Kid wants to buy a 2014 Tacoma with 82,000 miles

Two owners. V6 4x4. Service records up to 54,000 miles. Access cab. Accident in 2018 with "minimal" damage, according to CarFax. Taking it to body shop tomorrow to put it on lift and look at frame for damage, rust, etc. I drove it today and it did what it's supposed to do as far as accelerating and getting up a hill with no complaining. Coming into parking lot, there was a dip and it felt the tiniest bit bouncy...but I haven't driven a pickup in years, and when I did, I drove it stupid, so not sure what's normal.

We're in Pennsylvania and that's where the truck lived, so winter weather.

$19,900.

What should we be "feeling" for while driving? What other considerations coming up on 100,000 miles and routine or "surprise" maintenance?

He's been looking at trucks for around the same price with waaaaaay higher mileage and not Toyotas.

Outside of truck looks cared for. Inside looks like it may have seen some coffee spills and hunting trips.

Need advice before he drops money on it. Although, right now he's driving a Honda with 230,000 miles, so looking at mileage alone, this looks like a good buy. Help? And thank you!

ETA: Just called dealership where it was previously serviced: brought in in 2021, no perforations and it was coated.

 

We are doing the same thing right now, and in Texas that would be a screaming deal…except for the fact that it’s lived in Pennsylvania, which would cause us to pass it by, lol. Check the normal spots for leaks, (main, front, diffs, t-case, etc.). I like to swerve on it a bit at low speed to kind of feel the suspension load and listen for any pops. Listen to engine at start up. Hopefully should be another 100K from a chain.

 

Thanks! And yes, it's going to have to be a thorough check for the R word. Ugh...crossing fingers that whoever owned the truck took some care. I'll tell the kid to do some swerving while driving.

ETA: 2021 was checked for rust at dealership and coating applied.

 

V6? 4x4?

On v6, secondary air injection pump/valves are prone to fail. Can cost 2k if the valves fail. There is a factory TSB on this, but I think it only covers up to 2012.

On 4x4, the front differential needle bearing, driver side, is know to fail. Check it with 4x4 engaged.
There is a TSB on this too, but they replace it with the same part. Aftermarket East Coast Gear Supply has a superior bearing replacement.

sSteering rack prone to failure. Leaking boots will first appear. About $2k parts and labor, stick with OEM.

 

If original shocks it's time for new ones.

Frame rust is the biggest single concern if it's lived in salt country. As in beat on, probe, and camera inside the boxed areas

 

The original shocks are toast, that would be bouncy.

If the frame has ever been coated, run away.

 

At 100K, the coolant will be due. The plugs and transmission fluid should have been done at 60k, but they often aren't. The differentials should be done every 30k, but also often aren't.

Its great it has service records. I bought a car with similar high mileage, and the first thing I did was change all of the fluids and plugs. It all looked great, but it made me feel better to drive it knowing that maintenance is not neglected.

I agree with giving it a good shakedown to test the suspension and transmission shift points, and give it a thorough look for rust. Sounds like a great car.

 

There is a more affordable solution to the secondary air intake depending on your emissions/inspection situation. (My truck is 2013). Not making any recommendations but it can be researched pretty easily on the interwebs

 

Verifying the frame is crucial, you got that covered with putting it on a lift. Get some advice from a good mechanic and check out the AC real good. AC repairs can get expensive.

 

Just called dealership where it was previously serviced: brought in in 2021, no perforations and it was coated.

Just called Toyota dealership again and they said to call corporate. Coporate said the
Customer Support Program ZKA extend to Jan 30, 2026 for 2011-2017 and if major frame damage will replace the frame free. Hmmmm.

 

Sorry, yes...V6, 4x4. Thank you!

 

If the frame is good and rust isnt out of control then it sounds like a good deal

2012s had air injection problems but I'm pretty sure they had that sorted out by 2014/2015. The tell-tale sound of the air pump purging at shutdown is the update that keeps the water from hanging out in the pump and valves and causing them to fail

Get a proper pre-sale inspection at a reputable shop of course..

 

"Major frame damage" means a 10mm or larger hole visible with the naked eye, without the dealer touching it at all - no probing, no poking, no hammering. Dealerships used to poke/prod/scrape, but Toyota changed the procedure at some point because too many frames were failing.

Also be aware that if you spot a hole 1 second after Jan 30, 2026 they will do absolutely nothing.

My frame was coated under the Toyota program, and in my case the coating only hid the rust damage until a few months after the window closed. The coating procedure is covered by a lengthy TSB, which includes complete removal of existing rust - dealerships do not follow this procedure generally, because they get paid a flat fee by Toyota for the application, and the rust will continue to grow under the coating. At some point Toyota switched from the "black goop" (Noxudol) applied all over the frame to the "white goop" (a cavity wax sprayed inside the boxed sections). If the truck has the "black goop", either pass or be prepared to strip it down completely with steel wool and mineral spirits, because rust WILL form underneath it.

Be absolutely sure you get after the prone portions of the frame while it's up on the lift, and I'm taking get after it with a ball peen hammer where you can swing one and aggressive scraping with a screwdriver where you cannot. The major trouble spots are: inside portions of the front box sections, facing the cats; fronts and backs of the front cab mounts; inside and the top section of the rear frame near the muffler (this one gets missed frequently, it's hard to see); front and rear leaf spring perches. Also look at the inward-facing edges of the C-channel areas and be sure they are not delaminating or spreading due to rust inside the layers of frame section.

Be wary of fresh paint or fresh undercoating. If there is any sort of rubberized coating on the frame anywhere, pass, even if the metal is sound for now - that stuff is a pain to remove and rust WILL form underneath it.

A certain amount of surface rust is inevitable, but if you find portions in the trouble spots above that are saltine cracker type consistency, even if they're shallow and have good metal underneath, walk away - it's 100x worse inside those boxed sections than anything you see outside, and there is not much good metal left by the time you can tell from the outside.

 

An in-depth, proctological-grade examination for rust.

 

Will a good mechanic know to do all this? We're taking it to a shop that also does collision repair. This mom certainly won't be getting under the truck on a lift.

Yikes...I'm not feeling as sure about this truck now. Maybe I should encourage him to wait and save up more money to buy new. Thanks for your input!

 

just do your due diligence. The price is really good, which makes me nervous, but it’s worth having a trustworthy tech look at it I think. So far in searching for a truck for my son, pretty much all the trucks with an amazing price have turned out to be too good to be true, but in my experience you have to wade through a few of those to find a deal.

 

Good. If Toyota dealer did the frame, it will be in the system. You should be able to enter the VIN # on toyota.com/owners. You should be able to see the service record and applicable TSBs/repair campaigns with documentation.

 

Thanks. I really want this to work out, mostly because he's young and itching to buy a truck, and I've seen some of the other "young dude" trucks he's been looking at (lower price, older, more mileage) and which are even more yikes. This truck is in a lower-cost-of-living area than where I live, and the dealer has great reviews, so I'm hopeful.

 

The late 2nd gen Tacoma is one of the best to have. They are way more reliable than any other midsized truck. All vehicles have issues. It is just a matter of how many and how severe.

 

Here's our northeast forums links.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/north-east.38/

You may be able to find a member or mechanic nearby.

@HomerTaco