Looking at a NICE 01 Taco, but it has frame rust...

Here is a link to the listing on Craigslist.
https://nashville.craigslist.org/cto/d/toyota-tacoma/6211758459.html
The truck was originally sold in Wyoming, and it spend almost three years there, before being sold again in Kentucky, then TN for the last few years. It has had 3 owners, and the interior is a solid 8.5/10, the exterior paint/body is almost as good. Everything runs good, and it doesn't use oil. Ask price is $9100, but I think I could get him to come off of that some. Where it gets ugly is under the truck... There are 2 sections of frame directly across from each other, and about 2 feet long about under the back seats, that appear to be almost completely rotted out on one side. I brought a hammer to check the frame, but it didn't even take a hammer to tell the frame was very rusty in places. Here is a link to a short video I took under the truck.
https://youtu.be/iVTjjQP7rgQ
The owner mentioned a buyback/frame replacement program, and said he hadn't personally checked the frame, but that a local Toyota dealership has checked it a year ago, and said the truck was OK. What I saw was far from OK, though. Is the frame replacement deal still in place? and will this truck be eligible? If not, I will walk away on this truck, but I would like to know what my options would be as far as getting a frame fixed/replaced.

 

The buyback program was for 1996-2000 1st gens and ended a long, long time ago. The frame replacement program was for the 01s to 04s and only applies for 15 years from the build date of your truck.

2001 + 15 = 2016. No dice, look elsewhere. That frame is terrible.

 

Thanks! that is what I was looking for right there.

 

That looks pretty bad. I would not take that on unless the frame replacement was a guarantee. Ask him to contact the dealer who looked it last year- I would only buy if there was a commitment from Toyota to replace. Or offer him 40% and learn to weld.

 

What point will there be in contacting the dealer if the frame replacement expired last year?

 

If the dealer looked at it and gave it an all good when in warranty- one year later it looks like this they may be able to help. That looks pretty rough....

 

I'll bet The guy knows the frame replacement is up. That's why he's trying to dump it. Mentioning the replacement so someone who is interested might bite on the sale thinking they may be able to get the frame replaced. Hope I'm wrong because that's a shitty move

 

I honestly don't think that is the case. I could be off, but either way it is irrelevant.
All he said was that he thought there was a recall on the frame, he had it checked out, and he had a couple of buddies who did get their frames replaced.

 

With these trucks frame rot should be a deal-breaker, not a pristine interior. Interiors can be redone for way cheaper than a frame replacement.

This is akin to overlooking genital herpes for a beautiful smile. Keep looking.

 

LOL, That is one way of putting it. My question was whether the frame replacement program was still active. It appears that it is not, so I will walk on this one. I may save my pennies, and get an older second gen.

 

Let's be friends. I keep my money, you keep your truck, we can fist bump at your door at the end of the night.

 

Anyone that says "Toyota might still help" is dreaming, or incredibly naive. No way I'd tell someone to buy this on the off chance that Toyota would bend the rules for a new owner of an old rusted out truck. Not only was there a strict 15 year from the build date rule, but a few other restrictions as well (only certain "cold weather states" even applied to the program, not just any state, and the truck's frame had to have been inspected and coated by Toyota prior to that particular deadline in 2011 or so.) Short of a frame swap, I don't see this truck lasting another year.

 

Run away. Fast.

 

Don't buy that rust bucket, DONT DO IT. Unless......

Give him 50% asking price, POR-15/rust encapsulator/spray shit inside the frame/whatever else you can do. Then pay someone who knows how to weld to add support to that frame. That should hold it together for a bit.

 

I really wish I could find a Truck like that they never seem to be close enough .

I have some ideas I would like to try.

At that point it is only worth scrap price .

 

I'd walk away quickly . His Craig's ad said " excellent" condition! So WTF . For that price your going to find a really nice gen1.

 

What frame? Half of it is missing. It's way past the spray point