Buying a Tacoma in Chile for few years of adventure

Hi guys,

I think we have a bit of a strange question. But after searching a bit here on the forum I think you guys will like it.

But first of all let me introduce myself. Our names are Bram and Evi from the Netherlands. The last 2 years we have been full time traveling with a VW Vanagon Syncro (with Dutch license plate) thru the USA, Mexico and Belize. We had a amazing time. Our small Van was our house, office, kitchen and much more. Over a month ago we decided to sell our Vanagon. After 2 years fulltime living in it, we wanted more space, more comfort and less maintenance. Specially since parts where harder to find in the south. So within 4 days the Van was sold in the USA. I drove the Van from Cancun to San Diego and it was done...we are officially homeless ;-).

So we decided to start the next chapter of our adventure. We jumped into a plane to Santiago de Chile. This is where we are right now. The plan is to travel for the next 4 to 5 years in South America. "Why Chile?" I hear you guys thinking. Well this is the spot where a lot of travellers buy and sell there cars. So now we are getting to the core of this story/question.

We found a 2007 Tacoma with a lot of extra's on it (winch, awning, fridge, etc). So we are in doubt of buying this vehicle. The idea is to take the rear off and put a light weight camper in it (they make them light weighted of here). When we do that we will reinforce the suspension of course, add airbags and sway bars.

Some details about the car:
2007 TRD Sport
4x4 double cab with canopy
4.0L V6 gasoline engine
250,000kms (155,000 miles)
extra load leaf springs
Ironman shocks
replaced back brakes
quality E rated tyres (don't know the exact brand)
Seller indicated that there is no rust.

My questions for you:
1: what's the general opinion about this car?
2: if I go to check out this car, what should I double check (weaknesses)
3: any other tips what we have to think about when we put a camper on it? (we are also playing with the thought to make a flatbed out of it)
4: As far as I know the Tacoma has been sold in Chile and Bolivia so we should be able to find parts or fly them in from there. Does anyone have any knowledge about parts available in South America (I know it's a long shot)? Or are some parts the same as in the Hilux (sold everywhere here)?

I hope you guys can give me some help here. In return we will upload some stories, pictures and movies on our Facebook page about the trip (and hopefully soon the Tacoma). You can visit it here: Thank you so much!

Greetings,

Bram and Evi

 

Nice looking rig. It would be nice if you had access to the service history on the truck, is that possible? Also do a thorough check of the condition of the frame underneath, check for rust

 

Did you guys happen to win the lottery by chance.

 

First of all Welcome to TW. Second, I hope you are not an internet troll and this is for real. Third, I would say check for:
Chasis rust and Maintenance history. Other than that the truck looks great.

Good luck

 

Wow very cool. Welcome to TW!

 

I think I saw you and your syncro years(?) ago driving through upstate NY. I was a big VW fan years ago and freaked out slightly at the euro market syncro van going by. How many of them could be roaming around the US?

The only real issue with that Tacoma other than typical used car checks is that the Tacoma was only sold in the US. When anything breaks you are waiting for parts.

 

Thanks! I just requested the history. We will see what comes up.

No we didn't. We sold everything we owned in the Netherlands (house, company, all our stuff). We have 4 shoeboxes left with childhood memories. Next to that we work online for about 40-60 hours a month. With that money, wild camping and cooking our own food we can live happily.

Thanks! Will definitely crawl under it. And no we aren't a Internet troll. Check out our Facebook, Instagram or Youtube page. All under the name of this account. ;-)

Thanks! That possible indeed. 2 years ago we started in New York. After that we spend 6 months in the US and visited 21 states. After 6 months we had to leave the US so we went to Mexico for 14 months.
Regarding the parts. If I read this Wikipedia page the Tacoma is sold in Chile and Bolivia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Tacoma
Does the brakes from a newer model also fit on a 2007?

Thank you all for this warm welcome! Will keep you posted. It looks like we are going to pickup the car between Christmas and New Year.

 

I would definitely give the front suspension and steering components a good look over. Jack the front tires up off the ground, grab the tire at 3 and 9 and give it a firm back and forth pull, this will let you know if the tie rods and rack are worn. Take a pry bar and try to lift the tire up, it shouldn't have any real play in it. This will tell you the condition of the upper/lower ball joints. At 150k I would want the transmission serviced as well as the cooling system. Naturally if you purchase it give yourself peace of mind and change all fluids. I would look into replacing all said items before purchasing. That will give you an idea as to how much parts are and how difficult they will be to get.

 

Thanks! we will do that. Just found out that we can get a lot of parts here in Chile. Also this specific model also has been sold in Bolivia. So it should be easy to find parts there and stock up. So I guess the plan is to drive up first to Bolivia and do a major service there. On the other hand we are in Patagonia when we buy...;-)
Changing all the fluids is for sure on the list.

 

You may want to a couple things to increase the reliability as well. One big one is the "diff breather mod" which relocates the differential breathers up higher on the truck to prevent sucking water into the diffs. If you end up replacing the suspension I'd go with Old Man Emu, they have a huge global presence and any dealer will be able to get replacement parts for you it the need arises. Best of luck and I will be checking out your social media pages!!!

 

I do not know the source for the information on Wikipedia, but on Toyota's website they do not list a Tacoma as an available model in Chile.

http://www.toyota.cl

Nor do they in Bolivia.

https://www.toyota.bo

I would not buy a Tacoma outside of Canada, Mexico or the U.S. I'd stick with the global Hilux. I also understood the same as @mabepossibly that Tacoma was never officially sold in any other countries.

Safe travels!

 

Welcome to the show.

In for stories.

 

Checked out your Facebook page, looks like you guys are having a great time!
What are the prices like for Tacomas in Chili?

 

You're pegging the cool meter. Welcome to TW!

 

Id want a refresh of front bushings and ball joints with rebuilt suspension too that fits the new camper. new fluids and belts and hoses, the right tires. Sell the rest and if the working components are fine you have somethings to recoup your buildout of a solid rig.

 

Nice! Good luck to you both with your continuing adventure.

 

Thanks! I have added it to my list of potential mods. First step now is to get the car, do a inspection and after that I will make some plans about upgrading the car (with the limited resources in parts we probably will have).

Thanks! I will look more into this tonight. I just spoke with a few garages here in Santiago and asked them for a few parts if they have it (brakes, bushings, belts, etc) and so far they all had it on the shelf. So that's a first positive signal. We are used to the fact that we sometimes have to wait for parts (specially with our old car). So we don't mind that. But of course we want that as less as possible. Specially because the high import rates here.

Thanks!

Prices are pretty steep here. If I look on local auto sites they start at 20K USD for a used one. Luckily this one has Canadian plates (which we will keep) and they aren't allowed to sell to locals. So we got a great price for it.
To give you a idea of local prices: https://chileautos.cl/autos/busqueda?q=(And.(C.Marca.Toyota._.Modelo.Tacoma.)_.Ano.range(2006..).)

Thanks!

Yes this is exactly on my list. So I will definitely do this.

Thank you so much.

 

Tacomas from 2005 - 2011 are nearly identical mechanically, so if you need parts the chances of finding something compatible are that much better. Even models up to 2015 share a lot of the same parts.
Good luck with your adventures!

 

Thanks, good to know.

Thanks!