Possible Purchase - Thoughts?

Hello again,

I am looking at purchasing a 2007 Tacoma TRD Off Road, and was looking for some pointers. The vehicle has 88,200km on it (54,800mi). It was used as a dealer service truck to carry things like tires around. It was well-maintained at a Toyota dealership for it's entire life, and was not used aggressively.

The tail-gate is decently bent (a known problem I know). I was able to get the dealership to take off almost $900 from their asking price with the knowledge that the tailgate would have to be addressed. You can see from the photos that the bend is notable, although I have no idea what's required to fix something like this. Does it simply require a replacement? If so, how much would I be looking at?

There's also a hole in the plastic that makes up the upright portion of the seat in the back area. It's just above the seat belt buckles, and is somewhat visible in one of the pictures. I figure that I could just patch that over with another piece of plastic, as I don't want to have to replace the entire section. A trim piece seems to be missing as well - something I might also be able to replace.

Anyway, is there anything else I should be concerned about? The interior is in otherwise good shape. The door handles on the interior of the truck are pretty dirty, but I assume that those are relatively easy to replace? I'll look into that myself. Should I be looking out for anything else? Please let me know! Thanks in advance!

 

depending on the staff at the dealer, it may have been beaten on.
Or it could be very well taken care of. If it feels solid on test drive, it probably is.
Do your research on price, don't give them too much for it!

 

It felt great during the test drive. The only thing I noticed was that the steering became a little more stiff once 4wd was engaged, although to me that seems like it would make sense anyway.

I also got my hands on a service record of the vehicle and it has been well maintained for it's life as per the service records.

Other than a few nicks in the paint/inside, and the bent tailgate it is in great shape! I just need to know what it would take to fix the tailgate, or if I should simply replace it with a straight one?

The price right now is 15k. I think that's pretty reasonable considering the mileage is so low?

 

Tailgate looks to be easy fix, I think relentless makes a metal replacement for the plastic interior piece of tailgate, and it seems to help pull the tailgate back to straight. Check this out, also search tailgate reinforcement and there are a couple other guys making them.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/29117-weak-tailgate-reinforcement-solution.html

The search button is right below the TW header on every page, click it, then use the google search this forum space to search, works great, tons of info on tailgate reinforcement.

 

I was just looking at that now. I wasn't sure if it would in fact fix or simply prevent the problem, although it seems as though it might be able to fix the bend. Definitely looks like a good option!

 

I would have them take off exactly what it would cost for a complete painted replacement tailgate. And of course all the records are up to date, it is from a Stealership. But that is an easy thing to falsify on a computer, so when it comes time to sell they can say that to the buyer. Good luck with your research and purchase.

 

Fair enough. Although I obtained the service records from a friend who works at a different Toyota dealership, and they match up with the CarProof report as well. Hopefully they aren't trying to completely screw me!

 

I hear you bro it doesn't make a difference where the information was inputted as they can look that up anywhere so that doesn't really make a difference. Just cross your T's and dot the I's and get your deal

 

Looks good. Have them throw in a warranty and call it good. Maybe they can " certified used" is and give you an additional 3yr/36,000 mile warranty. If they believe theyve taken good care of their own truck it shouldn't be a problem. And after 3 yrs of you driving it youll find out if it needs anything.

 

I would listen for front hub noise. Both 2nd gen Tacomas I've owned I've had to replace front hub assembly's on. Considering the 8years of age on the truck, chances are it'll need freshies soon enough.

 

Oh and because it is a 2007 check it for frame rust or rot

 

Very true. What would the cost of such a repair run? I'm looking to price out whether a warranty is worth it or not.

It seemed to be in good condition when I saw it on the lot. I will take a better look again soon. However if the frame rust becomes an issue, shouldn't that be covered under warranty/recall as the frames were faulty on these models?

 

Dealer price on front hub and bearings will be really high. I bought mine from a member here for cheaper and did them myself. Not a terrible job. You should be covered on the frame rust recall.

 

Have them put up on a lift so you can look underneath.