Advice? Much Appreciated.

been without a car for a while. The wife and I have been sharing the Pilot. Got some cashed saved for a down payment. Been looking at 1st Generation Tacomas. Found this. Not big on the grill guard thing, but i like the truck and the miles seem low. Think I might be able to talk them into 13k? It's on ebay, but the dealership is not far from my house. Considering all the things i read in the thread about buying and what to check for and assuming the carfax comes out clean, is it a good deal?

looking for your thoughts. Thanks everyone.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Toyo...6778443?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3f134d634b

 

Looks damn good and clean aside from the stereo and dash bezel. I'm not sure what a good price is on it though. Best I can say is look on Cars.com, Edmunds.com, Nada, and KBB to get an idea. I personally am not a fan of buying a vehicle off ebay but I'm not trying to discourage you, just scary to me. I don't see finding many if any first gens any cleaner looking than that one. Good luck and welcome to the club.

Also wanted to mention since you don't like the brush guard, you probably could remove it and sell it on here or Craigslist pretty easily and get a couple hundred or so back off of it.

 

thanks Dawg. The truck is actually in Roswell so i don't have to buy off ebay. My plan would be to sell the grill guard and maybe get a camper for the dogs to ride in the back.

 

Clean looking Tacoma. Not sure if its a little high for a 2wd but if it was 4wd it would probably go pretty quick

 

I'd wait and see if it sells as is. If it doesn't go and offer them $11,500 IMO Look carefully for fresh paint overspray

 

check out emotorswest near sacramento
i paid less than 15k for a 100k mile one owner DC Ltd

 

what would you guys think is a fair price, considering everything is legit? i've got 5k cash to put down.

 

what do you mean by "look for paint overspray"?

 

He means look for overspray in the door jams, under the hood, etc. Places like that where it looks like new/fresh paint has been applied. A way to tell if it's been wrecked.

 

Dealerships suck bro, is it possible for you to get approved for an auto loan through your bank and buy private party? You'd save a lot of money. I got an 05 TRD 4x4 with under 40k miles for only $4000 more than this truck your looking at, something to consider

 

yeah, i was planning on getting a loan through my credit union and offering a dealer a check. leave out the dealership altogether. i'm honeslty not in that much of a hurry. I'm getting the vibe that i should wait for the 4 cylinder 4x4 with less than 60k that i'm looking for.

 

I would go private party for sure than, unless you want the whole 'warranty coverage'. Are you going to be off roading with this truck or just a daily? I wish I would have done my research before jumping on my truck, even though I got an awesome deal, I would have been happy with a 4cyl 4x4 after seeing what they can do in person. I just caught up behind the BIG V6 and the Skewp.

 

if you are going to finance something, get what you want. otherwise you are stuck paying for something you arent truly happy with. as far as this one, nice truck, offer 13

 

i think i am where Sunner was. I fly and rent cars a lot for work nowadays and am wanting a first generation tacoma that i would keep forever because i love the style and the dependability. I don't really need a 4x4 and i don't really need v6 either.

I found another 2004 4 cylinder taco in my hometown with 85k on it that my brother went and drove today. He called me and said it was a solid truck with no issues. It's a one owner/private seller. It also has manual windows and mirrors which i like. Less to crap out. It's the perfect truck for me. The only thing is there is no cruise control. I think that's a deal breaker, but i really like this truck and i think i could get it for 11k. Can i find an 04 4 clyinder prerunner with cruise? i searched the internet for their options and it doesn't appear possible.

 

i'm not too familiar with the options on the first gen, but i dont see why not? i had a 1998 4 cyl 2wd extra cab, nonprerunner with cruise..

 

Cruise control a deal breaker in Atlanta? Man I'm not trying to influence you but I almost never use mine. Only when going on a trip and get out away from all the traffic. And even then it seems like I always having to tap the brake and then resume because of traffic. Just my opinion but my cruise control is worthless. I don't think I've ever actually used it on this truck, I've had it a year now.

 

point taken.

 

is this an option?

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/61-2nd-generation-2005/171992-diy-oem-cruise-control.html

 

that's for a 2nd gen right?