I Think I Robbed the Guy

I think you got a decent deal by today’s standards. I’m thinking about selling mine. See my profile pic. It just hit 120k, had a new camper, head unit, custom wheels and is rhino lined.

 

OP, I think the bed liner is factory. Maybe not stock per say on a particular trim, but is from the factory / dealer when requested. I had an 03, no pictures any more of it, but the liner in your shot looks like the one I remember mine came with (requested even?) when new.

Yours is nice. I miss mine a bit.

 

No rust is good, but roughed up paint and trapped moisture (under the liner) in a coastal region and fishing truck is inviting rust.

You're much better off tossing the liner and spending a couple days prepping and finishing the bed. You'll be glad you did. Read about the product advantages in the link. (not affiliated, yada yada yada). No special equipment required.

 

Good point, I’ll definitely keep that in mind when I start working on her! Thanks

 

Sell it for $9,000 to those friends that think it was a great deal. Then buy a Tacoma with a 3RZ or 5VZ if you want to tow or even go up in tire size.

 

An airbag or beefier leaves will def help with towing, these rear ends get hella saggy.

 

To be honest with you I might, but I’m for sure going to drive it for the summer to and from my internship along with learn how to do the maintenance myself. I’ll think more about it in the Fall before I go back to school.

If I can find a first gen 4WD Double cab V6 with low mileage that’d be ideal, but I know that’s a a gem of a truck to find mileage wise. I just love how my truck drives

 

Now's the time. I haven't found any First Gen Tacoma on marketplace for less than 10k unless it has 200k+ miles and has been beat to high hell. Here in Florida they're really popular and I could probably easily sell my taco for at least 10k, but like I said I want to drive it for a bit and just learn how to do maintenance before I make an upgrade.

I'll drive it for a summer and probably get it to 118k-120k mileage by the time I'm looking to sell it IF I was going to.

 

I think the best option is staring you in the face; keep this truck, as it was quite a find with how clean it is and low miles, and then also buy a 4wd Taco. This one will make a nice daily, and get the 4x4 for offroad fun, and/or for slightly more towing capacity. You'll have a nice reliable daily with this truck, so you can go with a cheaper higher mileage truck on the 4x4

 

wasn’t v6 4x4 as low as $7k before COVID

 

Keep in mind a 6 lug will not be the same. Very different platform

Our 5 lugs are more carlike in that regard.

Don't let the v6 4wd folks beat you down on a 'just because' basis. If the truck is used within it's limits you'll be fine.

If you need more, that's something for another day.....

 

Seems to be! Worried my mom is going to pull a fast one on me because "It's not safe for driving to and from college" and make a bad financial decision by buying me a new truck which we can't afford. I mean, she kind of has a point since a newer model is going to have much better safety features than a first gen.

Probably. Taco prices have jumped up like crazy post covid which sucks. They'll come back down after a couple of years. It's a really great time to be a seller right now and that's part of the reason why I might sell what I got and upgrade, but I like what time623 said

Good point. Love it so why change it!

 

Prices are all over the place. So much comes down to location and how knowledgeable the seller/buyer is. In general the prices of these trucks are coming down over the past year or so (as is the case with all vehicles). Not a great time to sell in my opinion, at least compared to two-three years ago.

 

No truck is the best for a college commuter. Think MPG.

There are many choices better for that. Yea, they are econo boxes, but so what? A campus isn't the place vehicles stay pristine, most folks have no DIY space available, the newer the vehicle the higher the insurance, then there is the operating cost........

 

Yeah that’s how I explained it to her somewhat. The amount we’re now paying on insurance kind of outweighs the cost for filling up the tank since it’s now significantly lower than when I had my RAV4. Also the costs of maintenance will be higher the newer the model. I can’t control my mom though, I just hope she doesn’t turn around and buy a 40k truck I’ll have to pay down payments on for the next five years or I’m gonna raise hell.

and also you’re right about capability in a previous comment. If I get a larger boat, I’ll have to find a workhorse truck later down the line

 

I second this. I just got an '03 PreRunner a couple months ago, and my wife has nicknamed it "Mario Kart" because the rear end bounces like crazy on these poorly maintained back roads. If I hit a bump going through a turn I can "bounce-drift" if I'm going fast enough. New suspension is at the top of my to-do list.

 

Yeah that’s a good idea. When I took the truck to Firestone before I purchased her they told me I’ll need to replace my suspension pretty soon (shocks and struts), so once I start working that’ll be the first big thing I purchase for the truck.

For now (and with the little money I have) I’m going to put my efforts into fully restoring the truck and make her look as brand new as possible interior and out, along with learn maintenance. Once my internship starts I’m gonna replace the suspension, get some new tires/rims, and a toolbox for the back.

 

I just cleaned out underneath the bedliner for probably the first time since the truck rolled off the lot (it was gross). Found a couple of very tiny rust spots.

Today’s agenda is the valve cover gasket which should be delivered today, along with replacing some dead bulbs and buffing the light fixtures.

 

Did a transmission temp reading before and after adding a Hayden 677 transmission cooler. Took the truck up and down the expressway on a hell hot Tampa afternoon and trans ran around 200 degrees.



added the cooler and did a flush with MaxLife ATF and ran the same route on a similarly hell hot Tampa afternoon, cooler made about a 25 degree difference

 

Backup camera is a great idea. Look, there are mods for mods sake or aesthetics like wheels and there are legitimate improvements that can make your rig safer or more convenient and useful like a modern head unit, B/U camera, USB charging ports, etc. My favorite mods were the touch screen HU and remote door locks. Map light upgrade is pretty useful too. Just make sure you take care of the maintenance items first.