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Why is it so hard to find a nice 1st for a decent price?

Discussion in '1st Gen. Tacomas (1995-2004)' started by ti3agooo, Jul 16, 2017.

  1. Jul 16, 2017 at 8:42 PM
    #1
    ti3agooo

    ti3agooo [OP] Done searching for my truck, finally!

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    I'm annoyed right now because all the first-gen Tacomas in the area are extremely expensive, and honestly it is crazy that a '91 pickup with 220k on it can go for 5000$ and noone bats an eye. Sorry this is just a rage rant, and I wanted to ask you guys, the professionals, where I should go looking. Apparently Florida is out of normal priced Tacomas. I mean come on man
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2017
  2. Jul 16, 2017 at 8:43 PM
    #2
    horstuff

    horstuff Re-member

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    First gen best gen.
     
    indetrucks, Beee1985, Xbeaus and 10 others like this.
  3. Jul 16, 2017 at 8:49 PM
    #3
    jubei

    jubei would rather be doing something else

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    Stuff. Also things.
    Stay away from Colorado then... Tacos and Subarus are valued quite a bit above blue book here.

    But keep looking! Once you find 'the one' it'll all be worth it!
     
  4. Jul 16, 2017 at 9:03 PM
    #4
    BartMaster1234

    BartMaster1234 American Auto Horns

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    I have a good answer for this one.

    I frequent San Francisco a lot and if you know anything about that city it's full of hills and it's cramped. What I noticed was the crazy amount of 1st gen Tacomas (and compact trucks in general) that everyone drives there - contractors and residents alike. The whole reason 1st gens are so popular is because it was Toyota's last compact truck. They're small, get good mileage, and are solid. In a big city like San Francisco you can't park a huge F250 Super Duty or full sized Tundra on a street, it's difficult. You can do that with small trucks though. There are virtually no more compact trucks in production (in exception with maayybee the Ford Ranger), so it comes down to supply and demand. A Ford Ranger from 1995 isn't gonna last you a couple hundred thousand miles. Even the Fords or Chevy's of the late 90's to early 2000's won't. Toyota is known for it's quality and it shows in their cars. Tacomas regularly hit hundreds of thousands of miles, I have a friend with a 2003 Double Cab that just rolled over 400,000 miles. There's a member here with a late 90's 5 lug Ext. Cab with 998,000 miles. My neighbor has a 1989 Corolla with 450,000 miles.

    Toyotas are just good reliable cars. With the end of the era of compact trucks, there arguably aren't many good reliable choices left to choose from. That leaves Toyota's first generation of Tacoma.
     
  5. Jul 16, 2017 at 9:53 PM
    #5
    Currygoat

    Currygoat Well-Known Member

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    I live in the Bay Area and have watched Craigslist very frequently the last couple of years. There are lots and lots of rust free 1 gens here. You can regularly find the 01-04 4x4's with 125k-150k for $10k-$12k. I also visited San Diego Craigslist recently was very surprised on some of the deals I saw.
     
  6. Jul 16, 2017 at 9:55 PM
    #6
    BartMaster1234

    BartMaster1234 American Auto Horns

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    Compact trucks in California (especially Tacomas) are actually more expensive than other states, or so as I have heard.
     
    pupdrew likes this.
  7. Jul 16, 2017 at 10:00 PM
    #7
    Currygoat

    Currygoat Well-Known Member

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    Yeah I have read that too but I keep seeing posts from people paying the same prices in cold weather states. So something is seems amiss. I think what Cali has is quantity (as you mentioned it seems everyone in the Bay drives Tacoma's) and that the majority of them are rust free.
     
  8. Jul 16, 2017 at 10:13 PM
    #8
    BartMaster1234

    BartMaster1234 American Auto Horns

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  9. Jul 16, 2017 at 10:14 PM
    #9
    Speedytech7

    Speedytech7 Toyota Cult Ombudsman

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    Cause bums like me go and rollover a nice one in great condition then turn around and buy another for a couple grand to do it all again.
     
  10. Jul 16, 2017 at 10:19 PM
    #10
    medic2230

    medic2230 @Koditten Pirate Radio member #002

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    Forget about Georgia and Alabama too. Being in the south we have the best 1st gen trucks there are because of the rust issues. Therefore they pull high prices.
     
    ti3agooo[OP] likes this.
  11. Jul 16, 2017 at 10:28 PM
    #11
    Currygoat

    Currygoat Well-Known Member

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    I won the lottery when I bought mine two years ago. 29K miles for $6600. Previous owner was a mechanic too and took immaculate care of it. I had a heart attack when I saw the post:

    Screen Shot 2015-04-09 at 10.54.06 AM.jpg
     
  12. Jul 16, 2017 at 10:31 PM
    #12
    BartMaster1234

    BartMaster1234 American Auto Horns

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    I keep getting notes in my windshield every couple months asking if I want to sell my truck.

    Yeah... no.
     
    Dan 77, pupdrew and Currygoat like this.
  13. Jul 16, 2017 at 10:47 PM
    #13
    natas1321

    natas1321 mischief monkey

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    kind of pricey around here too but deals can be found if you take the time and be very patient. When I was looking for a first gen I was willing to drive 1k miles to get one that I liked, but they do tend to sell quickly so you kind of have to commit to buying one that you find otherwise someone else will buy it.
     
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  14. Jul 17, 2017 at 12:58 AM
    #14
    Wyoming09

    Wyoming09 Well-Known Member

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    Supply and demand as long as the demand is high the prices will be as well.

    Then how many first Generation Tacoma`s got bought back and crushed up North
     
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  15. Jul 17, 2017 at 1:25 AM
    #15
    DrZ

    DrZ Well-Known Member

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    "Do you want to sale your truck? Call me"

    Or they come to the door and offer $800. o_O
     
  16. Jul 17, 2017 at 1:26 AM
    #16
    BartMaster1234

    BartMaster1234 American Auto Horns

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    This is so painfully true. Haha.
     
  17. Jul 17, 2017 at 2:53 AM
    #17
    RysiuM

    RysiuM Well-Known Member

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    Just put a sign on your truck : For sale $35500 firm. That will stop them :thumbsup:
     
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  18. Jul 17, 2017 at 3:11 AM
    #18
    wilrun4fun

    wilrun4fun Well-Known Member

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    I recently joined this club... :(
     
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  19. Jul 17, 2017 at 3:48 AM
    #19
    exminnesotaboy

    exminnesotaboy Well-Known Member

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    I had the same issue several years ago when I bought mine. The trick is having cash in hand and watching the ads like a hawk a few times per day. They are out there, you just have to be the first one there with cash and be able to move immediately. Mine was posted at a dealer in the morning, I left work early to show up at 11am and test drove it. Turns out there was a guy waiting on the lot for it to come back so he could buy it. It's been a great truck and it was worth every penny, but I didn't get a break on the price at all.
     
  20. Jul 17, 2017 at 5:42 AM
    #20
    wilrun4fun

    wilrun4fun Well-Known Member

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    And why is every truck on eBay "Rare" now somehow? Almost every add has that listed in it now for some reason.
     
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    #20

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