Buying used in Californi-a

Hello fellow Tacoma enthusiasts!

I am new to the world of Tacomas. But I am already in love with the truck.

I am currently in California and looking at older Tacomas, pre 2005. Also want a good engine combination with 2 doors with a longer bed.

I am looking for things to check for when I meet guys on Craigslist to check out their trucks.

What are the most common areas in need of servicing on these trucks?

I am so excited to see the beauty of this state in a good ol' Toyota. Thanks for your advice guys!

 

Good choice on going with a first gen (pre 2005), 1st gen best gen

Tacoma are notorious for frame rust, but that's rare in California since we don't get harsh winters or use salt on our roads. Nonetheless, be sure to check out the frame of the truck and make sure there's no bad rust on it.

Otherwise, make sure it's been well maintained...service records and documentation are big plusses. If it were me, I'd try to find something under 150k miles. Tacomas are known to run for a long time but with excessive mileage comes more risk, no matter what brand of vehicle it is.

 

Good info from Ryan above^!Welcome to CA.!

 

I suggest you get unlimited plate number Carfax. I know Carfax is not entirely accurate but from my experience, any vehicle from Craigslist is 7 out of 10 shady. Lots of rolled back miles and washed title (meaning salvaged in other states and clean here). For 1st gen Tacoma, be prepared to pay $10k-$15k depending on configuration and mileage. Stay away from rusty frames.

 

Thanks for the tips, Ryan and Driversound. How much shorter is the bed on the quadcab compared to the single cab/ext. cab??

https://stockton.craigslist.org/cto/5950943825.html
and
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5918214403.html

 

Thanks for the welcoming Ron!!! Great to be here - so much to do. Planning to go up to Tahoe in the Jeep this weekend

 

Double cab has 5 foot bet and single and access cab has a 6 foot bed. Pretty significant if you haul or use the bed a lot.

 

Single cab it shall be!! I plan on camping out in the back if needed, so tailgate will need to be down either way. Also the red has a nice fireman touch to it... what are some good lifts out there? Thanks again for this guys, so happy I joined this forum!!

 

I'm 5'8" - if you're over 5'11" I could see the tailgate needing to being down lol.

 

Right on brother!!!!!!!!!!! I have been waiting for this, for so long... I am patiently making the right decision on the truck... Words will not describe the bliss I have yet to feel as I climb mountains and drive the dunes of California...

 

Welcome!

 

Just FYI, if you want the V6 then it would be really tough find in Single Cab as I believe they only ran from 95.5-96. After that, single cabs came with the 4 cyl.

 

Driversound, does the access cab have more engine configs?

 

Access cab comes in either V6 or 4cyl. I believe the Double Cab only comes in V6. Single cabs only come in 4cyl starting in 1997. Single cabs 95.5-96 comes in either V6 or 4cyl.

 

great info here, thanks. how does the 4cyl compare to the V6? is there a huge difference in power when, say, going up to the snow?

 

I wouldn't say there is a huge difference but I prefer the V6. The 4cyl is workhorse of motor. It's decent and it will get you where you need to be, just not as quickly. I've never had a 4cyl in 4x4 but I've had the V6 in the single cab and the access cab. I had no complaints with the Access Cab V6 4x4 manual with 4.10 gears. It can break the rears loose on wet roads from a stop since the truck is light. I think its perfect in that configuration. I've only drove an automatic once and it was peppy as well but I prefer manual in the 1st gen.

 

Just sold our 2004 access cab about a year and half ago. We were the original owners, it had 140,000 miles on it, it was in awesome shape, serviced and detailed on a regular basis, we never had any issues with this truck, got $10,500.00. It sold less than a day on the market. We really hated to sell it, just no room for it. My husband needed a bigger truck and I had an 08 Tacoma.