I need a truck and I need to learn how to work on them... 1st gen tacoma a good learner vehicle?

I've been wanting to get a truck for a while now (well, I own a 2015 Sequoia which is technically close but I know it's a SUV) and I just can't bring myself to buy these new-fangled $600 a month car payment type monsters which just seem like luxury cars with a bed in them (which are usually too short to use for anything). Nah, it's just not me. I had to sell my last truck when I went overseas which sucked.

I'm also sick of being totally illiterate when it comes to vehicles and taking everything to the mechanic. It's time I learn how to do this myself.

So, I'm thinking of buying a cheap somewhat run-down 1st gen tacoma (I love the small size, I owned an 98' S10 and I loved it way more than any other truck I've had), and just tearing it down and rebuilding it. I figure it'll teach me how to work on a vehicle. Maybe even rebuild the engine if I can learn how to do that too.

Good idea? Bad one? Is this a good vehicle for a beginner who will be learning this from youtube?

 

First, welcome to TW!
Now to answer your question. Hell yeah! But know this, there's a ton of great ideas on this site so your wallet may start screamin' at you! Haha!! Welcome to TW!! Btw, I owned an '02 Zr2 back a few years ago that I bought at an auction and I've got to admit it was a bit of a money pit, but it did get me hooked on compact 4x4s.

 

Mechanically, 1st gens are far simpler than newer one, simply by the explosion of electronic crap that gets added & complicates matters. Systems run independently, more is mechanical, with electronic monotoring- rather than active electronic controls & so forth.

One of the things I liked about my base 95 is that so much is manual, which means less stuff to break &, when it does, it’s simpler to find the issue & fix it.
Additionally, part avaiability is fantastic. People actually sell stuff that isn’t special order. These things are quite common, parts supply wise. So, you can get pretty much whatever you need quickly.

 

Thanks man, yeah I was thinking I'd get something for cheap with the expectation to spend a few grand fixing it up.

 

My gen 1 has been reliable enough to depend on as a DD, but has provided me with enough opportunities to work on it. It is relatively simple – as pointed out – compared to newer trucks. There is enough room under the hood (at least with the 4 cyl, can't comment on the 6) to access pretty much everything without too much drama. You'll find this site has plenty of maintenance/repair experiences documented for you to take advantage of, YouTube also. I've personally used this truck for some basic lessons for my kids.

I just had an experience a couple days ago that had an obvious solution, although I doubted my first diagnosis and came here to see if there was something mysterious or tricky about my situation. Nope. Simple and logical fix with no special knowledge required. The handful of problems I've had with this ~20 year old truck have all had similar resolutions.

So, heck yeah - have at it! You'll likely enjoy it.

 

Not sure what part of the country you are in, but you can't "fix" rust. Make sure whatever you end up with has good bones.

My advice after doing this sort of thing for 20+ years, don't aim too high. Work on one project at a time, and don't tear apart more than you can fix in a couple weekends.

It is more motivating to have a project truck you can drive than one that has been apart sitting in the garage for 5 years.

 

I think first gens are solid learner vehicles. I learned on my first one while in college. It taught me well I'd say

 

I would suggest buying a used factory repair manual on ebay if you do want to learn. (Or find a pdf online.) I like the way Toyota repair manuals are organized. Start with smaller things like changing brakes and other maintenance items while you build up a collection of tools. The cost of tools and repair manual will pay for themselves.

 

Hell yea! Great platform, lots of aftermarket, and a lot of forum help.

 

Search the forums, join a Facebook Toyota club and use Youtube to gain your knowledge. 1st gen Tacomas are fairly easy. I have learned a lot from Timmy the toolman on Youtube. He has a bunch of how to videos related to the 3rd gen 4Runner which are very similar to the 1st gen Tacomas. Just get all the tools you think you will need and tackle one repair at a time and your confidence will grow.

 

yes, go for it! That's what I did and I loved working on that little truck!

 

I am probably committing sacrilege here ... along your line of thinking but more affordable are Nissan hard bodys. I would investigate common parts, i.e. clutch costs if a manual trans, tune up bits, silly things like that that might bite you financially before I would commit to buy. Do you live in a smog state, if so, cat(s) if needed could easily make a good deal on a truck a sour deal.

 

Welcome to TW.

I would say absolutely YES the 1st gen Tacoma is a good truck to learn on.

- Parts availability is awesome. You can go to the dealer to get OEM parts, but I have found you can get nearly all the OEM parts from vendors on eBay or Amazon for an even better price.
-As said by others here, most everything runs independently. The ECU mainly just monitors it doesn't control, which makes working on these trucks much less complicated than newer versions.
-Not many specialty tools needed. I've done everything from timing belt / water pump, valve cover gaskets, all of the suspension, swapped from a 2wd Prerunner to 4x4... And I think I've only had to actually buy 2 specific specialty tools... Also, you can damn near fit every tool you'd need to scrap one of these trucks out for parts in an 8"x12" tool bag (literally)
-Lots of info on repairs on these trucks. As mentioned previously @Timmah! has a ton of videos on most anything you'd want to do to these trucks. He is a legitimate stud when working on 1st gen tacos or 3rd gen 4runners.

Plus there is a literal 1st gen encyclopedia here in the forums on TW.

If you want a truck, and you want to work on it yourself YES a 1st gen Taco is a good candidate... Better than most others.

 

Hey everyone got me a 01 2.7 got some slight problems it wants to run sluggish at first then it's good when it warms up losing bout 3 or 4 miles mp has 240000 miles my dad bought it in 01 been serviced regular coils been replace any thoughts