Going to look at an '02 Prerunner - questions

Hey all, I've had my heart set on a new Access cab Prerunner 4 cyl manual, but apparently they don't exist , the '10s are more rare around here than a Cubs pennant, and a $$$ buy would necessitate me selling my wonderfully and ungodly fast 'speed3. I do need a truck for rehabbing the 2 flat that we just bought, but if I get a new(er) truck, then it needs to be a gas sipper due to my 45 mile daily commute. However, if I get a good gen 1, say, then I can keep the Mazda, disregard the gas mileage, get a V6, and double-duty the truck for construction uses AND towing a '40 Ford show car around .

Ok, enough with the lead-in. I found an '02 Prerunner extended cab with an auto & V6 for $9900 or so, with 82k miles. The pics in the ad look nice (but don't they always?) I'm going to go take a look at it, and hopefully get it over to the Toyota dealer down the street for inspection. I know about the frame/rust issues on the gen 1s, but what about the drivetrain? I haven't read much about the durability/longevity of the 3.4 and auto, so I'm not sure what to expect. Any advice or related anecdotes would be most welcome. Thanks.

 

two gen 1 with the 3.4 v6 1 auto 1 manual sitting in the driveway. one is my dads he drives about anywhere from 700-1000 miles a week. He drives the auto it have 280,000 give or take just a couple thousand. just done normal maintenance. i drive the 3.4 with a 5 speed manual and have around 144,000 miles on it. both of us love our trucks great trucks never had any problems with either of them.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about the drivetrain the First gen. autos have proven to be quite durable. And your 45 mile daily commute would be a walk in the park compared to the triathlon 224 mile daily commute I put on my 2003 Prerunner and I've had zero isssues.

Oh and I wouldn't call a Mazda Speed3 which has a 0-60 time of 6 seconds "UnGodly Fast." Maybe for you at least...

 

Hey thanks, that's good to know. I've read plenty about the "bulletproof " 4 cylinder. Just not as much about the 3.4l. I'd much rather have a manual, but the options obviously decrease as I subject myself to what's available in a given area and price range.

And yeah, maybe "ungodly" wasn't the right word, but still, don't make uninformed assumptions; to quote the Beach Boys in "Little Deuce Coupe": you don't know what I got.

 

Thats a great price for that truck with such low miles. Mine had almost ~112K on it when I bought it and they wanted initially around $14K but had it on sale for ~12. I finally talked them down to 9700 since it was a former construction work truck and wasn't in the greatest of shape (dents in the hood & roof from ladders, etc). If you drive it listen for the front right dash to rattle, it can be annoying. There are a variety of fixes though. I've put about 4K on mine in a little over a month and it just purrs. Best of luck!

 

Ha that's true. Great car though...Mazda has really stepped up their game lately.

 

The 3.4 is solid, but not sure about towing a car with it.