Help choosing a Tacoma

All -

Thank you in advance for your help.

I'm in the process of acquiring a new (to me) truck. Currently under consideration are two Tacoma's. I'm going to link to both, provide a brief description, lay out what I see as pluses and minuses, and ask for your collective opinions and suggestions.

Both trucks are Xtracab 4x4 manual transmissions. Sorry about these awful links. You'll probably have to copy and paste them. If anyone knows a better way to link directly to an auto trader car let me know and I'll edit the post (if I can)

Truck 1: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=365114336
2003 V6 (3.4?) 216k miles. $9995
TRD SR5

Truck 2: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...s=MAN&maxPrice=12000&showcaseListingId=0&mmt=[TOYOTA[TACOMA[]PICKUP[]][]NISSAN[FRONTI[]NISPU[]][]]&lastExec=1394531435000&modelCode1=TACOMA&sortBy=distanceASC&driveCode=AWD4WD&makeCode2=NISSAN&modelCode2=FRONTI&showcaseOwnerId=96614&startYear=1981&makeCode1=TOYOTA&searchRadius=300&listingId=367474298&Log=0
2001 4 cylinder (2.7?) 170k miles. $8883
SR5
TRD?

TRD means locking axle?
SR5 means interior electronic goodies?

I have the carfax for both vehicles. They agree with the stated mileage. Truck 2 sustained minor damage in '04. Supposedly it got rear ended.

Truck 1 has the edge on power. But it has a timing belt, not a chain. Truck 2 has a timing chain, but loses on power.

Truck 1 is 2 years newer than Truck 2, but has 46k more miles. Having trouble figuring out which has the edge here.

Which engine has a better longevity record? My intent is to drive this truck for ever. Then a little longer.

The final complication is that I'm just north of Atlanta. Truck 1 is in Asheville, NC. and Truck 2 is in Denver, NC. My dad is going to go look at Truck 1 for me, and I've got a mechanic lined up to do a pre-purchase inspection. I have no one to eyeball Truck 2, but I will contract a mechanic for it, too. So, I need to do as much up-front work as I can to minimize time driving up and down the interstate.

Thanks again. I really appreciate any help you can give.

Matt

 

TRD usually means factory locker & upgraded suspension.

just buy mine. its a no-rust truck only been in CA, IS 4X4, has everything you need for offroad, & has the 3.4L motor!

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-tacoma-marketplace/319681-f-s-1999-tacoma-trd-4x4.html

 

OP, looks like your second listing has sold, so now your search has been cut in half. The x-cab looks nice, I just wish they had included a shot of underneath the hood.

The high mileage doesn't scare me as much as the possibility of frame rust. When whomever goes to check it out for you, be sure they take a flashlight and small screwdriver and crawl underneath and look for frame rust. That'd be a deal killer for me as repairing or replaceing the frame is big $$. Whereas you can fix all things mechanical.

Hopefully all the fluids have been changed out. The 3.4 engine is a good one, so long as it has been maintained which is true with any other engine.

 

i like truck 1

 

Thanks for the help. Keep it coming.

Check the Truck 2 URL again. I edited it, and it now works for me. Failing that I'll post the fantastically long one.
Edit: that link just won't work. Going to have to copy and paste. Sorry.

As to the frame rust, isn't that covered under a recall from Toyota?

 

I bought the '03. I'll take delivery on Saturday.

Be prepared for a litany of questions as I bring the maintenance current.

 

Congrats! The better choice IMHO.