Buying a Tacoma in an insane market

Hi all,
New member, long-time reader. Thanks for all the helpful mod/mechanical threads over the years. Hope nobody minds a "Zero-Gen 1/2 Ton Pickup" owner crashing the party.

Here's my dilemma: I have been shopping for a year for a newer truck. Sadly I took "Old Faithful" to the wrong shop for a head-gasket job & adjustment, and six months later the virtually unbreakable 22RE is seized and unsalvageable.

I tend to get treated poorly by dealers who know less about Tacomas than I do and I also can't understand why Toyota hasn't made the single piece drive shaft a standard on all Tacos at this point. It's hard to justify financing a newer 2nd or 3rd gen with this flaw, but that's a whole other can of worms.

At this point, is it better to take a chance on buying a replacement engine? My only other option is to get the newer Tacoma and pay out of pocket for the proper driveshaft setup.

My daily driver is a Camry with 377k on it...I really miss off-road adventures and being able to haul equipment around.

 

I would put a new motor in it.

 

mmm well you have a pretty big issue with the 2 piece (Toyota actually calls them 3 piece), but they have been working fine for thousands of other folks. What do you do with your truck that you think a single piece drive shaft is the only viable solution?

 

Also hit up a custom driveline shop

 

I am pretty rough on my trucks and take them off road frequently, sometimes at high speed. To me it's annoying to deal with consistent driveshaft vibrations both in low gear rough road conditions and on the freeway. Hence the single piece solution so many folks have mentioned/completed here. I also have to factor in labor costs because I lack the experience and upper body strength to do more complex updates to the truck myself.

So far that's one vote for buying an engine rather than a whole truck. Thanks for the input

 

Local members might be able to help also. Do you have picks of the truck?

 

I mean, I am in the get a new engine camp.

I just think the extreme line you are taking on the DS is a bit off. If you want a newer truck, get one. You don't have to change the DS immediately. It's not like the one in the truck is going to blow up the second you go wheeling. I've wheeled my truck for 21 years with the OEM DS.. it's fine. That being said, Tom Woods has a single-piece shaft. It's not a hard project. I just don't think the DS should the reason you stay away from a newer vehicle.

 

Thanks. The Tom Woods solution seemed simple and relatively inexpensive.

I'm in the fiscally conservative camp and it's not just the DS... it's the price, & principle for a noticeable shudder that I personally think Toyota should have fixed a couple gens ago. Just my opinion after multiple test drives and bad dealer experiences.
I'm working class; newer Toyotas, even ten years old, are suddenly stickered at Mercedes price points.

I've got a few more to look at and hopefully six months to decide before my existing shitbox dies.

Any recommendations for where to buy a new or quality rebuilt 22RE?

 

LCE does an amazing job

 

Everybody is different......I have some mexican mechs that would swap a 22re out starting at $800.....
these are engine people...most of what they do...

Heads are super cheap on these 22re....$250 and up.....blocks kinda pricey...$1600 and up....for remans....
Junk engine...on these kinda pricey too.....$1200 to $1800.....

I would look what is on west coast near you....post some classifieds....might find one crated up that never got used....

Complete Cylinder Head Fit For 85-95 Toyota 4Runner Pickup Celica 2.4L 22R 22RE | eBay

22re long block engine - Bing images


You could find a low milage rusted out tacoma.....swap everything over.....
exhaust is wrong side.....most likely need a custom drive shaft too....would be a real PIA and need tweeking for a while.....

 

If your truck is in excellent shape, I'd be inclined to get a replacement engine. Many are going that route, due to the crazy market, and because there's a perception that older models are more easily and affordably repaired than the newest ones, with all their mandatory hi-tech equipment. Otherwise, as you have another vehicle, I hear used vehicle prices have started to drop. But maybe not fast enough for you, or on super-popular makes like Toyota.

Happy Motoring, Mark D.