What should i look for when buying a first gen?

Hello, I currently own a 2009 second gen tacoma and my brother in law now wants a first gen and wants me to help him find one. What are some common things to look for that are deal breakers with the first gens. I am more familiar with the second gens. For example i know that second gens are prone to frame rust and occasionally drive line vibes from the factory and AC going out. But what are some things that commonly go bad in the first gens that i should be specifically on the look out for? Thanks for all the input

 

Frame rust first. You are in FL, so look in the south. Less chance of a rust bucket there, but know where it came from. Those northern trucks like to migrate.

 

3.4 or walk away

 

thats what we were looking at. found one thats a double cab with 120k miles. From the pics it looks mint and hes selling for $7500

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/1st-gen-tacoma-buyers-guide.156943/
Everything ya need to know bud

 

The rule you're looking for is anything but 4cyl auto. 4cyl manual is a blast and maintenance is basically change the oil and make sure it gets a valve adjustment every 100K miles haha

 

Check the lower ball joints.

 

perfect. Thank you i couldnt find this when i searched!

 

okay. look for what? cracks? or lack of grease?

 

For play. I haven’t experienced it personally but a lot of first gen guys have had issues. There was a recall on some.

 

FIRST thing to look for is for frame rust.
These trucks are known to suffer from severe frame rust and rot, so bad they can literally break in half. Northern trucks are usually the most affected, because of the winter salt and chemicals.
Southern trucks are not as affected but there has been some cases of badly rusted southern trucks due to saltwater or higher humidity levels.

Anyway, taking at look at a vehicle undercarriage has never been a bad idea

Then you check if the truck is mechanically sound. Good engine, good transmission, worn suspension, ball joints, condition of interior and body, etc

by the way, if it's a v6 3.4l, the timing belt has to be changed at around 90k intervals, so check if it has been done or not

4Cylinders (2.4l or 2.7l)have timing chains, which usually do not need to be changed (unless there is something wrong with it or it's making noise), as they were designed to last for a very very very long time

 

I own a bad 1st gen 2.7 4 cyl check for spare tire mount cab mounts and bed mounts check over all frame for weak spots also mines the manual not a lot of power I'd get the v6 and maybe a 04 there's still a few with the replacement frames and they should be decent

Driving around town not bad
Off roading very decent even in a sr5
Highway driving the power just isn't there

Might be different with the v6

 

I had an 04 2.7L 5 speed and if you do a lot of highway driving I wouldn't recommend it

 

I highly recommend trying to get a v6 TRD model, whether prerunner or 4x4. I'm a prerunner and my e-locker has saved my ass on several occasions off road

 

another buying tip is to get a code reader preferably one that can do mode 6. Sometimes a low life seller will clear the codes and turn off the CEL and sell it as is... if you can see that it is not smog ready according to the scanner, that is what they did and they are trying to hide something. There are tests that mode 6 does that get down into the depths of the PCM. Not all faults will trip a CEL. With a first gen you are looking at 20 year old rubber hoses for the evap system that may or may not give an issue... I do not know if Florida is a smog state or not, just my 2 cents worth.

 

On the lower ball joints- take to an alignment shop and have them put it on the rack, they will check if they are in tolerance for free play. They will also check upper ball joints and inner/outer tie rods. Expect to have to replace ITR’s they seem to go out first. Or just budget about $700 and replace all of the above.
Steering rack is sometimes a problem (leaking mainly) and not cheap ($5-600 for parts).
I just got a high mileage (285k) taco and put almost a grand into it- fluids, CV joints, u-joint, carrier bearing, shifter bushings, clutch cylinders, breaks. If you really want to know that stuff is in good shape then plan on this.

 

If its supercharged pull the trigger,

 

Thanks everybody. This is all great info. looks like i will be looking for frame rust, ball joints, timing belt for the most part. Ill pass it along to my brother in law