Buying '01 with Frame Replaced

Greetings!
I've scoured this forum and found some info here and there about the frame replacement deal on the 01-04 Tacomas. I just did the buyback for my '98 that had several frame perforations and I'm looking for a newer, but still 1st gen. Tacoma. I've found several online that have a rebuilt frame and I'm unsure about how that might affect the truck.

I've read posts here that span the whole spectrum: "love it, feels like a new truck, will last even longer" all the way to "lots of problems with these rebuilds, some other parts not being replaced that were affected by the rust, some rebuilds poorly done, trucks pulling bad to the side, or sitting uneven front to back..."

I doubt I could confirm where the rebuilds were done on the trucks I'm considering, but the guy I'm talking to now has a really small dealership local in PA and SWEARS to me that these rebuilds increase the value of these trucks and that they have to pay more for them at auction.

Can anybody help by chiming in on the risks of buying one in this situation? Or ways to make sure the rebuild was done right and won't affect the quality or longevity?

Thanks!
Big Mo

 

It all comes down to the quality of the work done when the frame is replaced and of course all the other stuff about buying a used vehicle applys as well. I always drive a vehicle I'm thinking of buying over a washboard road, that reveals an awful lot about it especially the kinds of concerns that may come from having the frame replaced

 

I just bought an 01 DC 4x4 with the frame replaced and it drives like new! (and I've had 3 3rd Gen 4Runners to compare). It looks like a new truck under there, and tracks down the road smooth and straight, wears the tires good, and doesn't make any noise that it shouldn't.

Have you driven it? That will tell you A LOT.

 

Wow, thanks for the responses. Could you tell me how the price was affected by the one you just bought with the rebuilt frame?

Thanks again!
Big Mo

 

I can't really say how the price was affected, as there weren't any others for sale that were comparable. I was looking specifically for this model/configuration.

It was a one-owner trade-in, clean carfax, had all major services done at the dealer, and was priced right under blue-book. I got them to knock a little money off, but they knew they had a good truck, and so did I, so I pulled the trigger. Haven't been disappointed yet. I don't mind paying more for something that's been taken care of.