Newlyweds considering our first Tacoma. Good buy?

Why not ask the company to retire that sucker to your guys as is? I'm damn sure you guys had some............interesting times with it.

 

even the mechanically inclined members on this forum do not mess with a rusted frame, it’s either frame recall from Toyota or spraying fluidfilm or other type of coating material on. there is maybe one thread out of hundreds where someone actually got a welder and fixed the frame up

 

Rofl. Poor OP, y’all are ruthless.

 

Definitely pass on that 1st gen, I'm selling my 2003 4x4 TRD 4 door with 166K miles for pretty close to that price and it's mechanically sound.

 

Doesn't sound like too great of a deal. Honestly I'd be shopping around for a double cab second gen if you loved the company truck that much. First gen's a great, but it'll be different than what you're used to with that company truck.

 

Pass. Those are too many things that could be big problems.

 

I have a 98 that is in much better shape than the one you mentioned. They are asking too much as they are a dealer. The only way they paid $5k for a trade is because someone bought something brand new. And then the dealer just tacked it on the end and made it "look" like they got 5K for trade. You'd be hard pressed to find any dealer that is honest about giving you maybe 2-3K for trade on a 1st gen. I have saw a couple 1st gens in my neck of the woods at the Toyota dealership with above 10K asking prices though. It's freaking nuts. Personally - I wouldn't sell mine for less than 9K but hey, that's why I still have it I'd offer them about 5K for that. You are gonna put another 1K in parts alone to get it up to snuff. And BTW. 1st gens are BETTER than 2nd gens

 

As with any older truck, you're going to need to do some maintenance upkeep on it.

I'd like to think that coming form a stealership, they'd fix those issues for that price.

You can find a cleaner, more mechanically sound one for about the same price.

But the frame rust issue IS a big deal, IF the truck spent time anywhere they salt the roads. If it lived in CA, you're sound as a pound, but I'd still pass on this truck.


And to all you guys telling this guy to get a second gen: May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your nether regions for your heresy! (this is the 1st gen section!)

 

The excellence of the first gen transcends all gen thread areas on this and any other forum

 

IMHO, not sure if you have to run if you see any hint of rust. Certainly do check for rust using the hammer method in the prone areas (do a search on this one), but if you do run across one with what could be called surface rust there are ways to help prolong the frame and enjoy many more years in a Gen 1. The demand for these trucks is so high it is worth it to extend the life of the frame to match the drive-train which seems to go on forever if properly maintained. I highly recommend using POR 15 to address surface rust then yearly coating the frame with Fluid Film.

 

You're right, my truck has lived within 30 miles of where it was built at NUMMI in Fremont, California for its whole life and even it had some surface rust. My point being rust is a huge hassle to deal with and if you came across a truck with some rust on it I would look elsewhere. But that's just me being cautious.

 

he said he just got married

 

Haha!

 

He got married to his 1st gen?

 

He doesnt have one yet.

 

well theres about to be two once I figure out if my bed will come off with out torching everything. Its soaking in pb blaster now. so hopefully within a week I'll have it all apart. It kinda sucks cause i was planning on making this thing into a trailer when it came time to junk it, but I can't even do that with how bad the frame got.

And yeah the 2nd and 3rd gens are nice trucks but I prefer the '98 over the '17 any day of the week. the only thing I really like with the '17 is that the 2.7L i have has more power than the older V6's, so I use it for towing cars and such but other than that the '98 is the way to go. Wish they were still making new 1st gens.

 

Dear Newly We Couple and all other Tacoma World Members,

I posted this analysis a couple of months ago, but I am going to do it again for the sake of the newly wed couple. This entire site contains some very valuable information for potential Tacoma owners. Many of you have already found this out.

First generation Tacomas are great, and they are a lot of fun. I have one, and I have had it for years. Here are the problems with them. Some of this information I am going to discuss will be redundant for many of you. First generation Tacomas suffer from frame rust. The ones that do not reside on the west coast and the southwest of the United States with the exception of Florida and Texas most likely have frame rust if they are still running at this point in their life. Please note many of these frame rust ridden first generation Tacomas were purchased back by Toyota when frame rust was first detected during the initial Toyota buy back program. Some of them received frame replacements. To bring some more clarification to this point, the early first generation Tacomas, which were the 1995.5-2000, infected with frame rust were purchased back by Toyota. The later first generation ones, which were 2001-2004, were given the opportunity to participate in the frame replacement program. As a result of this dilemma, there are not a hell of a lot of First Generation Tacomas left out there to be purchased, which is one of the reasons why the prices of good examples from this period are so high. This is just the simple supply and demand formulas.

Even the newest first generations, which are a 2004 model year are now 13 years old so finding one with relatively low mileage, and that does not have frame rust is going to be quite a chore. First generation Tacomas have an almost cult like following behind them, which is part of the reason why sites like this exist. To clarify this point, this is the same kind of attention and admiration first generation Toyota FJ 40 and first generation Camaros receive. Followers and admirers seem to be very emotionally attached to the body style of first generation Tacomas especially the 4x4 extra-cabs and double cabs with the 3.4 liter V6 engine, which is another reason why the prices of these old Tacomas are so expensive.

Many of you looking for a long term useful pick-up truck for yourself or your family will have to put in an incredible amount of time and energy in locating a first generation that fits the bill. Unless you are completely emotionally attached to the body style of first generations, your effort will be much better spent seeking out a second generation. You will have many more to choose from, and they are built just as well as the first generations. They have a ton of more options. Their stock seats are also quite a bit more comfortable, and they are a much better balanced truck. First generations are just small trucks that have a relatively big engine for their size when equipped with the 3.4, and they ride hard.

Good Luck
Paul

 

ME ME ME... ... but seriously, the process was a PITA

 

Look for another 1st Gen...they ARE out there.

Frame issues def exist, as evidenced by this 2001 out of Utah that I looked at and passed on for obvious reasons...topside was very nice, and seller was asking $14K with 130,000, but further inspection revealed serious rust issues...

The good.



The not so good:






Kudos on looking at a 1st Gen...IMO, one of the easiest trucks to work on (when you need to, which isn't often) and source inexpensive parts for everywhere.

My headlight lenses were clouded when I bought mine in March of 2015...sourced a PAIR of headlight housings with BULBS on Shame-A-Zon for $47 shipped.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, as I looked at 7-8 trucks before I pulled the trigger on my one owner/SoCal registered 03' DC 4x4 and I have been extremely happy with it.

Good luck...keep TW posted on your progress.