looking for a few opinions on the value of a 2ng gen

I am still searching for my first taco and came across one i would like some opinions on

its an 05 extended cab 4x4 trd, just shy of 100k, has some goodyear wrangler MT tires on it, flowmaster exhaust, K&N filter

Asking $15k
i have spoken with the owner, the truck is his, he sent me the VIN, carfax came back clean and he sent me some additional photos that i requested. He is back on leave from boot camp and is going to be shipping out in a few days but the truck will still be up for sale (basically I have a day left to ask him any questions before he leaves) truck will be signed over to either his father or sister to sell once he is gone.

now, the questionable

truck seems to be in good shape from the photos, no obvious signs of damage, it is dirty though, he has been gone for boot camp but also didnt bother to wash it before putting it up for sale. in our conversations he mentioned that the CEL had come on recently, he says his "mechanic friends" say it is an air flow error code and most likely the cat converter. so 2 questions on that front

1) is there any way to see which error code it is throwing without having to pay a mechanic?

2) if in deed it is an air flow code, does that mean it has to be the cat and if so what do those usually run on a second gen v6?

he mentioned new clutch new breaks but has not mentioned the timing belt, I am assuming that is due around 100k? again, any estimate on how much those run?

any other thoughts comments would be appreciated

 

also do you think this thing is priced right? at first i was thinking it was a little low but if its going to need a few parts off the bat it seems a little high.

 

2nd Gens have a timing chain, so it should be good for a long time. An aftermarket cat will run you roughly $250 + installation (cut old one out and weld in new cat). Also Autozone and alot of other parts places will read codes for you for free. Price seems a little high to me, but im sure others will chime in on that. Good Luck!

 

Add up the prices of all the items you think the truck may need then double it. 15k minus work needed is what I'd offer. 11k tops.

 

Get the code checked first. If it's an exhaust issue, I'd have him take $1,000 off and use that money to purchase a set of Doug Thorley LT's from URD with the sim and that'll fix it. Don't let him give you the military speech of have to get it gone now and this is the price. His brother can take it to Toyota and get it inspected and he can complete the transaction from oversea's. I've purchased 3 cars while oversea's...two from private individuals. That's what power of attorney's are for.

 

i think the price is about average for that truck in perfect condition, the CEL prob is some sort of emissions like he said, and as far as getting it checked at autozone or advanced auto parts, they'll read the obdII and give you the code, but it's hard to know what component is actually malfunctioned until a mechanic looks at it, which you do have to pay for. The truck will prob serve you well, but I think you'll feel better if you negotiate at least 2K off the price.

 

ya i was thinking of offering him 12, I am trying to stay under 15 with title and taxes (roughly 1k)

lots of cars and trucks have timing chains....that doesnt mean they last forever, i am a little confused at what you are getting at and why it does not need to be changed

here is what i figure, the cat is 250 but install is the pain, i have heard rough numbers around 700 (is it true that 2ng gens have 2 cats?) round up to 1k, timing chain was around 700 to replace in my civic and i really dont see that getting any cheaper with a v6, round up to 1k, take those off the asking price it is 13k already. I was thinking of offering 12 but now im wondering if it wouldnt be a good idea to offer 11 and id assume he would come back with something higher and we could then settle at 12 or does anyone think 11 is just too low?

thanks for the input sofar

 

^this.

Have him to take it Toyota for a buyer's inspection and have Toyota email you the report....offer to split the cost if he balks. This is the only way I've ever bought from a private party. You need to be aware of the current condition and not guess.

 

i think 11K would be a really good deal for you, and esp cause it's a 4x4 it'll hold the price really well, but feel free to offer him whatever, but i've tried to lowball people on things on CL and at first they answer, then they just won't answer anymore, so some people are like that. i think you'll still have a solid buy even if you spend 12-13, but not 15

 

A timing chain and a timing belt are 2 different things. Some cars have belts, some have chains. A belt needs to be replaced (usually) around 100k. Whereas a timing chain will last much longer, and doesnt necessarily need to be replaced as soon as a belt would.

 

Its kinda hard to imagine that the catalytic converter is already busted at just shy of 100K..it may be some other type of emission problem like an o2 sensor or something.

Scanners are relatively cheap to buy (even from snap on, matco, etc. that can read live data ~150$) that can show you what the code is and even the proper steps to figure out what it is.. its not that hard, even for people not mechanically inclined...If not, go to autozone like others have said and get the code read by them and see what needs fixed. Minus all the parts and labor off the asking price and maybe a little more.

Like stated b4, its a buyers market. You can find a better deal if the seller seems shady

 

Timing chain does not have a specified service interval. The earlier V6 Tacomas used a belt that needed to be replaced on a schedule basis. It is a HUGE undertaking to access that chain. There are several members on here with close to 200K and at least one approaching 300K. Nobody has mentioned having a chain break or cause problems. It is not an issue unless the engine is showing signs of neglect.

There IS a known issue with the timing chain COVER leaking oil. You should check that out, because it's a 1,200 dollar job to fix that. Also, there is a know issue with the clutch throw out bearing. You should read up on that. The early 05-06 trucks are known to have weak syncros in the transmissions as well.

I bought mine three years ago. It had 40K on it. Now, at 60K, I've experienced the throwout bearing issue, and am seeing the beginning of a small timing cover leak (really just a slow, slow seap).

I would buy mine again, but I would probably go with the automatic. I also do not believe that a truck is made of gold just because of the Toyota logo on the grille. Check it out and make the purchase if it's something you like, but do not pay too much for it.

For reference, I paid 17,500 for mine in December of 2009. It was exactly four years old, 41K on the odometer, brand new tires on it, freshly detailed. The only thing against it was that it had been smoked in, and has a couple small burns on the interior. I paid private party "fair" condition price for it. I bought it from an auto broker, who, even though he wasn't a full on dealership, I feel added some value, since it did make the logistics a bit easier for me (took my trade in). I also think the truck was closer to "good" condition in KBB, despite the smoking issue. I have enjoyed the truck, but I am glad I did not pay too much for it.

I think 15K is too much. It's four years older than my truck was when I bought it, and more than twice as many miles. Seems like that's worth more than a 2,500 dollar drop in price, I think.

 

joes06tacoma, i think you added a lot of good and relevant information

just my viewpoint as far as buying a car back in 2009, the used car market is not anything like it was even a year or two ago. Used car prices are much higher now then they are now. I was looking at an 04 acura back in 2008 and it prob cost close to what it did then now, and also we bought a 2008 highlander in 2009, and it is prob cost as much now as it was when we bought it.

 

has anyone ever had a used vehicle inspection done before buying a car/truck?

I will have to wait until tomorrow to call the toyota dealer down by the truck and see if they will do one and how much it will cost

 

Many independent shops will do a vehicle inspection for you... ask around. The price, of course, depends on how deep you want him to dig; taking a valve cover off or dropping the transmission pan to see inside things is not exactly cheap, assuming owner will even allow it. But a smart mechanic can look at a lot of other things to assess how well maintained it is. Bolts can down-right tell-tales once they've been wrenched a few times.

Belts would break... separate. Modern engines have really tight tolerances and that usually means destroyed valves and pistons. So the smart maintenance advice was replace on a schedule.

A chain, on the other hand, not only lasts much long but is extremely rare to break (never heard of it, actually) even when badly worn. You are right, though, they DO wear but you'll have lots of advance notice with flakey timing and probably CEL's announcing a problem. Even if it jumps a sprocket, not uncommon when super badly worn, its not gonna do damage.

15K sounds way high to me for anything with 6 figure mileage even without the CEL. I guess there's just crazy demand for used vehicles now... Tacoma's in particular.

 

chain in my civic went at 170k no warning of any kind, hours drive over the pass, put the clutch in to coast down the off ramp and that was it, engine died and I coasted to a stop.

I had always figured they were a 100k mile part though, if i dont need to worry about having that replaced thats good to know

your telling me, iv been looking for the better part of a month now and this is only the 2nd, 2nd gen I have come across that has what i want on it for at or under $15k and under 150k miles.

and the first one was a scam!

 

one more question, how do you tell if a 2nd gen has the towing package or not? is there any way to tell from photos?

 

you can look for an oil cooler and transmission cooler. you look at the oil filter, if there are extra metal pipes to it, then it has the tow package. The transmission cooler, i think should look like a small radiator in front of the radiator (not pos on that one though)

 

there's a pic of the oil cooler in this one

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...ell-if-tacoma-has-factory-towing-package.html

 

The simplest way is to look below the rear bumper and see if you see a reciever. If it doesn't have one then there's no need to look under the hood. If it does have a reciever take a look under the hood for the tranny cooler (automatic only) and oil cooler to verify it has a tow package and not just an aftermarket hitch.