How many original owners of 1st gen?

Hello everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve been on this forum. I went through a lot of conversation on here with my new 2017. I won’t even get into that. By the way, I’ve owned 7 Toyota pickups from 1985 to the 2017.

I’m now looking at a very well maintained 97 SR5. I had bought a 96 new and loved it until the recall of the head gasket. Then had too many problems after that.

So as a way to get back into posting on here, I thought I’d ask how many members are original owners of their 1st gen Tacoma. My family still has a 97 4Runner 4x4 completely stock that just keeps going and going. I’ll be asking more questions in another post.

 

@1997tacomav6

 

I am. Bought my '01 in December 2000. It had 100 miles on it. Now it has over 323k.

 

Bought my reg cab in 1997 with v6, 5 speed and added the supercharger when it 1st hit the market a year later in late 1998. 1997 was the only year a regular cab with v6 and supercharger were available and compatible. 1995 and 1996 had the v6 available for the reg cab but the ECU was not compatible with the supercharger.
1998 forward the v6 was not an option for the reg cab.
At over 600,000 now. No accidents, I get asked regularly if I want to sell it. Won’t happen. .
I do remember the recall back then on the head gasket and mine was done then in 1998. Mine did pop about 4 years ago at 489,000.

 

@GQ7227 is an original owner here with a 1997 and tour991 in Lake Tahoe has a 2wd (converted to 4wd) that he has had since new in late 1996 I think.

@GQ7227 @Tour991

 

I'm original too. I bought mine in May of 2001 and put 140,000 miles on it so far.

 

@Area51Runner is original owner too

my mileage is lacking i am a couple 100 away from the milestone of 1-2-3-4-5-6 .... ~70 per cent highway miles


i never heard of a head gasket recall that long ago
it sure has been nice not having truck payment for 18yrs now and my license/registration has been at the state minimum for many years now, just plow that 'saved' money into upkeep of aging and weathered stuff (some are gremlins though!)

i signed papers for mine on 9-May-97 with about 20 miles on the odometer (of which a few were my test drive) traded in a 95 pickup (was still making payments on) 4cyl 4wd standard cab that I loved the color most of all (bright blue metallic) but the horses found under that 3.4 hood I could not hang onto the blue beauty .. that color was discontinued and I had a choice of black, white and green iirc in the xtraCab, but the other 2 on the lot were AT and no no no! get that away from me

 

bought mine on 4/4/04 with less than 30 miles on it. now sitting at ~167k

 

I went and dug out the papers-I bought mine on May 4th, 2001 with 23 miles on it not sure how that 23 miles got there because I chose my truck as it sat up on a car carrier truck with the diapers still attached to it. It seems that per your post and others here that "around 20 miles" is a pattern...maybe they do 20 miles worth of testing on these before they kick 'em off to dealers?
Me, I paid cash on the spot for mine so it's been all mine since that day and I remember how good that felt the whole first year....except when "9/11" happened a few months later and it was on that very radio in my truck that I heard the news on the way in to work

 

My 96 that I bought new was a great truck, ran perfectly. With less than 10,000 miles the dealer told me the V6 had a recall, or maybe a service bulletin. Forgot which one. So they replaced the original head gaskets with the updated ones. Truck ran like crap afterwards. I took it back 3 times to complain. I bet they didn’t do it correctly. But consistently told me nothing was wrong. I ended up selling it after having it only about 2 years

Today I looking at a 97 SR5, 4x4 they want 5 grand. Now I’m in Hawaii, so Toyotas are VERY desirable and you just don’t find them for sale unless they are completely worn out. So I’m may or may not come home today with a new hobby truck. Anything I should look for besides rust.

 

1 owner.
Purchased new in late 2001.
Not quite sure of the price but I do have the window sticker somewhere. 4 miles on it when Purchased.

 

This is my 97 Tacoma that was a 5lug 2wd. I bought it November 21st 1996. I did a frame swap and 4wd conversation last Summer this is how she sits now. Total Chaos uniballs and king 2.5s up front. Rears on Bilstein 5125s with add a leafs and Downey shackles. still need to update rear set up. And a paint job.

 

that is interesting about the mileage, i just assumed ya know!
my production date on door jam was 4/97 so perhaps I was the first to test drive it and never knew it!

 

My dad bought it new in December of 2000. Gave it to me when I got my license 5 years ago. I’m at 177k

 

2000 TRD white extra-cab Pre-Runner 2.7 liter 4-cyl A430 A/T purchased May 2000. Still likin' it 19 years, 333K miles later without payments. Now with 33" BFG K02's on Outlaw II wheels, Bilstein 5100's, Wheeler's Off Road AAL and shackle, Hayden electric fan, 4.88's, Pacesetter header with mandrel-bent exhause and Magnaflow muffler & cat. Great grandpa here still happy. First truck my sons and grandkids drove.

 

That sounds about right. When I bought my 4Runner, iirc it had about 50-60 miles on it, but it had also been on the lot so undoubtedly test driven a few times.

But all new cars will have at least some miles on them. Not only do they probably see a couple miles worth of rattle testing etc... They get driven around quite a bit from factory floor, to storage lot, to transport, to storage, back to transport, etc... Not specific to our trucks, since they were made in Fremont, but they also get driven around on boats etc. All that adds up.

 

Seen a little bit of a transformation has it? Just a little one Taco looks great hermano

 

That gives me an idea for another thread. Most changed Tacomas.

I'm thinking stock 5-lug to Mint 400 entry, or stock doublecab 4x4 to exocage SAS buggy type stuff...

Hell, I'd even let the S-runner guys play if they wanted...

 

I'll second this thread!

 

It has begun.