Noob buying old Taco

first, he didn’t say “little”. Second, since when is “little old lady” derogatory?

 

pardon me dog

 

3rd - Sorry, she really was very nice, and very happy to get her driveway space back. Thanks!

 

??? ".. at least 2 or 3 years out of this truck" --

Whaaaat?

If you drive 10K a year and change the oil regularly (4-5K miles,) you might easily get 10 years or more from the truck. Maybe even 15 or 20 years. This isn't an American big-three product.

Assuming there isn't some hidden "gotcha" in the truck, you just got handed an incredible discount

Reminds me of this one time about a decade ago when I found a complete 6-chair & large dining table outdoor teak wood patio dining set going for $250. Seller "just wanted to get rid of it." Nearly perfect condition, had been kept under cover in winter, etc. Retail price on it at that time was $2750 + tax.

 

Any sticker on the bed sides? Looks like there's one on there but I'm guessing it's just a reflection.

 

I would also recommend changing the PCV valve, it’s cheap and easy to do.

 

Didn't really look, just saw Tacoma and after paying, gleefully took it home. lol

 

Hmmm....thought 196000 was pretty high mileage. Be kewl if I could get more. And yeah, hopefully no hidden gotchas.

 

This is the sticker I was referring to...

 

Thanks! No service records, so all is unknown at this time. So I am going to do maintenance ASAP.

 

It's not at all for 1st & 2nd generation Tacomas, perhaps even the 3rd gens as well.

IF - a big if - it has been well-cared-for maintenance wise & not driven abusively, there's a fair chance it makes 300K+.

If you get into DIY maintenance, after doing all the normal fluids etc., consider doing a compression test & borescoping the cylinders to see what the cylinder/head/valve condition looksl like. Also, monitor oil level closely, checking level at least every 500 miles or more often, to see whether it is consuming any oil.

 

Yeah.....no nada

 

One possible yellow flag on this truck is the fake aftermarket decals & TRD wheels put on it. That's a sign it may've been owned/driven by someone, probably on the younger side, who was into "looking cool" and possibly mashing the accelerator & revving hard for kicks. Possibly.

 

Darn. Maybe they took off the stickers at one point or the wheels were put on by the PO and not factory.

 

Yeah, I'm gonna take all that off, except the wheels, I like 'em. I'm not a poser, lol.

 

If I were you, I would spend the $500 or so on parts to do the fluid changes, PCV, spark plugs, serpentine belt, air filter and others have suggested and then drive it. If it runs decent now and shifts ok, you’re probably going to be fine for quite a while, and you will have a very affordable rig. I don’t think you need to get too crazy with it and spend money on anything unnecessary if it’s running good and you’ve done the “piece of mind” maintenance items. As another poster said, you can do things as they come up if needed.

 

like Jagcanada said in previous post..... drain and pull pan and change filter and screen and refill with toyota fluid and then drive it for a couple of weeks and drain and fill again. repeat a couple more times and you should have 90 percent of fluid changed and be good to go. few bolts around the pan, but not hard at all and has replaceable rubber gasket, just clean up pan and gasket area with some brake cleaner or something like and then i put some permatex form a gasket sealer in the gasket grooves and on the gasket and bolt it back on.. smells like rotten plums, but i think it helps seal and doesn't harden.