When is it time to let go of your 2nd gen Tacoma?

So I bought a 2009 4 cyl Tacoma 2.7 ltr some 2.5 years ago and it cost me 14k canadian dollars before truck prices went up after the pandemic. I drive a lot and over this time put another 170k km on it. In this time the truck has been incredible for me; comfy and no issues, best vehicle I ever owned. This past weekend when the battery light came on on the highway and I got stranded in the middle of nowhere when the engine eventually shut down.
I've wound up at a dealership for the repairs and it looks like it was the alternator belt that was the cause of my engine shut down even though I have some coolant fluid leaks to fix as well. I had totally forgot to change the belt ever since I bought it which is my bad. Now I'm scared to keep this truck casue mileage is high and what if it strands me again but when I look at replacing it with another tacoma, the prices are so high that it makes me think not to give up on her yet.
If I was handy, keeping the truck would be a no brainer but since I pay for repairs, it might be time to let her go. Need some advice from you lot as to what should be my next move?

 

What's the total mileage? 170k is only 105k miles which isnt a ton for these trucks. Lets say if your at like 241,000km and you've maintained it meticulously I'd 1000% keep it unless you really want a new one. The 2.7L is a great engine and is known for running forever when abused and longer if maintained well!

Edit....
How's the frame? That's a big factor!

 

I bought a 2010 4Runner earlier this year and spent about $3k in parts doing fluids, belt, spark plugs, brakes, ball joints, shocks... Any used truck over 10 years old is going to need a bunch of maintenance done to it, wear parts replaced, etc. Open your wallet and get these things done proactively instead of waiting for them for fail "in the middle of nowhere".

 

Id say do the repairs to get it back to being healthy. $3-4k up front is better than a new truck payment, insurance, and whatever issues a new truck will have.

that being said, i will never get rid of my 2nd gen.

 

Hey squirt...just learning how to use this site so forgive me.

What's the total mileage? currently at 386km which would be 240k in miles

Edit....
How's the frame? That's a big factor! The Frame looks brand new and surprises many onlookers

3JOH22A Any used truck over 10 years old is going to need a bunch of maintenance done to it, wear parts replaced, etc. Open your wallet and get these things done proactively instead of waiting for them for fail "in the middle of nowhere". where do I go to the repairs? dealer?

Fatfurious2...The repairss the dealership wants to do will cost just under 3k half of which is to replace the poorly located water bypass pipe. rest are minor.

 

You are putting on 40k+ miles a year, you are going to have maintenance costs

I’d keep this and run it up to 500k miles, that will likely be the cheapest per mile cost for a truck

 

So what’s you’re saying is have a contingency plan in place for any possible future breakdowns which may happen but stick with old faithful.

 

At some point it becomes a fun hobby to see how well you can maintain an old truck. Sounds like you love the thing, so keep it going as long as you can. Complete engine failure, frame rot, accident or social pressure would be the only reason to sell.

 

386km/250k miles is pretty up there but if the frame is excellent I'd say keep it!

 

I get the hobby part but in terms of frequent long distance traveling to remote locations, can I still depend on it? I guess I would need to get to know the ins and outs of the truck better if I want to continue down the same path with it.

 

I'm in a similar situation, bought my 2010 in 2012 with under 7000 miles. At 137K now. This year has been a little tougher than usual, I've dropped about 3 grand into it and now just got hit for a new oil pan for 1000 to 1500 more today (haven't got it back yet).

That said I'm steadfast in keeping it. My frame was replaced 2 1/2 years ago and can be eaten off of. I don't drive anywhere near what you drive to be honest.

That said, the serpentine belt you're dealing with that stranded you is a maintainence item. Hell, most of what you mentioned is not unexpected.

 

Ya I haven't given the green light to the $1,500 dealership wants for the water bypass pipe yet. I feel like my frame must have been replaced too at some point cause it looks brand new. The stickers are on it still. I'm expecting all the hoses and such to slowly go being in cold climate but maybe all this long distance driving is what's been keeping her in good shape? With all these hwy km, I'm the only person that sees any value in this truck anyway. I thought the alternator is what caused the breakdown but dealership tells me original alternator is mint. My first car was an old mazda 323 and I had to replace alternator almost monthly.

 

Whatever maintenance it needs, will definitely be cheaper than a huge monthly payment.!!!

Sounds like your Tacoma is on great shape!!!

That's my twoonie!!!

 

I think you nailed it. The longer you own the truck, the more familiar you will become with it and worry less. I did 3 road trips this year. Two were 4k miles each and the 3rd was about 7k miles. The long one had me in some relatively remote areas, but not middle of alaska kinda remote...more like public land in CO/WY.. Regardless,... At this point, I never worry about hopping in my truck and taking off. To be honest, I'm more concerned about not having cell signal in case I need to call for a medical emergency than I am worried about the truck breaking down from lack of maintenance.

 

Fair enough Rick... Sounds like maybe I was to blame for slacking on changing the alternator belt and maintaiing cooling system aadequately and got my own ass stranded...not the truck's fault. 'Mighty Ninja' rides again!

 

Find a good independent mechanic. Ask questions. Take some of their advice. This is not a hard engine to work on.

 

I don't really wind up anywhere without cel signal, I guess I'm sad that that feeling of not worrying at all in this truck has been shaken. I travel east to west in canada so there's always cel signal on the hwy but most places there's no public transportation. I have roadside assistance anyway and now that I've been stranded once I'll be better prepared for any such eventualities in the future. The truck had been indestructible to this point and that is not a fair expectation to have of her indefinitely specially at 400k. Maybe i should have the dealership replace the water bypass hose now too then.

 

that work's when you

Grest advice to avoid being stranded far from home on a weekend and not knowing anybody. Thanks!

 

Run your VIN on Toyota's site, I'm pretty sure it will show up if the frame is replaced. I haven't tried running mine since the swap but I have all the paperwork anyways. That said if you have stickers still on it I surmise it's a swap.

I totally see value here. Especially since you know what you have

 

The Tacoma is pretty easy to work on yourself for the most part. For the things you can't do, local indie shop that knows Toyotas would be best. Ask around in your regional thread:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ontario-bs-thread.249665/
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/british-columbia-bs-thread.732181/
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-wild-west-known-as-alberta.811159/
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/who-lives-in-manitoba.139316/
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/nova-scotia-bs-thread.331449/