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I was thinking bout getting this https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...lCode1=SEQUOIA I would love to own a sequoia and its the platinum package which is great! Not sure bout the miles though but I know toyotas can last long but what would you think bout buying a high mileage one especially a sequoia because I know some parts can get expensive but things like oil changes brake changes, I know I can do myself. Only reason I am asking is because its 1 owner and no damages which also was took to the dealership sometimes.
Wow, 32k miles/year is a LOT of driving. There's an upside to that, use is less damaging than sitting/age and they were certainly a LOT of low-stress highway miles. Vehicles that get used like that also tend to be cared for pretty well.
Anyway, I wouldn't buy it for my own reasons (no need or want of a massive SUV). Bad question to ask... and no one else can tell you if it makes sense for you. I'd expect a Toyota with 200k to be at the "nickle and dime" stage, where random things just simply start wearing out. The bearings on the electric fans lock up and need replacement, vacuum lines start springing leaks, parking brake cable snaps/is frozen solid with rust, maybe the alternator goes out. Annoying things that are all relatively cheap and easy to DIY, but might affect reliability (Alt fails when you're more than an hour from home). Is that acceptable to you?
I'd want a good Toyota mechanic on speed dial for the first ~year or so to give assistance too.
If it has the 4.7 you'd need to see proof that the timing belt has been changed (should be on #3 by now). Usually the water pump and idler pulleys are replaced at the same time, about a $1500 job at the dealer.
If it has the 4.6 or 5.7 then it would have a chain, so the above isn't a factor.
Location: San Ramon, Seattle, Anchorage, Reykjavik
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For that price, i probably would. Check the Toyota Owners website - just type in the VIN and you can see all the service done to the vehicle. You can have the timing belt and water pump done as part of negotiating the price.
I have had a Land Cruiser (the same basic vehicle) since new and now with almost 400k miles on it. Still 100% reliable. I would buy a Toyota truck with pretty much any mileage as long as it was rust free and had never been in a serious accident. They will literally run forever.
Location: San Ramon, Seattle, Anchorage, Reykjavik
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian_M
Wow, 32k miles/year is a LOT of driving. There's an upside to that, use is less damaging than sitting/age and they were certainly a LOT of low-stress highway miles. Vehicles that get used like that also tend to be cared for pretty well.
Anyway, I wouldn't buy it for my own reasons (no need or want of a massive SUV). Bad question to ask... and no one else can tell you if it makes sense for you. I'd expect a Toyota with 200k to be at the "nickle and dime" stage, where random things just simply start wearing out. The bearings on the electric fans lock up and need replacement, vacuum lines start springing leaks, parking brake cable snaps/is frozen solid with rust, maybe the alternator goes out. Annoying things that are all relatively cheap and easy to DIY, but might affect reliability (Alt fails when you're more than an hour from home). Is that acceptable to you?
I'd want a good Toyota mechanic on speed dial for the first ~year or so to give assistance too.
Not sure if you have ever had one of these vehicles (several of my friends have) and these things you list literally do not happen with Toyotas. Maybe a new radiator (if driven on bad roads) or a starter but that's about it.
Not sure if you have ever had one of these vehicles (several of my friends have) and these things you list literally do not happen with Toyotas. Maybe a new radiator (if driven on bad roads) or a starter but that's about it.
I own a 1997 Toy T100 (truck), I also happen to be a mechanic (motorcycles, but I tend to be the go-to for family and friends cars), all of those things have been issues on different Toyotas I've worked on. Maybe the Sequoia is a magical vehicle impervious to all the normal things that happen with age/use to every other vehicle on the planet, don't really know as I have no direct experience with those. Point is that a vehicle with 200k miles has seen some use, it Will need things to keep working as delivered from the factory. Maybe not right away, but it may also need $2k in repairs in the next month. That's the risk assumed with used vehicles, they can be mitigated a little with a PPI but nothing is guaranteed.
My brother has an older Sequoia, not many miles on it relative to its age. He just had to spend $1000 getting the ABS system fixed. Yaw rate sensor was bad, causing the traction control to engage on its own and apply the brakes while driving, etc.
Location: San Ramon, Seattle, Anchorage, Reykjavik
2,254 posts, read 2,734,754 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian_M
I own a 1997 Toy T100 (truck), I also happen to be a mechanic (motorcycles, but I tend to be the go-to for family and friends cars), all of those things have been issues on different Toyotas I've worked on. Maybe the Sequoia is a magical vehicle impervious to all the normal things that happen with age/use to every other vehicle on the planet, don't really know as I have no direct experience with those. Point is that a vehicle with 200k miles has seen some use, it Will need things to keep working as delivered from the factory. Maybe not right away, but it may also need $2k in repairs in the next month. That's the risk assumed with used vehicles, they can be mitigated a little with a PPI but nothing is guaranteed.
I'd say the Sequoia, Land Cruiser, 4Runner, and Tacoma actually are pretty special vehicles and tend to not have any of the issues other vehicles have. The main luck the Sequoia has is that it leverages so much of the Land Cruiser platform. My experience has been, with the multiple Land Cruisers, a 4Runner, and a Tacoma I've had since new (all but one that now have hard earned, stratospheric mileages), is that things just don't go wrong if they are maintained according to factory recommendations. For instance, my 1998 Land Cruiser has been driven all over north and south america. Almost 400k hard miles. I have had 1 issue outside of normal wear and tear - I had to replace the starter. Nothing else. Not even the radiator. The power antennae even still works. My 1987 FJ60? Same experience. 1994 4Runner? One head gasket under warranty (prior to issues) and a bunch of O2 sensors. 2003 Tacoma? Absolutely zero issues. My 2013 LX570 is too new to tell but has been perfect as well.
On another note - a couple of weeks ago I bought a truck to haul wood at one of my cabins. A 2008 Tacoma with 562,000 miles on it for $750 (a former auto parts delivery truck). Pretty beat but it doesn't leak oil, A/C and heat works, radio works, and the manual transmission still works great. They just go and go.
I still own all of the vehicles and plan to keep them till they don't make gas anymore.
So, I have found them to be pretty special. I wouldn't hesitate to buy the right Sequoia (not saying specifically that this one is without some research) at 200k miles.
However, this is just one man's experience. I'm sure there are plenty of stories the other way as well.
A Toyota V8 engine is about as good as it gets, hands down. I've had 3 of them (4.0 V8 Lexus LS400, 4.3 V8 Lexus GS430, 4.7 V8 Toyota 4Runner). Combined, close to 350,000 miles. Each replaced due to illness associated with my car loving personality. Currently have a 3.5 V6 Highlander (13) with 82k on the clock. Other than one set of brakes (just replaced), one set of tires and a new battery two weeks ago, not a single flaw with the car. And it's not exactly treated very well, given the 9 and 7 year old that have been riding in it every single day for the past 4 years. Even still, with a leaf blower and some 409, it looks as close to new as it can get without it being new.
200k miles on a Toyota V8 that has had the basic fluids maintained is nothing to be overtly concerned about. Will you spend a little money on things? Yes. Because it's a Toyota truck with a V8? No. Maybe a motor mount or two, transmission mount, rotors/pads, possibly a strut bushing or whatnot. All things normal.
You ever see that TopGear episode years ago where they basically tried to kill a Toyota pickup truck? Dude, they floated the thing in sea water, blew it up, torched it, and it just wouldn't stop running. They had to drop an industrial smokestack on the thing to kill it. You plan on blowing up any industrial smoke stacks in the near future?
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