Looking at a used tacoma for the first time. what to look for?

I am not attached to any particular brand. I don't see myself buying anything but a pickup truck, though. I am not totally opposed to the idea. Something like a 4runner would be better than a pickup for some things I do, but I do like having a bed to transport things like firewood, which I will be doing fairly often.

 

Look into an older one since the 4 bangers are pretty cheap and easy to work on. 79-83 if you can find one since they are tough to locate. If not 85- 94ish and this might open up your options. Hope you get a Toyota, they are super reliable and fun to work on.

 

Ok, you need a truck. I'd like to see 1k off the price but if it's fairly rust free and actually does run well I say get that one you're looking at. You have my permission Edit: Lay under the truck and push up on the driveshaft very near the center bearing; very little movement is good. If it pushes up a lot the bearing needs replaced is about all I can give ya. Good luck!

 

if the truck is from a cold weather area, the most important thing to look for is for frame rust. If not, frame rust is less of a problem, but still, it's always a good idea to check the frame, just in case

Frames on toyota trucks, especially on trucks from cold weather areas, are prone to excessive rust, to the point of rotting and becoming litterally unsafe to drive. The culprits are the salt and chemicals used to de-ice the roads during winter. The only way to tell if a frame is good is to hit it with a hammer.

Even if there is no significant rust on the outside, these frames actually rust and rot from the inside out. Try to poke a finger or something into the square holes on the frame rails to see how much rust chunks and flakes there is in there. If it's full, probably not a good sign, but it's the hammer test that is really going to tell you if the frame is good or not

So, the first place to check is where the leaf springs attach to the frame, right behind the cab, as it is usually the first place where these frames start to rot.

Also, by the gas tank and the catalytic converter, as they are a commonly rotten spot on good looking but rotten frames

300k miles is a lot, but if it was well maintained, it is not really a problem, but some components on the truck may need to be replaced, such as timing belt/chain, water pump, rubber bushings, hoses, and any item that would normally wear out at a high mileage. If you have info on service history, this would help greatly in knowing how it was maintained . Also, mileage tells you how far the truck has been driven, but not how it was driven. So try to know what the owner did with it, if it has been abused, etc
Usually, tacoma's engines are bulletproof, so it's a bit curious the engine was replaced. If it was because of a lack of maintenance or because the truck was beaten and abused, that's a bad sign

 

Thanks for all the input! I will ask him to send me some pics of the frame, and see if he has service records availible before I go any further. Like I said, I am not in any way dead set on this particular truck, nor am I in a huge hurry to get a truck, but I also don't want to miss a good deal when one comes my way. As far as I know it was originally sold in TN (don't really know) We get ice here, but not as frequently as some of ya'll up north, so rusting from the brine isn't as big of a problem, as long as he took care of the truck during the winter.

 

Sounds like you've thought it out some. You seem very mature for 17. I'm confident that you'll end up with the right truck...and we all hope you'll become one of our Tacoma Brothers!
Again, good luck with your search.

 

It sounds like your truck was pretty hammered, I'm 17 and I bought my truck from a guy who had it in high school (same school as me even) I paid $6800 for 260K and a 60K motor. I've put about 3000 into it since January, and I love it. Ball joints are prone to fail as well but these trucks are still great first vehicles as they take a lot of abuse (ask me how I know) they make really good wheelers for stock or nearly stock trucks, and parts are fairly cheap and easy to replace yourself.

 

I am 25 years old and have purchased 3 vehicles so far.. i have never bought a car off the lot brand new and i have never bought a car with under 100k miles. my first car was an acura legend i took it to 330k miles then i sold it.second car was a honda accord i took it to 208k then i sold it.my third is the tacoma now with 122k miles. all reliable and i enjoyed them. consider buying a honda/acura or toyota/lexus that is 6-15 years old with an average of 8k-14k miles a year on it. original owner with maintenance records is a plus...

 

I would be very interested to find a $6,000 truck with only 150k miles on it (they do exist, but every one I have been able to find has always been a 4cyl RWD, which are both no go's for me.)

It definitely sounds like you got a lemon to me, and that is what I want to avoid. I am willing to pay up to 8-9k for a good truck if I need to, but if I can find one that will cost less than that that will serve the purpose, then that would be great. I did look at a Nissan hardbody a couple of months ago, but I didn't have the money for it, and I don't know much about them. A quick craigslist search didn't pull up many results, but it is something I will keep an eye on. What steered me towards Toyota, was several recommendations by people that I trust that they make a good truck.

 

if you do not own an OBDII scan tool spend $100 and get one. Just because the check engine light is noit on now doesnt mean that they just turned it off yesterday... checking to see if the smog monitors are ready is how you tell. Shady sales people know that it might take 200 miles for the CEL to come back on, depending on the fault, so, you pay your money, sign the papers and you have just bought a problem.
How you approach the sellers with the scan tool is up to you, some say no and that is an indication there and others dont care or encourage it.
She looks like a very nice truck. being is a 4 x 4 manual you are going to have to put a clutch in her sooner or later. With the right equipment it isnt too bad... with a Harbor Freight 1 1/2 ton cheap floor jack, it is a nightmare.

 

@fast5speed you need to relax.

The Nissan Hardbody doesn't deserve any worthwhile time, they're cheap garbage cans. My step brother had one and it was nothing but problems and we tried to sell asap. OP isn't subject to falling into Toyota Marketing just because he wants a decent truck. When I was first looking for a truck, I wanted a Ranger. And then I gave it comparisons with a Tacoma and the Tacoma wins hands down in terms of reliability, style, interior, aftermarket, community, etc.

You don't need to put down @4xtacoma either. He's a fan of what he has. At least he enjoys his vehicle rather than shitting on it.

And while I agree that parts for these trucks aren't on the cheaper side, they are a great vehicle to learn on. Compared to other vehicles, this is cake to repair. It's a very simple platform.

And you literally just said your truck was a "fixer upper" so you can't complain about all these FIXES and then contradict yourself saying it was in "pretty damn good condition"

Your Craigslist market is completely worthless for OP unless he lives where you are. Tacoma prices vary wildly depending on your location.

And the reason they're priced so high is because people pay that price. It's not rocket science.

You need to take your passive aggressiveness somewhere else instead of taking it out on kids.

 

Obviously your "fixer-upper" took a lot of negligence or maybe abuse in the past. I think over last 19 years of owning my truck (bought it 3 years old with 70k on the dial, now it is 318k) I spent probably less than 2k total (not including tires or rocked windshield obviously). The highest bill was the clutch (something like 650 dollars) which transmission shop did for me (I had no skills, tools nor equipment for that job). I am continue to be amazed by the durability of original parts. Other than clutch I did head gasket at 302k (myself which wasn't that difficult on 2.7), and before that all shocks and front brakes. (BTW front brakes last about 100k each time). Everything except clutch and oil pan (broken by dealer during the oil change) I was able to do myself at home with no special tools involved. And except the head gasket job the truck was never out of service for more than few hours (it was my daily driver for 100miles commute every day). It failed me only once on the road - the 7 years old battery failed me at the gas station. I had to carry the new battery from the nearest Kragen store for two blocks in a sun. That was the lesson to replace the battery when it is week, not when it's dead.

So I don't know what you mean "high dollar items" to fail, unless you are talking about 50-100 bucks OEM part (I used only OEM)

I looked at each one of these listings. They are way, way worse condition than my 95.5 truck (by description and pictures). Amazingly enough no single picture of the frame is posted on CL. Wonder why. I may not be needed in California but DC is different.

Buying old truck with not hidden problems is tough. Especially Tacoma, which tend to be abused because "it is tough truck, dude". When I bough mine from a dealer I paid for 3 years "bumper to bumper warranty" that added about 10% to the price. Never used it, but it gave me a piece of mind, that if these past 70k miles were bad for the truck, I would see repairs within next 3 years and 50k miles. I was lucky to get a good, not abused, well maintained truck that I hope to keep for few more years.

 

If you live up north make sure you look at the frame really close because the frame rust out in about 10 years time . Don't do like I did buy one with a bad frame

 

So apparently you believe that the tens of hundreds of tacoma owners on here who love their trucks and have little issues belong to some big conspiracy to push 1st gen tacoms onto suckers...

Could it be that you bought a neglected beater tacoma from a dealer and you are projecting your experience with your tacoma onto all tacomas? No one said these drive 300,000 with zero maintenance. There is no vehicle on the planet that can make that claim. It is easy to win arguments when you speak in hyberboles. That is a straw-man argument btw.

 

So I own my truck since 1998 when I bought it 3 years old used from a dealer for $12k or so with 70k miles on the clock. For the last 19 years, and additional 248k miles (maybe 5% mild off road), besides gas and upgrades I spend the following:

On Maintenance:
$2000 Worn out tires every 80k miles 2x Michelin, now BFG KO2
$1800 Filters & Fluids (oil change every 5k miles, coolant every 60k miles, air filter every 30k miles)
$240 Worn out front brake pads and rotors two times every 100k miles
$50 Worn out spark plugs every 100k miles 2 times
$180 Worn out battery two times ever 8 years
$50 Lamps and bulbs occasionally

Total maintenance = $4080

On Repairs:
$100 Cracked AC header after 180k miles
$60 broken spark plug wires after 200k miles
$100 Worn out all shocks after 220k miles
$250 Cracked exhaust manifold after 230k miles
$650 Worn out clutch after 260k miles
$100 Cracked windshield washer reservoir 280k miles
$200 Busted head gasket after 302k miles
$400 Worn seat belts and buckles after 318k miles
$70 Worn steering rack guide - pending
Total repair: $1930


Accident:
$250 Stolen catalytic converter
$200 Busted windshield two times

Upgrades are minor, mostly functional and cosmetic such as 2-tone horn, all around LED bulbs, touch screen audio/video system with backup camera, redline hood lift.

Calculating the cost of owning the truck at about 100 dollars on repair per year and less than 215 dollars on maintenance per year I would say it is quite reliable machine.