Is this a good idea to purchase

I'm looking at a 2002 Tacoma for sale in my town. It has 270k miles on it and is a v6 prerunner. It's a 2 owner vehicle and is being sold for $11500. It is a CA to AZ truck so no exposure to salt or humidity. The 2 owners of the vehicle know each other as well. Seems very well maintained. Should I expect any crazy expenses or is it good to go if well maintained?

 

V6?

 

Yes V6. Double cab. American racing rims 265/70/16. Stereo and a few extras like tonneau cover

 

Expect the worst, hope for the best. Nobody here can predict if you will have any major repairs ("expenses") in the future lol. You should have a mechanic look it over.

$11.5k sounds pretty high to me for a 270k mile, 20 year old, 2wd truck. If it was 4wd, maybe. Just my opinion though.

 

If you’re going to purchase expect a timing belt and water pump plus a full fluid change. Don’t trust the service history.

 

What would you offer for it if interested? Since $11500 seems too high. Actually it's $11k even.

 

Post a picture.

 

I wouldn't be interested since it's a Prerunner, it would have to be an absolute steal, but in my area there's a 2002 Prerunner Double Cab w/185k listed for $10k.

It's worth whatever you want to pay for it, though.

 

That seems excessive for the mileage and 2wd. But it’s hard to estimate because the used market differs across the country.

 

Offer 9 grand, don’t pay over 10 grand, that a lot of mileage.

 

Trying to get engine and undercarriage pictures. That's what really matters.

 

You can pressure wash a grenade and make it look new and shiny in pics.

You need to look it over or have someone look it over, in person lol. Test drive, pull codes, etc.

 

All this worth what you pay chatter is malarkey. That thought means no one could ever overpay.

Ask a CU what the loan value is on the vehicle. They may say they won't loan on that age/mileage. So there's a hint, as their loan is based on recoverable collateral.

Also ask your insurance agent what payout would be if the vehicle was totaled. Bet it's well under the asking price.

That's what it's 'worth', regardless of what crazies are willing to pay.

 

Ya the whole worth thing with most older vehicles is based on how much you're willing to spend and lose in the end. Regardless these vehicles will never be worth more than what you pay for them. It's a Tacoma.

 

Have a mechanic do PPI. Pre- Purchase Inspection.

 

Price seems high for the mileage but realistically if it's a gem (from the pics looks like it could be).. a first gen in good condition might be worth it to me. Then again, I'd never buy 2wd.. unless we're racing something

 

Haha that's funny... saw that one today on Craigslist myself. NW valley ;-)

Seems to be the going rate these days out here. If you can wait several months I would probably wait. Lots of people saying the price of used cars will come down about 20% in the coming months.

Today's market is crazy but just by way of comparison I bought my 02 prerunner with 130,000 miles for $8,000 several years ago. It is what it is.

 

I’d say 10k tops, unless it’s immaculate. Not saying it would go for more, but there are deals out there.

 

ewwww a prerunner