High Mileage Tacomas (100,000+ miles) An Issue?

I've been deliberately narrowing my search to less than 100,000 miles. But I'm starting to think higher mileage isn't an issue.

What do you guys think and why?

 

If its been maintained, then high mileage is no problem. I would be more concerned about an older vehicle with surprisingly low milage.

I bought one with 180k, and then immediately drove it 5000 miles. Did some very light 4 wheeling in that too. I'm at 208k now and while I've been catching up on some maintenance stuff that the PO didn't know about, its never actually given me real problems.

 

Same. Under 200k and i dont really worry too much. You can find some pretty good deals on ones with 100-150k as a lot of people are scared of “over 100k”

 

You must be used to domestic trucks, lol. 100,000 miles is barely getting broken in for a Tacoma.

I'd rather have a truck with 300,000 miles and a complete maintenance records, than one with 80,000 and no records.

 

Good points.

Another question:

Could you off-road with a 2WD Tacoma SR with no rear differentials? I found some pretty good deals on those.

 

I suppose you could, but I would definitely want one with the brake actuated limited slip. I have a full open Diff in my O/R. It is awful until in 4wd or locked.

if you want to hit trails in a 2wd. The O/R PreRunner is the way to go. Other wise 4wd is the best.

 

No rear diff? What will you connect the axles to? You must mean no locker, maybe open diff. Sure you can offroad, lots do. The more experienced, the better you are at it. On the other hand they make lockers and 4x4 for a reason.

 

With no rear differential you don't even have 2wd. Doh.

You can off road with your Mom's Corolla. My Uncle used a '65 Catalina as a farm truck for years. How far you get is based on your skill and the terrain.

So, defining what off road means to you is important here.

 

Sorry for my mistake haha! I'm new to this

Anyway, so you guys would recommend getting a 4x4 or 2WD with brake actuated slip locks for hitting the trails? I'll be sure to narrow my focus to 4WD.

One last question:

If you had only $20,000 to buy a Tacoma with off-Roading capability, what year and model trim would you buy?

Thanks again for the fast responses!

 

Do you mean FRONT differential? lol

2wd wheeling isn't a problem for these guys:




The type of terrain you can drive on will be different. You're not going to be rock crawling, but open dessert, forest road type stuff isn't a problem.

Hands down, if you want to go off roading get a 4x4. While it can be done with a 2wd, like I said your terrain is limited. If you want a guaranteed all around good off roader, 4x4 all day long.

I assume you're talking about a limited slip (the slip lock think you mention). Those are nice, but lockers offer much more positive traction. There's a whole complicated decision making process that goes into which would make more sense for you, and that really just comes with experience. So don't worry too much about that yet. If you get a TRD with a locker, that conversation is moot, anyway, lol...

For $20k? I like 1st gens, so I'm going to tell you to get one of those, lol, and pocket the savings, or put it into suspension and other mods (like steaks and beer). You can probably get a good 2010ish model, and still have some cash left over for mods. Much newer than that and you start pushing over that 20k budget unless you find one that needs work.

Model trim honestly doesn't matter, I would contend that even on the new models trim level doesn't *really* matter, the Pro's are redonk expensive, and don't actually come with all that much extra stuff that's really useful off road (like armor or winches), but they look cool and have some neat buttons. For 2nd gens, I'd try to stay away from the TRD Sport, and either get a TRD OR, or just an SR5. If all there is in your area/budget is a Sport, get it. But because they have an LSD in the rear diff (not a locker) that kinda makes your options more limited. IMO better to start with an open diff if that were the case.

While I love my 2004 TRD doublecab, the ONLY thing that is still actually "TRD" is the rear locker (and the stickers, of course). And while the TRD E-lockers are nice and more than strong enough, you can get ones with better engagement (ARB) for less than the cost difference between an SR5 and a TRD.

So, if you find a TRD (OR) 4x4 in good condition, don't hesitate to buy it, but I wouldn't move the earth trying to find a TRD model if there's another non-TRD sitting right next to you. Most people tear out all the suspension and upgrade the shocks/springs anyway.

If you end up in the 1st gen market, you also have the option of looking for a Pre-runner and doing a 4x4 conversion. Since all these trucks (2nd gens included) have a problem with frame rust in the "winder states" (that salt the roads), you need to cast a wide net looking for a good truck with a solid frame. That's why looking at 1st gen Prerunners can often be the ticket to finding a good truck. The trucks are literally identical, and the conversion is pretty much all bolt on. If you take your time to source the parts (front diff, transmission, transfercase, etc...), it can be done for around a grand.

2nd gens can do the conversion to, but from what I understand it's more involved with trans mount/crossmember fabrication.

 

I'm a little biased when it comes to Tacoma's. I'd look for a 2000-2004 DC TRD. I'm pretty sure they only come with the auto transmission, but I could be wrong. Any 2000-2004 Tacoma 4x4 is a good truck. Like others have stated, your can add a Locker to a non TRD truck. I just think the latest years are the best ones in my humble opinion.Don't be afraid to look out of state for a good deal, you can always fly out and drive one home. I don't see where your located, but from what I've seen, california trucks are way over priced. Look in the south western states, like Texas, Arizona, New Mexico. Hell ever here in the South East, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, you can find some really good deals, you just have to be patient and put in the time to find the truck your looking for. Don't be in a hurry to buy the first one you come across, unless it's a good deal and a model your looking for. Good luck in your search for a Truck.

 

I've had a tundra, 3 tacomas and a 4runner over the last 20 years. Two of which were bought new but the remainder all had around +- 100k on them when i got them. All of them got me over 200k miles with fairly normal maintenance and all of them are still being used by me or someone else. It could be I just take care of my junk better than some. I dunno. Pretty much every modern vehicle if you follow the 'severe' maintenance schedule on it and take care of any issues right away will go 200k without all too much trouble. There are of course exceptions here and there. The only thing I'd be worried about is a truck that sat around a lot or drove 1 mile every day, especially if you live in a damp climate. Disuse is far worse than a few hundred miles. The only thing I'd consider is if a truck actually looks beat up it probably is, find a clean(underneath too) truck with 150k on it and I'm willing to bet it's a whole lot more reliable than a truck with 50k on it that looks like it was a rental.

 

If I had 20k to burn I'd probably buy a 4x4 1st gen Tundra and as new as possible in that gen. They aren't huge like the current Tundra and have a V8.


Otherwise I would go with a 4x4 2nd gen