In market for used Tacoma for 16yr old son--questions

I love that one! It has lots of miles left in it.

 

Just went to look at it. Man it looks nice and has been taken care of. But pulled a car fax on it and odometer shows 140k but car fax says last reported odometer reading of 245k. Car fax is always correct, right?

 

someone might have replaced speedo, that should cause a red flag, but at the end of the day the drive line is damn near bullet proof and mileage almost does not matter. my sons 97 4runner 3.4 has 550,000kms which is 343,000 miles on original drive line, and I'd drive it across the country and not bat an eye. around here just finding a clean rust free truck is half the battle, have the truck inspected by a garage of your choice, if it checks out base your purchase decision off that, not so much the mileage. just my opinion

 

My mother drove a datsun honeybee, which is quite a step down from the 210. It was so gutless that it wouldn't go up a steep hill with 2 people in it. Ya had to back up and find another way.

 

BIG red flag. If the seller didn't say something up front, before you asked, to explain you might find a discrepancy in reported mileage because... Dishonest people can be convincingly honest. Pass on it.

 

We passed on it. Hated to, but just couldn't get past the speedometer numbers and he didn't say anything about it. My husband did all the talking because the man only spoke spanish. Come to find out, they have several pickups they are working on and are taking them to Mexico to their families. So, we walked away.

 

Good for your son saving so long to get something like this. Awesome for him and sounds like he earned it!

Keep looking, you’ll find a good deal for him that is better than this one.

 

Wow, some of the comments...

My neighbor did exactly this. Used some of the kids savings, 2012 prerunner. Kid works at a bicycle shop and is super responsible. He just saved up enough for his suspension upgrade.

Learning to drive trail on a 2wd w locker is perfect at this age. A very valuable skill.

Kids will make mistakes. He got stuck once and needed a winch out from a tow truck in the rain. Great lesson.

Sounds perfect to me. I got my truck for my boys too (6 and 3 right now) but my wife thinks that is excessive. I have 10 years to see if they can earn the privilege.

 

We've come across a couple more trucks. One isn't a Toyota though. One is a 2014 Ford F150 XLT supercab 4x4 asking price is 14k with 140k miles on it. And he test drove a 2013 Tacoma 6cyl 6ft bed Access cab yesterday, asking price was 16k, but he lowered it online to 14.5K, but said to us yesterday he'd consider 13.5k. Has 133k miles on it. Both are super clean and cared for. The Tacoma is mostly highway miles, not sure if that matters. His folks live here in Texas and he attends college in Virginia. Owned it for 4 years and has traveled back and forth for summers. Truck runs really good, nothing we noted wrong with it. He has a back up camera on it as well. But its a 4cyl. Was hoping for at least a 6cyl..but for a 16yr old, I guess a 4cyl isn't a bad consideration either?

 

PreRunner is fine. His money? I guess he can get what he wants. It's not a bad choice. Price is good considering we are in a a completely crazy time for vehicles. Maybe a nice wagon for the goats to pull.

 

Real question: How would CarFax know the mileage? It would just either be the mileage from the last recorded service or an estimate on average miles expected per year. If someone did their own maintenance and didn't drive much, it seems like it could easily be off.

 

Oh that's a tough call. If I had to pick one for me I'd likely go with the F150, but for my son I'd probably go with the Taco. I think they are both good options.

 

also consider that the 4cyl tacoma in this picture is a 5 lug, instead of a 6 lug. Not that 5 lugs are bad, just do some research on the differences between 5 and 6 lug tacomas and know which one you want or if both are okay for your needs

 

Get the smallest truck that fits your needs. If a 4 banger 5 lug does it, then that's cheaper rubbers, oil changes, etc etc etc long term vs. an F150. spark plugs? only needs 4. Belts are cheaper. Less oil (I think, especially vs an F150). Tires are smaller (than an F150) and cheaper. Brakes don't wear as much since it's lighter and aren't ragging on it, so they last longer. They're smaller (than the F150) so cheaper. The list - it goes on and on and on.

With my purpose - I still want a 4 banger but I need the crew cab now. But if I didn't need the crew cab I was seriously considering that 4, it's a great engine.

 

LOL will it at least pull a 5x8 utility trailer with his goat cage on it? Usually transports no more than two goats or with a 4 wheeler on it?

 

Since I'm the mama, I'm not sure I know the differences between lugs. LOL But would like to learn.

 

5 lug and 6 lug (wheel lug nut pattern) tacomas have some differences. One big thing is the suspension is different.

From an just overview level from what I've read. Never had a 5lug before:

• 5lugs are: 2wd, not intended for offroad, usually less features like intermittent wipers; a "base model" trim, 4cyl but I think there are some 1st gen v6s out there, less towing and payload capacity, suspension I believe is softer/more car than truck feel
• 6lugs are: 4wd or prerunner (fancy 2wd), both 4wd and prerunners are intended to go off road, 4cyl and 6cyl, more payload and towing capacity than 5lugs, more truck feel suspension

 

Thank you for that information @y=mx+b much appreciated!

 

Yes, no problem.

If your son is excited about either/both then I'd encourage you to go with the Tacoma. The 4 cylinder is tried and true and some new Tacoma buyers STILL choose the 4 cylinder 2020 Tacoma.

I feel you're adding an opinion here. Perhaps they aren't meant for rock crawlin'. My 83 Nissan wagon wasn't "meant" for offroad either but that junker clawed it's way up some trails.

 

Not trying to side track the original post here, but my original wording was "not intended" rather than "not capable" because yes, you can still go out to some and have fun with 2wd "not intended" to go off road