Looking at a 2006, What should I look for?

Hi Everyone,
New to the Tacoma World forum and new to the Taco, but had a 4runner for years that I loved to death. I have been reading as much as possible, but it can be tough to cover too much ground with so much content, so here it goes.

I will be looking at a 2006 Tacoma Regular cab, automatic, 2 wheel drive with 87,000 miles next week. I know this isn't the most desirable truck for many, but for me it will do everything I need. I haven't bought many used cars but am fairly mechanically inclined, so what are your thoughts on the 06 Tacoma?

More specifically, what should I look for when I am checking out the truck? I see a lot of posts about frame rust (which I can check, but worries me) and head gasket issues (which I can't check). Anything else in particular that I should be looking for when taking it for a spin? I hate to buy it, post up my hello, and have a stream of comments like, "oh did you check xxx"

Thank you, excited to be a part of the family!
Dillon

 

what motor does it have ?

 

Check for frame rust. If you see signs of rust hammer or test it by hitting those spots with a screwdriver. Other than that the trucks are pretty bulletproof. The 6.0 had some head gasket issues in that year but I suspect you are a 4 banger and those are pretty solid.

 

2.7 i4, good advice thanks JJ!

 

Good luck. I had a 2.7 in my 97 and that thing ran perfect and never burned drop of oil in 150k when I sold it. Strong little motors. I did have to change the throttle positioning sensor around 90k but that was not a big deal.

 

only issue with the earlier 2.7's is the plastic water bypass pipe. (which can be fitted with the later revision metal one) beyond that, bullet proof.

 

Great to hear! as far as the frame rust, I haven't read into the Toyota recall yet. If there was an issue, would they do anything, or am I too late at this point?

 

I had basically the same truck for 12 years 150,000 miles and never had an issue that I didn’t cause myself. The only thing to know is that the auto is a bit of a dog but other than that just make sure it’s been properly maintained and maybe get a tune up regardless and should last you a long time.

 

05-06 4.0, head gasket issues unless they’ve been dealt with by now.
07-09, best years, no secondary air injection. Besides that, any 2nd gen is known for reliability, both 2.7 and 4.0.
3rd gen has only been out for a little less then 5 years, reliability cannot be determined just yet, usually comes around the 6 year mark where you start to see what may need to be changed and what keeps its ground. I know there’s plenty of 3rd gens running around with more miles than me (07 121k) but the majority follow the 10k-15k miles per year insurance average, so we’ll see soon.

 

Too late.