Buying a 2010 Tacoma on Saturday... 2000 miles away

I live in st louis. And yes we get some snow and way to much salt.

Good luck, sounds like a nice vehicle.

 

Another option would be to have the dealer ship it to another dealer. That's what I did. Got it shipped to my home town and driving it to my next duty station. I wouldn't worry too much about salt. I lived in VA and they always salted the roads way too much. Never had any issues with rust on my vehicles.

 

kick ass!! i did the same thing. found a sweet deal in LA, which is a mere 6 hour drive compared to your journey. had a buddy give a once over, sent a deposit..and flew down.

worked out great for me..not saying i didnt risk anything.

 

LOL...97k on my '09, 45k is just getting broken in!

OP, sounds/looks like a nice truck. I did the same thing, drove 500 miles to pick up my truck sight unseen. Just as long as you take the precautionary measures as it sounds like you have in order to protect yourself should it not be as advertised, you'll be good. A good dealer will understand that a buyer coming as far as you are must be educated and isn't to be messed around with, or they'll walk.

I wouldn't stress too much about the winter/salt thing, especially considering last year's winter was so mild in the Midwest. I don't think they even salted but once where I lived. The truck has probably seen 2 winters tops (1 of which was basically nonexistent). Just take care to keep the frame clean in the future and I think you'll be good. Congrats!

 

walk where? man, this was the part i was nervous about. if the truck sucked, i had to take a cab (with wife) back to the airport to get REAMED with a last minute airplane ticket..

man, i am so happy it worked out for me, but not so sure i would do it again..for me. lots of people do this tho.

 

Before I would ever get on a plane to fly 2000 miles away to buy a vehicle I'd ask the owner to get a buyer's inspection from Toyota. Offer to pay for it, this way Toyota will call you after the inspection and give you the rundown. You can ask all types of questions about the condition without recieving a biased answer that the owner will surely give. It'll run you $100, but that's nothing for a peace of mind.

And as Beavis said, there are tons of Tacomas in the PNW, if you don't see one this week that you like on CL look next week. Give it a solid month before you do the sight unseen bit. Everyone views this differently, I'm more cautious with these things, especially since recourse is 2000 miles away.

 

Definitely agree with Beast Mode on getting the car inspected by an independent party. This could save your huge disappointments and feeling obligated to buy the truck once you land in MO.

Have you tried looking in the SoCal area for trucks? Personally think you can notice a huge difference between a car that has seen a few winters versus no salt or snow at all.

 

I live here in St. Louis as well, winters are not that long or bad, some salt but not enough to worry about. I travel to Seattle quite a bit and see a lot more Tacoma's up there, surprised you couldn't find one closer.

As long as it isn't on the east or north side, I would have gone and taken a look for you had I known.

 

Remember a clean CARFAX report doesn't mean anything..

 

If he is worried about rusting, he could ask to have pictures of undercarriage sent to him (I would've asked for a video of inside and out, top to bottom. But that's me). Just because a vehicle is for sale in an area where roads are salted, doesn't mean it's a rust bucket. I just don't understand why everyone is telling him to slam the brakes on with mention it may have seen a couple inches of snow
I may not live in the NE, but DC usually gets a decent bit of snow here and they waaaay oversalt the roads even at the mention of snow they are out throwing that crap out on the roads. My truck is a 10 and was bought in Aug 09 so it has been through three winters here. An occasional power wash of the undercarriage in winter is all I do and it looks pretty good today. Hell, even a garden hose with a good sprayer attached will get most of the junk out from under.
Good luck on the purchase OP. And enjoy your truck

 

not me. i was coming off of a rare graveyard shift. i was blown away tired. my wife drove home the entire time. and kept driving it for two weeks (and bought it new tires) until i could wrench the keys from her.

i think i drove about 15 mins on the way home..until she said.."i think you look tired".

have fun..

 

I had some VERY strict requirements when I bought mine in mid December 2011

• 2005+
• V6
• 6-Speed
• TRD Off-Road
• Access Cab
• White Exterior
• Grey Interior
• Low Miles
• Private Party (I like to meet the people who used to own my vehicles - it gives you a good understanding of how it was treated)

I was super picky and not in a rush because I still had my 1989 pickup. It took me ~18 months to find my truck in the northern bay area (around 250 miles).


By waiting and being patient I found my DREAM truck it matched all of my requirements listed above and then some(58k miles, grey leather interior, perfect condition, every maintenance record at toyota since new) this thing was BABIED (the cute young girl that owned it didn't even know it had a locker). Paid 16k.



Long story short, if you are patient the right truck will show up, if you are on the west coast I would search around here.

 

THIS^^^

Get one on the WEST COAST!

 

Thanks for the comments, all!

I have been looking for about 3 months now and when one does show up with all the right features, the owner wants 27k for it. These sell for really high prices on the West Coast. I have been watching CA, NV, OR, ID, MT, AZ, CO almost obsessively.

I was really close to buying an 07 for 22k, but I am glad I waited to find a 2010.

To add a little clarity, I am buying from a dealer. Here is a link to the truck for more pics and details:

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?listingId=98353518&tracktype=usedcc

 

OP, have you considered just buying a new 2013? No sales tax in Oregon right? You'll get exactly what you want, better interest rate (if financing), and resale value...

 

Unfortunately, the wise state of Washington charges a use tax (9.8% sales tax + a little more) on every vehicle purchase, regardless of where it is purchased. They even go so far as to determine fair market value to calculate their tax. That means that even if I get a killer deal, I will pay the tax rate on what the state deems fair market value for the vehicle.

There's nothing like paying tax multiple times on the same item...

Regarding buying new, I would much rather the original owner take the big depreciation hit on the vehicle. I like to buy vehicles a couple years old so that I come in where the depreciation curve starts to level. If I am estimating correctly, I should be able to sell this for what I buy it for even a couple of years from now, especially on the West Coast.

 

Sell it? Why?

Checked it out, looks like a solid buy. Even has a decent looking tool box.

People in these parts seem to be partial to Chrysler and Jeep products, maybe because there used to be a big plant here. So, I'm not surprised you can get a better deal here.

 

To be clear, I don't plan to sell it. You're right.

I do think that it's important to buy right though. If you get in an accident and the truck is totaled, the insurance company is going to pay you out according to their calculation of the vehicle's value. Starting off on the right foot will help in this situation.

That is one of a few scenarios. I plan to be the last owner of this truck.

Also, I planned to put a toolbox in the back just like this, so this also saves me that hassle

 

Not matching the OP's requirements. The big hurdle is the under $25k price tag. Tacomas seem to be worth gold in the PNW. Especially the closer it gets to shitty weather time.

 

Thanks Dexter. I was pretty sure that I was not the only one who was thinking this.