Can I get a word from the wise! (I'm a prospective Taco owner)

Hey everyone, I am new to this forum, and I apologize if some of my questions have been asked through out various threads. I have looked around quite a bit, but most of my questions are subjective and would like a general poll.

To keep things straight forward, I will number all of the questions I have so you can easily answer as few as you want, and thank you in advance!

-Preface: I am a VW TDI owner and am affected by the emissions recall going on. I love my diesel wagon, but after recently moving, and a new job, I don't drive very often. Most of my longer trips are for camping, kayaking, etc. In these cases, I care much more about reliability and capability than MPG/performance.

1. What would be the top things to have inspected when looking at a used Taco?
I plan on purchasing a 2001-2004 Taco. Based off of what I have seen, a 4wd one with a 100,000-160,000 miles will run me around $11,00-$14,000. In this mile range, what are the top things I should look for? I plan on taking any car to a mechanic, looking at service history, timing belts, oil changes, etc. but for weeding out the many tacos out there, what should I be most vigilant of?

2. If I purchased a well maintained taco with 140k miles, is it reasonable to assume I could drive worry free up to 200k, maybe 250k miles with only minor fixes? I know these trucks are nearly bulletproof, but one of the most common issues I have heard from other ownser is needing to replace the head gasket. Minus this, I have only hear of relatively minor things like alternators.

3. (subjective) For those of you who own an extended cab, do you wish you got the double? And Vice versa for those who got the Double cab. I do not plan on hauling people around, so backroom comfort isn't a must for me.

4. (subjective) If a taco has been off-road a moderate amount, but not obviously abused, would you be more hesitant to buy it?

5. (subjective) How do you like camper shells?
I love the idea of a shell for long camping trips, but I'm not to fond of giving up the Tacos excellent rear visibility.

6. (subjective) Do any of you all have experience with truck bed racks? For my current vehicle, I have a large collection of kayak and bike racks. I've seen quite a few for pretty cheap, but I've never actually talked to someone who owns one.

7. I'm sorry for this one, and I know similar questions have been asked a lot, but there seem to be so many contradictory answers. I do not plan on driving this vehicle a lot (6k miles a year probably). But I do still care about MPG, but not too worried about performance.
It seems that the a 4cyl manual does not get significantly better MPG than a V6 auto, but and extra 2-3 MPG would be nice. But I have seen very few comparison between a 4cyl manual and V6 manual, but I assume it would make an even smaller difference. Does any one have personal experience they would like to share? I tried checking out Fuelly(dot)com, but this makes it look like there is no difference, which I have a hard time believing (though I hope it's right).

 

1. Check for frame rust...big issue and there was a recall.

2. Get a v6...cause more power!

3. I have heard of very few issue with the head gasket?...maybe you are referring to the valve cover gaskets. Those are a notable fix that most have to perform (easy and cheap)

4. If you have a rust free well maintained tacoma, there is no reason why it should not go hundreds of thousands of miles past 250,000.

5. There are a tone of guys on here than run a bed rack and love them do some searching on here (RTT) and you can find some more info and pics.

Welcome and good luck. Ton of info in the first Gen section. Doing some searching through there will really educate you on what to expect (pro's n con's )

 

Thank you for your response, and it may be for a valve cover gasket. I'll try to clarify that with some of the people I've talked to. (I'm not terribly car savvy so I may have misunderstood what they were saying.)
This forum seems endless and so helpful!

 

1, Watch for frame rust and HAVE IT LOOKED AT BY A MECHANIC. Period.
2, Usually, yeah. If you can do much of your own work you're in luck, as well.
3, Those 1st gens are small no matter what. I'd probably go access cab but I hear a lot that guys prefer the extra dry storage of the full back seat.
4, No.
5, I would never put one on. They weigh a metric fuck ton and have too many trade-offs. Look at soft-toppers as well, another option.
6, I don't.
7, Get the V6, the 4 cylinder motors in these are pretty lame if you plan to haul anything or tow.

 

1. Rust and visual inspection pop the hood look how clean / dirty the bay looks, crawl under it and look for rust on frame and just take a look at everything down there you can visually see leaking oil from something, rust, banged up, and damage or just it not looking right.

2. It should go awhile do a search for high mileage 1st gens.

3. I like my ext cab and i need a longer bed for work and thangs. and don't dig how 1st gens look with big cab tiny bed, but that's my opinion.

4. matters how it looks and feels on test drive

5. I like my softopper i can fold it down and still have pretty much full use of my bed. and i think i could get use to a hardtop if needed.

6. i dunno.

7. V6 for sure!

 

1. Check for frame rust and see if the timing belt and water pump were changed at the proper intervals.

2. Yes. They will run forever with proper maintainace. I just bought a second one with 250k on it.

3. Both are good. Mine are both extended cabs. I have too much crap I carry around so I use the back seat for storage. I could never have a standard cab. You can put people back there but not comfortably. I guess it depends on if you'd rather have more cab space or a bigger bed.

4. No, as long as it hasn't been abused like you said.

5. I personally don't need one so no opinion

6. Nope. But there's lots of people here that do.

7. V6!

 

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3) I don't really like the look of the 4 door 1st gens, so I specifically shopped for an xtra cab. Definitely don't regret it, but sometimes wish it had an access door like the 2nd gens do. If for no other reason than it would be easier to convince my dog to jump in...

 

I have a 2004 4x4 Taco I got back in March, I've loved every minute of having it.

1.) Like everyone's said, be sure to check for rust. Use the VIN to see if it's had it's frame coated or possibly even replaced under Toyota's frame replacement program for the first gens. Good call on taking it to a mechanic, if it was well maintained then 140k miles means it's still young at heart.

2.) Head gaskets going bad were notorious in the 3.0l pickups in the early to mid 90's, by the time the Tacoma came out the 3.0l was retired for the 3.4l, which (in my biased opinion) is the best v6 Toyota has ever made. They'll last forever if you treat 'em right. I've never heard of one having a head gasket issue.

3.) I love my Xtra cab, double cab was not an option for me as I had to have a manual transmission...double cab first gens only came in auto. I rarely ever have more than one other person in my truck, and if I do they can squeeze themselves into the back seat lol.

4.) I would be more hesitant to buy a truck that was obviously taken on a lot of wheeling trips, but that doesn't mean I would dismiss it. Don't get me wrong, Tacomas are great reliable off-road trucks but you never really know how hard it was wheeled, and that can have a pretty big impact on overall long term reliability. Depending of course on how well the owner maintained it. Just be all the more diligent in your assessment of it's condition if it was used off-road quite a bit.

5.) I like camper shells, I actually prefer the soft canvas ones like Softtopper or Bestop. One of the many things on the list of stuff I want to buy but can't afford to spend money on currently lol.

6.) No experience with bed racks here.

7.) I actually get a little bit better mileage than what the EPA originally estimated on my truck, and mine's supercharged as well. I'm conservative with it, stay at 65-70mph on the freeway and I only punch the throttle once in a blue moon to hear the supercharger whine But otherwise I drive like an old man. I average about 20mpg freeway and 17-18 city. I think the original EPA estimates were something like 15/18.

 

I would never buy a truck with that much mileage if every thing it needed had to be done by someone else your paying good money .

I would worry more about this then any minor differences in fuel mileage .

The frames do not have a recall ask about a recall you get the deer in the headlights look.

It is an extended warranty but only alleged to be for Trucks sold in the northern states weather this has changed I don`t know

 

There was most definitely a recall and buy back. It was for trucks sold in the the eastern salt belt but some other states as well. It is still ongoing for any Tacoma that qualified for 15 years from date of manufacturer. You did not need to have the extended warranty to have your salt ridden frame replaced.

 

Yup, Toyota issued a buyback program for early model year first gens and the later model years had a frame replacement program.

 

If it was a recall every Toyota Pick up with a Dana Frame would need to be replaced .

Even if it only had 1000 miles never having been outside in any weather but sun shine

It was a extended warranty

 

It was but just call it a recall like everyone else.

 

I think it's important to be clear and accurate. It was not a recall. There was a recall on the spare tire hanger for rust. The frame was an extended warranty and there are very specific conditions and steps that have to be met in order to claim it.

 

Frame. Get a dealer to look at it. Call the Toyota America number with the VIN before you buy. Talk to them about *that truck*. Make sure they say that that specific truck still is good for the extended warranty. Otherwise, regular used car shit.

I bought my 2003 with over 200k. It's not perfect, but it is 13 years old with a quarter of a million miles. I think that they aren't bullet proof, though. What I've found is that they really easy to work on. My personal opinion is that there are so many on the road still, and have the bulletproof reputation, is because they are easy to fix so people fix them. My wife's Nissan van however . . . it'll never see 200k. Way easier to blow it up and buy something else.

I haul stuff, not people, so I bought an xtra cab for the longer bed. I put a platform behind the seats (https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/dog-platform.357086/), which I find greatly enhances hauling weather sensitive stuff. Double vs Xtra absolutely subject to individual needs. My only complaint about the xtra cab is that the access to the space behind the seats isn't very good.

I don't know enough about this to provide useful feedback.

I've never liked them. But again, this is a personal choice. You know how you're going to use your truck, so you're the best one to answer this.

Again, I'm no help here.

Keep your foot out of the bigger engine and it will do nearly as good as the smaller engine in terms of MPG. But no matter how hard you press the pedal on the small engine it won't provide more ass.

 

Just to chime in. If I were to do it again, I would likely go with an access cab instead of a double cab. I love my truck don't get me wrong, but the only thing lacking is amount of storage in the bed if you think you will be using it. Our beds are shallow as it is, and if you're thinking about getting a toolbox, forget it. Personally I need a toolbox for mine so I have barely any room. Extra cabs offer a couple more feet in bed space.

Oh and FYI: someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the double cabs do not come with a stick shift at all. So if you're looking for it, you won't find it

 

I would recommend running the vin on Toyota owners website. That's a pretty easy way to see maintenance records. I even called dealerships where my taco was serviced and had then email full service records for it.
The frame is the major thing to look at.
Check to see if it's solid/rust free. Surface rust is almost a given but check to see if there's major rust that's been painted over to hide it. Some guy tried to pull that when I was looking for a truck.
Timing belt and water pump should be replaced every 100k
I would def like to have a camper shell but do like having the open visibility when I have the bed rack off.
I built a bed rack for my RTT and I really like it. Mine is higher than most on here but I like to be able to walk under my tent and stand up in the annex room. The bed rack is also good for mounting recovery gear. Hi lift, shovel, axe etc.
Only need the double cab for kids, I have kids and drive an extra cab but that's why my wife has an SUV. Lol
Check engine bay, it's hard to completely clean the mud you get in there from wheeling. Check the hard to reach spots.
Gouges and dings on the skid plate and under carriage will tell you how hard its been wheeled.
Maintenance and frame condition would be my main concern, if you can find one that's had major maintenance done recently, you'll be ahead of the game. Good luck! Don't get in a hurry, the right one will show up sooner or later.