What to look for when buying a 10 year old truck

Hey everyone. This is my first post here. I’m interested in joining the Tacoma community, and owning one has been a dream of mine for a while. Although I really like the 3rd gen, something about the 2.5 gen is just amazing to me. Stories of how great they are and how they look sound more appealing to me.

However, I have concern about buying a 10 year old truck. To be able to drive it daily and rely on it to go camping and drive on trails and the beach… is there anything specific on these to check out when buying one? Any personal experiences on issues, maybe rust or something?

Also, I’m in NJ where I’m sure that local ones could be subject to more rust than usual. I’ve been looking for a nice deal on a 2014/15 with somewhat low miles near me. For a 10 year old truck, these hold their value so well. How much would you pay for one that is in good condition?

 

I got a 2013 in June. It was a real unicorn. 100K, one owner, a ton of regular maintenance service records, Michelins (old man replacement tires), no rust on the frame or elsewhere. My 2006 Frontier was literally dying on my way to see this truck so I had little choice. I gave $22K for it. Too much? How many like it am I likely to come across while shoveling money into a junker? It runs and drives like a new truck. There are a lot of Tacomas on my road (rural 11 houses) and other than my neighbor’s new ‘23 (also has a ‘92 and ‘85 with over 300K on each) mine is the lowest mileage.

 

Tough one.

I'm not afraid of old trucks nor high mileage but I want to be the one who put most of the miles on it. I'd drive my 07 with 244,000 miles on a cross country road trip tomorrow. But I'd not buy it from someone else. I'd really not want to sell it to someone else for what I'd have to get for it. While I have no reason to believe any major problems are imminent, I can't guarantee to a buyer it will make it home either. I've kept it this long and would rather just keep driving it until something fails then decide whether to sell it for parts of fix it.

When I start looking at the prices they want for 10 year old trucks, especially Tacoma's, I just can't justify the math. The original purchaser pays $30K for a new 2013 or 2014. Drives it 10 years and gets $16-$17K back on trade meaning he drove the truck 10 years for $13K to $14K and never spent a dime on major repairs.

Buyer #2 pays $20-$22K from a used car lot or dealer and has more money invested in the truck than the original purchaser. And he gets to pay for stuff when it wears out. In another 10 years buyer #2 is going to spend at least some money on repairs and the truck is going to be worth a fraction of what he paid. If it is still on the road.

But if I simply couldn't afford new, or newer, Tacoma is the safest bet as to long term reliability. On the other hand, used prices reflect that.

 

I would def do the same if I were you. I want a truck that’s gonna last me many years and drive it until it dies. That’s why I’m really considering buying used even thought it’s pretty steep price wise. I would buy new, and have it for a while, but I really don’t like the 3rd gen as much. I would feel better having that 2.5 gen lol

 

Since you live where they use road salt, the number one thing you need to look for / be aware of is frame corrosion. Lots of second gen Tacomas out there with ready to fail frames that have been hack repaired or disguised.

 

If you are going to buy a 10 year old truck look in the non salt states and be prepared to travel.

 

A well maintained non salt state 2015 4x4 dc low mileage 60-90k miles still fetches 25k all day long. Trying to find one is a completely differently story. I have a 2015 PreRunner and have been looking for a 15 4wd and believe they’re hard to come by.

 

@TheOverlander you already have some sage advice in here. Commenting only because I was in your spot last year, also in NJ (and occasionally PA).

• Stick with 2013- 2015, which you already are. Nothing really wrong with 2012, heck I have one, but they CAN have SAIS (Secondary Air Intake) issues. Mine had the recall performed, and I did the Unifilter replacement, but just something to keep in mind. Also, not that it matters much, but the Entune Head Unit is a bit more robust in 2014-2015 if that matters.
• Rust, rust, rust as already mentioned. Be prepared to travel or trailer. I personally wouldn't even look at local stuff. I found mine in Arizona.
• Rust again, if you aren't road tripping or traveling and buying sight unseen, better hope to find a trustworthy seller willing to do things you would normally do, or get a trustworthy PPI that's willing to go the distance.
  
  • Namely tapping the frame if there's anything suspect, crawling under near the Cats, joints, mounting points, rockers, etc. Chat with enough dealers and personal sellers that are avoidant/sneaky to the point you'll build a gut feeling if they're not forthcoming. I was lucky to find an honest (but still a salesman) that literally crawled under to make the sale (since I was out of state), and helped facilitate getting it on a lift for a PPI to confirm. Knew he was legit then.
• See if you can pop the VIN in Toyotas website (make an account) for service history. Or invest in CarFax. Buying used, it's important to know how well maintained (or not) the vehicle was.
• Take your time. Don't rush into it and get emotionally attached. The above took me 6 months of dedicated searching.
• Use aggregate online searches like cargurus, cars.com, autotrader, autotempest, etc. Honestly, set-up filters in however many you want with your specific criteria. That way you can get alerts and search smarter, and have new listings pop-up passively along with active searches.
• Be prepared to spend over $20K regardless like mentioned (unless you bump up the mileage). Honestly, anything around 100K miles flat is still "low" mileage for a Tacoma, but only you can decide what you're comfortable with (and maintenance records as mentioned above).
• Most importantly have fun!

 

I feel like we both got the same truck. I got a 1 owner SR5 4x4 with 93k on it, all maintenance stamps from the same dealership up until it was traded in. No rust, no major issues, minimal wear and tear. I also paid 21k for mine. I bought it in 2021 before covid prices got dumb on used Tacomas, wish I had gotten a 4Runner to be honest but I like having a pickup.

 

I'll just add ,there have been a few posts lately from new buyers of used trucks. Pictures of the frame showed major rust issues even though the rest of the truck looked fine. It's terrible knowing the individual got taken and you don't want to tell them their new pride and joy is junk.

 

JB weld and paint makes a frame what it ain’t!

 

Rust

 

Rust!

And don’t EVER buy a broken vehicle unless you are 100% certain you know what’s wrong with it, and 100% know you can fix it cost effectively.

My brother loves getting “deals” on broken vehicles, sinking a ton of time and money into them, and selling them at a “profit” that probably pays him $5.00 per hour when he’s finished.

 

10 YO this April. Unfortunately full retail ~$25K in good condition. The absurd high prices of the used car market seems to be breaking, not sure about Tacomas.

 

4Runner’s were one of the candidates for me too, but they’re even pricier than Tacomas. I read somewhere that only Corvettes hold their value more than 4Runners.

 

I love my Taco but when I bought it I got taken... sort of.

The person I bought it from cleared the codes, something I did not know could be done outside of a licensed shop.
Halfway home from where I bought it, a 500 km drive, it started throwing codes for the catalytic converter, late piston or something, oxygen sensors... five codes in total.

It turned out the oil had never been changed so the timing chain tensioner got gummed up and stopped working properly causing excessive hot gasses and feul to burn out the catalytic converter...
I had an inspection done at a mechanic local to the town I bought it in before picking it up as well... apparently they caught none of this.

I was lucky. all I had to do was change the oil, put in a bottle of seafoam, drive it for 150 km, change the oil again (disgusting) , drive another 50km, and the tensioner started playing ball again... the catalytic converters were gone.

I would take a wireless ODB or full kit with you on the test drive and make it a long one. do a complete scan towards the end of the drive... if someone has cleared codes recently this may be able to find them out.
Also, not trust the inspection unless you know the mechanic or have a very reputable shop do it.

Take a real good look at the frame. frames that were replaced under the toyota frame settlement are probably ok but some were just "re-treated" and depending on who did them they just kept rusting under that layer of "treatment";
Mine was one of those and I will be taking it apart this coming summer and fixing it myself... I hope.

 

Whoever ends up buying my 2011 gonna get a great deal. I take care of my stuff. Always garage kept, pm services done on time, etc.

Less than 110k miles. I would not flinch about buying a used vehicle.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VhllZ1kaiRA