New Hampshire and Salting the Roads

Some back story on a 1st gen Taco im looking at here in Houston:

A dealer bought a Tacoma from an auto auction in New Hampshire last summer 2018 and I was interested until i saw that the Carfax said it came from the north east. The salt and horror stories of shitty first gen Taco frames have kinda scared me off on it. From the pics the dealer posted, the truck looks spotless. It has 154k miles on it and is a 2000. It has spent its entire life in NH, so my question is as a guy from TX, how much salt does NH use on the roads during the winter? I am assuming it is something i should be wary of. Ill definitely check out the frame with a hammer if i go look at it. Just wondering. TIA.

Should i pass on it?

 

They use alot of salt.. But I always get a kick out of all the paranoia and how people over react to rust on here. Rust on cars is normal where I am from. Granted I know Tacoma's had the big frame issues but just look it over carefully bang on it with a hammer just get under it and poke around and if its solid then your fine even if it has surface rust.. Most guys would die on here if they saw what my truck looks like underneath but its SOLID just looks terrible.. I scrapped the bad areas and coated it with PO15. I don't loose any sleep over it..

 

Its just something i dont want to even mess with. I can avoid it, i will. Thanks for the reply.

 

I would be having second thoughts too. I live in CT and the roads get salted here but not quite as much due to a little less snow. On the optimistic side: The frame may have been replaced by Toyota recently or the previous owner may have been meticulous with it. In my case, I have a 10 year old Tacoma and have been through 10 northeast winters. I wash the undercarriage every week or two in winter and respray my frame every spring and fall after going over it with a wire brush to loosen any surface rust and reseal it. Granted, most people completely ignore parts of a vehicle they don't see but I would definitely ask for pictures of the frame if not close by or go see it for yourself and crawl under there.

 

looks nice besides the aftermarket fake trd junk. lol not an actual problem or anything. check that frame and I would run a scanner on it for hidden codes if some private dealer as well. How much are they asking for it? auto or 5sped and is it a v6/4 cyl.

 

I got yeah, no disrespect intended. If I had a choice I wouldn't want to deal with salt or rust either..I totally get it. I just wouldn't write it off just because its out of NH.

 

The carfax didnt mention a frame replacement. No accidents/incidents reported, and all the smog testing (which i dont have in my county). It just looks too clean.

 

Keep in mind carfax does not catch everything.

 

Its a 4-banger/5-speed truck, which is what im looking for in an extended cab. $7999 is what they are asking with 154k miles on it. The TSS bullshit is the first thing to come off. Interior is manual windows, but all stock.

Im looking for a stock, unmolested truck so i can do the molesting. haha

 

oh I know. It only shows what people report.

 

I don't believe there was such a thing as TSS in 2000 besides airbags and seat belts maybe.

 

OK good (to all you said lol). 4 cyl will have that timing chain so atleast you don't have to worry about the timing belt like I did on mine.. which was dry rotting when i bought it i realized!

Mine has 155 on it and had 154 when i just got it like less than a month ago. i paid 7500. mine is a v6 though. if thats starting price thats really good ! (if it is good condition)

 

True. I think the TSS is a tundra thing or a 2nd gen thing. Only TRD packages for the 1st gen trucks.

 

TSS = Toyota Safety Sense. Which I believe applies to 2017 and up or maybe only 2018 and up for the Tacoma anyway

 

LOTS of salt! Seems like they use it too much in the beginning of winter and end up running low before winter ends. They'll salt if there's 1/2 inch. And they'll salt if there's 6 inches. They salt so much up here if you get stuck behind the plow going 25, it's like driving on salty marbles. The salt pings off every inch of the undercarriage. Salt....sucks. and so do frost heaves.

 

Make sure you get pics of the frame, any seller trying to sell a Tacoma especially from the rust states should include pics of the frame otherwise I would assume they're trying to find a naive buyer that doesn't know about the rust issues. Also be wary of sellers and dealers that paint the frame before putting it up for sale to make it look clean when really it's rusted to hell underneath.

Only way to know for sure is to check out yourself and look real close.

 

Thanks for the replies. I contacted the seller and he said "its clean" under there. Im not some soccer mom that will accept that as the final answer. I asked for pics again but havent received any yet. If i do go look at it, ill take a hammer and go to town on it.

 

I think it really just comes down to the specific vehicle. My 2010 has twice the mileage of my brother in laws 2011 and his has soooo much more rust than mine, and they both get used in the same environments.

A truck in NH could’ve lived in a heated garage all winter and never even see the salt. Just inspect it thoroughly. There’s nothing anyone can tell you on here that will affect how it looks in person.

 

I would pass at $8000 since you are in TX. We have all delt with rust being from the Northeast so its the norm. If you live in TX but a clean ass Tacoma with absolutely no rust. In your ownership the rust will start coming through and really hurt you on resale since I am sure rust is uncommon in your area. I've been in your situation and regretted it. Before picking up my third gen I was looking at 100 series LC's down south. Crazy how many leave the North and head South to be resold to unsuspecting buyers.

I went with a new truck because of rust. I would buy used if I lived where you did. No way I was spending $20k on a 2nd gen that has seen 8+ winters.

 

Check out this beautiful, clean NH truck...



Pretty clean looking, right? Let's check out another glamour shot:


Awwww, snap, that's a nice, clean used vehicle from NH!!

Only problem is this is what the shackle mounts looked like: