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Help a College Student Buy a Taco

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by HelptheCollegeStudent, Mar 26, 2020.

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Page 2 of 2

Mar 26, 2020 at 1:55 PM

#21

#21
maverick4x2 Well-Known Member

Joined:

Dec 15, 2018

Member:

#275914

Messages:

287

Gender:

Male

Vehicle:

2013 Tacoma 5 lug
HelptheCollegeStudent[OP] initial post: ↑

Hi,

I am a college student, and I am looking to buy a used Tacoma. My main priority is reliability, which led me to Tacos. I had three major questions about what to look for when buying. For context, I am trying to spend under $12,500 for the truck.

I know frame rot is a problem, but I was wondering to what degree. I will be looking under the truck at the frame for all trucks, but I was unsure how much rust is too much. Is a little bit of surface rust here and there okay, or is that a sign that inside the frame is much worse? Should I only look for trucks with replaced frames or frames that look new (I say this because I will probably be buying a 2004-2008 given my budget)? Any guidance on how much rust is too much would be super helpful.

Is there any threshold on mileage I should be looking at? I know Tacomas are in a different league when it comes to how many miles they can go (our family F150 died after 150k), but is there a certain point I should stay away? Maybe 150k or 200k? Or is it better to just look at service records in relation to miles, and not care so much about a specific number.

Are there any major red flags that are specific to Tacomas that I should be aware of? I know general rules about buying used cars, but I was wondering if there was something to look for other than frame rot.

This is my first time buying a car on my own, so any help would be appreciated! Thanks so much and stay safe
Click to expand...

It depends on what's important to you, IE do you need 4wd? I had almost exactly your budget 2 years ago which is why I opted for a 5 lug, I decided 4wd was not a priority but a newer, reliable vehicle was (my commute is significant so unreliable was a no go). I found a 2013 5lug for that price with 19,000 miles. It has been a great truck for my commuting and weekend hauling needs.

That being said, 5 lugs are extremely limited in capability (like hardly any at all compared to their 6 lug brethren), if capability is important then 5lug is not the way to go.
maverick4x2, Mar 26, 2020

#21

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Page 2 of 2

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