About to buy a new Gen 1- New England Frame Repair/Replacement

Hey all, I currently have a 2000 Tacoma Regular Cab 2.4L 4 Cylinder 2WD with a frame and exhaust in rough shape. I want an Xtra Cab or Access Cab 2.7L 4 Cylinder 4WD, so I'm looking to buy a new truck instead of repairing my current truck. I'll list my current truck on FB after I buy a new one.

I'm finding two main categories of available trucks; ones around $5k that need (sometimes serious) frame work and really clean trucks that are upwards of $10k. If I found the perfect truck I'd be fine going upwards of $10k, but I'm making this purchase a couple of years earlier than I was planning to, so predictably I don't want to spend that much if I don't have to.

The Question-
Has anyone had their frame replaced in the last couple of years in New England and how much did it cost?
Also, any shop recommendations? The closer to the North Shore of Massachusetts the better but I'm not opposed to a drive.

I haven't found a body shop or mechanic local to me that I've really clicked with, so considering buying a truck that needs frame work seems like a bad call, but that's also very limiting.
Thanks!

(And sorry if I should be on an existing thread, my search terms were too broad to effectively find results)

 

You should look at buying out of state and driving it back

 

It is crazy what these trucks bring around here despite the frames being smoked. Even trucks that had their frames replaced once before are usually ready for another. The weather is hard on trucks up here.

You'll find one. I looked on and off for a while before stumbling across a good truck for a decent price. There's still some good ones left around here.

 

I'm from Southern Mass.
Even if you find a mechanic / body shop to do the work, where would you buy the new frame? I thought I read on here thst you can't buy them from toyota anymore.
The trucks around here that got new frames often have some other rust issues.
Like Tranz Zam said, the replacement frames in some trucks are rotted out.
I'd follow Casadesubtaco's advice and buy out of state.
It's money well spent now compared to fighting with rust for the rest of the trucks life if you buy a New England truck.

 

The cost of a rotten truck and a frame swap (assuming you can find a frame...which will be from far away and needs to be shipped) is going to exceed the cost of a decent truck from outside the rust belt. There are decent well-maintained trucks in the northeast but you need patience for those. Look south and west and spare yourself the headache. 15k gets you something decent.

 

Try this one. It's posted on this forum under "absurd values of first gens":

https://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/cto/d/geneva-ultra-clean-toyota-tacoma-ext/7875420942.html

You could spend $5k on a rotted but nice truck. $3k on a frame, pay someone $10k to install it, and you'd be deeper in than this fine looking truck. GL ~

 

I'm definitely open to that. Really my only hesitation with that is traveling a long distance and getting a bad surprise upon seeing the truck in person.

 

Yeah, my current truck either had a frame replacement or major frame work done in 2008, it was in good enough shape when I got it two years ago, but I'm on the coast and it got rough even faster than I expected. Thankfully my husband and I are fine with just my Prius while the truck is out of commission so I do have the flexibility to wait for the right one.

 

For the 2010 single cab I own, a frame replacement in 2021 would have cost $12k and change at Toyota if I was footing the bill if that gives you a starting point.

As a lifelong Masshole I think it's better all in all to buy out of the region.

 

Do your research look in states that don’t have rust issues run a car fax it may be 45$ but could save you from getting into a mess

a plane ticket or gas home empty handed is always cheer than ending up with a basket case of a truck

 

I'm on the coast as well. The snow combined with the salt air really does a number on vehicles around here.

Good luck with your search. You'll find the right one eventually.

 

I was in the same boat and ended up flying out to Washington (I’m in Wisconsin) to buy a Tacoma. I looked for a few months at neighboring southern states but couldn’t find anything or anyone who was willing to work with me. Well, I did have one guy in Florida who I was close to making a deal with. Eventually I found one at a dealership in Washington for a decent price and luckily had a friend in the area go take a look and do the deal for me. The dealership didn’t take me seriously over the phone. Long story short it’s hard to convince the people to work with you when you’re out of state but it’s likely your best route to get a solid rust free Tacoma.

There were things that I was surprised by when I went to drive it off the lot and 2,000 miles home, like the driveshaft creating a gnarly vibration. Or the brakes pulsating like crazy on down hills. But in the end it was still a great truck to purchase after a little TLC. Good luck on the search. Don’t settle.