Questions: New to this forum and looking to buy

I’m new to this forum and looking to buy a Tacoma for my son. Probably looking at a second generation would like to find something under 150,000 miles. Must be a crew cab. So what years should I be looking at? 2007 and up? Should I be afraid of the truck with more than 150,000 on it? Would like to stay under 16k price wise

 

If you're looking for a V6 then yes, try to find an 07+ to avoid headgasket issues. Price is really dependent on where you are located. West coast seems to demand a premium on these trucks.

In any case, what you should really be looking out for is rust, specifically frame rust. Other than that these trucks are bulletproof.

It will be easy to find a sub 16K 4x2. 4x4 V6 less than 150,000 miles might be hard

 

I believe the earlier second Gens have a run of bad head gaskets. IIRC they fixed this issue around 10' or 11'. I'm sure someone else will confirm/deny. These trucks, when taken care of properly, have been known to get to 500k to 1m miles. Yes, there's going to be mechanical things that fail, paint fades, seats wear out. Unless the vehicle you're buying has meticulous records, I would change all the fluids first sooner rather than later. Brakes, Oil, Coolant, Diff (front/rear), replace the spark plugs. Check the brake pads for life, I want to say minimum pad thickness is around 3 to 5mm. Again, someone might confirm. Tires should be in good condition. Be weary of a super clean engine bay, the seller might be trying to hide a leak. If you're able, check the coolant before you change it for evidence of a head gasket leak. Oily film on the top and bubbles rising out of the radiator are signs of head gasket failure. There's also test strips that can be dipped into coolant to check for life, I haven't used them so I cannot confirm whether or not they work. Check the CV boots both inner and outer boots for evidence of failure, cracking, dry rot ect.. If you get the 4wd model, run through the low gears safely. 4H & 4L. You can do this on pavement as long as you're not making any turns on the steering wheel, it's better to do this on loose dirt if its available, make sure the transfer case smoothly cycles through the gears and no warning lights illuminate on the dash. Check the AC vents for blowing cool air. The left drivers vent will be cooler than the right passanger if there's an issue with the AC system. On full cold, depending on where you're located, they should be putting out around 55 to 62 degrees with the AC on full blast. Have an OBD2 reader on hand to check for pending codes. Some codes cannot be reset until the system is fixed but the CEL can be toggled off. Some surface rust is to be expected, just peek at the boxed ends of the frame. You'll see those just to the left and right of the transfer case/transmission. That's the area that tends to blow out on the older tacomas resulting in a complete frame replacement. Body mount bushings and radiator core supports might show evidence of dry rot, and depending on how the truck was used/abused. The area under the battery might have developed a crack. You can see this if you look up under the forward drivers wheel well. Under the battery where the vinal fender dust shield clips into, you'll see cracking. This is typically caused by the truck being abused offroad and a reputible body shop would be needed to repair. Depending on how comfortable you are with sheet metal and a rivet gun. Check the air filter. Check the secondary air induction filter(?) this filter tends to dry out and blow up the electric motor putting the truck in limp mode. There's been a plethora of posts on here about replacing the sponge filter with an external filter. I'm not really in a position to look up this link for you, but you'll find it here if you search. I replaced mine when I read it with one of those external red filters for like 10$. That seems high to me though. That should give you a good starting point.

-J

 

I’m located in Atlanta Georgia most of the vehicles around here pretty much rust free, but are all in the 200,000 mile range

 

Yeah if you want a double cab V6 low miles you'll have to pay. These trucks really hold their value (for good reason). 150k is a low mileage for these trucks.

Why do you need the double cab? Personally hated having all those seats when I was younger. Friends always asking me to drive. Now I drive a regular cab. No one gets a ride but me

 

Yes want a v6

 

I would think you could get a lot of Tacoma for 16k. I personally would be looking for The newest model i could find from a private seller. Of course price depends on location, but for reference my 13 4x4 TRD OR with 122,000 is maybe worth 20k in the Louisiana / Texas market regardless of add ons. I know i could find a 2012/2013 with reasonable miles in 2x4 in that price range.

 

The extended cab comes with a v6

 

Welcome Super Dad.
JustAddMud pretty muck covered everything you want to know.
Craigs list is always a good place to shop.
A great choice in a truck.
Look around the Alabama area as well.
Inspect the seat mounts for rust and the brake pedal.
If you find rust be aware of probable flood damage.
Welcome to TW!

 

Have an 08 double cab, no regrets but rust. No major mechanical issues just shy 180k. Probably could have gotten it this far changing oil, brakes, tires and batteries.

 

‘12s have a smog pump problem. Don’t ask me how I know.

 

My '15 DCSB Prerunner has a 4 banger.

 

I just bought my 2010 double cab about 2 months ago. It is a 4x4 TRD Off Road with about 148.6k at the time of purchase. I paid just under 16k at a dealer here in Colorado. 15.8k was the final price.

 

I agree that you can get a lot of Tacoma for 16k. I had to put new shocks on it and do some maintenance items but it is a lot of Taco awesomeness for the price.

 

That's a good looking truck!

 

Thanks!

 

10-11’s have the least reported problems of the first run of second gens .12-15 new grill and some interior changes , like removing temp gauge from dash to radio . Little things that may bother you down the road but all great trucks . As mentioned above try to avoid the 2012 smog filter that can clog

 

I bought my 2013 (13 - 15 is a great place to start) V6 Sport with 55k miles for 25k. Just trying to give you a range to go by. I had a hook up too. I got the truck valued afterwards & its worth 28k.

Edit: I live in Colorado & went to VA to buy my truck from an old friend!

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