Advice on buying 2003 Tacoma

Hello! I’m asking for some advice/feedback on a Tacoma I want to purchase. Went out and test drove it today and it felt great, shifted smoothly and handled well, I just have some concerns about the underside. I’m new to trucks and I can’t tell if the underside looks good or if it’s been coated with something to hide rust, and I’d like this truck to last me a while cause I’ve heard Tacomas are supposed to lol. Any advice or thoughts would be extremely helpful! I put a deposit on it earlier today and was going to pay for it tomorrow morning, it has 50k miles and a clean carfax report. Link to the original listing: https://www.carsforsale.com/vehicle/details/94200771#

 

That's just like mine except mine is manual, not auto, and you have the chrome package with black fender flares, mine are both the truck color (see profile->media.) I paid more than your price, I wanted it no matter what, it was 62K when I bought it. 50K is really low if it's not been rolled back. Shame they took out the factory stereo, I like the stock one (most don't.)

I can't speak much on the rust, others will chime in, but it **looks like** it may have been fluid filmed or as you say painted to avert further corrosion. The rust on the tranny/driveshafts appears to be surface rust, minimal worries there (though they look like they may be "fun" to service/remove.) The problem with these is the box frame can rust from the inside out. The first thing I'd do is get under there with a hammer and tap around, starting with the spot I've arrowed in the first pic. It **may** be just flaking paint, hard to tell by a picture, the only way to know is to be there with a hammer.





I would also have a closer look at places like these body mounts.




Dig around here for the topics on frame rot, rusted frame, you'll see some horror stories and what to look for.

Edit: I noticed you have the same steel wheels as I do and have the same pitting problem with them, they look just like mine did. If the frame is worthy and you commit to buy, those are easy to refresh. I did a quick repaint a few months back (see the details with pics here) and they're holding up rather nicely.

 

Thanks for the advice! How do I check the frame with a hammer? Just tap it and see if it goes through?

 

Bingo, exactly what you do.

 

Good looking truck! I hope it works out for you. Just don't try to justify anything if it is rusty.

 

Skeptic me is thinking don't do it. But I don't want to rain on your parade. It looks like they are definitely trying to cover up rust. 50k miles for a 20 year old truck... that's only 2,500 a year for the life of the truck, meaning it sat quite a bit or is an unreported to carfax wrecked truck, which is what kept the miles so low while it was being rebuilt or sitting in a junk yard. It could be something bad or a good find.. almost too good. Proceed with caution. Good luck either way.

 

I live in NE Ohio and gave up trying to find a Tacoma locally because they all had major rust issues underneath. Its so bad I would just look in the bed to see if the spare tire was underneath or not because the hangers were rusting out. Most still look great on the outside which fools people into buying them and paying ridiculous prices for them. Your concerned now or you wouldn't be asking.
I bought a new one in 2017 thinking Toyota had fixed their frame issues but they had not. As far as I am concerned Tacoma's are crap because of the frame issues. Unless you live in a area where they don't salt the roads they wont last any longer than a Chevy, Ford or Dodge. I don't drive mine in the winter so the frame will last. They are great trucks otherwise and mine will last because I park it in the winter.
I have driven nothing but Toyotas since 1988. We went back to Mazda this year because Toyota doesn't stand behind their cars like they used to. They stuck us on my Sienna and Tacoma refusing to address problems with both vehicles until the warranty expired and then it was "hey you guys have a problem".

 

DONT DO IT,,,
Look at the fuel tank, its missing the skid plate and the forward strap hanger, all that rusted off in 50,000 miles ?......theres more to this story.

 

Boy, does that sound familiar. I leased a Sequoia years ago and complained on 3 occasions that I thought the front end was out of alignment. Each time I was told it was fine and I assumed they had checked it. Finally when the outer edges of the tires were worn to shit the service manager told me that I had ruined my tires. I asked what about all the times I told you there was a problem with the alignment and the service manager said there was no record of the complaints but they had a great deal on new tires if I wanted to replace them.

To answer the OP, As others have said hammer test on the frame. Seems odd to me that underside of the body looks pristine but that one body mount is almost eaten away. I suspect all the crap applied to the frame covering up a similar condition. Damn shame because that is a beautiful truck.

 

Damn I didn’t notice that Guess I’ll have to pass

 

Every photo of the frame looks like intentionally coated to hide the rust underneath.

 

Don't do it.

 

The part that gets me is why people miss the part where tons of components are covered in rust yet the frame is miraculously free from any of it IE painted/coated frame.

Are people that oblivious?

 

Driver side rocker panel is almost ate thru....
my guess is the others will showing over next couple years....

I would think twice before buying vehicles from this area.......especially Tacoma's and FJ's....

Your gonna start finding the ones with replacement frames in this condition.....
.....the replacement frames rust just as fast as the first ones.

They should of been coated with zinc chromate right out of the start gate.....and then repainted every couple of years...

 

Coming from someone who bought probably the most rusted out taco on this side of the Mississippi on a whim, be careful and don't make the mistake I did. I had my rear leaf spring mount disintegrate and lodge up into the frame rail.

Test with a ballpeen hammer, hit the very top of the frame rail where it should be the most solid (it was on mine), then compare the sound to the bottom corner. Even if you don't poke a hole through it, it could be very rusted and thin. Notice the bounce (more solid=more bounce) and sound change. Check around the sway bar brackets in the front and the rear around the leaf spring mounts.

 

Not worth the hammer test. Do not buy.