4 CYL 4WD Experience

Doing a fair amount of research online, I have yet to come across very much info on experiences with 4 cylinder (2.7L), 4WD, 1st generation Tacoma's. Can anybody out there comment on these Tacoma's? How's performance/maintenance been? How's mileage in an auto vs. manual? Do the V6 Tacomas out last the I4s? I'm inclined to buy an I4 for better mileage and since I won't be pulling anything heavier than 1500 lbs. I ask because I'm close to buying my first Taco. I've recently found a 2004 4 cyl, 4WD, manual Taco with 35K miles. Asking price is 15K. Assuming everything checks out and I can talk the dealer down a grand or two, is this a decent deal?

Thanks all!!!

 

Welcome to TW. I don't have any experience with the truck you speak of I had an 02,V6 prerunner, 4dr, automatic. My fuel mileage was bad but I found the cause after I sold her.

 

that $15K price tag is way out of line....

get that price way down... Times are tuff they need to make sales.
Push them...

 

Thanks for the comments!

In my neck of the woods, just about any 1st gen. Tacoma with less than 100K on it is listed at 12-15k. Uber is right, I know several people who have been able to really work the price on used vehicles recently. I wouldn't purchase this particular Taco without a substantially reduced price. I assume I could knock off 1-2k off the dealer price...

 

I just bought an 04 2.7l 4wd regular cab with 62000 miles for 11.5k, and I felt I was getting a good deal. 15k for an extended cab 4wd with such little mileage doesn't sound outrageous if it's in good condition, but if I were you I'd offer one or two thousand less and be prepared to walk. In my area there are lots of Tacomas on Craigslist right now. I can see why such a low mileage 04 would be attractive but even 50 or 75k is low mileage for a well maintained Taco.

 

my 97 2.7 4wd was very reliable
replaced exhaust manifold cracked
replaced starter ( mud )
a few front brake pads
a/c repairs $600
never changed any diff fluids
injectors gave me a little trouble, but managed to clean them out
hardly ever changed the oil
197,000 miles

in other words, with good care it should last a long time.....

 

this last summer i bought an '04 2.7L manual 4x4 xtra-cab with 60k miles for $10k. i checked it out the day i saw it on the online ad. the previous owner was a girl who babied it and traded it in at the mitsubishi dealer. i think it was a pretty good deal. and i agree, you should try to knock a couple grand off the price tag.

 

i just bought a '02 xtra cab TRD 2.7 with 64,000. i gave 9400. its a very clean tight truck. i was on the lookout for about 6 months when i found the truck.
the P.O. had a small white haired animal that reqired me removing the seats and console for a very detailed cleaning.

i talked the car dealer down from 11999. i used ebay, kbb, and autotrader to get an average for the price and presented an offer. if the dealer is in fact "hungry" for a sale, they will respond to a reasonable offer.

also get your financing in order, a check from your banking institution is cash in hand and will help speed a purchase up.

good luck take your time, the less you care about buying the truck the better deal you can make.

 

i have a 99 taco 2.7 4 banger, 4X4, 5 spd! i bought it with 59k miles on it, ive had it for soon to be 5 years, the longest ive kept any vehicle! it now has 160k on it, & still feels as strong as it did when i bought it, the only thing mechanically thats happened was the starter went out on me, dont guess thats really mechanical, dunno, had it rebuilt costed me $25 & the truck is like brand new! i love the truck, wouldnt get rid of it! on milage with the 5 spd, around home i have 22-23 mpg, on the interstate in summer of 08, i drove from tn to md, & got 25 mpg, in 07 i drove to pa, about a week before i done a tune-up on it & got 27 mpg! so i think they r pretty good on gas, mine beat some 2wd's on fuel economy! hope that helps!

 

y, whats every body else get with these trucks? im not driving the truck anymore as a daily driver, but when i was, i was getting 22-23 mpg, driving about 70-80 miles a day!

 

Thanks everyone for the comments! Keep um coming! I'm feeling more confident about buying a 4 cylinder. Seems appropriate for my needs.

Now the hard part, convincing the wife that I need a new-used vehicle...

 

did u get that fixed? did ur mpg go back up? i would fill mine up normally every 2 days, right around 1/2 tank, same when im traveling too, i think maybe thats y i would get better gas milage!

 

What did you find out was the cause?

 

I have an 04 2.7l 5 speed. On the interstate I'm getting around 26mpg, if I set the cruise around 64 or so. Combo driving I'm getting around 20 +/-. Never had a problem, knock on wood. I change the oil every 4/5k miles, grease the drivetrain, and basic maintenance. That old addage pay me now or pay me later is something you can count on.