How much resale value would the frame recall add to my truck?

This is not an actual offer to sell on here, so I didn't post this in the trade forums:

I realize there are several factors to consider, but just trying to get a ballpark figure of my truck's worth.

2005 Tacoma, a little under 139,000 miles V6, 4WD, SR5, Automatic.

Kelly Blue Book gives me between $6000-$8000, say fair condition, since there is some rust up here in NY. But it can't really factor in the value of that $10,000 frame installation in 2016. A lot of vehicles die simply because the frame rots out, when they would otherwise have many years of life left in them. To me, this frame is a huge bargaining chip.

I've put as much work and money into maintaining this thing as I can. The biggest issue with it right now is the A/C is most likely 100% shot/grenaded (horrible sounds, had to pull a fuse to unlink it from heat) and the power steering lines are getting a bit crusty, needs a flush too. Other than that, everything else operates as it should.

I'm just at the point now where I want to move on from it. I feel the amount of money I'm pouring into it exceeds the cost of monthly payments for something newer with less chance of issues. Since the new frame was put in, I've been saying "just 1 more repair and it will be good for awhile" for quite some time now, but that hasn't been happening. I just recently had to drop over $1000 on a transmission repair. I want to ditch this thing before I'm stuck with something else to fix. The repairs are just keeping me from getting something else, because I'm perpetually paying off repair bills.

Thanks for any info!

 

I’m not so sure a frame replacement is a major upsell, it shouldn’t really rust out in the first place. That’s typically not a wear item IMO.


Your assessment on price aligns with what theyre selling for at auction, so trade would be fair in that range. The rust and condition though, no ac, etc would lead me to a much lower price on the private sale though. Wouldn’t expect anywhere near KBB estimated retail on it.

 

one method of going about this is typing in "frame replacement Tacoma" on craigslist and seeing if there is added value to others and see how old the posts are in general if the price is inflated.

 

Added value with new frame= nothing,Selling point = HUGE. The biggest factor is the head gasket issue with 05-06 Tacoma's.

 

Thanks for the input guys. Gives me some perspective on things. I was really hoping that 10k job would at least keep the value afloat a little more. Ah well.

I have a small used car dealer offering me 7k on the condition I buy a vehicle from him. Sounds like that might be my best option at this point. I doubt dealerships will even want to consider it if you guys are saying it's way under Blue Book Value. Hopefully he won't just jack up the price on the other end to make it seem like I'm getting a sweet deal. I don't mind people making profit, I do mind being ripped off, but I'm under no illusion of my trucks condition either (perhaps aside from the frame). Between friends and family we've gotten 4 vehicles from this guy, and he's been solid on every transaction.

 

$7,000 in the condition the truck is in,seems pretty fair of a deal.

 

So lame my truck looks exactly like this, same year and around the same mileage yet I don't "qualify" for the repair

 

I would use the frame replacement as a bargaining chip with the dealer that did the work against a trade in on a new vehicle.

 

A bit off topic but is that $10,000 figure an accurate amount for the ‘cost’ of a frame replacement?

 

Whether that frame replacement is worth anything extra depends on what part of the country you are in. In areas where they don;t use much salt on the roads, by the time the frame rusts out, there is not much left of the truck anyway. Putting a new frame under a completely worn out truck does not get you much. Here in VT, a new frame is worth something - certainly not the cost of the frame replacement, since the new owner could likely get it done anyway. However, I'd certainly pay more for a truck with a new frame than a similarly aged truck with a frame that did not qualify for a frame replacement because it "passed" Toyota's inspection. I just made a purchase, and didn't even look at trucks with frames that had passed and just had that crap sprayed on them to protect them instead.

 

If I was shopping for a truck, "due for free frame" also screams "rusty truck". Given new frames *shouldn't* be a wearing part, it really doesn't do anything more for me. New engine, transmission, brakes, maybe. Frame, not so much.

 

Not 100% sure on it being 10k cost, but I saw that number thrown around a lot back in 2016 when the frame got replaced. I think the breakdown was like $5000+ for parts and 40 hours of labor. The work slip doesn't show the costs of it all, it just says "warranty" where the prices would be. I would have taken a buyout for less, save the dealership some money and get something else directly through them, but they insisted on the frame swap.

John Mc, that's sort of what I was getting at. I'm dealing with salt and sand here in NY sometimes as early as October all the way through as late as May, depending on what the weather decides to do. It utterly destroys brand new shiny vehicles in a short amount of time. A shame really. The stock frame made it from 2005-2016. So that gives the current frame hopefully that same amount of time, meaning the next owner most likely never has to worry about frame issues. Sure the other parts are still old and rusted and eventually will need to be replaced, but most of it is things that can be done in a garage or small shop a little at a time to keep it going. My girlfriend had to get rid of her car simply because the frame rotted out. It was mechanically fine and she would still have it to this day, but it got so bad that it would no longer pass NY state inspection.

I just got back from the used car dealer where I got my Tacoma from a little bit ago. We're going to try to see if we can win an auction for something from the South. The stuff on there is in a LOT better condition than almost all the stuff here in my area of NY, and no difference in price (Edit: If I win the bid that is). You guys think mine looks bad, which it is, but you wouldn't believe the prices some of these guys around here are charging for trucks not much better off than mine.

This thread has actually become interesting to see the different view points from people all over the country. Amazing how the weather can have such an impact on what some people would be okay with vs what they wouldn't. Ofcourse I wouldn't want to buy a rusted out truck either, but in my area it's a bit more acceptable/common because we can't really avoid it all that much. When you tell people in my area that a new frame is on it, their eyes light up "Ohh really?!"

 

One of the issues is that there were problems with the frames coming from Toyota's supplier (Dana Corp, if I recall correctly). So you have a bunch of frames that "aged" prematurely - at least when they were exposed to salty winter roads. In areas like that, the rest of the truck seems to age normally. Your replacement frame should last longer than the original.

The 2009 I just bought had a frame that was just a few months old. The rest of the truck appears to be in nice shape.

 

Im from MA/NH. No new frame on a toyota truck instantly means its a no go basically for any logical person. The way i see it is no new frame = lower price, new frame = restoration of the actual good/reasonable selling price

 

I personally think the new frame is a selling point because of all the other parts Toyota does at the same time. Nice to buy a truck with no brake line issues up here in NE