Hi all,
I am currently looking at a 2004 Toyota Highlander to purchase, its listed for $7500 with 125k miles. It has a 3.3L V6 engine with a timing belt.
Its service history is immaculate with dealer oil changes and maintenance every 3-5k miles from its original owner (i'd be the second), and it has no accidents. The previous owner even changed the timing belt at 50k miles. I've seen the car in person and there don't appear to be any leaks. The frame is rust-free, although there is some rust elsewhere in small places on the underside of the vehicle which I lifted up to check. Its most significantly rusted component was the splash shield on the inside of the wheel behind the brakes. How important are these and should I be concerned that they were extremely brittle? (could potentially be a backing plate, but i think it had disk brakes)
Unfortunately, due to where the car is located I can't take it to a mechanic ahead of buying it which I know I will be cautioned against on here. Basically what I'd like to know is if this is the profile of a good buy, and whether or not the Highlanders of this era are as "bulletproof" as everyone says Toyota's tend to be.
Thanks again for more dependable advice!
It's already 20 years old going on 21. How much longer do you realistically expect it to remain "bulletproof"?
@chucktobias Seems like a pretty rude response. I wasn't suggesting that it was "bulletproof" which is why i put it in quotes, i'm just trying to learn more about it. If it's you're opinion that older, well-maintained cars are a bunch of crap and everyone should just get new 50 grand SUVs that's fine but you can say so in a kind way.
@willswankie It was not rude at all, it was realistic. (I put "bulletproof" in quotes for the same reason, and I said nothing about "new 50 grand SUVs".)
It is a perfectly reasonable question to ask how much longer you expect to get reliable service out of a vehicle that is already a few years away from being a quarter-century old. Do you expect it to get to 30 years with minimal problems? 40 years? Age takes its toll even when a vehicle was reliable when new and is well-maintained.
First big question, when was the timing belt last done, mileage and age?
The splash shield is not a huge deal, they are cheap, and you can replace it the next time the rotors need changing. They are just there to keep the rotors and calipers fro, road debris. Up in the northeast where I live, they rust off all the time.
They are solid vehicles, but as @chucktoabias mentioned, it is getting older.
Has the AC been replaced? If not, it is due by now, expect it to go anytime.
$7500 seems a bit high, but if Timing belt and AC were replaced, somewhat recently, and also if the transmission was serviced at some point, maybe.
