Hi Scotty and thank you so much for all the information and help you give to help us not get scammed into a lemon. I have a question. I'm looking to purchase either a 09 or 05 4 runner. The 05 has 276, 000 miles and been said to have the valve cover gasket, Oil Pan Gasket, Replace Power Steering Pump, rear shocks and front struts power steering pump, rear shocks. The 09 has 140,000 miles on it and not sure of history yet. Which do you think would be the better buy?
I'd buy the one with a much lower mileage
The 09 was the last year of that model, and was tweaked out thoroughly by then. That generation 4Runner is rock solid, and was a bit more comfortable than the 3rd and 5th gen 4Runners on the road. If the 09 checks out upon inspection, it should last you a very long time.
09
