2004 TRD OR frame rust - opinions?

2nd gen AT single cab is slow AF, try to pick up speed for safety on the freeway and it sits and sits and bogs
the interior is NEAR impossible to keep relatively clean, especially if you have a dog shedding hair
they ride like boats with their long AF hoods not knowing where the road is at and having to guess sometimes what hole you just avoided or not
i can barely touch the bed bottom with my fingertips on my toes, no way in heck a normal height or less person could ever reach something wedged in the middle back there without a stick or something to poke at it with
but the new Colorado is much worse back there i found out!

 

Probably just crappy cell phone pics via text and upload from my phone.

 

they are decent looking pics, i just need a magnifier to zoom in for the deets

 

Dude pass that truck up.
Which as I read the thread I see you’re definitely smart enough to know haha.
but figured I’d chime in anyways,
trust me there are rust free trucks out there, at least more rust free than that.
I paid 11k for my truck with almost zero rust. Although it took a couple month of searching and I bought out of state.
The way I see it, I would rather go through shit finding the rust free truck rather than getting the closest truck and then go through shit owning it because it’s starting to rust apart after spending over 10k on a 15+ year old truck.
just a point of reference of how fast it can happen, my dad bought a 98 4runner a while back, almost completely rust free, drove it about 5 years and then I got it for about 2 and by the time I sold it, it had rusted to pieces. Huge flakes were falling off of the frame. I live in Florida where there is no salt on the roads but my dad lived on the beach so it didn’t help. Starting with a truck that rusty isn’t going to last long until your leaf spring brackets and shock mounts break, and eventually the frame Swiss cheeses.

Not trying to discourage you man, I just know the feeling of buying a truck i think is a good deal and really want and then it turning into a huge can of worms, im talking about my Tacoma. It’s pretty much rust free, but instead of rust I’m dealing with a slipping tranny, wobbling crankshaft, Throttle hesitation, and a couple other issues. That I feel I could’ve found if I would’ve took my time checking out the truck, and turned it down and waited even longer for the next deal to come up, but I was 21 and it was my first vehicle purchase. But I also don’t regret it because mechanical stuff is fixable, rust not so much, it can be temporarily fixed but rust is a true cancer. Once it’s on a vehicle it usually spreads and spreads.

my biggest piece of advice, buy a gallon of fluid film and whatever truck you get wether rust free or some rust, coat the frame inside and out with this stuff at least once a year and it will prolong the life of the frame immensely. The stuff really does work and a gallon goes a long way. Probably 5-6 thick coats per gallon. So roughly like 3-5 years. It’s also cheap enough to buy at $40 a gallon to just use it up once it washes off.


Sorry for bombarding with the long post, I just want to convey my opinion in hopes it can help you out buying your truck.
Good luck man! And post any truck you find here and most people here are happy to help as you’ve seen already

Not sure if you know about this part of the forum but here are the classifieds where most people are selling well taken care of trucks
https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/1st-gen-tacomas-for-sale-1995-2004.167/

Edit: one more thing haha,
If you have the ability to take a couple days off, I highly suggest being open to traveling across country to find one. That’s how I’ve bought both of my Tacoma’s, first one from North Carolina and second from Vermont. Not only do you get a small road trip, you make an immediate bond with the vehicle. My brother has also bought 2 of his vehicles out of state, it runs in the family I guess. But it’s a great way to get to know your new vehicle, and take a small trip at the same time.

 

All good advice and very much appreciated. I'm passing on this one for sure and honing in on a 2nd gen that has been well taken care of.

I would love the road trip, honestly, but with a 2 year old and a 1 month old, it's just not in the cards (even as a teacher on summer break).

I've been continuously searching and waiting for the right truck and price point since December, so hopefully I've learned something during that time frame and been able to narrow down what I want. I haven't had a new vehicle since 2012 and I'm not in a massive hurry how, so I'm taking my time and waiting for the right truck. Looking at that second gen tomorrow and have a good feeling, but not pulling the trigger unless I'm sure.