Goodbye, my friend.

Tomorrow is officially buyback day. $10,035.00 from Toyota. She's a 2000 regular cab 4x4 2.7L 5-spd in black. I bought her brand new with 7 miles on the odometer in July, 2000 and since then she's far exceeded my expectations. I've hauled over 2,000 lbs in the bed (rough cut 6x6x10 hemlock); brought every scrap of materials for the construction of a wilderness cabin up muddy old logging roads; climbed about 1000 ft straight up the side of Franconia Notch on an old logging road in 8" of snow; driven from New Hampshire to Florida and back twice; used as a work truck shuttling people and materials up to wind farms atop mountains in western Massachusetts; and averaged 23 mpg over the life of the truck doing it all. In 9.5 years, I replaced a water pump, front brake pads, an O2 sensor, a muffler, a battery, and both leaf springs - nothing more. In fact, the rear shoes still have half their life left. She was my first new vehicle, and she never let me down. When they finally crush her, a little part of my soul will be crushed with her. Here's to you, truck. You will be dearly missed.

 

Gonna get another Taco? Sorry to hear about it, very very sad

 

That's a great lookin truck. Just out of curiosity, what made you go with the v6 this time around?

 

But just look at how much you got BACK!!! 10k!! That tells you that not only do these Toyota truck exceed expectations but they have their value still intact.

 

check his sig he already got a 2010 access cab

 

definately sorry to hear that. I'm beginning to think mine will be the only one left soon

 

10-4, just saw that, my bad

 

10k buyback is sweet! What are you going to use the money for? MODS?

 

how the hell did you get 10 grand for it?

 

you gonna upgrade and get a newer taco?

 

Sorry to hear that. It makes me really sad because thats the truck ive been looking for and all of them are being crushed around me...

At least you got 10k back...

 

Yep - already picked up a 2010 Access Cab V6 6-spd SR5 with tow package. It is definitely NOT the same truck. You can read about my adjustment to the new truck here. I put (or will put, when I get the check tomorrow) the $10K towards the new one, putting $15K total down. I hate having a payment. I got the $10K from Toyota for their frame rot buyback. I know of only one other pre-2001 Tacoma in NH, and that's only because the guy contacted me about taking parts off of mine before it goes to the crusher I've had 6 friends have theirs bought back - mine was the last one standing.

 

congrats on the new truck

 

10k sounds pretty good for a 10 year old truck. Glad to see toyota is going above and beyond.....I am curious, what did you pay for it new?

 

nah, i will still have mine. the frame is fine & im not getting it checked!

 

I really wanted to find a 2004 Access Cab with the 4-cyl, but just never found one with low enough miles in my area before I needed to have a new truck. What made me decide to get the V6? The extra weight of the 2nd gens. The 4-cyl in the 2nd gens only has like 4 more HP, yet the truck weighs quite a bit more. The 2.7 was always enough in my 2000 regular cab, but I didn't like the idea of it working harder all the time in the 2nd gen access cab. Plus, the one I test drove had a wicked whine to it that just plain scared me. I plan to keep this truck for 10+ years, and I may end up needing to tow stuff in the future. I guess I just wanted the option available - who knows what I'll be doing in 5 years for work. It was a tough decision though - over the life of the truck figuring a 5 mpg difference and 150K mile service life at $3/gallon, that's an extra $5,500 out of my pocket...

 

$15,400 in July 2000

 

I have plans for my vehicles if they survive to certain milestones.

If the Matrix makes 300k, it gets retired with honors, especially with the shit it's been through. I'd have it bronzed if it wouldn't be prohibitively expensive.

I want my Taco to do 500k, but at the rate I put miles on it (about 5k per year), there's a very good chance I'll die before the truck does.

 

It's great you got the $10k, just a shame to see a good machine gone bad.

 

I bet you never get a return on a vehicle investment that good again.
Wow!