Used winter beater with a welded frame?

Living in the land of winter salt I had flown out and purchased a beautiful supercharged manual Taco in Texas. This thing has absolutely no rust but my biggest fear is driving it in winter allowing the cancer to begin.

While wasting time I saw a 1997 V6 offroad Taco on Facebook and started thinking this could be the perfect winter beater at just 360k miles.

Only problem is one of the previous owners welded a plate onto the frame. Otherwise after poking around it seems pretty solid with new brakes and struts.

At only $1200 do I just get it and not care or could this repaired red flag cause bigger issues than I expect?

 

For 1200 I’d buy it. But before going around driving it I would put it on a lift and make sure the plate is structurally sound.

 

Hard to say. If you have $1200 to throw away and don't mind risking it all, go for it. I'd have it checked out for safety, if it were me.

 

Check it out well. Figure out where it needs additional plating and if what is there was done well, not just slapped over and welded to rot.

 

The guy who owns it currently said he made the previous owner toss it on a lift to verify integrity.

If I get a creeper and roll around under it what should I look for? I do not have lift access.

 

more rot.. take a hammer. drive it and watch the bed when you accelerate and brake. if it moves alot the frames pretty much done.

 

Dude, it's already got red flags behind the wheels!

 

The only concern I might have was the timing belt ever changed ??

For $1200.00 I would have it home already!!

 

Sometimes a “great deal!” is just a sign to walk away. How many Tacoma’s have you seen for a grand? From any century..


None of my business so no need to answer, but questions to consider.. did you pay for the first Tacoma in full? If not, how many payments would that 1200 (plus the inevitable extra maintenance of the old beater) be toward being debt free again?

I get the rust thing all. too. well. And I’ve tuned my once absolutely pristine Pickup into my winter rig simply because it’s rusted out over the last several winters.. so by all means, go for it, it’s a great plan. I would just ask myself if something like rust prevention every Fall would be less expensive than new lower ball joints, brakes, gremlins, etc. of a beater first I guess. Good luck with the decision.

nice thing about the beater is if you do run it into the ground it kind of gets to the point if no return and becomes more fun not caring haha. I’ve always very well maintained my vehicles so having a beater these days has been kind of funny.
A dude hit and run my front end while working in my brothers Subaru and I just looked up, shrugged, and went back to work haha. Good luck, again!

 

Show him 10 - $100 bills and take it home.

 

i would start off with checking all drain holes to make sure they are not plugged up (or starting to) like this one at the end of the road of a '97

 

I'd buy it. unless the rest of the frame is bad.

If you are not mechanically inclined though, you might consider that for much less you could have the underbody/frame on your truck coated every Fall for less money.

Not sarcasm, I am just thinking that a truck that age might need repairs, in the Winter, and if you don't want to or can't make them yourself, you only have two other options: pay somebody to repair ($$$); drive your "good" truck and defeat the purpose for buying this truck.

 

This sounds like some really solid advice for the OP. Well put hombre and some items to consider that are easy to forget I love how helpful this forum is. Gotta be one of the most helpful around. At least the first gen sub forum, I should clarify

 

Sometimes, you gotta just full send. A truck for that price, even if it gets compromised u got a lot of good parts. I would do it, as a beater and treat it like a beater. Have fun driving it like you stole it. That’s what I’d do.

 

I'd put that $1200 into protecting the frame you have. For that price, you could probably disassemble the entire thing and dip the entire frame in fluid film.

As long as you START with a truck that doesn't have rust, all it takes is a little elbow grease to ensure the cancer doesn't start. IMO there is no need to buy a 2nd rust bucket truck just to drive in winter. At a certain point, you're essentially driving a rust bucket shitbox that isn't safe to drive and will continue to get worse.

There are lots of threads with people who have pretty good methods for preventing rust. It boils down to not allowing the salty/road grime laced water to sit for too long by washing it often and applying fluid film.

 

this is what its like to dip in the fluid film in case you ain't never seen such a thing

 

If you don`t want it if it is within 10 hours or close from Allentown Pa one way

I will buy it in a heart beat and go get it .

I went to Michigan for a $500.00 truck then Sandy dropped a tree on it

 

Well I picked it up.

The truck is a heck of a lot better then I was even expecting.

Drives straight and true with no odd sounds.

Definitely a solid beater.

 

Just fluid film the crap out of your manual. I have a 2014 150k and no rust. Ff 2x per year since day 1.

 

Congratulations!