Advice on selling a 04 2wd PreRunner for a 4x4

Howdy fellas,

I’m at a point where I’m wanting to upgrade to a 4x4 Tacoma 1st gen and i currently have a 2wd PreRunner. I purchased the Prerunner about two years back from a private party for about 14k and it was pristine with about 110k. At the time i hadn’t even thought about off roading/over landing i just needed a good small pick up that was reliable and so I found it and i fell in love immediately and couldn’t pass it up as others were also looking at it. Fast forward to today, my prerunner is still in great condition if not better except with about 160k miles now but with many upgrades—both mechanical and cosmetic.

My question is… what are the chances i can sell my prerunner and either get better than 14k or at least break even and be able to purchase a 4x4? How have you guys gone about it? I thought about going the swap route but man it is HARD to find a a340f transmission especially one that doesn’t have the manual kick down. I want to hear from the folks that went 2wd to 4x4 by selling or trading their 1st gens. Did you go upside down on it in order to be able to get 4x4?

 

What state/area are you in?

that makes a big difference on prices and demand.

 

Yep looking back i think so too. Wish i had done a bit more research back then on pricing for these 1st gens. I jumped the gun here.

 

Central TX. Austin area. I think i can get a decent buck but I’d be selling it with all the bells and whistles that are currently on it

 

Manual swap ? Is there a reason you must stay automatic

 

Very tru. Thing is my previous vehicle was a manual and I’ve been driving manual for 6+ years now, its been nice taking a break lol but if its what’s more available I’d consider it

 

Plentiful to find the right trans when it comes to manual, and in a double cab will add resell value.

 

He's in Texas (or at least his front plate is lol).

@chalinosandwich, You won't get what you paid for it. If its in top condition and you know it top to bottom, keep it and do a conversion. If not, get what you can and jump into what you want. You're going to pay through the roof no matter what you look at given the current market. Especially on Tacomas.

It's not impossible to find an A340F. try car-part.com

Here is what a quick search shows:

for a 6cyl:



for a 4cyl:

 

Yes for 1st gens, Hawaii market would dictate a 4 door manual swapped stockish 4wd double cab would sell for the best value

 

Dude idk how many times you’ve come clutch lol, i wasn’t aware of this site. I may have some options after all, a few miles but nothing out of reason and certainly better than going thru the process of selling. A million thanks

 

I sold my 2003 double can prerunner with 196,500 on the clock back in 2019 for $7k. Probably could have held out for more but I had cash in hand 3 hours after posting it. Was in good overall shape, but I had outgrown the 2wd life.

I bought my 02 4x4 double cab first though since that was the hardest part, so I wasn’t rushing trying to sell and swap parts. Picked it up for $9500, but it needed some work, t belt, trans mount, fuel pump, new elocker actuator, new rubber everything (thanks AZ heat), and plugs/wires. I just took out a loan, bought the 4x4, sold my pre runner and then threw all the sale money at the loan and it paid of in 6 months.

I wanted to covert my 03, but the 03/04’s are more finicky with the conversions and the truck was and still is my daily so having it in pieces for weeks at a time wasn’t in the cards. I would go this route personally if you daily your truck.

The shitty thing is you’re gonna eat some money no matter what when trading up to 4x4. Just wait until you’re in a good spot financially to do so. I waited about 3 years before I had stable enough income to swallow the deferred maintenance hit of buying of a 20+ year old 4x4 truck, ended up being about $2k. Not to mention being able to float a car payment for a few months while you swap parts, register the 4x4, post an ad, and sell your prerunner. Honestly though, being able to go at my leisure and swap suspension one weekend, take the next weekend off, then do armor, then the shell, etc was super nice. You could always hammer it out faster though.


TLDR Moral of the story is, don’t bankrupt yourself. Keep your eyes peeled and have the money ready. Conversion can be super fun/rewarding, but tough if you daily.

 

Is it more than just the transmission? Only issue I'm aware of is of course the lack of a throttle cable (aka kickdown cable) on the 03-04 A340F. I'm new to this so legit question since I didn't worry about it (2002 here). As far as I knew, the hurdle for an 03/04 taco is just finding an 03/04 A340F. I also am inclined to say if he's a 6 cylinder, he should be able to grab a 4Runner A340F that didn't have the throttle cable (I think they switched in 02?). That alone will require research as the temp sensor, park/neutral safety switch, etc might not be compatible and he'd need to swap them over.

 

@chalinosandwich - when you have time, be sure to look over @ToyRyd04 's thread on his 04 conversion. His posts may help answer some of your 03-04 questions.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/toyryd04s-4x4-conversion.442349/

 

i dont think anyone wants a 2wd

 

what are these bella and whistles u speak of

 

Not sure I agree. Maybe I’m the only one but I would prefer a 2WD with the manual. Never off road, don’t tow anything and live in the mid south so not much snow.

OP, my 2010 is a 2.7L 5MT with 160k in great shape but I doubt it would go for $14k+. You can always test the market and see. Based on your pic that looks like a perfect first truck for a 16 year old. Best of luck!

 

u can get a manual with 4x4

 

You can get top dollar there for it.

Do not take any less. Stay firm at whatever price you put and don't seem in a hurry to sell.

Some fkin rich kid will get it from you with daddies oil money.

Or convert it if you want. Decisions, decisions

 

Keep and convert!!

Buy a complete Donor vehicle It is so much easier then 1 piece at a time .

Best of luck!

 

In Ca that’s 15 easy.

You have to be quick with the 4x DC’s. My buddy just picked up a mint one for 11k, was on CL for just hours. Showed up with cash quick. The guy he bought it from said he was getting calls instantly on it. And thinks he should have asked more