<p>That is the question. I have the chance to buy a outstanding Toyota Highlander from a person I have known for several years. It has 15,000 miles on it and looks brand new. The driver is a 87 year old woman (very with it). She and her husband are a 2 car toyota family that has recently sold their house and moved to a retirement community. I am the 1st on the list of those who want to buy it. It is a V6, (not a limited) 4 wheel independent suspension, leather seats. The price is 13,400 dollars. Not a small amount to me. Any Highlander drivers out there?</p>
<p>Cool. I’d buy it. It is a twin brother of our Lexus RX. We actually test-drove a 2003 Highlander when we were shopping for a car, but H decided to get the one with an L. Rides very smoothly, very roomy, and the mileage is not that bad. I’d take it to a mechanic just to check if everything is OK, but I bet those people took good care of it. You will probably need a new battery, but that’s not that expensive to replace.</p>
<p>Have two extended family members who drive a Highlander. Both drive the hybrid. Both are happy with their purchases.
Go to Edmunds or a similar site and put in the details of the car and find out what the cars of that year are selling for.
Though the car is 6 yrs old with that mileage it is almost like buying a new car. We have a friend driving a Toyota Land Cruiser with 300,000 miles on it. They have not put any money into the car aside from normal wear and tear items.
One of the biggest concerns in buying a used car is that usually you don’t know the history of a car, how well it was taken care of. In your case you know exactly whose car you are getting and obviously the car was rarely driven.</p>
<p>I have a 2003 Highlander (bought in 2004, about 20,000 miles on it) and it is the best car I’ve ever had. Drives smoothly, great visibility, lots of room without being too big, very comfortable. Of course, they’ve been redesigned since this model to be bigger, but it is a great little SUV. My H. think it has more cargo room with the back seat folded down than his 4-Runner.</p>
<p>I’m in Alaska; it’s great in the snow and in the mountains. </p>
<p>Knowing who had it before is a big plus, too. I’d say go for it!</p>
<p>I have a 2008 Highlander. We’ve had it for 2 years (bought it in 2007 when the 2008’s first came out)–V6, 4 wheel drive, cloth seats. The 4 wheel drive is computerized somehow—kicks in when needed. It’s not as good in the snow as the typical SUV’s where you press the 4-wheel button to set the vehicle in 4-wheel drive. </p>
<p>It’s easy to drive, very comfortable, very reliable, and pretty good on gas. I would definitely buy another Toyota. We just had it inspected again and I mentioned to the mechanic that we’ve never had an issue with the car. His response: “That’s because it’s a Toyota.”</p>
<p>I have a 2002 Highlander and I love it. We’ve maintained it as recommended and have had no major repairs other than those suffered when a moron drove his truck into the driver’s side of it (yes, while I was driving)- totally bizarre accident. Escaped major injury and I’m convinced it was because of the car. Easy to drive, comfortable, roomy, handles well on the highway and in the city. Great in snow/ice- mine actually has a separate button to engage the 4WD. Highly recommended.</p>
<p>I am not a highlander owner, but a Landcruiser owner. I have had several Toyotas and they are really great and reliable vehicles. It is all my husband will even consider ( and also Lexus and Scions ) After owning an SUV, I think it would be very hard to go back to a car…I looked at a Highlander , just for fun a few yrs back and really loved it but we cannot buy a car for me for awhile…but I don’t mind at all.
My LC has about 150K miles on it ans still rides and looks like brand new…except for the scrape in the back bumper that my daughter inflicted on it :)</p>
<p>We have a 2006 Highlander and like it. It is great for groceries, family trips, and pretty comfortable. I would jump on that one, with 15,000 miles…</p>
<p>I have a 2004 Highlander V6 Limited and love it. It has 90,000 miles and we have not had any issues, just regular maintenance. As others have said, it’s a great size, smooth and comfortable, easy to drive and can handle a NH winter. We have been very happy with our Highlander.</p>
<p>Well you kids are talking me in to buying this car. I have done my research and everything I read is positive. But its always helpful to hear the real info from the ground crew. Thanks everyone. I think its a go. :)</p>
<p>Highlanders have a good reputation. Check kbb.com (Kelley blue book) for the pricing though. </p>
<p>I just checked on a 2003 Highlander base, 4cyl, 2wd, with 15K miles in excellent condition and the ‘private party value’ is $12,570. The same vehicle with the 6cyl engine and 4wd is $14,135 so if the one you’re looking at is a base model then the asking price may be high but if it’s the 6cyl/4wd model then the asking price may be reasonable. Note that these prices are for my area of the country but you can check yourself for your area. If you want to further sanity check the price check for actual similar 2003 Highlanders for sale in your area but you’ll have a hard time finding one with that low of miles on it. </p>
<p>Remember that this one is now outside of the manufacturers warranty and even though it has low miles on it things can still go wrong. You might also want to consider getting a newer used vehicle that still has some manufacturers warranty left on it or a ‘certified used’ vehicle from a dealer which carries a manufacturer back extended warranty. However, Toyotas are generally very reliable vehicles so it’s worth considering the one you found.</p>
<p>Edit - I just saw you said it was a V6 so the price is probably fair for a private party purchase. I still recommend you look around at comparable vehicles you might be interested in as a sanity check. You s/b able to do this largely online in a couple of hours. If nothing else it may make you feel more comfortable with this purchase. If you like the Highlander then also check the Honda Pilot or CRV, or many other types of similar SUVs.</p>
<p>I have a 2005 “L” version of that car, like BB mentioned in post #2. It goes in for its 50K service tomorrow. Its been great and I love it. That said, that is still a chunk of change to spend for a 6 yr old car. I’d take it to an independent mechanic and have it checked out. And ask for the service history.</p>
<p>ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad, I don’t think the base model would have leather seats, as OP stated 
They came as a part of some package, as I recall. Her Highlander is a V6 AWD, so I think the price is right. I will definitely pay a couple of hundred bucks more for a car with a known history.</p>
<p>^^ Yes - this isn’t the base so the price seems reasonable.</p>
<p>As you know now, this isn’t the base model. I have done my research on the price and felt that it was reasonable. However, I could not find any 2003 with only 15,000 miles anywhere. I do know these people and the car is everything you would want in a used car. I am going to check the car on Friday. Wish me luck!</p>
<p>artmommy, good luck! You are going to like that car. You are right, another 2003 Highlander with just 15K miles is impossible to find, just as it is impossible to find another 1999 Tundra with 34K miles on its odometer (but my H is not selling :)) Let us know how it goes.</p>
<p>I would echo that a Highlander is likely a fantastic car. We’re on our 3rd 4Runner–this one is at 193,000 and still going strong. We’ve had WONDERFUL experience with Toyotas/Lexi.</p>
<p>Would also caution that low mileage is great but age of car in years is also a factor. We bought a Subaru from my brother a few years ago–10 years old but <40,000 miles. We’ve had to do some semi-serious repairs on it. The mechanics keep saying parts age even if you hardly ever drive the car.</p>
<p>good point, ingerp. My father died several years ago with his dream car sitting in the garage- barely driven at the time. My mother can’t bear to part with it so it sits. I’m sure there’s a more technical way to say this, but you’ve got to keep the gears turning and lubricated!</p>
<p>And definitely have the mechanic check the hoses. They may deteriorate, whether the car is driven or not.</p>
<p>Did a quick google on 2003 Toyota Highlander problems. One problem that kept coming up was that hot air would continue to blow through the vents. When you check the car out, be sure to check out the AC.</p>