My "Heartbreaking" First Gen Buying Story.

Sorry I completely forgot to update on the red one.....sold that day, again. Well, most-likely sold. That was Thursday night and I called Friday am and he said it was there. I told him I was leaving work at noon and then I called again right before I left (its an hour away, didnt want to drive for nothing, but it was Friday, sothe 1/2 day was happening either way haha) and someone had just put a $500 deposit down after test driving it, guy left 45mins before I called to say I was headed up. The dealer was really cool and told me it was a deposit pending his bank financing him, so the guy is going to call me on Monday when they have an answer and he'll hold it for me to come look if it becomes available. He told me as soon as he put it up he had people calling from all over the country. A guy from Colorado said he'd pay full asking price if he was willing to ship it for free, but he looked it up and it was $1,200 so he couldn't do it because he wouldn't make any money from the sale.

I'm definitely willing to sacrifice on the TRD package, but I unfortunately I can't sacrifice on the transmission (wish I could because I've seen a BUNCH of nice manuals). I hurt my back a couple years ago in a surf accident and ever since I get numbness or even pain when using clutches. not regularly, just when there's a flare up of the old injury, but given that I still surf and snowboard and off road and all that stuff that jars your body, it's not getting any better haha. Plus it's no as easy to recover as you get older (feels weird to say at 29) so you stay sore longer, and combined with an old left knee injury fm a BMX accident at 16 that is starting to bother me on a more regular basis as time goes by. I'm coming to the sad realization that my current car will probabaly be the last manual vehicle (not counting motorcycles) that I own

And there's no concer about car theft in my area, NOTHING happens here besides speeding/DUI/fights at a bar/maybe a domestic. I'm on an island 9 miles long and 5 miles wide, and most all of it is open field/farmland , except for the south 1/3 which is where the "city" is, and all the historic mansions and the beaches. If anyone has ever seen "Me, Myself, & Irene", the opening credits when Jim Carey is riding the State Trooper motorcycle on that winding road next to the ocean, thats where I live. I can't recall ever hearing about a car left here, at least since being old enough to hear about lol. And in the summer there are all sorts of crazy exotics and super cars here because all the rich people come to their summer homes with all their toys lol.

Oh and someone on the island now own a SICK blacked out TRD-TX Baja, I saw it parked at a house when I was out earlier.

 

It took us months to find the right Tacoma. You just have to be patient and one will come along.

 

Do you actually need the pickup bed? If not, look for pre-2003 4Runners. They are the same platform as the 1st gen Tacos, without the irrationally high pricing.

 

I know someone posted this truck off of CL for you but he's a member here as well...just wanted to throw that out there. This truck is local to me and could possibly arrange to meet with the guy. I'd be willing to do a once over for you and give you an informed...unbiased opinion. Just an option.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1s...427-fs-2003-tacoma-trd-4x4-louisville-ky.html

Edit: For services...I'll only require the front seat covers....
and by "local" I mean within 2hrs driving dist.

 

Also this one.....
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1s...-2002-extended-cab-4wd-sr5-clifford-sale.html

 

Bump for OP to see.

 

I have one that Im selling a double cab black limited if you want

 

I know how this feels, I had a LT 4Runner bought out from under me back in the day. After that I was dead set on a Tacoma, 5spd, 4x4, V6, TRD. Looked high and low for a clean and affordable one for a few months and the only one I wasnt considering looking at, I ended up buying.

It was 99 Horizon Blue Metallic, 147k (in 08) and $11,900. I HATED the color, but it ended up being the cleanest one I had looked at, plus the only supercharged one too. Walked away with it for $11,200, and never looked back. Almost 5 years later with 225K on the clock, its been nothing but amazing and I beat the hell out of it!

 

If you're going to spend 13-14 on a freaking 1st gen, you might as well pony up the extra 3-4k and get your 2006-2007 you want, that way you don't waste money modding up the first gen to just sell down the road. Get your 2nd gen and be done.

1st gens are cool and all, but seems like people think their gas tanks are filled with gold or some shit. Asking way too much for them, then wonder why they aren't selling in the classifieds. Case in point, the one in KY. Nice truck but 13k.5??? Then people saying, "Great price" Obviously not, or it would of been gone by now.

Best bet is to talk to local banks for financing, get a good rate, then sit and wait until one pops up that isn't a ridiculous price. It'll happen, just have to be patient.

 

This is the one I am selling contact me if you want to know more info. I sent you a PM too. First gens are pretty sweet but I got a second gen just last year so I have to sell this one. He needs a good home.

 

Agent 21, sent you a PM, check out my '02, kinda has everything that you want (except auto trans, but has p-windows and door lock.... ) and way too many new bits n' pieces to re-list here.
Tacomanater : Feeler '02, v6, 5spd, 4wd xtra cab up for adoption.......

 

Good Luck OP...the right truck will find you. I searched off and on for over a year to find my current one although its a 2nd gen. I got serious about buying after about 8 months. I have a friend who has been looking for over a year and wants a taco bad....I even have helped her look and found several that would fit her price range...but she waits to go look at them. Every time she finally decides to go look at one its sold by that time or she goes to look at it and she is picky as hell. She wants brand new condition for a used price...doesn't happen often. I finally got tired of helping her. Anyway...hang in there...don't settle for anything less than what you want or down the road you will be wishing you had kept looking.

 

You'll get one man, I should consider myself lucky, I found a 2003 TRD ext cab 4x4 v6 5-speed with power everything 89k miles, slight hail damage nothing major for 13,900. The kbb was 14,700 and I got it for 12,800. I had to drive for 2 hours to get it and it was only up for sale for 2 days when I found it on craigslist. Bought it from a dealer in Austin.

Autotrader and craigslist are your friend in this case, Craigslist spam is annoying but once you get used to it, you can find some good stuff.

 

Ok, update time. For some reason this site wasn't working for me for a few days, on my iPhone anyway. I kept getting emails about replies and PMs, but when I tried to come to the site it kept giving me a "504 bad gateway" error on an otherwise blank page. So now that THAT seems to be cleared up:

Thank you SO much to everyone for the suggestions, advice, and even pointing me towards Tacos, my experience as an active member here, though short, has been great so far.

A new issue has come up though. I went to my bank to see about an auto loan through them and hit a snag before even applying. First of all, anything older than an 03 they will not finance. That isn't TOO bad of a policy, as when it comes to the first gens I prefer an 03-04 anyway, but that means the few 02s, and even the 01, that I found that we're in great shape and meet my preferences are now out of the question. Also, they won't finance over 48months on 2003-2007. For 2008-2013 you can get a 5 or 6 year, but 2003-2007 is only 4 years, an nothing pre-2003. That is kinda sucky since I preferred the 5yr option as it isn't the TOTAL price that bothers me, it's the monthly breakdown. And while I didnt/don't necessarily want a 5yr loan on a 10yr old vehicle, it is ok in the long run because it makes it affordable on a monthly breakdown, and plus, I plan on having it for a LONG time.

As for paying a bit more for the 2007-08 that I want, I have been contemplating that for awhile now, especially since over the weekend when I discovered my local credit union's loan policies. I'm not dead-set on a 1st gen only, I love certain things about generations. However, the issue with newer is the much higher insurance. Again, I'm trying to keep this as close to $400 or under total/mo with truck and insurance. I was quoted at $114 for full coverage on the 03 Taco that was the original subject of this thread and just now got off the phone with my insurance agent and she quoted me $157/mo for this:

http://www.ultraautosales.com/2008_Toyota_Tacoma_Cumberland_RI_180163487.veh

Which I just found last night. Assuming I could get that truck payment to be $300/mo I'd be at $460/mo. That works as its only a bit higher than my planned budget, but I'm not sure I could get that truck down to $300/mo. There was no answer at dealer so I left a message and will try back on lunch if I haven't heard back by then.

I know there are a bunch of comparison threads already, a lot of which I've read before becoming an active member, but as far as the users who have been in this thread and giving me advice/guidance, does anyone have any input on not only that truck I linked to above but the 2nd gens in general? Are they as reliable as the 1sts? I mean I know Toyota's reputation in general is reliable and lasts forever, but specifically is the 2nd gen any more/less reliable than the seemingly indestructible 1st gens? Do you think we'll see 2nd gens still going strong at 300k+ miles like a lot of 1sts? I'm specifically looking for 07-08 in a 2nd gen because of the stuff I've read in them. I'm ALWAYS wary of the first year or 2 of a model redesign, try need time to work stuff out, so I've never been interested in an 05, and I've read the 05 and 06s have motor mount issues, and 2009s and newer add all the electronic assists and driving controls, which I'm not a fan of (which works out anyway since any Taco that new is out of my range anyway). So I'm looking at 07-08, preferably 08 now since if it's an 07 my bank will only do a 4yr loan, which would make the payment too high.

Sorry, again, for the massive read, and once again I greatly appreciate everyone's input and information here

 

Any luck yet OP?

 

Not yet, but I am going to look at this on Tuesday (the guy isn't home tomorrow, and today is Easter):

http://providence.craigslist.org/cto/3702573518.html

asking $9,800, KBB value says $9,477 for that truck with its miles/options/condition. I'm hoping to at least get him down to $9,000 even, assuming I like it in person. I can tell from te pictures that it needs some TLC in some spots. I'm not opposed to some finish flaws, it IS 10yrs old, and a TRUCK after all, but givin that the price is so high on pretty much all Tacomas, I don't want to pay that much for one that is all torn up. A few of the pictures I can't tell if it's lighting/reflection or if there really are huge sections of deep scratches and paint fading. There are 2 pics in particular (in the secondary link withing the CL post that brings you to a bunch of pictures). One is back by the TRD logo, looks like the pearl/metallic layer is faded away and just a pinkish base layer remains. And another pic that looks like its shot down a door or body panel also seems to show a massive area all scratched up. But again, can't tell if it's just lighting/background reflecting, really beat up, or a combo of both.

Any opinions on this particular truck? Is it a good deal, or should I stay away? It's about 20mins from my house so I'm gonna check it out either way, just wondering if all the Taco users here can see any red flags from the post/pictures. The good thing about it being $4-6,000 cheaper than all the other ones I've seen (that have admittedly been in better cosmetic condition, and had 10-30,000 less miles) is much lower payment, which means more money leftover to make the truck better. New wheels/tires, new stereo, and working on the little cosmetic stuff can all be done fairly quickly now with payments that will be $100-150 less than when I was looking at $14,000 range ones.

 

Most of the damage looks minor on the truck except for the bumper. I'm not sure if the chrome bumpers are more susceptible to rust or if it's from the salt during the winter. Looks like a replacement rear bumper is about $200. I'm not sure on the front bumper. If you're looking to have a custom bumper installed, the existing condition of the bumpers wouldn't matter. Overall, it looks like a decent truck. He mentioned that the water pump and timing belt was recently replaced, so that's a plus.

 

Looks real nice, but I would question the locking rear diff claim.

The reason is that, for 1998 Tacoma TRD models at least,
the locker was not included when the truck also had AT and 4-cyl.
It might have been possible to order the locker separately, though.

 

But this one is an 03 6-Cyl auto, would that make a difference? I thought the locker was automatically part of the TRD Off-Road package? Thought the package was Billsteins and the locker?