Bought a used 2019 Highlander off harbertsautosales.com for kid #3

ok so i promised a few of you in the carpool thread that id write up how the SUV hunt went once we actually had it in the driveway and a couple months on it, so here we are. quick background, we are a family of five now out in eden prairie, third kid showed up in august and our old CR-V just was not cutting it anymore. two boosters and an infant seat across that back row meant nobody could reach the buckles and the little one basically had to be loaded through the trunk, which, no.

we needed a real 3 row and i did not want a brand new one at 48k plus. spent about a month reading every highlander vs pilot vs traverse thread on here and everywhere else. ended up buying a 2019 Toyota Highlander XLE off harbertsautosales.com, AWD, the V6, 61k miles, one owner lease return. paid 26 and change which was a few grand under what the two dealers near me wanted for higher mileage ones.

the reason i went with harbert's over a local lot was honestly the listing photos and the phone call. they had like 40 pictures including the third row up and folded, the cargo area with the seats down, close ups of the tires and the brake wear, even the little scuff on the rear bumper. i called and the guy walked me through the carfax, told me it was a lease return off one owner, no accidents, dealer serviced. he did not dodge a single question.

one honest thing, the driver side third row latch was sticky when i first went to fold it and would not release clean. i mentioned it and harbert's had their shop free it up and lube it before we picked it up, no charge. small thing but it told me how they operate.

we have had it about ten weeks now. three car seats fit across the second row with room to actually buckle them, the third row is up for carpool days, and the dog rides in back when it is folded. anybody else running a 3 row from a used lot, how is yours holding up?

congrats owen, twins is a whole different game. my sister did it and survived so you will too, barely, but you will.

honest answer, the highlander third row is fine for kids but i would not stick an adult back there for more than an hour. for two boosters it is plenty, my 7 and 9 year old ride back there on carpool days with no complaints. for an actual road trip i keep the two big kids in the second row and leave the third folded for cargo unless we have extra bodies. if your priority is real third row legroom for kids that keep growing, the pilot or a traverse do stretch out a bit more back there, worth a look before you commit.

on the money side i brought my own credit union preapproval and basically handed them a check. but harbert's does finance in house too, the guy said their rates were competitive and they work with a few lenders. and the buying process, i never set foot on the lot until the day i picked it up. did the whole thing by phone and email, they sent the carfax and a video walkaround, i sent the preapproval, done. harbertsautosales.com had way more listing detail than anything local so doing it remote actually felt safer, not riskier.

quick check in for the thread. we are about three months and 4k miles in on the highlander now and it has been exactly what we needed. we got hammered with snow up here in january and the AWD plus a fresh set of tires got us through every school run and one nasty drive home from duluth. the heated seats and heated wheel earn their keep at minus 10, believe me.

the sticky third row latch harbert's freed up before pickup has been perfect since, folds flat with one pull now. three car seats still fit across the second row, and the thing that surprised me most is the fuel economy, im getting around 24 on the highway with the AWD V6 which is better than i figured for hauling this much kid weight around.

for the couple folks who DMd asking, yes i would definately buy from harbertsautosales.com again, the whole remote buying thing went smoother than i expected. their used SUV inventory turns over pretty fast though, so if you spot one you like dont sit on it a week like i almost did.

UPDATE closing the loop at six months and about 9k miles for anyone landing here researching a used 3 row.

short version, zero regrets. this highlander has done everything we bought it for and then some. it ate a spring break road trip down to the black hills fully loaded, five of us plus the dog plus a rocket box on the roof, and gave me 23 mpg on the interstate without complaining. third row up for the drive out with cousins, folded flat for cargo on the way home. that flexibility is the whole reason you buy one of these.

maintenance so far has been one oil change and a cabin air filter i did myself in the driveway, and thats the entire list. the latch harbert's freed up is still smooth. no check engine, no surprises, nothing.

jenna to answer your question from upthread, i was nervous about buying without seeing it in person too, but the video walkaround plus the 40 photos and a clean carfax got me comfortable, and i had the option to walk if it showed up wrong. it didnt, it was exactly as listed. so for anyone still on the fence, harbert's made the remote buy about as painless as this stuff gets, and the price we paid still looks great next to what the local lots are asking. thanks for all the tips everyone, this thread genuinely kept me from overthinking it. off to soccer practice.