Is this possible? $2,500 toyota pickup?

Hi All,

helping a friend look for a "Tacoma"...or toyota pickup.

Looked around on craigslist a bit, but sample size is pretty limited.

thought i'd as you opinions...are there many $2,500 toyota pickups out there? is it worth spending time waiting to find or, or just point him to a ford ranger?

thanks all,

Andrew

 

IMHO i dont think it is possible unless it is a complete beater and it has to be really old one.

 

Personally I doubt it. There is an old 88 up the street from me and he wants more than that and it has a red cab and black bed. Used veh are $$ since cash for clunkers

 

Im sure you can find something, but it'll be pretty beat up Im sure, and high mileage. IMO, I would stay away from rangers. Just things Ive seen and heard. If you are making a project truck out of it, go with a toyota

 

toyota carries a price tag, enjoy the ranger.

 

Nice.

 

I sold an 97 with 285K, beat up body and a rather rusty bed and frame for 3k. For $2500 it ain't going to be pretty.

 

as I wrote in my post, I'm helping a friend look. I know they carry a price tag. I have my DD and a 96 tacoma...I knew my price range, and it was higher than his.

just asking for help to see if its worth spending time on.

I'd never buy a ranger, but if someone has 2,500 to spend...i dont see too many other options.

Thank you everyone else for your input.

 

Should be able to find an S10 for that price...won't be pretty but junkyard parts are cheap and plentiful since the same parts were used on Chevy, gmc, Oldsmobile, trucks and SUVs

 

4x4?

 

Lmfao!

 

wasn't trying to be funny

 

Quick search on Craigslist and I found this for $2450:


Tell to him search craigslist, at that price he'll have to look for pickups from the mid 80's. If he wants a newer model then point him at the ranger.

Edit: I read you already looked on CL. Idk what exactly he is looking for but there is a lifted 4x4 on 38's for 2500 in Maine.

 

Buy cheap, buy twice.
Buy once, cry once.

$2,500 is not going to get a vehicle that I would put my family in.
I bought a '95 Suburban for around that price.
I put over $3000 into it in the next year keeping it running and it STILL needed major work.

There's a reason that good used cars cost what they cost.
I understand he only has $2500, but he needs to find another $1000+ to put with it or it will cost him a LOT more in the long run.

 

Got my 98 4x4 5spd 4cyl for 3k just gotta look

 

Thanks all, this feedback helps. I've also suggested that he scratch up more $$ for a decent vehicle, but sometimes that just isn't an option.

4x4 isnt 100% necessary.

would the general consensus be a ranger over an S10?

we really just scoured Craigslist for MA and NH for now. I didnt want to put a lot of time into searching, i'll leave the grunt work up to him...just wanted to let him know if its worth putting time into searching. I'd recommend no based on all this info. Will be months before he likely finds something.

Regards,

Andrew



Thanks again everyone!

 

I searched for over a year to find a reasonable Tacoma for $14000 used. within my journey I was seeing 1999 and 2001 model Tacoma's go for $10,000 and $13,000 which made me go .

My previous truck was a Ford ranger I owned from age 17 until I was 28.

It was not bad for the money, but ford engineers stuff in a way that is ridiculous. It was a 2.5L with 8 spark plugs...why? and also the slave cylinder is made of plastic and located inside the transmission housing, so when it fails..the cost is $650+ instead of the 40$ tacoma slave cylinder that bolts on the OUTSIDE! of the housing. Who would of thought?

My 1999 ranger history as follows:
50-60k miles replaced IACV
90k miles piston rings were at 30psi, and block was leaking pressure, swapped motor for 2001 engine with 25k miles and replaced clutch and master+slave.
150K replaced timing and serpentine belts.
170k replaced master+slave cylinders.

Other than that the ranger is not horrible for the money, and I was hard on it as a kid.. but I can tell so so much of a difference in the quality of Toyota vs. Ford. I doubt i'll ever buy another ford.

 

Does it need to be a truck? You might be able to find a halfway decent used car for $2,500. Any truck in New England in the $2,500 price range will be beat to shit and rusted to hell. You don't get a lot for $2,500 as far as vehicles go these days. If he's handy, knows what to look for in a vehicle and doesn't mind doing repairs himself, then it might be worth looking. If and when you find something that seems to fit the bill and the price range, you need to act FAST! I listed my fiance's car on craigslist last year for $2,500, I got 4 calls the night I listed it and the first caller drove it away the next day.

 

if you're looking for a Tacoma I would either raise my limit or stop looking. you have to drop a little more dime for the true quality of a Tacoma. these trucks have a very high resale rate for a good reason, they're damn good trucks. if you want a cheap ass junker that will break down on you and become a nightmare, buy a ranger. if you want a vehicle that will get you where you need to go every time and will last many many years, save up and buy a taco...Tacoma. don't buy a real taco it will not drive you anywhere

 

I haven't seen some Tacomas here in NM for < $3k but they are 2wd single cabs. Anything for 4x4 is at least $4k and anything with decent miles and in good shape is $6k+ for anything 2000 an under.

That being said, you can be amazed what patience will find you. I effectively got my '00 Tacoma for $2300. Clean title but with high miles (271k). Tell him to look everyday on Craigslist, he might find something eventually that he can work with.