looking at getting a 2008-2010 Tacoma have rust concerns

I am looking at updating my truck (just sold my 1996 Tacoma 4x4), and it looks like most of the trucks that have what I want on them are from the Northern rust belt states where they salt the roads. Should I be concerned about rust when purchasing a truck from West VA, or Iowa, or PA, or NY, or OH, any of those northern states? Really hoping someone on here can chime in that is from that area and tell me how trucks in the 2008-2010 range do that have spent most their life there? Alot of the trucks sold even in the non-snow covered states show on the title search that they are from the north. I understand they have probably made alot of progress getting better on the rust out the vehicles since the 1970s and 1980s. Are there certain year models of the tacomas that do better than others?
Many thanks, Mikkydee

 

depend on where it was made

mine doesn't show much rust but some others have it worse than me

 

You should be concerned about purchasing ANY vehicle from those areas.

As in it's fine to shop them, but worth your effort for a proper inspection, not just accept an 'it looks nice' from the seller.

 

Really depends upon the previous owner. Some like myself do regular maintenance and keep us with washes / waxes / annual undercarriage care. I wash,at least a high pressure rinse in the winter about once a week to remove salt. In the spring I get under the truck and remove any surface rust with a wire brush and rattle can it with POR. I live in CT and the roads are salted here. My frame looks pretty damn good for nearly 9 years old.

Other owners will just wash once a year and never wax the body or even look at the frame. Those won't last 10 years or if they do, they look like crap and won't last much longer anyway.

 

Keep looking in Florida and buy one that has lived here its whole life. I would not touch an '08 to '10 Tacoma from any of the rust-bucket states with a specially made 11-foot pole.

My '09 has spent all its years and 140k miles in the Saint Augustine area--looks like this underneath:

 

Before you buy, get the VIN and take it to a dealer and have them check on any open recalls that may be still be open and thet can check the service history also. But the service records will only show work done at a dealer.

 

You can also check here by VIN

www.toyota.com/Recall‎

 

like @JonathanH mentioned, get the VIN Number and either go to the dealer to get the service history, or go to Toyotaowners.com and enter it in there, then youll be able to pull up service history done at the dealers for whatever vehicle youre looking at.

Edited to add, frame rust is like cancer for these trucks, be very concerned, and the frame would be the first thing I inspected

 

Yeah, yeah you should have concerns.

 

My 2014 with 20,000 Ohio miles does not look nearly that good. St. Augustine is on the coast, too. I would avoid any used vehicle from the Salt Belt:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Belt

 

I have lived near the North Atlantic most of my life, 45 years on Cape Cod, and almost 27 here. "The coast", i..e areas where salt spray from the ocean is an issue only extends about 1320 feet inland, 1/2 mile at the most...

 

I drive a Tacoma in the salt belt of central Ontario, and I would avoid buying a used vehicle up here. You pay a premium for a Tacoma, so why not get one that isn't rusty if you can.

 

I live in Florida and have never had rust issues on any car I had. Just being on the internet the last couple of days and searching for my truck, I have discovered that most of the trucks are being sold in states other than where they came from and you wouldn't know this without doing a title search. dealers are buying from auctions and the cars can come from anywhere. I am glad I didn't pull the trigger on the first couple of trucks I fell in love with online. Can't do a visual inspection underneath the truck from 3 states away. You have to rely on the pics posted which usually are only of the exterior body and the interior of the vehicle. And even though I would never make a purchase without first giving it the once over with my own eyes and ears, it can get costly flying across country to look at something only to find it having deal breaker issues when you inspect it.
I have purchased 3 vehicles over the internet in the last 12 years and all were good experiences. Fly out and drive it back. Just don't want to ruin a good record on an expensive investment if it can be avoided.
Everyone's feedback has helped me immensely in this decision.

 

My 07 looks just like that, not a speck of rust anywhere. It was bought new in Pensacola and has been in this area the whole time.

Tacomas are super popular here in south Alabama/north Florida, and there's tons of used ones available. The biggest thing is checking the carfax and making sure it has always been down here. I looked at a Grand Cherokee not long ago with low miles, and when I looked under it I was amazed at the rust, turned out the person who traded it had just moved here from Ohio.

 

yep, buy one from a southern state and you should be good.

 

@mikkydee tell me what you're looking for and I'll keep my eye out for one around here..

 

Put it to you this way: Top: Show truck. Bottom: Titanic

 

With the tacoma frame reputation I wouldn't even think about it. Buy one that's been in the safe zone all it's life. lol. My 13 spends a lot of time in the dirt and mud since I live out of town and drive a ways off the blacktop. When I power wash it underneath it looks nearly new again under there. My 1989 K5 Blazer still look great too.

 

Other than some dust, it's still nice and black under there.

 

Each winter here on the "First Coast" the sleazier buy-here/pay-here used car lots are filled to the brim with rust-buckets that the snowbirds trade-in on new cars, and the dealers just as quickly auction off. Often they look pretty good until you peek into a wheel-well or up underneath--no legitimate dealer new or used would have them on the lot...