decided to save up a bit more and go new.

Honestly it looked perfect. Inside was mint. No wear or worn marks interior or exterior.

We just bought a new 16' Trail without KDSS for $36 and change.

I found a thread on the 4Runner forum called "What did you pay for yours" that's been pretty eye opening. $36 for a new TE sounds amazing! It's numbers like that, that make the used market seem all the more crazy (unless you're the seller of course)
Patience and research will be the goal from here on out.

 

[Danimal]

Went through the same thing last year looking for a trail edition with KDSS. My wife probably thought I was pulling one over on her, but a brand new vehicle was only a few grand more - and I suspect that the difference in resale between a 2010 - 2013 and a 2015/2016 in a few years will more than make up for that, especially because of the mid-cycle refresh.

Dan

 

[Dalko43]

I'm not married to KDSS. And as much as I'd like to think I'd need crawl control and terrain select on every one of my outings that's definetly not the case. Which would make a new 2016 nicely optioned SR5 4x4 in the $36-37k range a viable option. Normally I'm a fan of new due to knowing the vehicles complete history and background first hand. I was optioning used in this case due to toyotas reliablilty reputation might make used a little less risky. But that excellent reliability and resale pushes a buyer back towards new because the cost offset is so minimal.
I haven't had a Toyota truck since '96. Mostly jeeps since. Over jeeps these days.

KDSS is a nice-to-have but certainly not the end-all-be-all...if you check out some of the owner reviews, many have said that it makes more of a difference on road rather than off road. And if you plan on modifying the suspension, I'd say the premium associated with KDSS is not worth it.

The used vs new debate has and continues to rage across many a internet forum. In case you missed it, there are people on this forum who have bought used 4runners for significant discounts from the new MSRP:

I just bought a 2011 TE with 35,000 miles for $28,000 (plus tax). Truck is loaded with Nav and KDSS and it is a treat. It was heavily smoked in so maybe the dealer had trouble moving it and i bought it over the phone without ever seeing it. Truck is also CPO. I am very happy with it, drive it about 500 miles a week and it has been a treat. KDSS is great on the highway, no offroad experience yet in the truck.

I bought my own 4runner TE for a similar price. That is a savings of at least $7k from 2015/16 4runner TE, which is not insignificant in my book. As for not fully knowing a used truck's history, yes that is a risk, but given these are Toyotas we are talking about here, not BMW's, I think you're fairly safe buying used as long you have indications of basic maintenance cycles (oil changes, fluid changes, ect.) and you have a mechanic give it a once over.

Expand your searches outside of your general area, maybe even outside of your state, and start looking for deals. Right after Xmas, you should have no problem finding great deals on used 4runners since this time of year is traditionally slow for dealers; it just requires a little homework on your part.

 

[Fishpilot]

Don't forget to use truecar.com to see what the prices are in your area, maybe also use it to find actual prices in other areas that you might be able to use as a bargaining tool with the dealer. I'm on my second new 2011 4Runner Trail Edition, first one was totaled, and I got what I thought was a good deal on both of them. The 4R is a hot vehicle right now and the model refresh was far enough in the past that it is hard to find a pre-refresh deal out there any more.

I'd really examine your needs when selecting a model. The 4WD system on the Trail/SR5 and Limited are vastly different and will benefit you in different ways. The Limited is always on while the Trail/SR5 need to be put in 4wd when needed. The ATRAC goodies are great but the real difference is the ability to get a locking rear diff on the Trail. ALL of the modes are incredibly capable on and off road and have a plethora of after market goodies to align the vehicle with what you want it to do. The KDSS equipped vehicles handle better on road, that is what it is primarily designed for, and I'd get it if you can swing it. There is no worry about aftermarket options with any trim level or w/ or w/out KDSS, most manufactures make stuff for all options. The KDSS will only become redundant if you plan on modding your suspension front and rear by adding >3" lift and/or adding adjustable coil-overs at all 4 corners.

The only thing I'd change on this car is the brakes and the MPGs. The brakes are over boosted and the resulting nose dive can be a bit "exciting" at highway speeds when someone on their cell phone cuts you off. The MPGs are somewhere between 15-19 with outliers in the 19-21 range, not a huge deal now but you know gas isn't going to be cheap forever. Oh yeah, the stock tires are terrible and should be swapped out immediately.