My first Tacoma - 2003 Prerunner SR5

After many years of admiring the Gen 1 Tacomas; I finally own one. It was a few month in the works and I made a checklist of what I wanted out of the truck when I started.


After reading a lot and looking at a bunch of different Gen 1s my preferences changed (and I learned there was no access cab these years). The "buyers guide" on this site helped out a lot. I talked to a number of Tacoma owners and changed my mind on the 4 cylinder and opted for the 6.

As I learned I honed my wants down to the 01-04 models, and knew I wanted an SR5 version. I never wanted the 4x4 edition as I'd almost never use it; but I was considering the 4 door version for a while until I found almost every single one included the short bed. As a kayaker who often loads my yaks in the bed; I decided to sacrifice that extra people carrying room for a longer bed.

I did love the idea of the TRD version just in case... but ultimately knew I'd barely ever use it if ever. And most that I found had been offroaded pretty hard.

With the wants and preferences in mind; I scoured Autotrader, Ebay, Craigslist, CarGurus, etc, etc...
Found a lot of nice looking rides; many well into the high 200k marks (and even a 460k one) but a lot looked abused and or had minor (perhaps major) problems that worried me. I knew if I was patient I'd find what I was looking for.

Finally, it happened. One showed up with just over 100k miles at a dealership an hour and a half from me. There was no pictures or carfax on it, but the mileage made me intrigued and excited. I made the call as soon I possibly could! A new owner was in the process of securing a loan. I told him if for some reason the sale fell through I might be interested.

Trying to make myself less sad that it got away; I asked the salesman if he had a carfax. To be honest; I was hoping there was something on it that made me concerned and okay with it "getting away". Well, it was far from that. It was a one owner vehicle (a disabled Air Force retiree), with many service records and all scheduled maintenance. There was a minor accident; but no damage to the vehicle. It was born in the south and lived in the south the whole time.

As luck would have it; the interested buyers loan didn't come through and I got a call about 5 hours later. It was only then that I saw pictures of it. I knew I was going to make the ride to see it and drive it; I took the day off and made the ride with my father (in his beloved 2012 Prerunner).


Took this after the test drive; which turned out great. The truck was near showroom quality in the interior (very well taken care of as oppose to well detailed) with only a few minor nicks and dings.

I plan on putting a bedliner in it soon and the tires are getting near time to be changed (8 year old tires with 40k and still have tread remaining) but I feel very confident that I'll be able to get many more miles out of this truck.

 

Congrats on buying a "best gen" and welcome to the forums.
Ive had mine for 15 yrs now.

 

Congrats on the purchase and welcome to TW! That truck looks to be in great shape!

 

If you want the added security of being able to handle some off road use (you mentioned liking the idea of a TRD model) then I would suggest all terrain tires. These will go a long ways in terms of giving some added security if you are planning to replace the tires soon anyway.

 

Thanks guys!
And here are some of the pictures I took the next day of her.

She could use a good headlight cleaning as she's starting to get a bit of yellowing/hazing. I might simply change these out in time; but it's not a big deal to me right now.








There is a scratch/rub mark on the back driver's side fender flare. Not terrible but you can see it if you look close. Anyone able to identify these particular flares?


I'm sure these are aftermarket rims/cap, but havent been able to identify them. Anyone know?

 

Have some suggestions?

 

I agree. I could have purchased a Gen2 or Gen3; but really LOVE this Generation.

 

It's all about personal preference. I currently have some General Grabbers but I have yet to put them on the truck so I can't say for sure how they will be. If you are looking for to maintain a good street ride, I have heard good things about the Cooper Discoverer AT3's and the Discoverer ATP's. But once again, a lot is personal preference. There are tons of threads about tires on here.

 

Heres a good deal where I purchased my headlights. "Low range off road".

 

I really like my all terrain Michelin LTX AT2 tires.
Even though I off-road quite a bit, I still got the P-rated tires (nicer ride, better traction).
Expensive, but awesome tires (quiet and good handling on the road, and grippy offroad)