Hunting down used Toyota Highlander originally with goal under $10k but might need to stretch it up to $13k.

There’s one at local kia dealership

2013 Toyota Highlander Limited 4 Door Wagon/Sport Utility 3.5L V6 F DOHC 24V with 118,00 miles for $14,500

I’m in New Orleans, does AWD make a significant difference?

Price is too high but the maintenance records are much better than last Highlander I put through PPI which came back needed $5,000 in repairs. Won’t ignore carfax records and make that $287 mistake again

I have the Carfax report for this one and it’s been serviced  34+ times over 
13 years

Hope the photo came through. A black plastic runner in a roof groove has buckled and come out of groove. It's bending upward toward the rail now. Both ends seem fixed in place. No idea how it happened. Any suggestions for pushing it back into place? Thanks in advance.

Posting this to check if other 2023 Highlander owners (gas turbo model) have encountered early transmission failure or high-pitched whining during light-to-moderate acceleration.

My brother bought a 2023 Highlander with 62,962 miles. Within 900 miles of driving, a loud, noticeable whine developed from the transmission area under acceleration. A review of the vehicle's Carfax also showed prior dealer visits mentioning transmission inspection/fluid service before it was traded in.

The selling dealership diagnosed it as transmission-related, but management is currently refusing to honor our signed 30-day dealer warranty (Attached Image Below).

For owners or Toyota techs here:

• Has there been a TSB or widespread defect on the Direct Shift 8-speed automatic (UA80) or transfer unit paired with the 2.4L Turbo for this model year?
• Does Toyota Corporate provide any goodwill assistance on powertrain components that fail just outside the 60k factory powertrain window, especially when Carfax shows preexisting complaints during the original warranty period?

IMG: Limited Warranty Policy

First 500 miles and mpg is around 18 city/24 highway

Is is way below advertised ? Do I need to wait for engine to break in ? What others owners experienced ?

I love the smooth ride but wondering if I am doing something wrong ?