95.5 Tacoma

Hey guys I'm new to this site. I'm looking at buying a 95.5 Tacoma. It has 230,000 miles and is $2,500. The owner said it has no issues except it eats antifreeze. Is this a good deal? Thanks

 

The most important thing to look for on these trucks is for frame rust. Then if it is mechanically sound
Tacomas are known to have a major issue where the frame can rust and rot to the point the truck will break in half, literally.
Type in "toyota frame rust" on google if you want to see it and why it is important to check for frame rust...
Be extra wary if the truck is from a cold weather area or spent some time there, as these are the most affected, mostly due to the salt and chemicals they put on roads during winter


If the frame is rusty, the only way to tell if the frame is good is to bang on it with a hammer. The first place to check would be where the leaf springs attach to the frame, right behind the cab, as this is usually the first place where these frames start to rot. Then by the gas tank and the catalytic converter, as these are commonly rotten areas on these frames

If the truck is from a southern area, where there isn't salt and chemicals put on roads, it is much less likely to have a rusted out frame, but still, it wouldn't be a bad idea to check for rust anyway

Also, if it can help you:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/1st-gen-tacoma-buyers-guide.156943/

oh and welcome to tacoma world

 

Sorry I'm not that up to date on frame rust and regions, but I always thought that trucks from the East and South had more issues with rust?

 

I have a 96 that very slowly eats antifreeze. It has a slightly leaky head gasket. This is an expensive job on the V6, even if you DIY. If the heads are warped/cracked it is about $500/head to replace. Not sure what engine yours has, the 4-bangers are a bit easier to work on.
FYI I put the the high-end leak stop in mine (much to the criticism of this board!) and I've put about 20K miles on it since then with no problems. Still, I wonder if I'll be stuck on the side of the road one of these days!
All that to say I would be careful what you paid for that truck!

 

Down south, they don't have winters as harsh as up north and they don't put salt and chemicals to de-ice the roads during winter
What truly kills cars and trucks is not snow and ice, it is the crap they put on roads. It it very corrosive to the underside of cars and it makes them rust much more faster as it accelerates the rust process. Rustproofing helps, but still, you have to wash your underside at least once a year and apply rustproofing each year.

Southern trucks are most of the time rust free or have minimal rust, because of the dryer and warmer climate. Though, there have been some cases of bad frame rust on southern and coastal trucks, due to the higher humidity levels and/or saltwater, but it is not common.

Anyway, it is never going to be a bad idea to check the underside, no matter where it is from/came from.

 

That makes perfect sense, all my vehicles have lived in Colorado their whole lives and rust has never been a problem for me.

 

Eating antifreeze most likely translates into a blown headgasket and / or a cracked head or heads. Which engine does it have? You're probably going to want to move on unless you can source and install a new engine by yourself or for cheap. I took apart a v6 with a blown headgasket that had been "eating" antifreeze and both of the heads were cracked - one worse than the other. Replacing the heads would be about as expensive as buying an engine with lower miles. That's just for parts assuming you can do the work yourself.

 

Depends. Have a pro do a compression/leakdown test, and check the oil for coolant contamination. Also have the frame inspected while on the lift.

Beat it, probe it, look inside with a boroscope, especially if the truck has lived where roads have winter salt. If the frame is shot, or on it's way out, it's a parts truck.

If one or both headgaskets are blown, you could easily spend the price of the truck having repairs made.

(I'm guessing you're not a DIY'r for this type of thing, or you'd not be asking the question)