Mark Frey

Hi everybody! Bought my first Toyota in October. 2001 Highlander with 118k miles on it. Paid $3400. She's got the 2.4L inline 4 cyl. and FWD, base package. Bought her from a private seller. It was previously owned by an elderly couple and the husband apparently became to ill to drive. It had two accident reports, and it seemed like the guy got in a couple fender benders as he got too bad off to drive anymore. Anyway, the interior is amazing for a 17 year old car! I can't believe it. No major leaking, there was some seepage on the corner of the valve cover but nothing fresh. Passenger side boot of rack and pinion is leaking but it's a very slow leak, so that will be a project for another day. I didn't notice it too much until I took her home, but she vibrated like a massage chair at stoplights and at idle, in park. The exhaust was also rattling quite loudly. Also, the PVC valve was bad and the hose was dry rotted. I took her to my mechanic, and he confirmed what I already suspected: mounts and struts were shot. He quoted $2400 for the job. I didn't have $2400 lying around so I spent $700 on the parts and did the job myself. Took about 7 hours. Also replaced 3 exhaust hangers, PVC valve and hose. What a difference! Driver side sun visor was shot, as well. Found a factory OEM visor on eBay for $55. Due to the fender benders and really shotty repair attempt, the driver front and passenger rear sections of the bumper were loose and hanging. There is some structure damage at the passenger rear corner, it's crumpled a bit, so it won't fit just right in order for the locking tabs to sit and lock the bumper into place. Also two tabs were broken. Couple of zip ties took care of that. Also had the driver side power window motor die on me. Did that myself, as well. I love the way she rides. Very smooth when cruising down I-95 at 80 MPH. Only real issue I have now is vibration and a slight lack of power when accelerating hard or from higher RPMs. Here a slight hissing sound from the gas tank. Could be a broken hose. That will be my next project. Oh yeah, and also head unit and speaker upgrade! I really like this Highlander. She's great on gas, rides smooth, and like I said the interior is amazing. Due to her age, however, there's some things I want to take care of, as I want her to last well into the 200k mile range. Anyway, that's my story, my first Toyota I have owned, and hi to everyone!