Thoughts on this Craigslist 1st gen?

v6 can tow more as well. it was also put in more cars and trucks. so maybe more accessible parts.

 

I had the 2.7 and its a great motor. Yes its a 4 cyl and drives like one. But its reliable, runs great, and does its job well if you treat it right. That truck looks pretty clean. And 7800 isn't a bad price imo. These are trucks not race cars. While I like the 6 cyl. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one with the 4 cyl. It being a 2wd with no locker is a bit of a bummer but not the end of the world, there are options out there to change if you ever want too. And swapping out the rear leafs can be done in a couple hours. Id go look at it and if you like it shoot em at 7500 and I bet they bite.

 

I did mean MPG, sorry typo. Understanding you prefer the V6, if the choice was between the 2.7L or no Tacoma, would you take it?

Thanks! I have seen some 4x4s in the area, my only hesitation is that most of the use will be daily driving, and I don't plan to do any risky offroading, so I figured it was a good compromise for MPG and performance. I definitely want something capable of adventuring, but I'm not talking about finding the furthest corners of the wilderness.

 

the 4 banger over nothing obviously

 

IMO the 4 banger is not worth the effort.

 

@Suspender what price range you playin with?

 

Upper limit is $11k, ideally I'm looking for something around $8-9k. Not particular about the year, but I'm sticking with first gen.

Preferred specs:
- Xtracab, <150k miles, clean title. Prefer automatic but will take manual. Higher MPGs is more important than higher offroad crawling competency.

Edit, can't help but notice the name - Sword of Truth reference?

 

http://www.automartla.com/sites/web...ma&iid=458021473454394&siteID=m55dv2b4hzezdil

 

its a v6 with rear locker.

 

Is it only the PreRunner / Offroad package that comes with the stock differential locker?

 

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/6095652555.html

Not a fan of dealerships in general. What do you think of this one?

 

You should be able to find a Pre runner around 8-9k within the mileage, keep in mind your looking at older trucks so don't be surprised if you'll have to do some work after your purchase.

Look for those 1st owners, with all the mainataince records, being in California your guna pay higher prices.

That said you can always open up your search radius a good truck with low miles is one worth traveling for.

Most importantly, the more research you do the better idea you'll get of what your buying, go out and test drive a lot, narrow down exactly what you want.

If your not a mechanic, go for the third party inspection, a $100 inspection can save you serious $$$

And yes, it's a sword of truth reference, your actually the first one on here to make the connection.

 

I'll keep that in mind, thanks!

Also, that's one of my favorite series of books. Bags! haha.

 

looks nice, previous maintenance is huge tho.good miles. carfax it and then test drive it. that car is actually like 15 miles from me lol

 

I bought a 2.7, I should have got the 3.4. With the way I drive, i end up burning more gas than i would with a V6.

Wear some grimey clothes, DO NOT be afraid to crawl under the truck and look at every inch of the frame and mounts. If its a CA car, as in it was originally sold and kept in CA, there should not be a bit of rust on it.

 

with the mileage, locker, apparent condition, v6, etc that seems like a better deal than the first one you posted. Go check everything out of course...

Regarding the 4 cyl., I've owned 3.4's and 2.7's. Is the v6 power nice? Sure. Is the 4 cyl. useless? Absolutely not. They are great engines that have every bit as good a history as the 3.4, will do everything you ask them to just slower. They're bulletproof and mileage is considerably better imho.

 

Two years ago I moved to San Diego and bought myself a 4 banger 5 speed. Not that I'm a speed racer at heart, I needed something with a little more get-up-and-go when hopping on the freeway and climbing the hills that are sprinkled about the city. Moved up to a V6 and couldn't be happier. Just some food for thought.

 

Here is my take on the 4x4 vs. 2wd and 2.7 vs. 3.4. Always get a bit more than you need currently. The 3.4 is a dog, mine is slow and takes a bit to get up to speed. I couldn't imagine having even less HP and Torque. I daily my 3.4 and get somewhere around 16 MPGs. The 2.7 only gets like 17 maybe 18 or 19 MPGs. I'd get a 3.4 with 4x4 if I were you just incase you need it down the road for whatever reason, it could end up saving you a lot of headache if you were to get stuck or needed to haul something.

 

Thanks! They sent me the VIN and the carfax looks pretty good - it's been serviced a lot. I'm optimistic about this one, and Orange County to San Diego isn't too far to go.

Big thanks to everyone who chimed in on the 3.4L vs 2.7L, my conclusion is that either is better than none and that whichever you prefer comes down to wanting the HP or the MPG.

 

this is my new signature, lmfao