My "New" '04 Tacoma - what should I do first?

Just bought a 2004 Prerunner SR5, 2.7L 4cyl, ~210,000 miles, Xtra Cab. Single owner, looks like it was serviced regularly at a dealership from the records on Toyota Owners website.

I'm in SoCal so the market here for these is nuts right now. Bought it without a detailed check as it was a private seller who had multiple offers and I didn't want to lose the opportunity. I honestly don't know a lot about vehicle maintenance. Mechanic said it sounded good, ran fine, no visible major issues, no visible frame rust but it was like a sub-5 minute inspection he did for free. I want to take it back now that she's mine with a well prepared list of things that definitely need to be checked to make sure this truck lasts a long time.

Some things I know need to be checked:

-Ball Joints - Lower for sure, but upper and tie rods as well probably smart right?
-Gas tank not filling correctly, stops filling every 15-20 seconds - seems to be common problem
-Steering Fluid leak? - not sure what this is, pic below
-Timing Chain
-Head Gaskets
-Injectors
-Water pump
-Oil Pump
-Deeper check for frame rust

EDIT: Added suggestions:

-valve clearance check/adjustment
-leaky seal in steering rack - rack replacement? (check new one for leaks right out of box)
-rotate or replace worn tires

Cosmetic Fixes I'll be doing:

-Paint on hood and roof of cab
-Replace cracked windshield
-Replace foggy headlight plastic
-Replace Toyota logo cap things on front wheels
-Piece behind rear wheel is a bit mangled - not sure what that is about. Pics below. Replace or is this a sign of something more significant?
-Window roll down handle falls off very easily

EDIT: adding more cosmetic fixes

-drivers side plastic cover, outer trim is broken
-Rear wheel well liners are torn up

Pics:

Fluid Leak on this part? Steering fluid? Previous owner says it has been like this with no issues and not dripping or anything for over a year but it worries me.
Some missing chunks by the rear wheel well:

 

That leak on the steering rack boot/inner tie rod boot means you likely have a leaky seal in the rack, that will eventually mean a rack replacement but it could probably last awhile longer.

Frame looks fine visually

The rest I imagine your mechanic can give you a good idea of, but its safe to say that most of these trucks by now need a good suspension, ball joint and bushing refresh if they haven't had one already, due to age/mileage.

 

Those rear wheel well liners got chewed up by something, maybe road debris?

 

Find a solid mechanic and have he or she go to town.

 

The 2.7l timing chain shouldn't need replaced, but the 2.7l does need a valve clearance check/adjustment (not sure on the mileage) but it's pretty crucial if you want the engine to last.

 

Adding valve clearance check/adjustment to the list of things to get checked out, thanks!

 

Check the new rack n pinion for leaks befor installing (usually remanned part) and save the box for the old one for core ($300)

 

Your 7th picture shows a rear tire that looks very worn. I’d check the tread depth on all of your tires and rotate or replace if needed.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. Edited list to include fixing the leaky seal in the steering rack (replace rack and pinion?) and rotate or replace tires depending on how worn they are (probably very worn). Will get her into a mechanic after the holiday weekend.

 

Looks like you may need a set of tires.

Tread looks a bit lean in pic #7.

Otherwise, suggest full 100 Kmile maintenance schedule Of course, the all the mechanicals.

 

Thanks, will check out the 100k maintenance schedule. Seems more handy than making a list of things up myself, probably should have started there lol

 

When I bought my 3.4L 4X4 I did the following items that are normal maintenance.

Fuel injector cleaner
Oil and filter change
Flush brakes
Clean MAF
Air filter
Spark plugs
Spark plug wires
Front lower ball joints
Alignment
Fuel filter

Still need to do the following....

Diff oil change
Flush power steering fluid
Drain transmission oil
Flush coolant

That's pretty much it...should cover all of the fluids.

 

Oh yeah....do the fuel filter ASAP. I have 206k on mine and it was never done before. I believe Toyota said that they never have to be changed but that is BS.

When I did mine today, the gas was dark gray coming out of the tank side and light gray coming out of the engine side. The engine side should be clear.

Oh yeah, the torque spec is 21 ft/lb on the two compression fitting.

 

Awesome, thanks for the fluids checklist. Will definitely replace fuel filter as well.

 

Honda Odyssey nozzles

$17 2011-2013 Genuine Honda Odyssey Front Windshield Washer Nozzle 76810-TK8-A01

https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Hond...yssey+windshield+nozzle&qid=1625095660&sr=8-3

 

LOL I just noticed yesterday using the wiper fluid for the first time that most of it sprays onto the roof. Will look into those. Thanks.