Is this a decent deal? Input please!

Nice truck, it's a hat trick. Guess it really boils down to how much you want something and how much cash you got in your pocket to spend. Enjoy

 

JMO ,it’s not a decent deal you paid top dollar for a high mileage truck. It all depends on what you want.

 

Honestly, completely depends on the service history.

 

100% agree; if a vehicle has been well maintained the last thing I’d do is haggle. It doesn’t matter what you drive, if you take care of it - it’ll last. When you see it, you want it -and- you like it, you buy it. Mileage isn’t even a consideration.

Some would argue “why would you ‘invest’ in a depreciating asset”? My response is “I’ve customized my truck to my liking because I intend to keep it” It’s no different than a car enthusiast restoring a Dodge Charger or Mustang”

Timing (life changes), opportunity (right place - right time) and need (financial hardship), often play a part in buying and selling decisions people make over time. Sometimes it's about wants vs. needs.

I’ve done my absolute best to keep my truck in pristine condition both inside and out. Being single and not having kids or pets makes it much easier to manage.

I’ve had some outrageous “offers” to buy my truck because of the condition it’s in despite having 372,800 miles on it. These trucks are well-engineered which makes them incredibly reliable and built to last, but they won’t repair themselves.

I paid $12,000 for my truck in 2004 and I’ve gotten way more than my money’s worth out of it. I love my shiny old truck and plan to keep it as long as I can.

 

I think you did fine, OP. The cap is worth $1k and the bed in the back is worth $1k, if that's something you'd use (I would, and it looks sweet). So that leaves $14k for a rust free, no-dog-bites-in-seats, clean 1st gen.... Reasonable.

Insurance -- just be mindful of what you actually need. I keep liability-only on one of my trucks, and liability and comp on the other. I don't buy collision -- that's the expensive part. Ask yourself what your driving record is, how many miles you put on per year, if you are a "good" driver, and if you text or otherwise mess around with a phone while you drive. From this, you are either above average or below average risk. Make an honest assessment and buy what you need.

Enjoy!

 

At least it's a one owner AZ truck whick pretty much guarantees no rust. I bought an '01 king cab last year in Mesa with the same pedigree from a private party and it's been flawless so far. Enjoy!

 

Worth more than 16,000. Low mileage for a Toyota..... High mileage for any other brand. Truck looks to be in excellent condition & it shows no wear cosmetically

 

YES! Do it! Drives up the market price I can show when I am ready to sell mine!

 

Well the 1st gen taco is the goat of all vehicles, its a lil too pricey, you can get the same truck deff at a lower price. Theres tons of them out ther.

 

"I'd never pay more than $4-5000 for one with that many miles!"



OP - Remember some people here haven't had to find or pay for one of these in many years. They're not making any more of them, rust doesn't sleep, inflation gone wild..assuming it's well maintained and it's what you were after, I think you did well.

Also you guys with liability only - my understanding is you're pretty much hosed if you get hit & run and/or by an uninsured driver, which is only getting more common it seems..then there is deer/moose/sasquatch, black ice, falling trees, floods, vandalism, theft..I'm not defending the scum known as the insurance industry, but there's a lot more than collisions that collision coverage covers.

 

Great truck! I would bet in a year you wont even be thinking about the price. Also if it has had the timing belt done in addition to all the regular maintenance that is gonna save you easily $4K right off the bat. I paid more for mine and the complements alone are worth the money.

 

Congrats on the purchase of a beautiful, well maintained, stick shift, classic Taco! As ace-10 said, since you've already made the purchase, what my opinion is doesn't make a lot of difference...the question is are you happy with your purchase?
As a comparison, my taco is nearly the same as yours - white, extra cab, nice paint, topper, clean, well maintained, etc. - but with 100,000 more miles. Purchased just prior to COVID for less than what you paid. It runs like a top and will likely go 500,000 miles. I'm happy with my purchase, especially since the value of this investment seems to continue to increase, which will likely be the same for you.
Enjoy your new ride - I smile every time I get behind the wheel of mine and hope you will have the same enjoyment with yours as well.

 

One more "opinion"... check the front end for wear. If the suspension has not been replaced, then start saving your nickles so you can replace the ball joints and bushings with OEM or better parts...the last thing you want to happen on your new-to-you classic Taco is for the ball joint to fail at 70mph and the front wheel to flop over...others here can correct me, but my understanding is that if the front end fails on a Taco, there's not much forgiveness, especially at high speeds.

 

Thanks guys.

I drove the truck home from AZ yesterday and so far I absolutely love it. No regrets, and I'm happy with what I paid for it. The truck is absolutely mint.

There are about 50 pages of maintenance records that I was given and I sifted through them for any indication the lower ball joints have been replaced, but I can't seem to find that. Upon inspection before I bought the truck, it appeared to me they have not been changed. Needless to say, some OEM replacements are already on order and that's first order of business for me.

 

Also, I attempted to post the camper shell and bed platform for sale on this site but apparently I don't have enough posts yet to post on the for sale thread.


If anyone is interested.. it's for sale here in Southern California. I'll post some pictures of it.

 

$1200 for the entire setup but willing to separate

 

If you hadn't bought it, I would have seriously considered driving up to Cottonwood myself!

 

You could drive that truck for a heck of a long time...
might as well be driving what you want.

Doesn't matter what it costs



I miss systematically, slowly replacing all that front stuff
....its was fun....

make sure you get new bolts for stuff like that....

 

Agreed. The benefit of having an older truck is being able to work on it. It's enjoyable.

I will admit though, these lower ball joints can't come soon enough. I'm kinda worried about driving it until they show up.

 

EDIT -- delete so as not to highjack thread with musings on insurance...

Awesome truck OP! You done well. Enjoy it.