First time Tacoma owner looking for advice

Hey everyone, first time here.

Basically i'm looking for advice on buying my first tacoma, i'm not extremely mechanically inclined but I know the basics. I'm trying to find out what things to watch out for, what are clear signs that it's not a good truck to buy (wear and tear etc), what kilometers parts are supposed to be replaced, or anything else i should be aware of with 2nd gen.

I live in BC Canada and im looking to buy a used Tacoma around the 20-25k CAD range. Most of the ones i'm seeing for sale are

$73 2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma With 4L Right Petrol intake air snorkel kit high performance system compatible kit Replacement black Rotational Molding (2005-2015)

2005-2015's with anywhere from 120,000km - 180,000km. I've been told that around 170,000km the Timing Chain (belt?) should be replaced or you can destroy your engine. Or if it's standard, the clutch should be replaced around then. I'm not sure how true this is or if there's something im missing, hope you guys have some advice on this.

Some of the Tacomas i see are already lifted with rims/tires but that kind of tells me the trucks been off-roaded and will have more wear and tear. Some of them aren't lifted and just stock. I do really like the look of a 3inch lift, and if i bought it stock i would probably get it lifted but not sure if thats the best way to go or to buy it already lifted.

I've been saving my money for a long time to buy this truck, it will be the biggest purchase i've ever made so i'm just trying to learn as much as i can so i dont buy a 25k truck and then get f*cked over and it blows up on me or something.

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks for taking the time to read this. Cheers

 

Must have title and name on title of seller

clean title

carfax

rust

run the obd system

check oils, idle it, check electronics, a/c, do stop and go drive, go atleast 70mph in it

and personally i take it to a mechanic to check it out

when giving the money dont have it on you, go to a bank

 

I’d look for a 2013 to 2015.
You don’t need to worry about the timing chains on the 4.0 V6, they last a long time.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/new-guy-here-timing-chain-on-4-0-v6.382850/

 

We dont have titles in Canada, is that just the papers showing he actually owns it?
What are you looking with the oils, just that they're at the proper levels?

 

okay thanks! why those years? Are those the only years with a 4.0 V6 and a timing chain? i just read that thread, looks like i dont have to worry about a timing chain, what about timing belt?

 

No timing belt. All 4.0s have a timing chain.
2013 to 2015 was after the secondary air filter debacle

 

My 2013 has 225K kms on it and still drives excellent. If I was buying I'd try to find one with little to no mods.
Are you planning on going into the mountains or staying on pavement?

 

$73 2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma With 4L Right Petrol intake air snorkel kit high performance system compatible kit Replacement black Rotational Molding (2005-2015)

2005-2015 all have the same V6 4.0L engine...

A good sign of this is if the truck has all FOUR mudflaps still attached. Most people that modify (lift, install too big of tires, etc) first remove the front mud-flaps.


Summary is that:
2005/2006 have motor mount issues.
2012 is the first year of the secondary air pump (emissions) that there is a Technical Service Bulletin (kind of a recall) on that the foam filter gets sucked into the engine. >$1k repair if you have to pay for it yourself.
2013-2015 are the last of the 2nd generation and should have most issues ironed out.


I'm not familiar with the Canadian market, but I've been watching the US market closely with similar parameters to you (mileage/price/vehicle model years). My summary is to wait for the newest, lowest mileage truck you can and when you check it out, don't get emotional. Rust, engine/transmission condition are important to include in your evaluation if it's worth it. There seem to be a LOT of 2nd gen Tacomas flooding the market every day with people trading "up" for a new vehicle at a low interest rate due to the global pandemic.

I'm just waiting for the right one to pop up myself.

 

Okay cool, ill look for the 4.0 v6 then! im not planning on going into mountains with it, pavement for the most part besides going fishing. maybe dirt roads but nothing crazy

 

awesome thanks for that info. ill watch out for that, so basically 2013-2015 are the best years than? how do you check for engine/transmission condition? Rust is fairly common in BC Canada due to the amount of snow we get and salt on the road, but not all have rust.

 

@KJOS, I was in a similar situation in February of this year. I found a 2015 with 31k miles in certified pre-owned condition, which is worth the extra expense (in my opinion) for the warranty.

I wouldn't worry about the secondary air pump too much. The lovely folks here have devised an easy 15 USD/5 minute fix, known locally as the uni-filter mod:

https://youtu.be/XO5d4MqZu5I

While not something that is Toyota-approved, I can't say I've heard of anyone experiencing failures with their uni-filter replacement. It helps that the mod is nearly idiot-proof, even for someone with zero vehicle maintenance experience like myself.

 

awesome thanks for this, so do the 2013-2015 have issues with the secondary air pump also? or is it only the 2012 that has the secondary air pump issues.

 

I believe all "2.5 gen" (2012-2015) trucks have a secondary air pump, so they all have this issue. But take it from a guy whose only vehicle maintenance experience is 1 oil change: the uni-filter mod is dead easy and should permanently prevent secondary air pump-related problems from arising.

 

okay cool, did you do this on your truck? Or has anybody else done this mod?

 

Yep, I sure did. I'd wager that more than half of 2012-2015 owners on TW have done it as well. After literally hundreds of hours of research, I have yet to find any evidence of the mod causing problems.

 

The secondary air pump filter issue is small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. I'd place a much higher premium on things that can actually kill the truck, like frame rust (or rubberized/asphalt undercoating that hides rust).

 

that's a good point thanks. People on here have been saying you dont need to replace the timing chain int he 4.0 v6, but when i talk to people i know who are mechanics they say that's not true and that if the chain ever skips and gets stretched than you will blow your engine. pretty torn between whos correct. any advice on that?

 

After searching on here, talking to several mechanics (dealership and not), and calling Toyota directly, the consensus is the timing chain will last the life of the engine and is unlikely to require replacement.

That statement could be convoluted to imply that failing to replace the timing chain will cut the engine’s lifespan short, but I don’t think that’s the intended message.