Car experts needed - I am buying tonight and need some advice

For some reason I thought it said 4x4 on that one.

If it's only 2wheel drive then yeah not worth it but I'm not seeing where it says it's 2wheel drive.

Unless you're concluding it is based on it having traction control which would be a fair guess.

Yes I was flipping through ads and listed that one thinking it said 4wd, not because I don't know the difference between a 2wd or a 4wd and how they should be priced.

Thanks tho dad!

If everything checks out, that would be the way to go IMO.

That's a lot of vehicle for the money if she's in good shape.

Just be sure to check that frame (chassis) on it to make sure it's not been driven in the salt or or otherwise rusted out to an unreasonable degree.

This.

I have a 03 inline 6 trailblazer LTZ 200k Great Car never stranded me gave 2700 for it Just got back from 120 miles round trip

It doesn't say it's 2WD but they have pictures of the interior. From looking at the gear shift lever you can tell it's a 2WD automatic (manual is somewhat rare in these and command a premium price).

rent a commercial ozone generator [O3]. i bought one years ago for $500. gets rid of any smell. i spilled RAW milk in the trunk of my car, smell something awful.

Hey guys its OP. I'm about to check this out. Price is too high but it wasn't all the way across town, might make an offer if it checks out.

[link to losangeles.craigslist.org (secure)]

3rd Gen 4Runners are nice and will run forever but I wouldn't pay that much for a 2WD 4-Cylinder. V6 with 4X4 much better. I could buy a 3rd Gen 4X4 for less money than that where I live and I'm not in the rust belt. Perhaps they go for more out there but here 2WD around $2000 or less.

Pass on the Jeep Cherokee, not reliable with nonstop problems, expensive parts.

Just
Empty
Every
Pocket

The Ford may be the best choice of these.

Fuck all three and lease a new car.

The Toyota will run longer than any of the others with far less maintenance, fwiw.

(New) Jeeps have a really bad rep.in general:

I'm Ford believer. had fords all our life . Whaytever broke I could fix. the F150 5.7 was pileof engineering mistakes; but our mustang; aerostar and escape were/are pretty reliable. the 2011 escape bought new has135,000 on it mo major repairs other rear fender rust: I've patched/touched up in the driveway.

Tht is "NO major repairs other than rust"...

Trail Blazer for 2800 if possible

This
^^^^

Only three choices! Shees

Go Toyota

Try to pick up any GMC envoy. Built like a tank!

Vinegar is indeed a natural odor eliminator.

Go with the Explorer. My Chevy tahoe 2004 had major electrical problems. The AC could not be repaired due to The electrical. Multiple attempts paying shops too. Also tail lights went out. My buddy had similar issues in his Hummer H3. They make Good transmission though.

My 2004 Ford F150 with 150k miles is running strong. All electrical and AC working great. Avoid later years with Ecoboost Turbos though.

Jeep got more reliable after Fiat bought the company like in 2010. Before that it's not very reliable.

Agree ^

Also agree ^

Well I went with the 4 cylinder 4 Runner. Picked it up for 4 and it drives really well. Haven't seen a car that clean looking for it's age in a long time and it had that clean Toyota AC smell that took me right back to my childhood. I probably could have done better but I was loosing money not being at work and with no ability to rent a car because I only have a debt card (threw out my amex years ago) ubering around looking for the perfect deal was getting costly.

I appreciate all the advice guys. There was very little love for the Jeep or Ford on this thread and to be honest I'm glad I didn't get the Chevy after driving the 4 Runner. It'll be easy to resell and I think it's gonna go strong for a while.

I should also add that on the back window is an NRA member sticker and it was an influencing factor for me for several reasons one of them being that the likelihood of the previous single owner being a conservative means that it was well maintained over that period of time. So not only did I get a good second hand car, I automatically piss of liberals while driving around. It's a win win.

Good choice! Toyotas always have good resale value!

Those are awesome vehicles and should run forever with just basic maintenance. Both 4 cylinder and v6 are solid engines.

Now that you own it, do your research on "pink milkshake" and "lower ball joint failures". These two things are the main issues with this vehicle and both are really no big deal if you keep up with it.

Basically, it's a good idea to replace the radiator or get a transmission cooler because these radiators are known to fail with age and you don't want antifreeze/coolant getting in your automatic transmission.

Second, just do a google image search for "4runner lower ball joint failure" and you'll see why you want to make sure you have good genuine OEM lower ball joints. If you don't know when/if they've been replaced it's a real good idea to replace them. Again only genuine OEM Toyota lower ball joints.

Not trying to scare you but as a new 3rd Gen owner I'd hate to see you ruin your transmission or wreck/roll your new vehicle.

Oh and one other thing I forgot. The stock brakes are very inadequate to say the least. When (not if) you warp your thin front rotors look into the "Tundra brake upgrade".

This will make all the difference in the world in stopping power and no more warped rotors. You basically swap out rotors, calipers & pads from about a 2001 Tundra I believe.

The Tundras had 2 different sizes brakes, either will work for the upgrade but the larger Tundra calipers may not clear some wheels without mods to the wheels.

Thanks for that bud. Will start doing the research. Looking forward to doing some work on her so will start with the Ball joints and the Radiator. The brakes seem super solid so I'll check what's going on with them. DMV tomorrow and then all the car buying pain should be done for a while.

not gonna find a toyota 4x4 for $4000. maybe if it's rolled, rotted, or broken