Looking for opinions and insight.

So for about the past month or so i have been looking for a 1st gen to buy but kept stumbling upon 2nd gen ads. Ive done some reading on them but as far as price goes, is it worth it to buy a 2nd gen? More dependable? Powertrain better/worse compared to 1st gen? i'm looking for a dependable daily driver, 2wd, auto. DAC and HAC, good? or do they cause problems? like i said i can tell you anything about 1st gens but i need a 2nd gen buyers guide haha. any insight would be helpful. Thanks guys

 

I've had both (2003 dbl cab 4x4, now 2005 dbl cab 4x4) and enjoyed both. You can't go wrong with either one but I needed more cab room for the family hence the change. The only issue you will find in your search would be the diffculty in getting a good clean low mileage 1st gen since it's older.

 

Thanks, i've been reading they have the same rust issue? is the 4.0 as good as the 3.4? any input would be great

 

When I was doing my research into buying, the rust thing came up frequently. Even had some of the 1st gens traded back to Toyota for a new truck it was so bad.

In my opinion the 2nd Gen has been around long enough most of the kinks have been worked out, they're obviously newer, they look better (personal preference), and have more options.

Last thing, I seem to remember some reviewers complaining about the 2nd gen manual transmission being "mushy" and praising the automatic. I took it with a grain of salt, but it did affect my decision a little.

 

I really wanted a 1st gen, but finding one set up the way I want, with low miles and in decent shape is almost impossible. In decent shape they still sell for around $15k, even at ten years old with 100k miles. That's why I bought a new on instead.

 

on that note.... http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/4323558363.html

If this truck checks out and runs good, is that a decent price? =)

 

Looks clean. Price not bad but could try to offer $13500 since it's an '06. You shouldn't have any rust concerns being in tx and the 4.0 is plenty of power. Check for oil leaks and rust in the undercarriage along with highway test drive for vibes.

 

Are there common things that leak on the tacoma? like leaky valve covers? cause if so, if the fix was easy enough i wouldnt let it effect my purchasing of it, just how much i pay for it

 

The main one is the timing cover leak which was covered under 60K miles powertrain TSB but you are passed that.

 

It is now impossible to buy a 1st gen that is less than ten years old.

The first gens are well loved, especially on this site, but all cars and trucks eventually get old and wear out.