Can I get some advice on purchasing my first Tacoma?

Hey all, I am on the market for a Tacoma and I have a few questions that I was hoping this community could help with.

I've read I should avoid 2017 models and that 2019-2023 are pretty decent. Any other things I should keep in mind when looking at models?

Right now I have an offer from a dealer for a 2020 Tacoma TRD Offroad 4WD with about 63k miles on it, for $34,500, the only downside on it is a Safari Snorkel that's installed. It's history is completely clean. It has basically no rust and comes with all the nice little features installed, is this a good deal? Is 63k miles too much?

What's a price point I should be eyeing for TRD Offroads and SR5s?

Any helpful tips or pointers as I look to join the club of Tacoma would be appreciated

 

The dealer is the way to go. As soon as I got out of College, I needed a new rig so I bought a 2017 Tacoma TRD OR with 75k miles on it. I paid cash and a few months later I've put so much money into repairs on this truck. It really sucks because I was told Tacoma's are so great, from what I've experienced, they're not. They'll cost you an insane amount of money to keep up. It's a never ending money pit.

 

Standard advice: use KBB and others for valuation, and see if that tracks with your price in your location. Don’t let the salesman pretend that the sliders or dorkel add value. Get it to an indy mechanic for an inspection, keeping in mind that it’s very probably been wheeled.

 

I would look at another truck. Has spotty service records and an accident. Also has that snorkel on there which we all know the hole they had to drill in the fender. Looking at the roof it looks like it had some kind of rack on there which leads me to believe that truck has had some other mods. That's a pass for me.

 

Oh man, I didn't even notice those. Is the price decent? Not sure what price point I should be targeting on an SR5 or TRD Offroad

 

Price looks average to me. Far as SR5 vs OR, it all depends on what you're after and the look. OR has some nicer features and a locker if you need it.

 

I know the market is different now but to give you a frame of reference, I bought my 4x4 SR5 new from the dealer for $32K and some change back in 2021.

 

I feel like those days are long gone, ha everything I am looking at is like 36 and change and goes up from there, market seems fucked

 

You’re at a Nissan dealer. I wonder what a new KC 2wd is going for, today?

 

KC?

 

King Cab.

 

Are Nissan trucks decent these days? ha

 

Correct. KBB says my truck is worth more now than it was when I bought it lol

 

I think you should find out.

 

With the snorkel and roof rack plugs would be a hard pass for me

 

Keep looking at Toyota's...

 

FWIW, I just purchased a 2020 DCLB SR5 with 70k miles for $33k, which seemed to be a good-not-great price. Single owner, clean history, good maintenance records, etc. (It also came with a Leer 180 topper so that represented the real savings for me as I require one and was going to buy one new.)

I'd avoid anything with off-road mods as that means it's likely been driven hard (unless you know what to look for and are planning to do the same.)

 

I'm looking for a forever truck, if I can be cliche haha. I want something that I will be driving for a long long time from now.

 

This shouldn't be your forever truck. Sliders indicate the previous owner wheeled or intended to wheel it. The fender needed a hole drilled for the snorkel. Anyone willing to drill that hole didn't baby their truck. The door sticker is not factory, which is fine by itself, but it indicates the previous owners willingness to modify the truck and make it their own. Also the roof plugs as others have mentioned indicate past roof rack.

I say this as someone has by all definitions abused his truck. Modified it from all angles. I've done a lot of mods, some well, others I have learned some lessons along the way. Knowing what I know about my truck, I wouldn't buy it from myself.

 

price is "okay".

I feel that this thing was one of those trucks where a seller took everything off to sell separately, and he/she returned the thing to as close to stock as possible. even the tires seem like the stock option.

having said that, I have bought some stellar used trucks in my past. I still have the 2006 where I put 200k miles on it and Never even had a burp of trouble.

the snorkel looks out of place on a stock rig. in my humble opinion.