Good deal? Help a future Tacoma owner out

Hey,

I have enjoyed reading the many posts on this site. I am very excited about buying my first Tacoma. I finally have financing from the bank and am looking at an older Tacoma 5-speed. I hear they can really last a long time which is something I value. I would like to buy this Tacoma below but am a little weary of the issues it might have. Do any of you have any insight to offer? I just need the truck for basic commuting and driving to the beach with my surfboard in the back. I am musician so I also would use it to haul my drums.

http://www.rcmotors.co/1996_Toyota_Tacoma_Vilas_NC_257671365.veh

This is a 96 Tacoma with 185K. The guy said he would take $5K for it. My other option is to buy a 98 Tacoma for $8999 with around 175K miles.

 

My first question is how much of your own work can you do??

With 185,000 it is at the age one should think about doing the timing belt might be the reason it is for sale.

Unless it was done just now

Suspension and steering parts ?? Lower ball joints come to mind.

Normal maintenance items like brakes coolant hoses cv axles etc

It is also possible it is time for new cats quite easy to clear the codes and not drive it enough for the tests to run again.( I had this happen to me)

All things to take into consideration when making an offer.

I have never bought a 4x4 that did not take at least $1000.00 in parts to just catch up on neglected maintenance.

I know myself being over come with Lust buying another vehicle and over looking some real easy to see problems till I got it home in the shop.

 

I paid right at $5000 for my 95.5 4wd ex cab with 158k on it. Its a dream, runs great.I bet you could get him to drop the price if you make an assessment of parts needing attention and throw some talk that you could buy a newer one for what he's asking. Check around at prices they are usually on point.

 

He's not wanting to come down below $5K. And his son has been driving it the past few weeks so I'm going to speak to him this afternoon about the truck.

I'm willing to put $1K in it but I'm just not sure how it runs or if the frame has issues. I like the 95 and 96 model tacomas the best. I'd probably want to get a replacement for the rear bumper since it has all those dings in it. I'm not too concerned about the paint right now but eventually might want to get that cleaned up.

I know it depends on many factors but what I like about the tacomas is the fact that many can go 300K+ miles

 

Right now I cannot do any work myself on this tacoma. I do have a mechanic I have used on my acura and he's good.

I could either get this truck or a 2003 with 175K miles for $11,000. Call me crazy but this 96 Tacoma is more appealing...

2003 Taco: http://www.westridgeauto.com/2003-Toyota-Tacoma/Used-Truck/Asheville-NC/6231036/Details.aspx

 

Have you considered having your mechanic check it out prior to making a deal? Might be worth a couple hundred dollars to know what the truck needs or doesn't need. Depending on what he finds, it might give you some bargaining room, or at least some peace of mind. IMHO, the mileage on the trucks you're talking about doesn't matter as much as how they were maintained and driven. That's my 2 cents anyway, good luck with your search.

 

Thank you.... The truck is 2 hours away in Boone so I would have to take him with me. A good friend says I should just wait because my Acura runs fine and there's really no need for a new vehicle right now.

I just really want to be driving a Tacoma sooner than later.

 

I've always said "when the deal is right you'll know it, or at least you won't have as much doubt." Used market is tough with these trucks, patience is needed, but so is decisiveness when the right deal comes along. I do wish you luck.

 

I paid about the same for a similar truck (same year, color, similar mileage).

My truck had just had the timing belt done, though. In my area, I feel like I paid a fair price but as mentioned the market for these trucks is tough. I held out for a few months and ultimately ended up settling regardless due to other constraints.

 

has your truck had any issues? I'll put a new timing belt on and am prepared for that expense.

How do you like your truck? Any pictures?

 

You MUST do this. And hopefully a mechanic who KNOWS these trucks. And since it's 2 hours away, you need to get it on a lift there.

Spending 5k on a truck and then spending 1k to get it right.....

 

This looks like a good deal:

http://cargur.us/4ryHD

 

The dealer said he doesn't think taking it to a mechanic is a good idea because he says the mechanic is going to come up with a long list of things that need to done to it and then the buyer always expects him to come down on the price. I thought that was a little shady. There are mechanics in Boone that I can probably take it to but I'm not sure what to ask them to do? He says that I can tell all the things a mechanic can tell i.e. if there's rust.

I don't know, the last conversation with this guy kind of threw me off. He ultimately said I am welcome to take it to a mechanic but that he felt the mechanic would be trying to draw up a big bill so he (the mechanic) could make money

 

Walk away. Or take it to a mechanic that you trust, or look around, ask peeps who they trust. You're not going to have the mech do work, just inspect it.

The seller is gonna lie. nuff said. It's a dealer? They always lie.

 

Yep, I think so too. My gut is telling me to walk away and go after this instead:

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...00&searchRadius=200&listingId=407577333&Log=0

 

My gut is telling me only the 1996 Tacoma in post #1 is priced right.

 

LOL damn... really? If I go in to the Bristol TN dealership tomorrow with a check in hand I think I could get them down to 7K. Hard to say.

And I guess this is overpriced too? I'm sure I could do a little haggling and get them to come down a wee bit on the price:

http://cargur.us/4tnYW

 

The 96 could be in terrible shape. I'm a newbie and the dealer sounded shady saying he didn't really support me taking it to a mechanic. He obliged of course but just said his opinion on the matter was that I should be able to tell if there are any major mechanical issues myself. He keeps saying its not a cream puff but that it doesnt need any major repairs right now.

I'm a little turned off from that 96 even though I like that body style best.

 

Actually the more I think about it, the 1996 Tacoma in post #1 is priced right only for someone mechanically-inclined enough to do expensive repairs like a timing belt or clutch himself. If you don't know what to look for (and you did say you can't do any work yourself) it could be worth almost nothing if the frame is perforated by rust or it has low compression in a cylinder.

I think all the other trucks you listed are overpriced for the miles and show obvious hard use, but could be OK for someone who meets the following conditions:

-looking for a project truck
-cash in hand
-strong negotiator
-mechanically inclined enough to avoid purchasing a basket case

You should probably wait until you can afford a Tacoma with much lower miles. In the long run you'd be a lot happier if you did it right the first time and you'd also have a much better foundation for modifications. You say you just want to drive it to the beach, but I'm warning you the more time you spend on TacomaWorld the more you will want awesome shit for you Tacoma.

 

Hm, you might be right. My Acura is in good shape and I could definitely get another year out of it. Not a bad idea. I guess I am a strong negotiator but I am definitely not mechanically savvy. This 96 could be my project while I keep driving the acura for the next year. The dealer says there is no rust on the frame, I haven't asked him about the compression though. I have made an appointment at a Toyota dealership in Boone and I will take it to the mechanic there on Monday. Going to think hard about this purchase over the weekend.

Just saw these two:

1) https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/5158041780.html

2) https://wilmington.craigslist.org/cto/5145423965.html (the guy said he would take $4700)

It has 250K miles but the owner put in a new motor, clutch, timing belt, etc. Hm......