How much is a Tacoma worth?

This posts are great! I wanted to see if the community believed there was a master recipe but someone put it well. Its whatever you’re willing to pay for it! Seems like these trucks aren’t just about parts but the stories wrapped into them. Hope this thread helps the next person who struggles to sift through all the bull they’ll see when buying. In better news I bought one yesterday! Beautiful 2002 Reg cab 4x4 auto with 109k and rebuilt front end suspension with a sand blasted and repainted frame. I never thought I’d see a rust free frame in the north east again! Don’t worry I got a camera inside and she’s clean as a whistle

 

Like the others said, it's what the market will pay for them and fortunately for owners it's a lot but unfortunately for shoppers it's still a lot...

Just to give you some idea about 10 years ago I was looking at a beat to hell (rusted bed, headliner missing, smoked in) Tacoma with like 120k on the odometer and about 12 years old at the time... owner wanted 4k and I offered 3,850... shook hands and before I could get back from my bank he sold it to someone else for 4k...

I can't complain because I ended up buying a 99 ranger for 3,800 which I then sold a few years back for 3,800... lol. She' was a great little truck. If you want cheap look at some 4cyl or 4.0 v6 rangers they are dirt cheap, easy to fix, and IMO reliable as hell. But if you have your heart set on a Taco, it'll cost ya and you're better off spending a little more for a less abused one than trying to get into the several thousand dollar range because I'd imagine they are all rusty heaps at that point.

 

Yep. There are some of us who have an emotional attachment to our trucks that you can’t put a price on. My head tells me it’s just a truck and there is nothing special about it but the woman I bought it from was going through the same end-of-life issues with her parents that I went through a few years before. So I just felt a bond with the seller and wanted to keep the truck as pristine as her dad had kept it since it was new. And I didn’t realize it until I added the tonneau but my truck it looks a little like the Ford Ranchero HO slot car my dad gave me for my birthday maybe 50 years ago. Asking what my Taco is worth yields a different answer to what any other truck is worth. Doesn’t matter to me what someone else would pay for it.

 

When I drove my truck from New York to Chicago in 04, it arrived with 2,500 miles. I had an old beater, Nissan 2 door, 2 wheel drive that I used. I remember ordering this truck with everything that the Nissan did not have. No ac, no power steering, drive train etc. and only 2 doors. I have let it sit like a garage queen for most of its life but somehow it has approximately 34,800 miles

I had the truck rust proofed at Ziebart in Rockford (closed now) and then again in Beloit, Wisconsin. This was before Toyota had the frame recall. When I took it to my local Toyota dealer regarding the recall, they said the frame was in perfect shape. They also rust proofed the truck. Since then it has never seen rain.

I bought brand new from a Florida Toyota dealer 3 (3rd gen 4 Runner wheels) and 1 from EBay that looked like a take-off for this truck. My wife had a 3rd gen Runner.

The current wheels seemed to be take-offs, from California (EBay) like new that I bought years ago. I have changed the timing belt, hoses etc.

I have debated selling it over the years…I jumped it and drove it about a month ago. After the tires were aired up, I was amazed how it drove. I sometimes drive a 01 Camry, 05 AWD Sienna and 2013 5th gen 4Runner. The Tacoma still has that new car smell and the back seat has been used less than ten times…

 

I've never believed in the 'something is worth whatever someone is willing to pay' adage as people pay both more and less everyday for all kinds of items than what the general broad market dictates they are worth.

For example, I've been offered $20,000 for the below '96 Tacoma with 414,000 miles on it. Doesn't mean that it's 'worth' it, it's just what one individual is willing to pay.

 

As others have said, it can vary on the buyer. I would be willing to pay anywhere from $0 - $12,000 for a first gen if it's a good enough deal. All depends on the truck, the history, and the condition. I bought a 99 2WD in 2018 for $1,400 on FB marketplace that hardly had working brakes, and had a lot of other small issues. Put $1,700 into repairs and upgrades and loved abusing it even though it was my daily. Eventually sold it but have told myself I will buy another first gen one day. I would sure as hell would pay more than a "typical" buyer might for the right Taco.

 

I think I posted this in the wrong thread..but you get the point.