Trying to Get a Handle on Price

Hi all. I'm new to the forum and looking to purchase an 2003 or 2004 Tacoma and having trouble figuring out what I should pay for a Tacoma, so thought I should ask what you folks thought. I'm currently looking at a 2003 ExtraCab, TRD off road, V6, 4WD, step side, manual trans, with all the power options and moon roof, 103,000 miles and in extremely good condition with a good service history by an owner who appears to care about his vehicles.

My problem is that when comparing all the valuation sites (KBB, Edmonds, NADA) the price is from $8,600 to $12,800. KBB being the low, NADA being the high, with Edmonds right in the middle. That seems like a huge difference. Anecdotally, based on what I see on Craigslist, KBB would seem to be low, and Edmonds would seem to be right on the money. The seller is asking for NADA high book, which is $12,800.

I thought I would see what people who actually own one of these thought about the pricing. Thanks in advance for your input.

 

NADA prices always seem the be at the highest range. If you are new to Tacoma's, you will quickly learn that valuation sites and the reality of the market sometimes are completely independent of each other. I should say, most times. Depending on the Tacoma you are looking at, prices can be see as insane when compared to general used car market. For what you are looking for, sounds like price is pretty competitive, especially for manual trans. You will see plenty of autos out there, not so much for manuals.

 

If you don't want to pay that much, someone else will. Unfortunate for buyers, great if your looking to sell. Another one of those vehicles you should have bought 10 years ago. You could have got the same or better deal.

 

This is true. Tacomas are never in a buyers market.

 

Unless we have another major recession. There were a lot of them around that time for cheap.

 

That's not a bad price for those miles. Obviously it varies by location. I think tacomas go higher than average where I live and I would say while that's not necessarily too high it's just not a desirable truck because the low miles warrant such a high price. I would have no hesitation to buy a first gen Tacoma with over 200k and at those miles you'd get otherwise the same truck for $7-8,000.

I'd keep looking around. these trucks are nearly indestructible. Low miles aren't worth the price IMO.

 

The main benefit I found by buying my 01 with low miles was that the original owner kept it in original condition, no mods that I have to fix, no "upgrades" that I need to downgrade to usable, and no parts that I have to find to get it back to normal condition. I know I'm in the minority (especially around TW), but I like to keep my rigs OEM+, meaning the average person would not assume my truck is upgraded even through I have 2016 Tacoma Sport wheels. So to me, I think that low miles are worth the consideration.

 

They hold there value very well.

 

that price does seem a little bit high but yeah someone will pay that much for it and around here that truck would probably go for $12-15k and I have seen them priced a bit higher, but you could always make an offer and just see what the owner has to say. When I was looking for a DC they were going for $12-17k depending on the mileage with 150-180k miles on them. Good luck on your search and hope you find the truck you are looking for.

 

I paid around $13K for my 03 DC with 110k miles on it less than a year ago and feel I got a damn good deal. The truck has a new frame and absolutely no rust.

I, personally, would try to talk the guy down a bit but his asking price isn't crazy either.

Edit: For what it's worth, insurance companies generally use the nada number for claims..just in case.

 

I could never justify paying such a high price when I've experienced these trucks to run just as well at 200k as they do at 100k but I don't disagree with it either. You can never over pay for peace of mind.

Do you have any pictures of your truck and those wheels? I'm wanting to get a new set and those are a dime a dozen on CL and very cheap.

 

This is the only decent picture I have of the 2016 Tacoma Sport wheels on my 2001. I really like them. I needed fresh rubber so decided to update the wheel/tire package (purchased takeoffs from a 2016 owner) for less than the price of just tires! It's not the tire I would have chosen, but they're okay.

 

They look good im afraid they might look a tad too large though. Are those 31" tires?

 

i paid just under 12K (with tax and tags) in 2013 for my 2003 2.7L extra cab with 145K miles. And it needed tires. Seemed a little high to me at the time, but it was the only one I could find that met my criteria, and I had to go out of state to get it. Shortly thereafter, I sold my 2001 2.7L extra cab with 225K (with replaced frame) for 5K. No one wanted it. Go figure the market.

 

No, the original wheel/tires were 265/70R16 on 16x7 wheels, the new ones are 265/65R17 on 17x7.5 wheels. They are fractions of an inch sized the same. No body lift either.