How many miles is too many miles?

Hopefully this is under the right area.
FB has been popping a lot of Sequoias in the Houston areas, ranging from 2004-2012, miles from 150k -250k and beyond.
That got me wondering, how many miles is too many? If most things considered equal (South car, no rust, no accidents, well maintained), what are the things to watch for around 200K? I know most suspension and maybe clutch and sparks need to be changed, fluids, too.
I mean, if I can get a nicely used Sequoia for around $5K, I wonder how much more would I need to spend in the near future (~12 months)

 

My 05 Sequoia has 265,000 on it. I’d check for the timing belt having been replaced and if you can’t tell, replace it. The secondary air injection is a pita, I’d install a bypass kit. Ours puked the secondary air injection, had a braking computer die and had the 4x4 computer grenade the transfer case all before 215k, been good since. All 3 were pricy, the extended warrantee took care of the braking computer issue, the rest were on us.

 

So I guess the engine and transmission are both fine, it is all the other stuff that is failing, I mean, yea, at almost quarter of a million miles, if they don't break then I am very scared to even attempt to drive it.....lol Do you remember the ball park amount you had to pay for the repairs? Also, I assume you got the 05 Sequoia new?

 

We bought our 2015 used at a dealership in the Kingwood area. It had around 68k miles on it and now has around 106k. This was about 3 years ago and I had been shopping around for a month or so. I used the Car Guru app, Autotrader, and a couple others I can't remember off the top of my head.

Not sure about the car buying scene now though but if you aren't in a rush, you'd be surprised how a good deal can fall into your lap.

 

I'm not in a hurry, DOF didn't approve the purchase yet, but was doing my homework and this came to mind. Another thing I would watch for is flooded car, especially after Harvey... Used market ain't good right now, and plus, if a 2005 with 250k miles goes for like $4500.... Something doesn't line up and sounds alarm all over.

 

Bought as a lease return after 10 months and 12.5k miles, we still drive it daily. Engine and tranny all very good. Tranny does have a quirk or two on rough shift points as you come to a stop (for about the last 10 years). Brake issue was 2.5k, transfer case and it’s associated damage was 4.5k, forget the secondary air injection cost, seems 2-3k. Today I’d not fix the air pump, I’d bypass it. We are actually getting ready to install a bypass kit now for preventative reasons. We really like the size of the vehicle, wish it had a larger gas tank for more range, but it’s been a good ride for about 18 years.

 

Sounds like a solid car to keep, what size tank do you have now?
This 04 Sequoia has 250K miles, guess is still strong but could use some wrenching to get it to be much better ride. But still, need to figure out a space to do this, up hill incline and small garage with a Tundra and Pilot is really killing space on my end.

 

Not sure on tank size, but I think it’s 26 gallons.

 

The 4.7 2UZ-FE is a great engine. It's already documented documented that the 4.7 powertrain can make it to one million miles. 150k-250k motors will still have plenty of life left in them; the timing belt is the most important service.

2001-2004 Sequoias have a 4-speed transmission. 01-04 shouldn't have the SAIS system where the bypass kit is used to fix it. 05-07 have VVTI engines and a 5-speed trans, along with the secondary air intake system.

 

So I guess if I can get a hold of 05-07 would be better than 01-04? If I remember correctly, they are both 4.7 2UZ-FE?

 

01-04 and 05-07 both use the 4.7 2UZ-FE. 05-07 have VVTI and about 40 more HP on paper. On the 05-07, the 1st gear in the 5-speed is going to be a bit lower. The final gear ratio in O/D is about the same between 4 and 5 speed transmissions. 5-speed might be a better choice if it's going to tow. Gas mileage between the two transmissions is about the same.

On the 01-04 there is no SAIS system to go out. It seems like at some point or another this system does go out on the 05-07 Sequoias and 05-06 tundra. If I was buying an 05-07 Sequoia, I would budget in doing the SAIS bypass at some point.

 

Thank you for the information. Will need to chase down a car first, but yea, looks like the bypass is unavoidable.....