Would rust prevent you from buying this 2nd Gen for 10K?

Hello! Long time lurker but first time poster. An opportunity to buy a 2006 DCSB 2WD TRD Off Road with 146K miles for $10K recently fell into my lap.

Its overall in great condition and I know the owner well and he has always been one to maintain all his vehicles very well. It has never really left the pavement and all maintenance is up to date. The truck has spent its entire life in Hawaii but always far away from the ocean (and no salt roads).

My one hesitation is what I think if treatable frame rust but I am looking for some help to confirm my thinking. Here are some images I was able to get of what I thought looked the worst. Any cause for concern? I plan to treat the rust with some rust converter then coat it for protection.

I am planning on using this truck as a short < 10 miles daily commuter with the occasional monthly camping trip with a light payload through mild off-road trails. Already planning on upgrading suspension to 5100s all around with 884s upfront and the Icon RXT Leaf pack on Option 1.

Thank you in advance!

 

yes

 

Yeah, that thing is toast - look at the crazy delamination on the bottom inside edges.

10k as a donor? Maybe, depends. As a driver? No way.

 

She's pretty rough. Unless you're a welder/fabricator, or have spare frame laying around, run. Even then, at $10K, nope.

 

Considering that things are more expensive in Hawaii. Doesn't look like its going to break in half tomorrow. Is it in better shape than what you have now? Can you afford a 10K gamble? How handy are you?

 

Welcome to TW. Good for you for getting underneath and looking before you purchase.

That is a 19 year old truck and I have seen a lot worse from a rust perspective. There are sections of the frame that are delaminating. (3rd and 5th picture are worse). In the areas were to be repaired, all existing rust would have to be removed and then you'd have to evaluate how bad the damage is in that spot. Worst case you'd be cutting out sections of the frame and rewelding in repair sections. Best case, the damage isn't too bad and you could apply some rust convertor and protect. Hard to tell from the pictures how extensive the rust damage is on the frame. I won't just apply rust convertor to that rust and move on - best approach would to be remove rust / damaged metal, and then evaluate what needs to be done.

In the 4th picture, it looks like the radiator support is rusted right through. The metal around the hole is probable very thin and hasn't rusted through yet. There is a chance it could be repaired (rusty metal cut out and new metal welded in) or may just be better off cutting the entire support out and welding in a new one. If that support is rusted through, there is a chance there are other areas hidden by the skid plate that need attention too.

If you've been on this site for a while, you are aware of the early 2nd gens having a head gasket issue - something to be aware of.

If you know the owner well and were still interested, I'd drop that skid plate and have a look at what is under there. If you know the owner really well, tell him your concerns about the rust on the frame and take a screw driver and wire brush, remove all the loose damaged metal, see how bad the rust damage is. That will help you evaluate the level of repairs required.

From the pictures you posted, I don't think this is a truck you buy , install new suspension, and just drive. The extent of the rust damage needs to be determined and the effort/cost required to repair needs to be known if you are still interested.

 

theres a seem there on all of them im pretty sure and it does corrode, but that split is not from corrosion alone

 

im from MA, northeast salt 38 years, and that truck looks fine!!! few areas to work on but overall, very nice

 

Runn Forest, Run !

 

If that was in NH, it's practically a virgin.

That being said, there seems to be an odd mix of really nice sections coupled with bad sections - like someone already Frankensteined the frame - though I'm pretty sure it's not.

Looks like most of the rust is the typical (for Tacos) rusting from the inside out where some of those spots look fairly good from the outside, yet their are holes (like the pic 4). The heavy delamination in pic 3 is concerning IF you can poke a hole through it with a screwdriver.

Hard to tell what sections are what, but as others have stated they look either ok enough, or fixable/weldable to me. You can buy frame sections from various places for reinforcement or replacing. A lot depends on how much you are willing to spend on parts AND the services of a welder experienced in frames.

The last part is key. I can weld, but I would NEVER weld a frame. Frame welding is an art form that the local welder at the corner may not have the knowledge and skill for.

 

2WD is not worth buying for your anticipated usage, never mind the rust perforations on the front crossmember that are considered fatal by Toyota's inspection standard (>10mm).

 

If you have a real good friend that knows how to weld or if you know how to. It’s salvageable, imo. I wouldn’t pay 10k though.

 

Unless you have the time, skills & tools....run, not walk, away.

 

You aren't getting the "friend" price on that truck, 2wd, significant rust, $6k tops.

 

I just wanted to emphasize that being able to weld, and being able to weld a frame is completely different. A truck frame is a critical structure that can make the difference between living and dying - not just for the driver/passenger of the truck, but other drivers and passengers surrounding the truck on the road. There is a lot of skill and consideration that goes into welding a frame or welding a repair section into a frame, including, but definitely not limited to things like proper fill metallurgy, weld penetration, etc. Along with those skills come a lot of liability if the welded section happens to fail because of the quality of the weld, and the failure causes injury and/or death. Like I stated earlier, I am quite decent at welding with ARC, MIG, and TIG, but I (myself) would never even think of trying to weld a frame or frame section of a truck or car to be driven on the road.

 

$10K? buy it for $8K