Before I pull the trigger.

Before I buy it I went to see a 2002 3.4 4wd taco 4 door Auto 226,000. Guy had service records of the last 9 years. Maintained religiously. Frame looked good but did have surface rust on the underbody like control arms, leaf springs, transmission cover plate thing ect. On test ride right after I smelled a bit of coolant coming from the engine bay and a bit of steam coming from the firewall. Nothing crazy but noticeable. Heater core maybe, heater core control valve? Other than that the truck is sound.

Guy wants 5900. I feel is a bit steep but here in the north east that seems to be the trend with the tacomas. Would this be a decent buy? I need the truck and been searching for a bit. Its also at the top of my budget at the moment. Just want to hear from taco owners before I make the purchase. Thanks

 

Steam and the smell of coolant coming from the engine bay on a truck with a quarter million miles on it makes me think bad news. I'll let someone with more knowledge than me comment on it but that would have me very cautious, if not looking elsewhere.

How did the coolant look? Normal red color or brown/dark? Temp gauge on the truck read normal during the drive?

 

Price seems high and what you described would concern me as a potential buyer. Id say hold off if that's at the top of your budget cause you might not know what your getting into repair wise.

IMO take it to a Toyota dealership and pay the $100 for full vehicle check out. If they tell you there are problem areas then you have a bargaining point if your still wanting to pull the trigger.

 

I would take it to a or your local mechanic and see if they can look at it maybe even do a slight pressure test on the radiator and ac\heater system. Maybe worth it to have another inspect it. Any other members from TW in your area that might be able to go over it with you. Just a thought. But does sound like heater core especially if smell is like maple syrup.

 

Thanks guys. Yes coolant looked a bit low however the temp gauge remained normal the whole time.

 

It's normal for the coolant level to fluctuate based on the temp of the motor but I'd be sure to take a close look at it in the reservoir and make sure there's no discoloring or crud floating around in it. Normal Toyota coolant should be red, some people use the green aftermarket stuff though.

 

I would for sure want that coolant issue resolved before making any purchase.

 

Not sure about 1st gens (or really the Tacoma temp gauge in general), but sometimes they aren't reliable. In my GTO, the temp gauge will read "normal" per se, from 180F~260F or so...then skyrocket to the top of the gauge and start beeping "COOLANT TEMP HOT" it doesn't creep up like a quality readout should. Again, I know that's not the case on all cars, but it makes me not trust the readout much.

 

If the heater core is. Bad, you have to pull the dash to change the heater core. That would be my worse fear.

Bad heater cores are not common failures in these trucks. My money is the issue will be bad hose or something similar.

 

Worth noting that when i mentioned the coolant smell and steam the owner said he will sign something that if anything happens to the engine in the next 3 months he will cover repair costs. Never heard someone say that to me, but the guy is standing by his truck says it never let him down.

 

That's just stupid. Why doesn't he fix the issue and get full asking price?

 

Walk

 

Be sure to turn off the safety.

 

Yes I found that odd. Just got off the phone with him and told him if he gets an offer today sell it, if not tomorrow ill take it to my mechanic and if it turns out to be something minor Ill buy the truck if its major he would at least know what is up with it. He agreed so lets see.

 

Great site BTW. I love how everyone is helpful and very active. I think Im going to like the Taco world

 

Good to have you. Your new so I don't expect you to know but we don't like to use the broccoli emoji.... Please from now on use the banana .

Banana master race

 

Don't mind Jack, he's a slippery one.

 

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OP, please let us know how this turns out.

Don't many of these trucks have radiator issues..... especially higher mileage trucks?

 

A truck like that if it was in good operating and physical condition is 10K-12K in california. The price, rust and issue you describe demands you get it professionally looked at. $5,900 may be too good a deal because something really wrong is being hidden from you. Take it to get inspected, if the seller resists, then I'd be concerned and pass.