First Time Toyota Owner | 2nd Gen Tacoma - Introduction & Questions

OH GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE?


Kidding...


Greeting All,

New to the forums, new to Toyotas.

Jeep Convert Here. Life time Jeep owner ( CJ, TJ, JK, Grand Cherokees and Commander). Big time off-road enthusiast, overlander ( Vehicle and Motorcycles). I'm dipping my toes into the Toyota pond for the first time.

The market here in Canada is quite a bit different than the US -- these truck hold their value so well. I can't touch a DCSB for under $13K Canadian with less than 220,000KM. I've been looking for a a while. Not to mention it is he wrong time to be in the market for a 4x4 truck -- it's a sellers market in the fall with the winter rush where everyone needs a a truck.

Anywho, I just picked up a 2006 Tacoma Double Cab Short Box, SR5, Manual, 4X4 with a ton of KM’’s for what I “think” is a fair price (here in Canada ~ EH).



375,000KM [Yikes] for $6500 CAD (that’s like $100US)

Reading the reviews and lurking here for a while, I’m fairly confident that this truck, even though on the higher scale of the mileage spectrum, is mechanically sound [for now] and should keep going as long as the maintenance is kept up as it has been by the previous owner.

Hate the color, hate the interior, but at the price-point i can't be too picky. Beigh [desert sand mica]... yuck

Edit -- OK the whole "desert sand mica" does sound a whole lot better than "beige". I can dig it. Maybe.

Purchased from the original owner via private sale, with the help of his Toyota dealer. They actually put it up on their hoist free of charge and went through everything prior to the sale to give me and him piece of mind. I’m not sure of the owner’s relationship with the dealer, but based on the service records, I can only assume it’s a very good one. To offer up a free inspection by any dealer is unheard of to me. Kudos to Toyota -- Points already.

Three things are being addressed this week by Toyota before I take possession.

1) The 4X4 system does not seem to go into 4Low. The light flashes constantly, and when you try to switch the system back to 4X4 High or 2X4, the system won’t change. It’s constantly in flashing in 4X4 low now. Dealer said it's nothing to be concerned about -- thoughts??

The owner responded that he never once used 4X4 Low the entire time he owned the vehicle. I believe him. Toyota is going to look into this.

2) The TMPS is showing a fault even though all the tires (including the spare) have [the correct amount of] air. Most likely a simple sensor replacement -- No Biggie.

3) Full safety inspection to come. Will have more details come Tuesday.

The original owner was very meticulous with his records. I even received a full service record from the vehicles first oil change to current. Every single service statement in a binder – Just blown away by the records to be honest. Something you don’t see every day when buying a vehicle.

The vehicle is no cream puff. She’s been used in a winter climate and there is rust. Quite a bit underneath, and the frame, although nothing huge, it is very “scaly”. More on that later.

At 375,000KM and nothing too major shows up on the history. The two biggest repairs recorded in the log were also done recently ( this year):

-Water Pump at 352,000KM
-Rear Leaf @ 335,000KM

Everything else is brake pads, Spark plugs, fluid flushes… Typical, maintenance done at appropriate intervals.

I just left Toyota today and The service manager pulled me aside and told me about the 2nd generation “frame rust” issues. He printed out a campaign for paperwork explaining that in Canada, Toyota has Extended the Frame Rust Coverage until December 2016. He said that the vehicle I am purchasing should qualify for a frame replacement from Toyota as a “Customer Satisfaction Campaign” and not a “recall.”

The service manager also said that after I own the vehicle for a full 30 days I can come back, and they can do a full-on inspection of my truck, take photos and document the rust and send the findings back to Toyota in hopes for it to qualify for a frame replacement. They said it take anywhere from 3-4 months to get the approval and up to an additional 6 to receive the replacement frame (and all necessary replacement components, like brake lines, upper control arms, shackles, body mounts, etc.) to complete the swap. The swap can take up to 2 weeks to complete. They will provide a loaner vehicle during the swap period at no cost. Bonus if it actually happens!

He also mentioned that the dealer service likes to push for this to be done from their end because Toyota pays that dealer to do the work so it increases their overall bottom line for the quarter when taking on this type of job. Who doesn’t like to get paid right?

Truth be told, I didn’t see any holes in the frame. Just scale. Motor mounts, cross members looked “ok” Like any other vehicle that has been up here in the salt for 10 years. So now I am concerned.

1) Did I make a mistake buying the truck?

2) Did I miss inspecting something on the frame? I poked around at everything with a screwdriver seeing if I could find any soft spots, or holes. Nothing.

3) What if Toyota refuses the replacement?

4) Why didn’t the previous owner go through this process if it was available – strange!?


Background,

I went looking for the Taco for the purpose a winter truck to get me through this winter. My Jeep Commander 4” lift, 33” tires, 5.7 blew a head gasket and cracked the block, so I bought this as a quick winter truck. I do plan to rebuild the Commander with a 6.1 Hemi and turn it into an SRT8 conversion over the winter but didn’t want to be pressured into throwing any 5.7 replacement back in in a hurry. I want to take some time with the new Hemi build… but that’s another story for another time and another forum!

I do intend to convert the Taco into a more suited Overlanding truck starting in the spring. Looking at Lift, 33’s (Maybe 35’s), Fiber glass shell, and full roof rack over the cab and shell, bumpers – the works. We’ll see how it compares to my Wrangler and If I’ll become a full time convert!I'm mecahnically inclined. No issued on maintenance or repairs big or small --- unless it's welding. Welding never took...

Future goals, ambitions and intentions aside, is there anything I should be looking for during the next few weeks as I try to shake this truck down and prepare it for what is expected to be a hard Canadian winter.

Any help or insight is appreciated.

Thanks EH!

 

Welcome to TW.

Even though you didn't see anything when you visually inspected the frame, the Toyota technician may have seen something you overlooked. These frames tend to rust from the inside out so maybe you just didn't take notice. If the service manager said you'd likely qualify for a new frame, then you'll most likely get a new frame.

If Toyota refuses to replace, then there's always the option of selling the vehicle.

Did you get the 6cyl or 4cyl? Both engines are reliable, just curious. Kudos for goin manual.

Btw, in my opinion, I don't think you'll become a "full time convert" if you're heavily into Jeeps and depending on how much you wheel. You're losing the solid axle, approach/departure angles, etc. right away with the Tacoma compared to a Jeep. Who knows though, you may really start to enjoy Tacos.

Welcome to TW.

 

Thanks for the welcome!

This makes sense. I never considered rusting from the inside out, I assumed the opposite. Lets hope it works out in my favor.

Even if I do opt to resell later, this would give me piece of mind selling it.

This truck has the V6. I wouldn't have gone with a 4 Cylinder. Can't do it. I'm going to have a hard enough time going from a Supercharged 4.7 (Old WJ Grand Cherokee) and my 5.7 Commander. I will also miss the all-time 4 wheel drive for the time being. My girlfriend and I both prefer driving manual. All of our Wranglers were / are Manual. I wish my Grands and Commanders were manual! Even offroading, I still prefer manual. Some guys just don't get it.

You are 100% right. I don't think I'll be a full time convert. But I could be persuaded.

I'm moving away from the rock crawling scene. Been there, done that. But I hear you on the approach angles. Wranglers are hard to beat in the tight stuff. They are easy to work on [for me because I am familiar with the platform], and reliability is well, kinda in the eye of the beholder. When we push our rigs off road, things break - period. I think everyone misses that. All trucks break offroad. The key is to fixing them

. Something will break, sometime, somewhere.

Originally I was looking at a 4Runner but what turned me on to the Taco what the truck bed. We find ourselves camping more and more, and due to our busy lives, it's really a PITA to load everything back into the jeeps when everything is wet. We camp all 4 seasons and we also have 2 German Shepherds who are never left at home. Even with the 7 passenger Commander it's a chore to get everyone loaded up and situated. Thats' no rock crawling rig at all... It will go anywhere though [as long there is a gas station near by]. We use a RTT on our curent jeeps so as long as I can find a rack suitable enough to support the weight it should be an easy transition from one to the other. We are hoping to keep the dogs and gear in the back, and find a decent offload trailer for 2017. Thats whats on the drawing board anyways.

I could see myself being very content with a setup similar to this rig and some winch bumpers​

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Is there a way I can run a build sheet or check for the options / trim package on this truck based of the VIN?

Searched for a while, and it looks like no. But I'd like to know which SR5 package this truck came with.

-No Tow Package

-Don't believe there is any LSD, or E-Locker on this truck.

 

All SR5 packages are the same. Towing package is a separate thing. LSD was only optional on the TRD Sports during those years. And only TRD Offroads have the rear locker.

 

Congrats on the Taco. I hope the frame deal works out for you. You will find the Taco is light years ahead of the Jeep Wrangler in comfort and will do as well as the Jeep in off roading In some cases even better since its more stable (less roll overs) than the wrangler. As far as your trim level, post some photos of the dash and seats and many here will be able to give you an idea what you have. These forum guys are more educated about the Tacoma than the toyota mechanics.

 

Welcome sit downrelax and let tw helpyou out!