Updated: Just got the truck

Hello all, new here and I'd like to run something by everyone and get their take on it. Been looking for an older truck. Already know that it must be a Toyota because they are great vehicles and make great trucks so I've been looking around and found some really nice ones but, of course, they're gone before I can even go check them out! There was one that I found that I really dug so I inquired about it and was about to set up a time to look at it. The guy told me he was showing it to someone at the time and would text me back after he was done to let me know when a good time would be. Welp, during that time he sold it. Not surprising.
So now I found a 1995 Tacoma 4wd, manual 3.4 v6 with 228,000 miles on it. He's asking $5,500 for it. I looked at it and drove it a little and it's got some wear and tear but mostly cosmetic stuff that I don't care too much about, what matters is the engine and underneath, frame and all that, lack of rust or cracks etc. It was at night so I wasn't able to give it a good look over but am planning on bringing a friend who's knowledgeable in this area. Of course I'm planning on talking it down a bit and have already checked the kbb and NADA values and it's considerably lower but it's also got bigger tires and a bit of a lift. Radiator is brand new. Also, one thing I noticed is that when I was backing up and turning the wheel I noticed that the right tire rubbed (I'm assuming that's what was happening) and the buyer was sitting in the passenger seat and said that happens when there is a passenger and it's turned. There were some other minor things as well but I'm just trying to get an idea here so any feedback would be awesome. Thanks!

 

Welcome. 1st thing to consider is rust. Inspect the frame in daylight. That's a lot of miles for that price. If it's well maintained, you should be able to get a lot more. Ask about maintenance like timing belt, waterpump, etc. Keep in mind as well that with something old and has a lot of miles, most likely you will be spending more on maintenance items.

 

Also that tire rubbing means the suspension is shot(most likely what it is anyways). At least on that side. So take that into consideration as well

 

My 95 3.4l manual 4wd went 313,000 miles before the head gasket blew and cracked a head. They are great motors and run forever. Just make sure it was well maintained. I paid $5700 for mine and it had more miles on it then what the one your looking at has now. They go for a pretty penny around here though. Check all the nuts and everything in the frame and stuff. Working on a rusty truck sucks more then you know. A 30 min job quickly turns into a 3 hour job when you start breaking nuts and bolts. Tire rubbing is probably just the tires being to big or wide for the amount of lift

 

don't be like me and buy one for a good price thinking everythings fine. I got my 95 v6 4x4 auto for $2800 with 220k on the odo. however, I'm now spending almost $1800 with my mechanic fixing it up because all the guy ever did was change the oil and tires as far as we can tell. Honestly its still worth more than I'll have in it after fixing but you need to make sure the end price for a fixed up truck is right in your mind. I'd have hated to buy one for $5000 then need $1800 worth of work. but for the right price, it makes sense.

 

Rubbing can be ok if its just on the plastic part of fenderwell my 03 rubbed when backing up and turning like if you came out of a driveway and that thing was solid.

 

Good input, thanks. Yeah that's definitely why I'm going to have my buddy take a good look at it, I'd like to avoid any unnecessary trouble if I can. I'm clearly not too savvy when it comes to this stuff yet, but would spacers remedy the rubbing or is that not a good idea? I guess I'm concerned with having that happen on a regular basis or even while I take a hard turn going faster than parking lot backup speed. Also, that's a real nice looking truck Bigcrab!

 

False. It does not necessarily mean this. Most likely it is because of the tires and lift combo. My tires both rub the frame before full lock.

Looks like its been on the highway a lot to do that to the hood.

 

Your right. I didnt mean to come off as if that was the only reason. Admittedly i dont have a whole lot of experiance with lifts but i have experianced suspension being the reason for rubbing. It depends on what kind of rubbing is goin on. It does sound more like what you guys are saying then the suspension being the problem.

 

Like any vehicle this old there is always going to be areas of neglected maintenance .

I always figure on a $1000.00 or more in parts to catch up.

 

I think its sweet. Personally i wouldn't pay over 3k for a vehicle with 200k+.. Just my 2 cents.

 

one thing to question is why the new radiator. take a look at the front bumper in your pics. looks like it's pushed in slightly? maybe hit something and replaced parts. check inside the engine bay and see if the core support or inside fenderwells show any damage. easily seen fluids like brake and PS can be checked on the fly.

like mentioned above ask for service records: timing belt/water pump, fluids (differentials, oil), etc

while driving again check for any noises like popping or squeal/creaking. that looks like the max lift is on it (looks higher than my 3") so CVs may be wearing. toss it in 4wd (on a straight road if no snow/mud available) and then out again and listen for any noises.

 

It looks like that and I did a double take after I looked at the pictures that I took later that night but it's deceptive, it's actually the reflection from the front guard surface, sort of like a mirror image so it looks bent in. Had to look at it for a second too because I didn't remember that when I checked it out but then realized what it was.

 

Price is high but looks pretty straight.

 

Let us know what you decide..................and as someone else said looks like a lot of highway miles I'd ask if this is the case. For what its worth I just bought a 1995 regular cab 4x4 5 speed with 158k for $2900 and ended up dumping roughly another $1500 into it. I am very happy with the truck though so I guess my point is expect that truck to need something.

 

Yeah, good point. It does have a lot of highway miles according to the seller, as long as he's had it at least. We are looking at it over tomorrow.

What did you need to fix on the truck?
Also, it may be common but I noticed that the driver's seat was pretty worn on the left side probably from ingress and egress. I've seen that on a couple others in nearly the same place. That's not a big deal though but just wondering.

 

born too late, it needed exhaust, a tensioner pulley, belts, fan, fan motor, radiator, o2 sensor, brakes, plugs, wires. And yes some of the seats do tend to tear over time........I wouldn't pay over $4,000 man and even that's a little high imo but as you said they are so hard to find in decent shape. Offer him $3500 see what he says.

 

Run the VIN, if you have an Android or IPhone get a VIN app then go online run a VIN report at your state DPS. Do a custom search private seller only on craigs list in your area and a 300 mile radius. Put a top price on what your willing to spend say $7000 don't narrow your search too much I.E. Toyota Tacoma. Private Seller Clear Title with Photos. Max price $700 your area plus 300 miles or a distance you could handle away from your immediate area be patient in your search

 

Welp I just got the Tacoma, pretty excited and I really dig it!
Since I'm new to this I've also included some picture of the undercarriage. A friend and I already looked it over from top to bottom before I bought it obviously but I just want to see what people's thoughts are on the way it looks, from what can be seen, if any of the small rust areas look serious or potentially bad and if so what I can do to hasten the damage or whathaveyou. Thanks for any input!

 

Wholly rock chip!!

Well since it has such a huge body lift itll be easy enough to try and take care of that frame. Its starting to get a lil sketchy...you can bet some parts of the in side are getting pretty bad, especially around the slring perches where you took that one pic. You need to keep a close eye on that frame and try and knock out anu of that rust that you can see. But un fortunately the cancer has begun and there is no chemo available for your taco to undergo, lol. Its not absolutely terrible i dont wanna scare you but just keep a close eye, especially if youre in a salt state!