13K/Other Prices for a 1st gen

Lol timing belt is like 1 day's worth of work. I wouldn't call it a worry.
or* everything is a worry on a vehicle with 100k+miles.
The first gent Tacoma is:
Timing belt
Water Pump
Lower Ball Joints
Lower Control Arm Bushings
Steering Rack
Steering Rack bushings
Valve Cover Gasket
Front differential axle shaft seals

Think I'm missing a few but you get the point. Good to be a DIYer

 

Yes that's from the U-Joints.

Not to be a douche but your first gen will have issues. They all will and it will be pricey if you don't fix em yourself.

 

Depends on what you call "issues". The ONLY "issues" these trucks are really known for is ball joints and frame rust, which are easily mitigated by buying a truck with no frame rust, and replacing the ball joints thru the factory recall and then at regular intervals (it takes 20 minutes to replace them).

Everything else people have brought up here and in other threads are simply regular maintenance items that any truck this old would need. Far fewer, really, than your typical domestic vehicles, which is one reason these trucks demand a high price.

 

^This...

All of the items listed above are easy to do for most people with basic hand tools and simple mechanical aptitude. The biggest issue is to make sure you start with a good frame, everything else is pretty easily interchangeable.

If you are unsure, you might be able to find a fellow 1st gen owner in the area to go look with you. From the photos you posted, it looks like it has been used, but relatively clean. At the bare minimum, I would plan on doing timing belt etc and LBJ's in the next 20k-30k if you are unsure of the history.

 

Most people don't realize what maintenance is and consider it an issue. Especially when a 3rd gen owner goes from owning a brand new vehicle to a 17+ year old vehicle.

 

Good luck. I hope everything will turn out fine for you.

 

I’m expecting to do any maintenance that I can do by myself. I do have several friends who will help me work on it as well.

 

There's really no way to answer this kind of question,

 

Take your time OP.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/1st-gen-tacoma-buyers-guide.156943/

 

Thats great. The last truck you posted looks nice

 

Even new cars require maintenance, it's just usually included in the price for the first year or 15k miles or whatever.

If that's an "issue", then you should lease a car instead of own one, and certainly shouldn't be considering owning a car 17+ year old car.

 

back when my local Toyota dealer had the all-inclusive routine maintenance packages, 5k,15k,30k,etc it was always something I looked forward to doing
now its do this now do this later don't know if it needs it or not lol
i have not really liked this adhoc maintenance they switched too

 

My 2012 4Runner from the very beginning had the same issues as 95.5 Tacoma: I had to do oil change, I need to grease U-joints, change tires, and fluid film the whole frame every spring. Not mentioning the worst problem both cars have: I have to fill the fuel tank every so - somehow that liquid I put in there disappears over time.

 

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make.

 

You're the one who brought up 1st gens having "issues". I'm just having a conversation about how if you consider regular maintenance an "issue" you probably shouldn't own an older car. For most of us it is a non-issue, being that we own best gens and most of us do our own tinkering and maintenance.

It's not like old Toyotas start wearing out faster as they age which seems to be the case with some older domestics. You still do a timing belt every 90k, ball joints at 50k or whatever it is, and replace all the rubber stuff that gets hard and cracks whether it has 50k or 600k miles on it.

People might consider that an issue if they've never owned a car long enough for some of those parts to start wearing out. I'm sure some people consider changing their oil an "issue", and those people should be driving one of those Gig car things and not actually own anything, lol.

 

what issues my A/C needed a recharge, new catback exhaust and new rubber on the wheels ... only issues I have had in 22yrs ... my dear sister goes through 'detroit' cars like butter ...
i am waiting for the day i have to overhaul and rebuild my engine is that routine maintenance, it might be to get it to one million miles!?

 

Is it a conversation though ? Sounds like you're trying to prove exactly what I said. First gens have issues because they've reached a certain mileage. You can try and define "issues" all you want but for most people that don't DIY and have only owned new cars, all the maintenance due after a vehicles 100k mark could be too much for them to deal with.
That's why I posted that list right after a picture of a greasy a U-joint was posted... If you're considering leaks or any non critical "issue" as a reason to not buy the Tacoma then you shouldn't own one. This is someone with a 3rd gen that might be turned away by the maintenance an older vehicle requires. That's exactly my point.

My 2011 VW TDI has 0 maintenance "issues" because it hasn't reached 100k, and guess what? It'll be sold right then and there. All vehicles need regular maintenance such as tires and oil changes. That's very different than steering rack or cooling system replacement because those components have reached the end of their lifetime.

 

In addition to that^ It will be sold exactly when the warranty has ended.

 

i have never heard of any ball joints issues my local Toyota certified mechanic gave my truck a good looking over for an hour and did not mention any issues in that area (I am not all that mechanically inclined so don't hate me! be easy!)