How to start a 90 with a damaged ignition barrel

[whiteknightoz Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close whiteknightoz]

I am in the market for a Prado and came across one that was a recovered theft vehicle, its tidy but the ignition barrel wont take the key and therefore I cant start it, the sellers says the motors fine and purrs but would like to be able to hear it purr before I hand over any cash..

The key opens the doors so its the right key but will only go half way into the barrel, he said he got it in when he first got it back from the cops but then got stranded at a servo when he took it out to pay and then couldnt get it back in so I gather something has collapsed inside the barrel?

Any ideas?

[croozza Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close croozza]

Leave it well alone...... reason being is the key has a micro chip in it for the immobiliser, you can not repair the ignition barrel, so you will have to get a whole new set of keys and locks and immobiliser, this is big bickies to do.
The fact that it had been stolen should be the first sign to not buy it.

[whiteknightoz Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close whiteknightoz]

Thanks Croozza, i will call toyota or a locksmith in the morning and get a price but buy the sounds of it its going to be expensive which is maybe why the car is a few thousand under what it should be.. And buying a recovered stolen car is bad? I thought about it but couldn't come to a conclusion on that question as anything thieves could do to a car the previous owners could have done also, whats your reasoning?

[Auss15 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Auss15]

They (theives) can be very unfriendly to a gearbox and engine. Guess that's why they coined the phrase "drive it like you stole it"

[croozza Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close croozza]

You dont know what electrical problems you may get later on down the track, because they would have had to do something to get around the immobiliser