03 Taco - Should I buy?

Hi all. I’m new to the forum and really appreciate any input y’all can offer.

I have the opportunity to buy this 03 SR5. Engine, body, interior all seem to be in great shape. Only 138k miles and 2 owners.

My main concern is rust as the frame was never replaced by Toyota.

 

Where has the truck lived?

Much of that looks like red clay / mud, so in the SE?

BTW, frames had to meet certain criteria for warranty replacement. Not every truck qualified. And not every owner was smart enough to follow up with care or inspections. You are wise to proceed with caution.

 

Look like minimum surface rust.

 

Colorado

 

Something worth mentioning is that '03/'04 Tacomas, unlike all other 1st Gen Tacomas prior, came with a new throttle body design that was essentially the first step towards throttle by wire.

So they have an Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor (APPS) built into their throttle bodies that isn't sold separately by Toyota, and hasnt been recreated by any aftermarket company either. As a result, if that sensor fails on one of these trucks, the truck goes into limp mode, and the only fix is a new replacement throttle body. Keep in mind these throttle bodies won't be available new from Toyota forever.

I have a brand new one sitting in my parts cabinet for when that day comes with my '03. It's a $600 piece of insurance that my truck won't get relegated into yard ornament detail.

 

I agree with others that the rust appears to be just mild surface rust. If you were to buy it, I would recommend lightly wire wheeling the rust off, hitting the frame with some black rustoleum, and then coating the frame with some fluid film

 

Thanks for the input so far.

When I tapped the frame with my pocket knife there was a point that the sound turned from a ting to a light thud on the passenger side rail. Would that indicate rust issues propagating from the inside out?

 

That rust isn't enough to be a concern. Send it.

 

Move on and buy a third or fourth gen. Why? OEM parts are obsoleted or harder to source and the first gen don’t have much support. Plus, being a 22y/o truck, it’ll be a money guzzler with service needed.

Yea Yea, I can already these members say how terrible the fourth gen are but in reality, it’s not that bad. And the third gen is just a turd but I personally know many third and fourth gen owners with 0 issue.

 

I don’t see any Tacoma forums lit up with this scenario, in fact, yours is the very first. Sounds like a rare occurrence. I own a 2003 Tacoma and I’m not going to lose sleep over it. Also, I see that Duralast makes 3 such sensors that fit almost any Tacoma.

 

1. Didn't say it was common. But search this site and youll find threads about it. Still worth being aware of if shopping for an 03/04.

2. I'm pretty sure it only applies to 5vz's made in '03/'04

3. And if you read the threads on here about the issue you'd have seen that any aftermarket solutions have failed to remedy the problem.

 

Mine went about 4 years ago. When I accelerated hard the engine would stutter a few times, then cut out entirely. Turn key off wait a few minutes and would drive normal but with CEL. Repeat for a few weeks and then… New throttle body for $650 plus install. I’m adding another one to my parts horde.


That said, OP: truck sounds good. But do tap around on frame more if you heard a thud.

 

Price?

 

Get a ppi.

 

It looks like it may have seen some off-road use or dirt roads maybe. If you buy it I would clean it up and paint the frame.

 

Looking to buy a spare myself.
Can you confirm that it’s the “Throttle body assembly with motor?”

There are two parts that fit my 04 3.4.

Throttle Body Assembly with Motor (PN 22030-62020)

and

Throttle Body Assembly (PN 22210-75240)

I’m inspecting the parts diagram and cannot see what the difference between the two is.

 

I'm about 99% sure that I have the PN 22030-62020 on the shelf, but I can confirm when I get home this evening (its still in the box with the part # on it). That being said your '04 is a DC, I assume with the auto trans (mine's an '03 v6 manual trans)? So pretty sure you and I will have different part #'s either way

 

For sure I knew there is a high likelihood that the PNs would be different.

And I’m hesitant to call a parts dept to see if they know the difference.

The cost difference is $80 and I cannot find a “motor” in the parts diagram that would indicate it’s included in the one assembly.

Appreciate you checking the part#.

 

Price is $14k

 

Part #:


Pictures of the throttle body itself in case they help you figure this out:






Edit: now that i think about it, I believe your DCSB with an auto trans may actually still use the same throttle body as my truck. I think the later A340 transmissions used electronics to "kick down" versus an old school kick down cable that ran to the throttle body like earlier automatic Tacomas/4Runners, thereby allowing the same throttle body to work with both.