Howdy!

Hey, I've been lurking for years and just recently started posting, figured I should probably introduce myself. But this forum is for Tacomas, so instead I'll say a eulogy for my first pickup, which I'll never forget!

I had a humble 1999 Tacoma: single cab, stick shift, RWD, smallest engine, shortest bed, no frills of any kind. It was purchased new in Denver, well cared for, and had 130,000 miles when it came into my possession in 2007. For 7 years I drove it hard but I tried to take good care of it. I kept the oil changed, fluids topped off, and ran it through the premium cycle (the one with the undercarriage wash) at the carwash once every spring as soon as the salt was off the roads. The radio was crappy, so I cobbled together a pretty respectable system from secondhand parts. The radiator started leaking, so I patched it. My battery died, so I swapped it out with a really good heavy one that barely fit in there. Every year or so my damn left blinker would burn out so I'd just replace it; I never could find the short that was causing it. I got a tow and a new starter after the solenoid failed and the starter kept cranking continuously for an eternity with the engine running (stupid brand new battery) while I scrambled all over looking for a wrench to unhook the battery and smoke just poured out from under the hood. Then there was that time my front passenger wheel fell when the u-joint broke. I'm glad I was only going 5mph at the time. This summer it was running rough and my mileage was terrible, so I found a nice guide here on TW and swapped out my upstream O2 sensor and at nearly 240000 miles it was running better than ever. Good times.

All this time, I had no idea about the rust issue. They salt the roads all the time around here and frames get rusty but I don't personally know of anybody that had to junk their vehicle over it; I always just figured it's just a fact of life that frames get old and rusty.

This January I took it in to the tire shop to get a patch because it had a slow leak and it's no fun airing up a tire every 3 days when it's 5 degrees out. When they were putting it back on they mentioned that the front right wheel felt pretty loose and suggested I get it checked out. After the past "losing my wheel" incident, I took his advice seriously and got it straight in to my mechanic. He said the drivetrain and everything looked great, but suggested I be careful and start looking for a new ride because this one was going to rust in half any day now. I looked around online and apparently this was a huge deal back in 2008 and literally everybody but me knew about it. I took it in to a Toyota dealer for an inspection, and they didn't even want to let me drive home in it, it was so bad. There was a frame perforation by the front driver side longer than my arm. I had to call my wife to come get me, and the next day Toyota set me up with a 2013 Corolla rented thru Enterprise to run around town in while everything got sorted out. If you're in the same spot PM me and I'll answer any questions I can.

I was scouring the forums online for info, and that experience is why I'm posting my story here. I learned that for the earlier models (95-2000 I believe) they always buy it back at 150% KBB, but for newer ones they replace the frame. It seems that you're only eligible if the pickup was purchased somewhere that Toyota thinks uses a lot of road salt, or if you raise a really big fuss and make a strong case to show that you've been driving it in one of said places for a long time. It's also not unlimited - you have 15 years from the date the pickup entered service to get your claim in. I was 2 weeks away from missing the boat on this. A bunch of the posts I found were ecstatic with the offer Toyota had given them, and a bunch were really pissed off that they were told "Sorry, we can't help you." I was pretty nervous and had no idea what the verdict was going to be. 150% of the KBB "realistic value" for my old rustbucket wasn't very much but I could work with it. But 150% of the best value possible with a private sale, that would have made a pretty nice down payment on the new 2014 Taco I'd been dreaming about for most of the past decade.

About a week later, I got a call from a Toyota rep, and they offered a simply insane amount. Like "70% of the brand-new 1999 price" kind of insane. I have no idea where they came up with that number but I'm a loyal Toyota customer for life now. These folks really do stand behind their product. I got the check and everything was official 2 or 3 weeks later. I kept just enough to cover taxes, fees, registration, and a good bed toolbox and put everything else on the down payment for a brand new dual cab long bed 4x4, and I couldn't be happier! I'll never forget the 99 Taco though, even in death it was the gift that just kept on giving!

 

Welcome to the forum !