Help with a purchase 1997 single cab 4x4 v6

Hello,

Sorry for the rookie post. I found a 1997 single cab 4x4 Manuel v6, with 180,000 miles.

At first glance I was like no way lol.

The bad he said it misfires, I noticed some oil leaking from the valve covers. The frame is clean no rust, maybe someone can point out some possible gremlins to watch out for.

I got him down to 2,800$ so I'm cautious to say the least.

Thanks,

 

Just FYI of comparison;
Last October I bought, from Dallas, TX area, a 1999 Tacoma, 5spd, 4x4, V6, 370K miles, extended cab SR5 with a camper. Other than that, it was all stock and well cared for.

Took that puppy for $3000 and it has been a non-issue daily driver since then, just rolled 385K. Even towed my motorcycles on trailer from Texas to Utah. He orignally wanted $6k but was leaving the country and cut it in half for a quick cash sale.

 

Awesome thanks for that.

Ive been looking for this particular model for about 6 months. I might just jump on it.


I did notice several jugs of coolant in the truck so I was curious of a head gasket leak.

 

Sounds like a decent starter platform to me! Plus she sounds like a close relative to my current rig and they obviously have a huge soft spot in my heart. This 99 I have is just bombproof. I won't win any speed races, but I'll always get there.

 

Valve covers leak unless taken care of, but as long as oil is changed it's not a big deal - the jugs of water, yeah... could be a leaky radiator (they leak on the top reservoir). Ask him to do a compression test to see if the missfire is from lost compression and you'll be able to know if it's a mechanical problem or electrical / fuel. These heads can crack between the valves, but 180k isn't a lot of miles. Worst case scenario I just bought an engine and trans with 160k for $1400 so if you can get something similar you'll be good to go for under $5k for a very long time. V6 regular cabs are kind of rare too

Manuel trans huh - does he shift for you?