So I made a deal to buy a 2001 Toyota Sequoia 2WD with 238k miles (mostly highway miles) from a family that we know well who will be leaving the US soon. The car has practically zero rust and is in great condition. The owners have serviced it well. However, it has been 115k miles since the timing belt has been replaced. The mechanic who checked the car out said that the timing belt, the valve cover gasket, and the lower ball joints need to be replaced. The car still drives fine, and these are the only things wrong with it. Everything about the car checked out so I bought it for $3500 and plan to change the timing belt as soon as possible as this is the first priority. I will get the ball joints and valve cover gaskets changed soon after that. I will get the car in a week or so, once the current owners are leaving. Is this a good plan? Did I make the right choice in buying this car? I just don't want the timing belt to break on me before I get the car to a mechanic.
It looks like that 4.7L V8 is an interference engine, so the timing belt needs to be given top priority to avoid engine destruction.
https://yourcarangel.com/2014/07/interference-engines-complete-list/
@chucktobias I meant to put this in my original question, but can I be sure that the timing belt will last long enough to get me to a mechanic before it breaks? How well do the timing belts on this car hold up at 115k miles?
There's no way to predict that. It's a rubber belt, it deteriorates with both age and mileage. (You didn't say how old the belt is, hopefully not the 24-year-old original.) You could examine the belt of course to see if it shows any obvious signs of deterioration. However it needs to be replaced as soon as possible.
@chucktobias The belt was replaced back in 2010. So it is a 14-year-old belt. I will get it changed as soon as I get the car. I will also try to get an appointment with a mechanic beforehand.
It's overdue then. Searching online it looks like Toyota specified changing that belt every 72 months (6 years) or 90K miles, whichever comes first. That's not to say you should panic, they can and do last longer, you just want to get it changed ASAP.
https://www.carscope.com/services/maintenance/timing-belts/toyota/
@chucktobias Alright, thanks for the info. It is much appreciated.