Reasonable mileage for a used Tacoma?

I know that with proper care and maintenance, these vehicles can last a very long time, and that's great. However, when buying used, at what point are "all bets are off"?
My budget is putting me into an 18-24k vehicle, which is typically between 50 and 90k on the odometer. I'm not at all expecting to find lower mileage than that, but I'm worried that I won't be able to see the full potential life of the vehicle starting out already in sight of the first 100k. Thoughts and comments?

I'm specifically looking for a Double Cab, SR5 or TRD. Automatic or manual, either/or. I've read that the autos are more reliable (myth?) I'd really prefer a long bed, which does tie me to an auto

http://www.atlantictoyota.com/inven...62/Used-2013-Toyota-Tacoma-Lynn-Massachusetts

 

If you could go up to 24k you could possibly seek out mileage around 30k to 40k More likely an SR5. There is a 2014 limited in KY with 34k miles for 25k. So it is possible.

 

Car-Max, E-Bay Autos, Craigslist, Edmunds, just to name a few.sources are endless...just hunt around.

 

Right, it's not so much finding a vehicle, but more a question at what point the mileage becomes a deal breaker.

Is a Certified Pre-Owned anything to be excited about, or is that just a way to charge more?

 

And whatever you decide to do DO NOT GO BY A CARFAX REPORT. Bring it some place and spend 100.00 to have it all looked all over completely. Certified Pre Owned is more bullshit. There was a member on here that bought Certified Pre Owned and it had frame damage.

 

Keep in mind prices and vehicle conditions may vary drastically based on the area in which you buy. My 2013 having lived in the North country will likely have many more problems or failures before a truck from Arizona for example.. granted pride in ownership and preventative maintenance will affect this. But it's something to keep in mind.

I found a truck with great service records and concluded that an elderly man was my trucks prior owner. He bought all the packages, treatments and had toyota do ALL his maintenance.

Find a truck you like at the price you want and be sure to have a knowledgeable mechanic check it out. No matter the mileage, you can tell allot about a truck from a test drive and a good once over on it..

Also.. look at the service manual. Can you tell if the services compared to the mileage have been done recently? Typically over 100k your getting into larger services. Easier way to tell if someone knew/cared about what they drove.

 

Well, I bought a 2006 two years ago with 110K on it, and it's been fine. Now has 145K on it.

 

I don't think mileage is too big of a deal. Granted, my budget was putting me into a higher mile truck. I bought mine with 135k, and 25k/1.5yr later I'm still all smiles. If you look around at trucks on here, you'll see that if you take care of it there should be no issues getting it to 300k.

 

Ah yes, frame issues. Is there a sure fire method of determining if it has been through the recall and what the results were? I know most people would be bragging about the new frame, but in the case of dealers, that info may not be readily known

 

Educate yourself on the issues and know what to look for. If you're in a snow zone, frame condition will be very important. These trucks are super reliable, I've owned 3. My '06 had 175k on it when I traded it in and it honestly was as good on the last day as it was on the first day. I'm in contact with the current owner and he has had to replace the frame, springs, and a few components now at 205k. IMO, and per my dealer, as long as your frame is good and your rear springs are good, expect the truck to be pretty much trouble free for the first 175k. Both of these somewhat major issues are covered by the manufacture anyway.

Engine, transmission, transfer case, all bulletproof. Body and paint, excellent other than a super white will go flat on you and have no shine, possibly silver too. Rear locker actuators tend to fail, and I've been hearing guys with A/C compressors failing in the 200s. If you're looking for a long bed, and I highly recommend it having owned both long and short, you'll be looking at a non-TRD or a Sport.

Regarding certified pre-owned, I believe that the cutoff is 85k, then it can't be certified. In my experience, it could be worth it if is a reputable dealer. I actually bought a "certified" Camry with 95k on it which I later found out was accidental advertising, it had too many miles on it. The I4 motor started burning oil like crazy 1200 miles later, the difference in certified and not was the repair deductible. Certified repair deductible is $200, non-certified deductible in my case was $1200 which was half the labor. I used their mistaken advertising against them and got my deductible down to $250. Toyota later realized that it was a factory defect and they eventually reimbursed me for that too.

 

you can go on Toyota's website, run the VIN, and it will have a listing of every service done by a dealer. If it had a frame inspection or replacement, it will be listed there.

 

And is there any credibility to the idea that the auto is stronger than the manual transmission? I've driven manuals most of my life so I'm not opposed to continuing with that preference, but not if it's at the cost of reliability

 

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a late model with higher miles,vs an older one with lower miles.

 

The 4.0 + auto is a very reliable combo. I can't speak to the manual though, I am sure it is fine as well

I drove a 93' Toyota pickup manual 4-cyl (pre-Tacoma) for 16 years and loved it. It was nice to change to an auto though I'll admit

 

Look at cars.com for prices of hundreds of Tacomas.

 

Ive had both the 6 speed manual and auto with the 2nd gen. Ive always preferred manuals until I got the 6 speed in the Tacoma. I definitely prefer the auto with this truck. Its bullet proof and its slightly quicker than the manual, which is opposite to the norm. I went through 2 clutch pedal assemblies and a squeaky bearing in the manual within 35k miles. Have 60k on the auto and its perfect.

 

I have not bought a new car in 40+ years as I let other bozos take the big hit. Bought my '09 Prerunner DCSB SR5 TRD Sport eight weeks ago with 135k miles and absolutely no concerns re: longevity.

I am the second owner, got it from the same dealership where it was originally bought--the PO traded it on a new Tundra. Fully serviced, all recalls and TSBs attended to and new tires all around. Likely to be the last vehicle I own...

 

Most vehicles this is well worth it. Not so much for a Tacoma. Granted you can't buy a new 2nd gen now, but while you could, getting a used low mileage Tacoma was the same price as buying new. When I first looked at Tacomas with 40k miles, they were around $27-28. I ended up buying new. Glad I did. My Tacoma now has 60k miles and the kbb is right around $27k. 60k miles and the truck has only lost about $4k in value.

 

I've experienced the same as moondeath, there isn't much cost savings when buying used. I bought my '06 in '06 with 4K on it for $24,000, it was the company car of the loan writer. I also looked at a '05 with 45k on it for more money. I bought the '06....7 years and 175k later l traded it in on a 2013 and got $12,000 for it.

 

Prepare for a post thats longer than it needs to be, but I was in your shoes a year ago, and there are 3 tacomas in my immediate family/ friend circle so I feel I can be of help.

It may seem obvious, but it really depends on how it was driven, and how much you trust the dealership to be honest about that. Tacomas as with many vehicles can run trouble free for hundreds of thousands of miles if taken care of. You can also run it into the ground in 100K if you mistreat it. The track record of high mileage is clearly evidenced by many members, others have had less luck.
My friend has an 05 Tacoma that started giving him a slew of problems in and around 100K. He bought it used and qualified for a new frame under the recall, and after they replaced the frame, he started hearing all kinds of clicks and noises that Toyota shrugged their shoulders about. Then the front wheel bearings went out. And the struts. And there's still mystery noises and less than smooth driving. He wants to trade it in.
After purchasing my truck and learning more about Tacomas, I suspect some if not all of the problem may have come from offroading. We had done some light to moderate offroading when I still had the jeep. We had fjorded a section of muddy icy water on one of the trails. We were up to/ past our bumpers. There is a thing called a Differential Breather mod many do if they expect to drive in these conditions to prevent water and muck from getting into their differentials and axles/ hubs because the breather hole is too low. For an offroad oriented vehicle (he has TRD Offroad) I think a higher differential breather location should be a no brainer to come stock on the vehicle, especially considering they're always advertising offroad vehicles fjording water, and many people are always dunking their rears at boat launches. The jeep has a much higher stock breather location.
In any case all i'm saying is there are plenty of things that could have been done, even innocently, to a vehicle that don't show to the casual once over inspection or test drive, that can easily lead to costly repairs before their time. dealers need to be honest about this if they know.

Now on to Dealers. I have to come to believe that choice in dealership can be just as important as the vehicle itself, and I don't think I'm alone.
I bought mine last November for $25K and 27,xxx on the odometer which I think was a great deal. I haven't seen many at that price with that low mileage, but it happens. That said it is an 09 which means it took 6 years for those miles to accumulate. I didn't go with my local dealer, they didn't have any options I was interested in, I drove two hours to get this deal. The dealer told me it was "owned by an old guy who barely drove it, always got it serviced on time at the dealer and kept it in his garage." How nice! The low mileage was evidence of this. I looked it over well, and test drove it. No rust! Drives like a dream! This was my first high price vehicle purchase so in many ways I was naive. I have since come to suspect everything the dealer told me was a lie to sell the truck. Granted, I haven't had any real problems, but I've noticed plenty of things that were clearly and purposely hidden from me by the dealer. They had repainted the wheels (poorly apparently) they looked great when I bought it, then after a couple months of winter went to SHIT flaking off and stuff. That rust-free frame? rattle can black paint that wore off immediately. Also granted, for the age of the truck the rust isn't bad, but its definitely there, and they lied to me. I went through and gave the truck a good detailed rust removal/ prevention this fall that I feel confident about though so that feels nice. The attention I paid during this detailed job only pointed out more things they covered up and lied about. I have contacted this dealer for past service records they told me I could get from them when I bought it, they say yeah we'll email them to you today. They never do and I've tried multiple times. I have had a couple problems I thought warranted dealer attention (radio problems, daytime running light cracking/ melting problems.) They were the opposite of helpful. This is frustrating. On the other hand, my local Toyota dealer is great. They've stepped in to try to help where the one I purchased from has not, and they have great prices on maintenance parts. They return my calls. They've been great. I wish I had waited til they have a good option for me, or tried to arrange for that to happen or something.

Like I said, my truck has been great so far, but if it started being problematic, I am sure the dealer I purchased from would flake. What else have they covered up and lied about I have yet to find? Their untruthfulness is not reassuring when it comes to such a big purchase. And we all want reassurance. Go with a dealer you really feel you can trust, search the forum for good dealer reports in your area.

My last input is Auto vs Manual. I have an 4.0 automatic, my parents have a 4.0 manual. I grew up driving manual and love it, this truck is my first auto, i love it too. The only complaint I've had is driving with cruise control on, going through hilly areas, the truck wants to shift erratically and annoyingly sometimes. Especially when pulling a trailer. I just turn cruise control off, which can be annoying because I like it for the long trips I do, oftentimes going through the appalachian mountains. Stick shift cruise control does not shift erratically, obviously. With the automatic I also have to be aware of overheating the transmission while towing, the trucks torque converter seems to always want to be doing something and doesn't always want to just chill out even if i'm going a consistent speed. I may be being paranoid, but I'd really rather not mess up my transmission. This is also a non-issue with the manual. These may not even be toyota specific concerns and may just be the way all automatics are, hard to say, this is my first automatic.

That said I do not like driving my moms Manual. This is completely subjective obviously but I do not like the clutch at all in her truck. thats just me. i grew up driving an old Pathfinder, Integra, and jeep wrangler and i liked those clutches way better. I would probably just get used to it though.