Did you buy a high mileage Tacoma?

You have limited slip in 2WD and 4H. Unless you are doing some extreme 4W off roading you’ll do just fine in 4H with your limited slip. I spend a lot of time hunting/fishing in remote rough country and 4H with LS gets me there and back just fine. Very rare do I need 4L but I’m not rock crawling or anything like that.

 

2005 base. 2.7L, 5-Speed. purchased 190k. I'm at 220k and have had to fix:

W/P, serp belt and tensioner. The 05/06 use a different tensioner then the 07/on. PO didn't know this and this trashed the W/P, Belt, tensioner and idlers.
Radiator - no biggie, it's original. Thermostat and glycol - normal maintenance
I'm about to do a clutch - They way I drive this go-kart, I'm not complaining.
That's it

I'm happy with my high mile purchase.

 

For slow-speed stuff, I prefer 4-lo. Better throttle mapping and gear reduction makes things a lot smoother. I prefer to avoid the 'send it' approach; that's how stuff breaks.

I only discovered the lack of auto-LSD in 4-lo when I was door-sill deep in an icy water crossing and couldn't figure out why I was getting stuck in an otherwise easy situation.

 

I bought my 06 in 2016 with 99k miles on it (which I considered fairly low mileage at the time) for $16,500 and it has 170k miles on it today. Other than normal routine maintenance (tires, brakes, oil changes, coolant and other fluids, spark plugs, belt and pulleys, etc.) I have only had to do some frame rust removal using a wire wheel followed by Ospho and some rustoleum spray paint twice in the 7 years I've owned it, since it came from Alaska and had some minor rust when I bought it. I also live on the coast and drive it on the beach several times a month so it gets more salt exposure than most CA trucks probably do. It seems like the frame is holding up alright so far, though.

No major repairs needed yet, knock on wood, but I'm trying to keep up on preventative maintenance to keep it that way. Even if something catastrophic happened tomorrow, I still feel like it's been a super solid truck and very happy with how easy it's been for me. Most of the stuff I've done didn't necessarily need to be repaired or replaced at the time. Just follow the other posters advice about doing a thorough check on it, and trying to get records and owner history info if you can.

 

Got my 2013 in June with 100K on it. One owner, who was exceptionally anal about scheduled maintenance, and a New Mexico vehicle so rust isn’t a thing. Maybe I paid too much, but sometimes just being able to get what you want is the deal. It feels like a new truck to me.

 

My brother bought a 07 trd long bed in 2013 with around 90k miles on it. I think he paid close to 20 grand in northern VA. It now has like 280k and he’s been in CA for the past dozen years so rust is no issue. Truck is all original- no leaks. I got a ‘13 5 lug with 75k so not close to high miles yet. Best trucks!

 

They don’t make em like they used to. But knowing that Toyota has its standards higher than virtually any other truck manufacturer out there even today gives a guy a boner. Drive it. Get on your back and have a look see under it. Fiddle with this and that. Ask for maintenance receipts. Use your gut. If it drives fine down the road chances are it’ll be fine. If you’re worried, bring along a mechanic and have him look it over

 

After the turbo 4s come out the higher standards are out the door

 

Thanks for all the replies. I bought a 2015 double cab, 5ft bed with 122k for $21k. So far so good.

 

i bought new, but now own a high mileage (182k). Turn the key. It starts. keep on going. I wouldn't want to drive it to Cali today, but if i had too, i would trust it

 

• I bought a 2011 Taco with 32K on it. it now has 109K on it. No rust. Routine oil changes every 6 months. Just changed all the coolant lines. Spark plugs every 30K. Transmission fluid at 60K and 100K. Truck mainly sits in my garage. It has not been my daily driver for the past 4 years. I just can't seem to want to part with it.

 

2nd gen best gen. Especially 2.5gen

 

Nice! Sounds like a good deal. I also just picked up a 2015. TRD Offroad with 95k miles. Paid $26k. CA truck with no rust. The interior is perfect too. Never selling, it'll eventually be my daughters truck (in 15.5 years).

 

Agree! After countless hours of research I think this is an accurate statement. 1st Gen is a very close second IMO (as I drove one for 20 years).

 

1st gens are built better and will last freaking forever, but they are so tiny
2nd gen is a more well rounded truck

 

Actually, I also had the interior (by left knee) fuse box short out. Forgot about that. That was a pain to diagnose. All sorts of weird symptoms like no ABS, no speedo, no window actuators, etc.

 

Just bought a 2013 4WD double cab 5ft bed. Has some very minor things to fix but overall a good truck. I spent 2-3 months looking for one. They sure don't come around too often.

 

Started my Taco experience at 178k

Got it with a new frame, brakes, and some other items replaced.

only thing I’ve had to repair was a leaky coolant bypass pipe.

runs like a champ

 

Giving my son my 3rd gen, so I just got a 2008 TRD Offroad 4WD with 188k miles on it. So far I have no complaints.

Have a friend who is a mechanics teacher at a local high school and giving it him to the truck so he can go over everything.

 

Started my Taco Life at 192k with a 2012. Swapped a new serpentine belt in. Dropped all fluids for peace of mind. Did have to replace a starter solenoid, only non-routine thing. Also did the unifilter swap with a new cabin filter, but otherwise that's it. Pretty much routine. Now at 202K and it runs great.

Cosmetic detailing and mods makes her look very contemporary for her miles and years lol.