Red Flag on Tacoma purchase?

I went to a Toyota dealership, test drove six vehicles, found the one I like - A 2017 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab, TRD Sport 4x4 with a technology package (blind spot, parking sensors).

Dealership said they just traded for the vehicle from a gentleman who was older, couldn't get in and out of it and didn't like the fuel economy. He bought the truck from this dealership several weeks ago and it only has 1,100 miles on it!

The Tacoma was so new to the dealership, it hadn't even been looked by their mechanics before I test drove it.

PROBLEM: I do a lot of mechanical repairs to vehicles and tractors, and found a potential problem with the front end. The driver side CV shaft was loosing axle grease, coating the driver side suspension/inner side of the tire and even flinging grease onto the outside of the vehicle.

I tested the vehicle, it went into 4wd high without issue and there were no strange noises coming from the front end as I swerved left and right at low speeds. It didn't want to go into 4wd Low at first, but I blame that on me being unfamiliar with the vehicle; I did eventually get it into low range and it performed fine.

I didn't see any scrapes on the lower control arm, frame, engine pan, ect nor did I see anything that looked bent. The only issue was driving the vehicle in a straight path; the steering wheel had to be slightly turned counterclockwise (I figure if the previous owner had issues getting in and out of the vehicle, he was relying on pulling himself inside the truck by holding onto the steering wheel as an anchoring point; my grandpa had issues getting in and out of his Buick and pulled on the steering wheel to balance himself, causing the same problem with his car).

Could it be that this CV shaft boot was defective from the factory? Or is this a red flag?

The dealership agreed to fix it (why not, its under warranty) but after spending hours looking over different vehicles I was ready to go and negotiations stopped.

I also found about 10 hail dents on the roof and hood (but none on the thicker metal on the door frames).

I call the hail dents negotiating power (we are in the plains states, hail happens)! But I don't know how I feel about the CV shaft.

What would you all suggest with this?

 

Hell I'd jump on it. Probably deprecated a touch and 1100 is still new.

 

More than likely a freak thing. No telling what the previous owner had driven through or over as well. Good thing is that the truck will have plenty of warranty and you will likely get a good deal. I have never had front end issues and I have owner 4 3gens.

I wouldn't be scared to use the hail dents for a little negotiation as well. PDR is a relatively cheap and quick repair.

 

I would make sure and get in writing that it would be repaired. Regarding the purchase, what was the original MSRP and what do they want for the truck?

 

How much lower is the asking price from the original sticker?

 

If it's a good price and just a boot I'd buy it. Clamp Could have slipped or something caught it. Not a big deal

 

Yeah, I'd say that's a red flag. Unless you're getting a hell of deal, I'd spend a few more thousand and get a new one. IMO, Tacoma's don't depreciate enough to make it worth buying a used vs. buying new anyway. You might as well get a fresh one.

 

The steering wheel shouldn't be out of whack just because some old guy used it to get in the truck a few times.
How canted are we talking?

 

Sounds like the previous owner may have kissed a curb.

 

Kick it to the curb and buy a yugo. Slightly used of coarse.

 

That could explain the wheel cant and axle boot..

 

This used to be true...go trade your 3rd gen. I almost took a beating and I had it for 2 years. Never expect a dealership to give you a good trade price without fighting vigorously. I thought I was gonna do well, but after paying 37k in 2016, they offered me 28k in April 2018. Truck had 28,000 miles, mechanically perfect, and even had a few nice addons (not that they give you crap for that).

I realize you'll take this opportunity to tell me I don't know how to deal, don't know what it was worth, etc...I realize we are all experts on the internet. I negotiated back to $30,000 and was happy to get that. Your mileage may vary, but until you really do it, its all speculation.

In the OPs case, honestly...what does your gut say? Seems anti-logical, but if you're mechanical you've already got a feeling and you're trying to get confirmation. Your feeling is probably right.

 

I would tell them to fix all the issues first... and then you will consider doing a deal. Including the hail damage. That is a PDR fix and all dealerships have a paintless dent repair guy that’s is for sure. It’s not major stuff you are dealing with, but don’t get enamored by it having low miles. I new one will have way less and you can make sure it’s good to go for a few thousand more.

 

You may be right about the 3rd Gens, I don't know. But obviously the dealer is never going to give you retail on a trade no matter how good you are at negotiating. I bet they turn around and sell your truck for $34,000-35,000. Ah, no thanks. I'll take a new one.

 

Depends on the price. Compare to a new one OTD which will have a full warranty. For me it would have to be discounted pretty aggressively.

 

Yep, I actually tracked down the guy who bought my 3rd gen (I wanted to show him all the stuff I did..the dealer didn't even understand the OME lift wasn't factory...)

Anyways, cool guy, glad I got to meet him. He said he paid $33 for the truck. In his case it was a good deal, I had done on OME lift, upgraded UCAs, some lighting, wiring (and did right...not hackjobs), Pinch weld and CMC, and already had 33" Ridge Grapplers on it.

The best part was that if the dealer knew what all that was worth they would have sold that truck for so much more. So in my case I did OK, but the guy who bought my truck did really well. He was pretty pleased after we got to talk.

 

How many miles have you put on your Ford?

 

They we asking 31,000(ish). I'm not wanting to pay more than $30,000 (including vehicle, tax and fees)

 

19500 ish. I've even offroaded it with my Tacoma people @TACORIDER will testify

 

If you want an opinion on price, you’re gonna need to provide more detail on the truck.