Is this truck worth the money??

You cant just put 'gift' on the bill, thats as far as i know for CA sales, you need to put down a reasonable value. If its EXACTLY the truck youve been dreaming about then consider it, otherwise move on. There are plenty of Tacomas out there.

 

Be patient. Take cash, be willing to walk away, leaving him your # if he changes his mind. You might lose a purchase, but you also won't overpay.

Don't know where you live, but in some states, like NC, 'gift' is meaningless. As is the price you actually pay in a private transaction. They look up the book value, and that's what you pay taxes on.

Gift can work in Fl., but it generally takes proof of bloodline, person to a qualified charity, or qualified charity to a person.

You might want to see how your state processes these things.

 

No, too many miles. If it were me I'd save a little more and get a newer/lower miles truck. Good luck!

 

If it has always been a Cali truck and not been on the salted snow roads then there is a premium there since it should have little to no rust on the frame. Cali wont accept gift or 0 as a dollar amount any longer unless you are direct family and can prove it. If you dont provide a price then the DMV will put down the blue book value and you will pay tax on that. Tell him to put down 4500 and you will pay 10% of that to DMV.

 

just want to add too much. Also I'm also weary when they dress up the engine bay like that, before a sale. If you are really considering the truck make sure you have a mechanic inspect it.

 

That engine bay dressing is an old used car lot trick. Shines it up, keeps it wet and hides leaks

 

I'd say it's fair. Automatic is all you'll ever see in a first gen double cab, they never had a manual option unless someone swapped one in.

 

+1. We appear to be in the minority, but I agree with 2004TacomaSR5. Based on what I see here, $11K may not be too far out of line.

offrdmania is right about geography mattering - First Gens that haven't spent any time on salted roads command premium prices. (One of the key things to check is whether there's any rust underneath.)
I'm less inclined to agree regarding the clean/dressed engine bay - It MAY be that way to hide leaks, or the owner may simply keep it well-detailed, like I do. (Again, inspecting the undercarriage should confirm which is the case.)

chadstacoma may onto something about "rich pot smoking hippies" driving prices up here in CO but, in my experience (having bought three First Gen Tacomas in the past 8yrs, most recently an '01 4WD Xtra Cab about a year ago), these trucks (in decent condition) go for above KBB (usually closer to the high-end of NADA), even when purchased from private sellers.

 

A 3.4 needing replaced at 150k is not normal and leads me to believe it was abused with other issues not mentioned.

My truck is an 02 with 208k and still going strong.

the price is way unrealistic for most parts of the USA.

So is the truck worth it.. short answer NO.
Long answer... No because it is not original and has overly high miles for the price point.

 

Sounds like you're over paying top dollar for options you don't want! None of the pictures show the driver's seat, where you get in and out of all the time. The brake fluid looks like black coffee!

 

I'd only be sketched out about that new engine. If it even had 220,000 original, I'd say it's worth right around 10,000.

Keep looking, find one with less than 200,000. Be willing to pay $12,000

Yeah, Washington and Oregon markets are insane. The prices have gone up. You'd find 01-04's with less than 100,000 miles for around $14,000, now they're asking upwards of $18,000, no joke.

Also, they're all good trucks, 95.5-04 with a 3.4 liter is a great truck, but the 01's were the best year in my opinion. Got the best body style/headlights, still throttle cable to the throttle body instead of electronic throttle, only shitty part is rear axle seals are a bitch with abs.

 

brake fluid looks black

 

I know mine isnt a 4 door , but its an 04' , 4x4 , 170K miles , mechanically sound , accept for a u joint as of yesterday ggrrrr. She is blue booked at 10K $$$ Be patient if you can...

 

i have virtualy that same truck and i would be warry about the new engine at 150k thats not normal...i have 241+k on mine and virtualy no problems...be sure to ask what made him put a new motor in it -it may be that it was poorly mantained by some previous owner or some owners son ect...
the dressed up engine id also be warry of-is just not normal possibly to hide something.
the price itself is not too bad for Or. but if you can get him lower do it...
220 is ok. on a well maintained tranny but depending on what blew the motor that may not be the case...
main things to check IMO are the tranny fluid smell (burnt smell=no go) brake fluid color(should be just slighty brownish & still very clear) if either of these is bad that tells me that it was not properly cared for as these are the most crucial & PITA to change and the most likely to be skipped if someone doesn't really care...

 

Thank you everyone for your replies. I'm going to go look at this weekend but try talking him down a bit. What would cause the brake fluid to turn black like that?

 

not changing the fluid when he did brakes or every 3 yrs. brake fluid absorbs moisture (water) and when its black it is really old and the color comes from the accumulated gunk; grease, microscopic metal shaveings, water, and corrosion detritus from the brake system.

a really bad sign because that means that whoever did the brakejob(s) either doesn't know or doesn't care enough to do a good job. and almost certainly does the same dont-know-dont-care job on everything else that needs fixed or needs done to prevent the same from breaking.

good luck!

 

Ah that makes sense! Glad I showed you guys. Always learn something when I'm on here

 

Lack of maintenance, maybe that's why the motor was replaced didn't change the motor oil very often until it seized up. Just guessing, but when you see stuff on a car/truck take a note of it. So when you talk about these issues, then tell him what you offer him in cash. http://www.dmv.org/buy-sell/used-cars/used-car-work-sheet.php

 

If you already got it down to 11k, why are you not buying it?

 

Still skeptical about buying a truck with so many miles