Looking at 05, and hoping for some advice

This ^ lucky the O.P. saw the rust before they tried hiding it.

 

As soon as they said they were going to paint it I freaked out

 

That’s not a repair, that’s camouflage! Forget about that truck.

 

Personally, search online regardless of location and post back on TW on a truck you are interested in. The TW family will likely have a member who can inspect it for you before you fly down to purchase and just make a cross country trip back.

 

So I have nixed that truck, and found a different that I can't tell.

I found a 2007 double cab longbed that I looked at today. It looks like the frame has been definitely coated before, but not very recently.

The back has no rust (totally coated) but the front does (see pictures).

I addition, I was hearing a clank when shifting from reverse into drive. Other than the noise, it shifted very smoothly.

 

I guess that I lucked out with my '05 Access Cab 4X4. I purchased mine, used, this past April from a local dealer. This truck was a one owner vehicle with 169K on it. Fortunately, I have a 3-ring binder with the complete repair history of the vehicle! After purchasing it, I brought it to my local mechanic, who did a thorough inspection of the truck and found no major or minor problems. The truck is solid and handles like a new vehicle. The only rust that I see are several small spots on the running boards and a couple of small spots on the inside of the driver side door opening. I plan on removing the rust spots and repainting in the near future.

 

Picture 3 shows a big hole in the Cat.
I would pass.