Looking to buy first Tacoma

Hey all,

I'm looking to buy my first tacoma, I'm leaning towards the first gen because I love the size and style although the interior is a little dated at this point. That being said I'm looking for a 2001-2004 for a balance of "best" of both worlds. I've been doing some reading and am curious about a few things

-Is the drive by wire introduced in 03-04 a real problem? I found a couple threads where people with the 5spd and the dbw and they hated the throttle response. I'm leaning towards a 5 speed but could go either way. Is this even an issue or noticeable with the automatics?

-Are there any known issues with either transmission? I'm also leaning towards the 5 speed for simplicity sakes, no external cooler, torque converter, etc.

-I read that the lower ball joints on the first gen are horrible. Are there any aftermarket solutions that beef it up to eliminate the problem or should they just be replaced frequently?

-It's been a while since I've driven one, how are the blower motors for the HVAC, pretty strong or fairly weak?

Generally I want this for camping, exploration and long road trips. Looking to do a very mild lift to keep it very road friendly. I have a Jeep Wrangler that I've gone overboard with and it drives like crap on the streets haha

I'm really looking for an Xtracab v6 with TRD package, seems like a unicorn. I might bite if I find the right SR5 and throw a locker in the rear eventually but I'd rather save the coin from the start

 

Never had a problem with the DBW. Or the auto trans. OEM LBJ are a must. Check 'em and replace 'em.

My lift is minimal 1.5" with a good ride. There are a thousand threads on this. Do a search.

Wish I had a TRD. But, for mere mortals, a non-TRD will make the grade.

 

-drive by wire hasn't been an issue for me

-don't know of any transmission issues

-go OEM for LBJ's

-I'd say the blower motor isn't amazing, but it's not bad either. It's always been fine for me.

-CHECK THE FRAME!!!!! Our frames rust from the inside out, and even a good looking frame may be rotting out and paper-thin. Read up on the threads about it. Best to bring a hammer to check the metal on whater trucks you go to look at before you buy.

 

The frame issue should not be an issue if they keep the search to the dry South West and don`t find a Truck imported from the Northeast USA

Now if the mileage is over 100,000 might just want to check if the timing belt and accessories have been changed

I have never bought a 4X4 Toyota that did not take $1000.00 in parts to catch up the neglected maintenance

 

I'll have to pay attention to the blower when I go test drive one, I've driven 2nd and 3rd gen and their AC are amazing. Coming from Arizona this is important to me

My goal is to find a born and raised AZ truck, I've already seen my fair share of trucks imported from up north and it is real easy to see the difference, almost scary.

Most of the trucks I'm seeing are in the 150k-300k mileage range, I'm really shying away from the high side, I know the 3.4 is bulletproof but there are so many other wear and tear items at that mileage.

You bring up a good point, I've seen some cherry trucks for a premium but I feel like anything 10-15 years old will still need a good amount of maintenance, I'm almost leaning towards something cheaper knowing I'll probably have to drop some money into replacing stuff off the bat

 

You also need to take into account it is not hard at all to run up mileage in that part of the world .

Unless you live in the bigger cities