I Inherited a Tacoma, best way to make it last?

Now I say inherited but I should say gifted because its from my uncle and he's still alive, just moved into assisted living and unfortunately getting in and out of the truck was getting too hard for him. He was always smart with his money and he paid cash for it brand new in 2011.

The Truck:
Its a 2011 Tacoma TRD Off Road with 78k miles and a Leer tall topper that's been on the truck since day 2 and he chose it specifically because you can lock it from the inside and with a thick mattress he can sit all the way up to change clothes out hunting/camping.


Us on our latest camping trip in 2019


My Plans For It:
For the short term (2 or 3 years) I'll be daily driving it for my 10 mile commute and while he was very good at maintenance he didn't do much after 2020 when his health started declining so I've been catching up with fluid changes, tire rotation, detailing, etc. Then I plan to get a cheap hoopty for the daily and put the Taco on weekend and "just cause" duty.
So my question is, other than routine maintenance, what else should I be doing to make it last? I know its a vehicle and it wont last forever but its clearly a sentimental thing. Its always been here in Northern Colorado so rust isn't normally a huge concern but I also haven't really crawled under it and had a good look at the frame, it is on the to do list.

 

Sounds like it's well on it's way to lasting as is. The biggest things for any vehicle's longevity is the routine maintenance, lubing all the stuff that needs lubed, and keeping rust at bay. Rust is a concern in Colorado because of the solution they use on the roads. It's pretty nasty, so I'd get under the truck and check the frame and crossmembers for rust. If it's not rusting or only has surface rust then I'd start treating it with Fluid Film or a similar product to preserve it. Stay away from the rubberized under coatings like Ziebarts as they tend to trap moisture and mask any problems until it's too late.

 

78k miles, barely broken in, what a clean looking truck!

Grease u joints.

Proper full (11-12qt) transmission fluid swap (assuming auto trans) with pan magnets and trans filter change, coolant, front/rear/tcase gear oil, power steer fluid and consider a serpintine belt would be on my list of things to do depending on what records show. Other than that as long as rust hasnt taken a hold you are good to drive n drive!

 

Sorry about your uncle's declining health. He has good taste in trucks though!

Number one: don't let the frame rust. That can't be overstated. Clean it thoroughly, inspect, and get some Fluid Film / Woolwax / whatever on it to protect against future corrosion.

 

Strongly agree with this. "Lifetime" fluid is bunk.

I'll add that if the coolant hasn’t been changed, go ahead and do that as well. It gets acidic over time/miles, and your head gaskets will thank you. Every 50k / 5 years after that.

 

Leave the camper on so you can take him hunting again. He would love that.

 

If you live in salt country, frame care is critical.

 

Change the oil and OEM filter every 5,000 miles, open the maintenance schedule manual and follow it for everything except the transmission: Change it every 60,000 miles minimum especially if you are towing with it. (if it's an automatic) If you are towing, change at least the rear diff fluid every 30,000 miles. (I would do the xfer case and the front diff too.) Is it a V6? Change the coolant now, and then every 30K especially if you don't use the Toyota OEM coolant. It will stave off front timing cover leaks or head gasket leaks and other expensive-to-fix coolant leaks caused by it becoming more acidic over time.

Welcome to Tacomaworld!

Cheers!

 

Welcome to TW.

 

Lift (high as possible), new wheels/tires (wide and chunky as possible), light bars everywhere (bright as possible), tint on every glass (dark as possible), exhaust system (loud as possible).

This is the proper Tacoma way.

 

I lost my uncle recently, and damn, I wish I had spent more time with him.

I could drive a new truck off the lot tomorrow if I wanted.

But I'll never spend another day on the lake with my uncle.

Take care of the truck as others have suggested... good advice here amidst some jokes. But to echo @spitdog, I recommend using the truck to enjoy God's country with your uncle, to the degree possible, as the top priority.

Also, welcome to TW!

 

That's a great picture of you and your uncle! Welcome to TW. Lots of knowledgeable folks here. Post some frame pics when you are able. Condition of your frame is paramount to a long and drive-able life. I have those same wheels and they started to oxidize and leak air at about 12 years.....on mine. I'd keep and eye out for a nice clean set of OR takeoffs. You can find them periodically on craigslist in your area.

 

Nice looking truck. Don't overthink this. Just do normal maintenance and drive it. I know 78,000 isn't many miles on a 12-13 year old truck but time is as important as miles on some parts. I'd check the date code on the tires and replace them at 8 or 9 years old regardless of miles. I'd replace the serpentine belt unless you can document it had been replaced recently.

I wouldn't make many changes. That cap isn't sexy, but is very useful. Your uncle is a practical guy and I like that.

 

I would not delay get under that truck with a piece of cardboard / plastic sheet and a proper working flashlight to inspect the frame. There are many threads on protecting the frame. Winter is coming.G.L.

 

Change all the fluids,do the plugs ,fan belt and just generally keep up on the upkeep and your Taco will last a LONG time.

 

I didn't think of that, I'll add that on the to do list for sure!

Oh yeah that's definitely the plan! He's just on the tail end of recovering from a hip and knee replacement so I'm hoping come spring time I'm going to throw him in the truck and get lost in mountains!

Its a V6 Automatic. I'm going to take it in to do the trans flush but I'm going to do the diff's after I figure what the frame is looking like. Going to crawl under there on Sunday and scope it out.

Oh your going to hate me!
I plan to keep it bone stock other than headlights (current ones are melted inside) and a head unit with Bluetooth.

 

Coat inside (and outside as well) the frame rails with Fluid Film!

 

Nuthin wrong with that. Make sure to check out the insanely good headlight post/thread by crashnburn80 https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-h4-not-led-or-hid.398066/

 

You'll get mixed opinions about "flushes" but mine is that they can dislodge gunk and make things worse. If you are at all mechanical, you can change the fluid yourself. And at only 78k, I'd say a simple drain and fill would be fine. Tons of info on how to do this here on TW and on youtube (often TW members' vids) boogie3478 describes it in detail here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU6_j4AkKhc

 

Definitely touch up/paint any frame rust spots and spray with Fluid Film or Woolwax. The frame welds and diff will probably have a light coating of rust. This is normal. I worked on mine a little at a time (Rustoleum primer with a brush and then Fluid Film. Pay particular attention to the inside laminated sections of the frame under the and doors, and the boxed sections by the cats. Spray a good coating of fluid film on them both in and out. I had the CRC frame inspection done and the white goop (CRC) they treated the frame with at the time has stayed in place and held up well. It migrated into those laminated sections and they look good 18 months later. I coat any rusty welds with the red chassis grease.

Drop the spare and take a look at frame and supports above it under the bed. It will also confirm it works.