2003 TRD OR w/Factory Supercharger. Advice?

yup. IMO, I wouldn’t touch this thing with a ten foot pole.. because either the frame is shit and they’re trying to cover it up or the frame has some rust and they just created the ultimate rust environment by sealing in the rust…

 

That depends on elevation and transmission type.

 

With the 5spd I've learned to keep my shifts above 3.5k - 4k RPM so I'm not any lower than 2.5k RPM in the next gear otherwise it will ping, if I hit boost under 2500 RPM that is.

Not sure what the auto guys do, keep ect on all the time I guess.

It's less of an issue in cooler temps or if I'm up in the mountains at elevation

 

They clearly sprayed everything...even the shocks, coils, etc.. Not a good sign. Looks clean AF outside tho. Bring a hammer and start hammering away at that frame

 

I think it boils down to intent...whether the seller sprayed it to cover surface rust or something more ominous. Having looked at it briefly, I don't believe there is a rust issue. There was no flaking, holes, etc. All of the joints and hangers had clean, straight factory edges. The skid plates looked to be in good condition as well. To be sure, I'll bring a hammer and an inspection scope.

I'm a little concerned with the comments concerning the supercharger though...I'd have little to no way of knowing how the previous owner drove it, or whether the SC in still in good shape.

If I buy this thing for anything close to 16k, i'd need to be certain the the frame and motor would be reliable for my son.

 

I don't know what the turnaround time on an oil analysis is, but Blackstone Labs will analyze an oil sample you send them and send you a report on the health of the engine. If there were any underlying issues they would show up in that. But that's probably a few weeks at best and it could easily sell in the mean time. But if the owner is agreeable to it that could be one way to put the mind at ease

Or see if you can get an in depth pre purchase inspection done at a local shop and have them test compression and all that good stuff and look over the frame extensively.

If it runs and drives well chances are it's fine, it's hard to kill a 3.4 without blatant abuse. But I understand the hesitation at dropping $16k on a used truck without knowing those details

 

@Stompson get us some photos under the hood and we’ll give you a lot more info.

 

@Stompson Curious if you ended up buying this truck or what your final decision was…