Thinking about buying this Tacoma. Opinions please

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/4733624652.html

I am thinking about buying this Tacoma as a little do-all truck. I guess I'm lost because until I saw this truck I didn't know Toyota ever put the 3.4L in a reg cab truck.

What are yalls opinion of the truck and price? Anyone else here have the reg cab with the V6? How do you like it?

The add says locking diff..... Iono about that one. What year did they start putting the lockers in?

22mpg? My 2000 ext cab 4x4 always hung around the 17-18mpg range. Opinions on that.

All responses are welcome. Thanks in advance.

Earl

 

1) Have the frame inspected for INTERNAL frame rust. If you can get a Toyota tech to inspect it....that's your best bet.
2) Ask for VIN#.
3) Carfax Report
4) Ask the guy for a photo of the dash on left side of steering wheel. If the locker is legit - you should see a button for it. Yes...you could get a 3.4L & locker in 97 (rare, but possible).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Tacoma'

As always...I personally would NEVER buy a vehicle without seeing & driving it.
Take a mechanic with you and drive it in 4WD AND 4LO to make sure everything is working.

Good Luck!

My 96 3.4L extended cab got about 18mpg on average.

 

22 mpg in town? Ah....ok.
Think that's some serious leg pullin there.
My 3.4 gets 16-18 in the city.

 

That's a good looking truck. My buddy has a 94 single cab with the v6 3.0. I can say Iv never seen a first gen single cab with the v6. I'd think that was a good find

 

looks good and the price is good but as others said have the frame inspected first and test all functions of 2wd AND 4wd on and off road with a mechanic to be sure there are no hidden issues.

as to mpg, also as others said, it cant be right, I think he meant 22mpg on highway not in town

 

I know Tacomas hold their value but Edmunds puts this at about 3k private party sell. even kbb gives it about a 3.4k for Very Good condition

as others said, check it out first and then decide if you're willing to make an offer, but I wouldn't do 7k.

new paint? could mean wrecked and replaced or rusted panels, who knows

and if you're looking for an all-around-getter then just go for a non-4wd and you'll get the same space with 30 mpg

 

That's about the rarest Tacoma you will find. Reg cab, v6, and rear diff lock are very uncommon. If it's locked it might have been an axle swap.

 

Very rare indeed, they only made those for like a year and not many were produced. If I didn't need a double cab, I would be all over that thing lol.

 

value changes a lot depending on where you are around the country plus its a TRD which adds a lot of value and the condition look great so there are a lot of things to add to it above the standard book value.

not saying the price might be higher then the average vehicle but this doesn't appear to be just the average vehicle.

 

Definitely not a TRD. The TRD package first came out with the '98 model and it was only on extracabs. There were no double cabs back then. The elocker axle was availble tho before the '98 model year but I'm pretty sure it was in extracab models only.

 

Yeah, I'd say check the rear diff for a locker. I mean, depending on your wants out of a truck, EVEN if the locker isn't there and the truck obviously isn't a TRD, I'd still buy and drive the shit out of that little truck. That thing is awesome.

 

price is high. nice truck though

 

although they are 2wd, here is a good regular cab price comparison: http://mobile.craigslist.org/cto/4733207538.html

and here: http://batonrouge.craigslist.org/cto/4691016069.html

while he might find a cheaper truck it all depends on the condition, inside and out, so the asking price for that truck is reasonable IMHO

 

3 years newer, 30k+ fewer miles makes a difference

ultimately it's what you're willing to pay to get what you want. try to find more of the same build/year/mileage and compare price. like everything on CL it's subject to interpretation and will usually end up being obo

 

those are also not 4wd or trd which is an extra $1000 added value for each of those but bottom line is it is in the ballpark for a reasonably priced truck so I cant say its over priced for that truck but maybe a better deal could be found.

until it is viewed in person its hard to value the interior and exterior just by a exterior picture

its just I wouldn't call it overpriced until I saw it in person and found reason to lower the value based on seeing wear and tear on the vehicle

 

It looks like they put a TRD sticker for a Tundra on it too far too big.

Though the thought does cross my mind if it's been wrecked or not...since it has new paint, new tires, new lots of things. Could be just be me though, but I'm getting that vibe. If not though, it's a pretty clean little truck. Price isn't bad for what it is.

 

I agree, definitely run a carfax on it and inspect it carefully. You can usually tell pretty easy if it's been hit hard somewhere and covered up, there are signs.

 

The 'TRD' may have started in 98, but you could still get a locker in the 97 as an option..... It just wasn't called a TRD.