Need help with buying used vehicle.

Please add anything to the following list that you would use for checking a used 2nd Gen Taco. I’m looking for an Access or 4 dr cab TRD with about 50,000 km (30,000 miles). If you feel that some of the following problems are rare, please let me know.
Used vehicle check list:
I use a right angle piece of plywood and drop a perpendicular from the centre of the front and rear wheels and measure the diagonal from the right front to left rear, which should equal the distance from the left front to right rear. It should be equal to within about a ¼ inch (I give myself a ¼ inch max for sloppy measuring). If it is over a ¼ inch, the truck has probably been hit and has a bent frame and I’m looking for another vehicle.
Compare the spaces between: the hood and fenders, front and back of door, box to body, driver side spaces should = passenger side spaces. If not equal, it’s been hit and I’m looking for another vehicle.
Have a mechanic do an overall check of the running gear.
Push all the buttons.
Accelerate and decelerate while in 2WD and 4 WD to check for axle slop.
Check under body for oil streaks. It should be dry.
This is a great web site. Here’s what I’ve picked up from TW:
Drive it at about 100 km/hr/60 mph or more to check for unusual noises from windshield moulding or grill or???.
Check for howl from front and rear differential.
Check for engine “tick”.
Check for loud fan, windshield wiper motor.
Thanks in advance.
Mark

 

Damn, this should be stickied lol.

 

push all the buttons twice.

 

Check Carfax for the history of the car. Sometimes accidents dont get reported if the police are not called and subsequently the accident doesnt get reported, so do your own due dilligence. It sounds like you are on the right track, but a real good body shop can make the outside of the car look great. Pop the hood and compare the right side to the left. Seams should match up on both sides. Check how each door opens and closes. Look for evidence on nuts and bolts for body panels, etc that they have been recently worked on. Dont just look straight on at each panel, look down the side of each body panel and look for wavy spots that are out of place. Carfax will also show maintenance if they took it to a dealer. While you are under the truck compare each side and look for welds out of place, fresh repair work, etc.

At 30k miles, there should not be a whole lot of mechanical issues you should be worried about, but just make sure the truck drives pretty much new.

I've also been looking for a truck, and there are some cheap ones out there - and I've found these have an accident listed on Carfax. The good ones are priced accordingly and the Certified Previously Owned (CPO) bring a premium, but they seem to be worth it. Just waiting for the right price, color, and options to pop up...

 

Thanks for the input guys. Just thought of one more, for auto trans, you should pull the dipstick and smell the trans fluid, if it has a burned smell, the trans is damaged.
Mark