Should i buy this tacoma 2000 4x4 for 4500

so i finally found a tacoma for sale it is a 2000 2.7 5spd. has 158k miles. he was asking 5000 i offered 4500 and suppose to go buy it tomorrow is this a decent deal or should i keep looking. All the vins are on the fenders/hood so no accidents drove good. anything specific i should check i did the following all lights were checked , looked for accidents, clutch does not slip shifts smoothly no rust on frame or exhaust tires good brakes seem good.

 

here is a pictures

 

that seems like a fair price to me.listen for any excesive noise in front of engine[chain rattle]. there are two behind front cover,would be loudest at first start up.engine seem smooth[no vibrations]thru all engine speeds.seen balence shaft brgs go out give vibration at 2k and up. have changed head gaskets and chains on those engine but most were 30k or so more miles than this .if you feel it was maintained [oil]they can go much longer with out issues.2.7 is good engine if maintained.those are the big things i would listen for cause it woud be big expense on your 4500.thats my two cents for what its worth.good luck

 

I will do all those thongs you two suggested. I did offer 4000 lol he said no. I'm just worried about the mileage inane seen them with 300k+ though so dunno what to do still this is the first decent deal I found in a month they sell lol hot cakes on cl

 

Hate spell check

 

that would not have lasted 5 minutes in ak on cl.its a fair deal not smoking but like you said where are all the other 4500 dollar ones.anything less will most likely be reconstruct. there fine too as long as there is a savings for branded title and they were fixed correctly.my lateset taco has clean title and looks to be toatled twice over but it was cheap and couldn't pass it up.there hot sellers if you see one you like get it you can always resell it.

 

ok so i ended up passing on the truck when i get there the guy already has the title signed saying its his freinds truck and hes just selling it for him well seems fishy to me i asked to call his friend he said he wouldnt asnwer so i passed.

so i found this truck now its a 1996 extra cab with 150k miles looks and drives great clean carfax current inspection. hes asking 6500 came to a agreed price at 5200 here is a pic below he is the second owner from 80k miles or so its a really nice truck so what do you guys think about this deal i hear the 96-97 models are bullet proof.

 

also its a 2.7 5spd.

 

Get it we can be twins buttt i have the supercharged 3.4l lol

 

See, only $700 more than the other one and you get extra space in the back!!

 

yea deff glad i passed on the other ill post more pictures when its in my driveway

 

nice man! happy for ya

 

go for it

 

Get it !!!! Nice taco

 

wanted to update everyone and had a few questions. So i ended up finding a 1997 extra cab 4x4 2.7 liter tacoma with 106k miles very low and in very good shape for 4800. So i hoped on the deal and bought it. I take it to inspection and there are foot long holes in the frame from frame rust, so i take it to toyota and since i did not have a valid registration i did not qualify for the buy back. So the guy i bought it from is a very nice older gentlemen and i told him about the recall so he came down with a flat bed returned me my money and took the truck to his local dealership, we also agreed that he will be sending me a certified check for 25% of what he gets from toyota over the 4800 we had that paper notorazied and all legal.

So i now im looking at another 96 tacoma regular cab this time i took it to a dealership and had the frame looked over and they even sprayed a protective spray on it free of charge. Im suppose to be buying it it 2 days, but now have done some research and saw there might be a recall for the head gaskets. Now the truck is a 2.7 am i correct the only engine with this problem is the v6? I also had a mechanic look this truck over he said one of the nicest ones he has seen also has a clean carfax. here is picture. we agree on 4000 for the truck it has 145k miles 5spd 2.7 liter.

 

wow, you really like those first gen tacoma's, I had a 98 2wd non-prerunner extra cab, ran great, just under 200K, my only recommendation is the extra cab, it's so much nicer in all situations, even if you dont NEED the space, but enjoy ur soon to be new truck!

 

yea i really love them i had a 97 a few years back and had to sell it for personal reasons been wanting one every since. I drove my freinds 1999 and just didnt feel as solid as my 97 so i really want a 96-97 plus there a little cheaper which is alwasy nice just wanted to make sure the head gasket issue was only with the 6 cylinders.