Purchase Advice 180K

Is there a place/forum/thread to ask fair purchase price?

I'm looking at an 07 TRD sport double cab with 183K new frame & leaf springs from an older gentleman. He wants 13.5K obo.

With used prices through the roof right now, is this a fair price to ask? Or should I wait? He has a 1-1/2" lift kit (which I wouldn't pay more for) on it and drives 2 miles to work and back. Claims he's taken good care of it.

Any advice is welcomed!

 

That is a very good deal these days
I would personally hop on that three years ago I bought my 05 Tacoma double cab and they were just putting the brand new frame on it and I paid 11 these things will last you forever especially with a new frame

 

That’s probably about the current market value.
Now isn’t the best time to be buying, if you don’t have to.

Things to consider are.
What maintenance has been done?
What maintenance needs to be done?

Are there any issues at all with it?
Drive it, listen for any noises out of the ordinary.

I’d totally ignore the fact that he only drives it 2 miles to work and back.
That statement alone would irritate me.
Basic math tells us he’s either not the original owner, or he drives it a lot when he isn’t working.

 

Welcome to TW… Give it a drive, check things like U-Joints, bearings and belts.

 

Truth. Not only that, there's still a lot of potential buyers who would never buy a 180k vehicle, so his pool of shoppers is limited.

Not only that, 2 miles is horrid on wear. Nothing gets warmed up, always cold starts, etc. So that's actually detrimental, not a 'good thing'. Which, BTW, may speak to the mechanical knowledge shortcomings of the seller. He may still do 3k OCIs a Jiffy Lube.

At the very least you should have it inspected by an independent mechanic of your choosing. Then if you're still interested, make an offer that at least allows for repairs the mechanic calls out.

 

Thanks, everyone. He is the second owner and used to drive it to NH from Halifax.

The only red flag so far is I asked him what might need to be done in the next 3-6 months (a standard question for purchasing a used vehicle from a stranger) and his response was "the real question you should ask is is it inspectable. And in fact, yes, it is inspectable."
Definitely going to get inspected by independent mechanic.
He said he brought it to the local dealer for service. Changed oil every 3-5K miles.
I was able to go take a peak at it since we work near each other and it looks clean. Just minimal surface rust. Test drive next week.

I don't necessarily need a truck, but I did just buy a house on 5 acres that needs some reno so a truck would be super handy. I'm currently rocking a 2016 Honda Civic, which is just about useless around the house aside from the trailer hitch I just installed
And being pretty much restricted to pavement and good dirt roads, I also am lured to the lifestyle of being able to go pretty much anywhere lol some of the mods on here are super cool, but that's another thread!

 

^13K is a deal with todays market and that's not saying much. You're going to be overpaying in this market and that's even on high milage Tacomas. The market inflated for older 4runner, Lexus LX and GX models with really high milage as well.

The real problem is going this site. You'll be spending a lot more $ on mods if you spend too much time here.

Good Luck with your search

 

Thanks for the suggestion. Is yours a short bed? Was contemplating the usability of short vs reg bed and having the 4dr option w/ SB.

 

If he took it to a local dealer for maintenance then those records are available. Take a careful look at the maintenance records. That should tell you what’s been done and what needs to be done. I don’t like his answer to your question. That was an evasive answer. I’d ask the question again and see that he actually answers the question.

 

Create an account on the Toyota website & look the truck up. Then take it to a dealership for a purchase inspection. Totally worth it

 

I bought mine about 9 months ago with 188k on it. Paid 11k and it had a new frame and leaf springs, looked good, and drove decently. I've done a fair amount of preventative maintenance but wish I'd had it looked over by someone who could've told me that the UCA's and LCA's all needed to be replaced...

Mileage is almost irrelevant these days. I've seen low mileage hunks of junk and high mileage vehicles that'll have no trouble hitting 250-300k. It's all about the maintenance...

 

I agree 2 miles a day is a bad thing. Cats may be rusted out- not enough warm up time. I’ve dealt with before with an otherwise mint 94 maxima

 

these days it’s gonna be gone before you even decide.
And that has nothing to do with how good the condition is.
You have to be prepared to pounce when you find one in good shape.

 

Yes it will you gotta buy it when you see it

 

what might U spend on a 183k truck sooner/later

is that fair used.........................because nobody knows

the market is sky high...............yet there again NO 1 knows the duration

it will come down

 

Lotsa good info to consider. The comment about it being inspectable or not is interesting and could be used in negotiations.

What does he mean by that?
What are his concerns?

Make your own list of what it might need and roll that into the discussion.

His asking price is just a starting point.

Make a low ball offer, see where the conversation goes.

If you have cash, drop at least 1K from that low ball offer.

Good luck! Please keep us posted.

 

Took it for a test ride yesterday. I think the guy was hiding something. He kept dodging my questions so I am not moving forward with the purchase. I asked him how much he spent on average in the last 6 months at the shop and he didn't give me a number despite sharing the maintenance records (so I already knew the answer, and it was just a quiz mean of me?)

I'm sure someone with more experience that can DIY would love it (especially for the price). He also mentioned at the beginning and the end that other people were looking at it ("Great!" Was my internal response. Not getting pressured into buying a truck that may be a money pit). I know that person is not me.

It rode smooth, but clunked when I shifted it into third. Granted, it's 14 years old, but it did have a new clutch. Too bad, too, because it had a nice stance (1-1/2" lift) new struts, frame, brakes, and some other things. Lots of new parts but I think more will soon go.

Thanks a bunch to everyone who responded. This has been a warm welcome to TW!

And so... the hunt continues...

 

If that is the case I would look for a full size truck. Tacoma's aren't great for carrying building materials which is why I have a utility trailer.

 

after all the work already done on a 180++ truck

NO indication how much more work $$$$ needs to be done

obviously the owner is gettingout from under.................

little has been expressed from quite a few responses whereby i would EVER consider this a good deal

sometimes its best to walk away