1996 tocoma for $3000 high miles worth it?

Hey everyone. I found a 1996 taco with about 160xxx miles on it. They are asking 3400 which I thought was a bit high, but anyways I'm in the marlet for a new DD bc I'm tired of DDing my turbo 240sx everyday.It would be used for DD/picking up light car parts/occasiosal 300 mile trip to the parents house. I have 3000 to play with so I came here to ask you guys if I should offer him 3000 and if I should be afraid of the miles on the truck. It's a 4cl 5 spd 2wd. Standard cab. claims It was used for simple farm chores. The body is in good shape and paint looks good. I know my way around cars but I'm new to toyotas and trucks in general. I would like it to last atleast 5 years or so. It's the best deal I can currently find on craigslist list as far as tacos go. Worth it or not guys?

 

I'd say yeh thats a good price. 160k is nothing to one of those trucks.

 

160k isn't really high miles, that's about the average miles for the earlier first gens.Tacomas hold their value, 2wd not as much as the 4wd but sill hold value. 3400 is probably normal. If you could get it for 3 that would be a good buy. With the 2wd 160 should last you a while if it was taken care of. 2wds are simple with not a lot to break. Id say you would get till 200 before maintnece started becoming a common occurance

 

When you say maintenance a common occurence at 200k like what usually goes bad around then? I can do anything that doesn't require tearing down the eingine myself. So what should I be concerned with going bad?

 

I also found a 4cl ranger 5spf with about 118xxx miles but I have no expirence to go by on domestics Would you say the taco is a better buy? Same price

 

Nothing will "go bad"...

I think he just means that you will need to be more consistent with maintenence and keeping track of things like plugs, timing chain, filters, oil changes.


And get the taco over the ranger hands down.

 

Sounds good, but overal just use your common sense, check the truck out thoroughly, do a carfax, then low ball em' (just playin').

 

would definitely NOT consider a Ford Ranger with 118k miles

 

Gotcha, I'm going to go give it a look over soon then, so if everything checks out and I can talk him down to 3k or less is this a snag? Or should I hold off and see if a better deal comes up?

 

What state this truck in? What's the frame look like? With on 160k miles on the clock, $3000 seems cheap. So check the frame. And get a compression test.

 

Alabama, usually no worries about rust here, but ill look underneath it when i go out there. if they allow me to ill do a comp test to. so if 3000 is cheap for one of these? snag for sure? or wait to see what else comes up?
just for comparison sake. I also found a 2000 honda accord today with 139xxx miles but its automatic for 3200, and i prefer stick shift plus i heard the auto trannys like to go out early on that year. MPG would be the only plus to me over a truck but not priority
my priority is longevity and not having to constantly tinker with it. since i already have a fun car, just not at all practical for daily use and im constantly having to tweak with it .plus a truck would be nice for picking stuff up for it.

 

Get the taco.

 

Just do some of the math on it... Most people estimate 12K miles a year with a vehicle. On a 16 year old vehicle, that would put the average (and low BTW) estimate for the milage at 192K, so this Taco being at 160K is actually pretty low.

 

It won't last long at that price. Move quickly.

 

very true, so what im asking is, so should i jump on this for 3k? or should i hold off and see if another comes up?

Seems like the taco, or the accord are the best deals i can find around here for the price right now, If you guys think rangers are far inferior then there out of the question(found a few late 90s with alittle over 100xxx in my price range) not necessarily in a rush.

 

If everything looks good on the exterior and the interior is passable I'd say jump on it. You would be getting a quality, highly reliable truck at a great price, and at that price it surely won't last long.

 

x2.

A truck like that, even a 96 still goes for 6k+ around here.


And a Ranger with 118k is about equal to a Tacoma w/ 300k....IMO

 

oh wow, yeah ill jump on it then if he still has it for sale, just called and no answer so hopefully he will get back with me then or ill just call back later. ima try and go out there tomorrow if i can get ahold of the guy.

 

sorry for not responding sooner. but yes. Everyone will scream "oh 160k is just broken in" and "tacomas run forever", but the simple truth is that it is a 15 year old truck, and after you put 40k more on it it will be almost 20 years old with 200k. at that point any gas engine no matter how great it is just gets old and worn. Little parts here and there just break and go bad often and it really becomes a pain in the butt when you want to keep your truck running in prime shape and things just go bad occasionally. Just ask Ian (has a 2.7 96 4x4) how good his truck at 210k miles is doing. he had to scrap his MOAB plans because he didnt feel comfortable driving it down from canada. I wouldnt be concerend with things going bad, as i would just being prepared to know that you will be replacing things and doing regular "maintenance work" fixing things before each part goes bad and fails. Of course you really have to be proactive with it too. unlike a truck at 80k, you cant just say "oh, ill get to that later and fix it", because with such high miles you might not know how soon that part and the 10 parts around it are form breaking.

Thats a tough one. The miles on the taco are much higher, but the taco is all around just more dependable. It might come down to condition of the truck and how well each has been treated. But if it were me (again figuring putting about 40-50k miles untill i move onto a new truck) i would rather finish off having a have a taco with 200k then a ranger with 160...just a personal opinion.

yes

really? for a 2wd? that seems really high.

good luck! if you have any questions just ask. it can be a tricky job buying a used truck, especially with high miles. I know i asked 100 questions about what to look for when i was trading up to the 4x4.

 

I bought my 150k mi 95.5 Xtracab Tacoma 4x4 v6 5-Speed in January for $6,000. Pretty mint/virgin condition for it's age. $3400 on a 160k 96 Taco is DEFINITELY a deal as long as it's mechanically sound.

Some easy things to do/inspect prior to finalizing the deal:

-CARFAX

-Ask about regular maintenance on it.

-Pull the dipstick(pretty much a given)

-Pop the radiator cap off and look at the condition of the coolant. If it's dirty and looks like it's barely been changed, that's definitely something worth noting. FYI: Toyota Factory Coolant is red in color. Dirty coolant = unhappy head gasket.

-Listen to the motor when it idles. It shouldn't be WHISPER quiet(given it's age and mileage), but it shouldn't be embarrassingly loud---if regular maintenance has been performed on it.


If everything checks out to your liking, you should definitely do some "peace of mind" maintenance after getting it. Change oil and oil filter, flush coolant, check/change belts, replace water pump, check/change tensioners/pulleys, fuel filter, air filter, spark plugs, spark plug wires, run a bottle of Techron through it, and it doesn't hurt to check the transmission fluid while you're at it. All cheap insurance.


Good luck! The 4cyl Tacos are TANKS. You seriously have to hate the truck for it to give up on you. Reliable and will hold it's value as everyone stated above.


Matt