Thinking about buying an 06 Taco

Hello all!

Short story: I'm thinking about buying an 06 Tacoma. My '03 Cavalier has 183k miles and is going to need some work soon. The Taco I'm looking at has a bunch of miles though. It's sitting just below 160k. Opinions?

Long story: My 2 door Cavalier owes me nothing. It's been paid off for about 4 or 5 years now. It's been a pretty good car, and for the most part, I've only done basic repairs to it (which I've done myself). The starter got replaced in '10, the alternator in '12, headlight from hitting a deer, pads/rotors, caliper, etc. I had new struts in '13 and a new timing chain, tensioner, and water pump put in about 9 months ago. I've put about 140k miles on it in the 8 years I've owned it but have only been averaging about 10k-12k miles the past few years.

My son is almost 4, and my wife is pregnant with #2, who is due in July. A 2 door coupe isn't going to work much longer. I've always wanted a Tacoma and I've been searching for a while. Student loans (and 2 kids) are expensive, so my budget is only about $15k. My options are a bit limited.

I have access to a truck from my father in law, but it is a pain. Whenever I want to buy something large, I have to drive 50 minutes just to get the truck. I want to go elk hunting in Colorado in 2016 and a car isn't practical for that. Getting a 2 wheel drive truck isn't something that interests me. I live in western/central NY and frequently travel around the area in snowy/icy roads.

So, am I crazy for thinking about buying an 06 Taco with 160k miles on it? It's only had one owner, and from the dealer's pictures, it looks good. I plan to check it out tomorrow afternoon. Anything (besides the frame) that I should pay particular attention to?

It's listed at $14k. Is that reasonable? Am I crazy for considering it? Am I crazy for NOT considering it?
https://www.nextgenautosales.com/Ve...Y-2006-Toyota-Tacoma-4WD-D-Cab-Short-Bed-Auto

Note: this truck has been at the dealer for a while now. We haven't had leaves on the trees for a couple months now, so they may negotiate on the asking price.

 

Offer them $13 and hope its not a salvage title.

Seems like a low price considering the package and that its at a dealer.

160k miles is nothing if the truck was maintained well.

 

Price seems a little high for the miles.

Make sure you get under that truck and check the frame. If it lived its life in the snow belt there's a good chance the frame will have rot issues. This forum is full of truck with frame rot issues where frames are being replaced.

If it were me I'd wait for a lower mileage truck in that price range.

Just my .02.

Good luck

 

I paid $11.8k for my 06 pre-runner (2wd) with 160k miles January of last year from a Stealership.

 

I guess $14k is high for a second gen, they dont keep the same resale as a first I see.

then I think $11-$12k would be more in the price range it should sell for.

I see 2004 and under sell for much higher prices all the time.

I paid $13k for my 2002 in 2009 with 110k miles and that was a steal.

 

14 isn't crazy high if it's nice. I paid 15 for my 05 last year with 122k on it but it was REALLY clean with all service done at the dealer I bought it from. Lots of PM was done too. Mine just hit 150k and I have every intention of driving it until at least 300k. I will say if you aren't able to pay cash the interest rate on a loan may suck.

 

If it's a 4X4 double cab V6 I'd say $14K would be right in the wheel house for a well maintained truck with that mileage and a few minor cosmetic items (scratches, nicks, minor dings, etc.) and clean interior with all items working.

Your primary concern (if you are in NY) is to inspect the frame thoroughly. There is actually a TSB in place for Tacomas registered in that region for a frame inspection/replacement.

I have an 06 4X4 4.0L with 162,000 on it that has been maintained diligently from the day I got it and have no concerns about it lasting as long as I need it to. If you do buy the truck, you should replace ALL fluids as soon as possible, plugs, air filter, etc. so you know what you're working with. There are great tutorials on this site and others that will walk you through the process and save you considerable money.

The 06s have displayed issues with the rear leafs breaking or going flat (actually a recall out now for them), frame rust, motor mount rust/breakage (look at them before buying, search this forum for details), and general driveline vibration problems you'll want to feel for when test driving (again, poke around here and read). Generally, at that stage on these trucks at least one or two of the wheel bearings will have bought the farm as well (typically front). That isn't an all encompassing list of course, but gives you some things to take a look for.

 

According to CL they dropped the price $300 in a couple days. On Jan 6 it was listed for 15,900. You could probably get it cheaper.

also this one is newer, a lot less miles, and more expensive but your budget determines what you get

http://rochester.craigslist.org/cto/4824275697.html

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. I appreciate the comments/suggestions. Hopefully the weather stays good over the next few days so I can go take a look.

Frame rot/rust will be one of the first things I look for. If it looks really good, can I call Toyota with the VIN and see if it's been replaced?

That's a good idea and something I can definitely do. Well, maybe come March or April when it warms up a bit. It's not supposed to get above freezing for the next 10+ days.

I've been cruising around for 7 or 8 hours the past couple of days. You guys have a ton of info here. I appreciate the quick list.

 

I'll be taking a loan out for sure. We got a good rate for my wife's '11 Jetta with 30k on it a couple months back. Hopefully we can get something similar for this.

 

yeah, they've been dropping the price on the one I'm looking at for a while now. I think they want to get it sold. It's been on their lot for at least a couple of months.

Unfortunately, that 2008 is out of my price range. Nice truck though!

 

I think it's a pretty fair price, assuming the condition inside and out is good. These trucks hold their value, I got my 07 sport dcsb 4x4 for 21 and that was with 80k miles. Still...try to talk them down to 13 ish, but if its in great shape, I think 14 is fair.

 

I bought my 2006 from a one owner private seller. I bought it with 148,000 miles and I got him down to $12,750. Keep in mind that's still above blue book. It was a bone stock TRD Off-road with the 6 speed manual and all the factory goodies. Very well taken care of. Drives like a new truck. The mileage is nothing to worry about if it was well taken care of. My only complaint is that it had the weak tailgate from the factory and never got the TSB due to being out of warranty...

 

The weak tailgate is an issue for many folks, although I've never experienced it, but be aware of it.

Another thing I forgot to mention...Toyota redesigned the air intake in the 07+ models I think. There was an issue where the intake would vibrate against the fender penetration and create a vibration/rumbling feel through the accelerator while under load. Mine did it for a while...the bush fix is to jam a piece of foam in between the fender cutout and the air intake to dampen it. The "corrected" intake can just be slapped into the '06 model if you feel like spending the money on it.

 

Thanks again guys.

I'm writing all these down so I don't forget any of them.

 

I just got an 09 TRD Sport DC with 133K miles for 18500, got a bumper to bumper $0 deductible 2 yr 24K mile warranty to go with it (piece of mind) for 1100 from Warrenty Direct (I used them before on a Outback and they replaced the heated seats without a second thought so I know they stand behind the warranty) They will renew 2 more times up to 200K miles if I wanna. I also got from a Toyo Dealer

 

another thought to talk with them since you'll be getting your own loan and paying them off is to see if you can get it for 13.5k/14k OTD (tax and all). cash/bank check talks, sure they want their financing kickbacks but you're leaving them no overhead and a clean purchase with no headaches.

 

I went and took a good look at the truck today. It looks pretty good. Nice and clean on the inside. It has cruise control and steering wheel audio buttons. No tilt steering wheel though, which I really do like.
The engine compartment looks pretty good. It didn't look like there were any leaks and the serpentine belt looked like it was in good shape. No engine ticking or anything like that. I drove it before I popped the hood, so I didn't get a chance to check the coolant and see if that looked good.
The sales guy put the dealer plate on and let me take it for a spin by myself(no id check or anything) which is always nice. I'm not a huge fan of test driving with other people. It drove nice. It was WAY different than driving my 2 door Cavalier, but that is to be expected. The brakes aren't as tight and it's odd being able to see the top of the hood. It shifted into 4 hi and lo well. I pushed the pedal down on the way back to the dealer and the acceleration was decent. I got it above the 55mph speed limit and didn't find any issues with that. So, the test drive went well.

I did crawl under the truck and take some pictures. The leaf springs look good. No cracks or any real rust. The only thing that does concern me is frame rust. I have no idea how bad is "bad" or how much is needed before a swap is necessary. It does look like there was some sort of protection applied at one time. I'm not sure if it was the black factory paint, or if someone had it sprayed. I called the service department of one of the local Toyota dealerships and left the manager a voicemail.

Would this rust concern you?
Here is probably the worst spot, which is on the piece of the frame that runs the length of the truck, on the passenger side. There looks to be a hole about halfway up the picture, about 10% of the way in from the left. I couldn't really tell if it goes all the way through in person though.


All the pictures I took of the frame.
http://s160.photobucket.com/user/NirvanaFan01234/library/tacoma?sort=3&page=1


It's no wonder that vehicles rust so bad here. Look at all the salt!

 

The miles might be a little low for this, but be aware that 05 and 06 models have a bad version of head gaskets that eventually leak. they updated them in 07. I would recommend to get a coolant pressure test done to see if theyre bad. My 05 got a head gasket leak at 178k.

Even considering a head gasket job, you should still consider buying it because they are awesome trucks

 

Mind if I ask how much the head gasket job cost you? If this one goes at 178k, that's only a year and a half away.