Truck seems like it's had a lot of work done (1st time buyer)

Hey, I'm going to view this truck on Saturday, but it looks like it's had a lot of work done on it. I'm a bit skeptical as it's had a total of 5 owners. 3 of them in the last two years.

The seller says: "No chasis damage , runs well , great condition , New paint job , New head lights , New taillights, re done chasis , New bumpers , New driveshaft, New bed. Fixed up a couple of spots and recoated the frame."

The frame has clearly had some work done. I plan on having a mechanic take a thorough look at it before buying, but wanted to reach out to the sound people on this thread for some advice.

2002 XtraCab 3.6L
134k miles
$8k

 

Get the VIN and pay for the carfax report on it. Gotta check out the history on the truck. Maybe the current owner will even pay for it.

 

$6,750. Then you can put some sweet shocks on that thing.

 

It looks like the frame mostly just got a coat of paint to hide everything...Look at it really closely on the inside near the gas tank especially. The 3 owners in the last 5 years sounds like three people didn't take very long to realize they couldn't fix it. If it's a steal and you can fix the frame yourself, then that's not a problem. If the price isn't low and you can't do the work yourself, then maybe not.

 

Cheers for the advice! Going to get a mechanic to give it a good going over before I purchase.

 

Hammer test that frame a lot, that chunky coating is sus

 

Look at the cars in the background. Looks like that place parts out or repairs vehicles and resells them. I would look over it very closely or avoid it. Places like that either do good work or hide dodgy repairs.

Looks like the exhaust is resting against the shackle hanger? Look at the exhaust tip right by the frame. Might need some exhaust work.

 

That doesn't look like the stock rear differential cover to me. Not sure if they swapped in a different rear end or used one of those weldable repair kits, but worth asking about.

 

it’s a Toyota, not a dodge

 

What does that have to do with anything? Truck could still have been cluster swapped and actually have 300k miles and a rotted out frame covered with bondo and paint.

 

Looks like there's a rust hole in the frame on the 4th picture.

 

Sure does

 

you said dodgy

 

Ah That went over my head lol. Funny guy

 

Aaayyyeee

 

This doesn't look right.

 

I'd just save your money and skip this one. This truck is 100% rusty and their masking it. Red flags galore here

 

Run away from it ,don’t waste your time . Your next post will e asking how to fix a rotted out frame.

 

Welcome to the forum!

First off, the quote from Darty03 is good advice. No, it's excellent advice! Sounds like he's been around awhile. So is the advice of others who replied to your post. Myself? I'd be very, VERY careful about buying anything from a repair shop such as this place appears to be. So here are a few observations from an old fart who's been driving for more than 65 years and who's seen a lot of suspicious and shady stuff...

The first thing is...Caveat emptor!

Here are the questions I would ask - not to find out the true condition of the truck but to find out what kind of a person is that I'm dealing with: How's the suspension? Shocks? Ball joints? Takes 2 minutes on a hoist to check the lower ball joints. How 'bout the brakes-what condition are they in? Any intermittent problems with the electrics (guess you'll never know until after you've bought the truck and have driven it for awhile)? The center tread on the tire shown in image #4 looks like it is just about shot and like some of the rubber at the tread's edge has been scraped away. Did the last guy lose control and run off the road and into the mud? From those pictures, I would think there's a pretty good chance that the truck's been an accident. What part of the frame had to be repaired and how were the repairs made? Why is the bed removed? Why were the headlights and taillights replaced? What necessitated a replacement driveshaft?

What does the engine sound like? What codes are stored? Any signs of coolant leakage around the radiator? What condition are the belts and hoses in? How's the heater? And the A/C? Any leaks there? Any leaks around the tranny and xfer case output shafts? Around the oil pan and/or the valve covers? What about the steering rack - loose? Noisy? Leaky? Recently replaced? These are all things that need replacing on a 22-year-old truck with 133,000 miles on the clock. Any after-market additions to the engine or running gear?

And three owners in the last five years - what's wrong with this picture? Given what you've written, I would guess that the truck was well taken care of, and the second owner - who knows: maybe he's the one who did not take care of the truck so much

There are too many unknowns. When you buy a used car or truck, you're often buying another person's problems. You can ask the seller all the questions you want but there is absolutely no guarantee as to the reliability of his answers (unless you know him personally, that is). You mentioned that you are "a bit skeptical". Good. You're inner self is telling you to be careful.

Don't forget the test drive, preferable on a road that has a lot of potholes so you can hear what rattles and see what, if anything, jiggles loose



And the price. $8,000? That's what you'll pay for the privilege of paying an additional $2,500 to $3,500 into it, even if you do a lot of the work yourself. Which assumes you have the tools and the experience to do the work with. I assume you are looking at a 4WD truck. Based on that, a set of tires will cost you around $1,200 for Michelins. The cost to have someone replace the steering rack is another $1,000 and that's if you trust the mechanic to order a new rack from a Toyota dealer. New stock replacement Bilstein shocks (for a TRD, that is) run around $300-$350 for a set of four. Plus another $50-$60 for the tool to compress the springs to replace them, or another $100-$200 for someone else to do the work. Parts alone for two new lower ball joints are over $350 for Toyota parts (and only a fool would even consider anything else). Add to that the labor expense if you have somebody replace them for you.

I don't write this to hurt your feelings. I could be wrong, but I get the idea that you're of the younger generation, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'm just telling you my thoughts based on my personal experience with buying used cars and over 30 years of owning Toyota trucks. Please don't be offended, it's not my intention. But the bottom line is...

If that truck were a prize for winning a race, I'd be a-runnin' backwards.

 

I’d be leery of purchasing a vehicle from a place like that. Keep looking you’ll find something better