Almost 20k for 2001 taco, am I crazy?

buy a truck for 7k, put 3-5k into it for repairs still come out on top.

 

Yep, that's why a mint old FJ40 goes for just a few grand.

 

I'm not sure ...but there is a site that has lots of low mileage tacomas....can't find the site.

 

20K sounds crazy expensive to me, low mileage or not.

 

Click buy...You wont do it...

 

This is not a normal car lot... bit of an odd duck. Exactly the "small well run" car lot Clearwater Bill noted as a possible exception. And yes... I've seen the shady type of lot, as in 99% of them.

The place is GW Enterprises. It's a small shop, owned and operated by one guy. He does the buying and selling. He just has a kid do detailing. I spent probably 4 hours focused mostly on 2 tacos, but glanced at a bunch of other frames for comparison and looked a bit at 2 or 3 others. The worst truck in his lot is one of the better I've seen out here. He's definitely not buying salvage title shit and the like (I ran VINs for a couple before I even drove over there, 100% clean). He only deals in midsized pickups, and about 80% are Tacomas. Maybe a chevy's and a ranger on his lot

Based on the 2 I verified were undercoated by Toyota (had the right goop, he had the documentation... I didn't go so far as to call toyota as I would before actually purchasing). Comparing those to others on his lot most had been undercoated by Toyota. The ones that hadn't had perfect frames like the one I started this thread about. That was clearly part of his buying criteria. None had any body rust at all.

I get the feeling the markup is for exactly this reason... he's got better trucks than anyone else out here, word of mouth gets around, and he can probably move trucks for 4k more than someone else could. 'cause people want a good truck and they don't want to fly to cali to get it.

The story is all consistant and makes sense... it's just a lot of money.

 

My $.01 (my advice usually isn't worth the full two cents) is not to spend $20k on a 15 year old truck, regardless of mileage. At that age under 60k means it's not driven very often, but the seals and bushings are just as old and weather crack-ey (maybe even more so, since they haven't benefited from regular splash-lube from daily use). Especially don't spend $20k on a truck with a loose shifter, engine codes, and bad brakes. If you're going to build it and run it on trails anyway, not sure looking for something in 'mint' condition is the right path anyway. I'd say find one for considerably less money (probably with more mileage) and use the savings to replace some parts rather than spending lots on this one. You'll probably still come out ahead.

 

Your 8 year old Tacoma just dazzles me with its cutting-edge technology.

 

I agree with Noelie84... I don't actually want a mint truck.
What I do want is one with a solid frame with little to no rust and a good engine. I could care less if the interior is covered in mud and it has dents and rust on the bodywork. That's looks. But I need it to be dependable, 'cause I usually wheel/overland alone (yeah yeah, don't do that, but I do, so I can at least not do it stupider).

No-one posts pictures of the frame though (except a few folks on here, which is awesome BTW), so finding that truck is getting tiresome. A trip to CA is sounding like a more and more reasonable option. Their are some sweet trucks appearing in this forum too, so I'll keep watching.

 

Not entirely true, the Toyota FJ-40 LandCruiser is proof that some vehicles make the exception to the rule. The original VW Beetle is another that comes to mind.

Tacomas regularly sell for markups like that in places like Cali, Arizona, and Hawaii where they are near factory clean and mint underneath with real low miles. There's a 2012 Tacoma TRD double cab down the road for sale where I live from a private company that is marked at $28k with around 80k miles and it's a Montana truck so the undercarriage definitely isn't mint! Lol these things hold their value staggeringly well.

OP, I personally wouldn't pay that much for an extended cab, maybe $15k tops but that's just me. A TRD double cab 4x4 in that condition would be another story...

 

I mean. It all sounds good and dandy, definitely for the mileage. I would be a bit leery until I get the timing belt checked. Garaged or not, rubber cracking and deterioration over the course of 15 years has probably taken a toll on the rubber that the belt is constructed of. Have it checked if you are serious about trying to pick it up. It does sound nice especially for a 4x4.

It's up to you if you want to drop that kind of coin on it or a 4x4 2nd gen being aware of the issues that they bring on their own. Motor mount failure on the earlier models is a big thing. Advantage to 2nd gen is the 1GR 4.0 are chain driven shafts which lessens the need to worry about belt replacement other than serpentines. A little more power, and the famous 1st gen ball joint failures that plague them due to their design was resolved on them as well.

Best of luck to ya. Nice find.

 

I agree that KBB is not a reliable source for 1st Gen Tacoma values. In my area, NADA tends to be a little closer to reality.

That said, $20K is crazy money for the vehicle described. It MIGHT be worth HALF that much if it were truly in MINT condition.

 

Good tactics Bill.

I do think most banks would cover it. They just increase the interest a little to cover risk.

 

Amen Brother!!!!

 

For comparison:

http://madison.craigslist.org/cto/5303488329.html

I'd attempt to get this down to $15k even and I'd be a happy buyer.

 

Natetroknot, how was the rust on that baby?
I looked at many tacos (and other cars) in Wisconsin over the years. I was born there. Low rust is not possible unless the guy didn't use it in the winter and the winters last 9 months (or it felt like it did). Yet they charge more than FL or AZ there because it is the norm.

 

I have not seen it in person, I'm not in the market but enjoy perusing the net looking at stuff and thought of this thread when I saw it.

Maybe the truck has had the frame replacement, because you're right about what 15 years of winter does to metal around here.

 

OP, After 3 years of nonchalantly looking at tacos, and 1 solid year of looking daily I was in your situation (blabbered here). It is hard to find a gen1 with low miles and no rust so the prices are crazy high. I could have purchased a gen 2 for way less. I disliked the gen2s and gen3s. After having owned (or in the immediate fam) a t100, "toyota pickup" and hiace 4x4 (van version of hilux in the late 80s), and having friends/fam with old land cruisers the gen2 and 3 was just not the direction i wanted toyota to be moving in and i fear size, useless electronics, and low clearance of the gen4s. So i am stuck looking at gen1s and old land cruisers for the rest of my life. If you don't mind the gen 2s you will find a better deal on a gen 2.

All that looking was time. time is money. I should have just got the first over priced or underpriced but needing love one i found. I killed many days driving to look at old tacos.
I understand your wanting to drop too much on an old truck. I did. I don't regret it. I kick myself for passing up deals i said no to in the past that at the time felt too high. There in value in that too.

I think the advice above about buying a higher mileage and using the savings to upgrade parts was wise. When the trucks go to 300k what is 54k vs 100k? Noel's point also.

My mechanics always say, "find me a truck/car with no rust and a nice interior for cheap and i will buy it. rebuilding an engine is cheap relative to the things you can not rebuild" (but he is a mechanic). So that was the alternative approach i thought about, find a perfect body and a salvaged engine and manual trany and build it. But that was just as hard to find. might not be for you.

 

Put it to you this way. My truck BRAND new cost less than 20k in 2000 hahah the sticker price is in the glove box still I think

 

Hey @mbrewer, I have actually browsed GW Enterprises' website at least a dozen times through autotrader.com when I was on my quest for the perfect 1st gen single cab. He's got the nicest used Toyota trucks I have ever seen anywhere. I even contacted him, got undercarriage photos e-mailed to me and I was about to make a cash offer on one I really liked because low mile, non rusty 1st gens are almost non-existent where I live. I ended up approaching random strangers with nice single cabs and offering cash. Took 4 or 5 tries but eventually it worked!

Maybe the one you were looking at was priced a little high and could have been negotiated down, but it looks like he has a lot more to choose from. I really like this 1999 V6 5 speed with manual hubs and 94K miles. If the chassis is clean and there is proof the timing belt and water pump were done at 90K miles, I personally would pay pretty close to his asking price:

http://www.gwenterprises.net/vehicl...999-toyota-tacoma-used-port-republic-va.shtml