Off-road build high mileage Tacoma

Hey everyone, been lurking for a while and have found some good info. But it seems I haven’t been able to find a post about buying a used higher mileage Truck for more rec use.
There’s a few 06-08 Tacomas with the 4L v6 all about 150-200k miles. They range from 10-13k. There all Se models. I would like to take whatever I buy and get it to a point where I’d be ok taking it off road for fly fishing and camping. Here in Colorado that ranges from rutted dirt with medium rock to gravel and washboard. If I tow it would be a small off road camper under 2000 lbs. ideally this would just be my fun car with minimal commuting.

should I grab one of these and not worry about what mileage is on them and how it was driven and just focus on updating suspension, replacing coolant lines, updating rad, and updating brakes? Or would it be better to look for a newer model?
Thanks everyone!

 

These trucks are stable and the question is really how many miles do you plan to put on it while you own it. A higher mileage (200k) truck is fine if you are only looking at 50k miles. Same for a 150k truck if you are looking for 100k miles. This is a question that demands you begin with the end in mind.

 

Hoping I can add as many as I want. If I’m paying 10-14k then possibly adding 5-10k in upgrades is hope it lasts for a bit Is that unrealistic?

 

What is an Se model Tacoma?

 

There are trucks on the forum that are running strong at 300k miles or more. If you want to keep it a long time then 150k mile truck sounds like it is in the zone. A well maintained 200k truck is probably better than some 150k trucks so it depends on the actual truck.
Standard caveats about rust and such.

 

Longevity is always based on care given more than just mileage. So no, 'grabbing one' is like a mystery bag. You don't know what you'll get. Find one that's looking good and pay for a pre purchase inspection from a trusted independent mechanic.

Whatever you do, be sure to inspect the frame fully if it's lived in any salt/brine areas. Hammer, probe, camera in boxed areas.

How do you know any of those things will need attention before you spot a vehicle of interest?

Adding a set of capable tires (if that's even needed on what you find) and a good driver will get these trucks many places.

A lot of folks who 'build' over did it or under use it.

Oh yea. And if you are lucky enough to find a clean frame, your first step is to protect it with quality product like Cosmoline, wool wax etc.

 

If you want to "invest" (that word means different things to different people and in different contexts) in the platform it's a good one.

If you pick up that 150-200k truck for a good price and put on an HC rear, an ARB front, and a set of 5100s with coils and some decent AT tires, you're good to go for your stated use case and the long haul. First order of business would actually be the tires, these trucks are surprisingly capable stock.

Before you go crazier with the build, again, in the context of "long term investment", pock up a used low miles engine and trans to stack somewhere. You may never need them, but if you do in 10 or 15 years you will be way ahead of the curve.

Use the truck as you intend to use it and focus on further upgrades as experience and budget allow.

 

don’t know. It’s a used car. Requires popping the hood and getting dirt on your arm.

mines got that mileage. Done stuff to it. I don’t really worry about it. Oil changes done on time, engine looks new inside.
Previous cars were over 100k and ran fine.

there is no substitute for inspecting it. Such as for frame rust.

Mileage is a miles per year average. Older usually means more miles.
The amount of old Toyotas I see for sale with 300k+ mi shows they’re capable of doing that.

I could pay more for a 16-23 with less miles and more issues but am not interested in doing that.
If I was to spend twice as much on a car, it would have to be twice the car/twice as good.

to me, a potential upgrade would be
-LX, LC, GX, V8 T4R
-Ranger or Ranger Raptor
-JT Rubicon, auto diesel or manual gas
-Bison
etc

I don’t feel a need to spend twice more for a truck getting the same MPG, needing more repairs, with less mods on it.

Toyota techs generally don’t know much about the 2nd gen. Because they don’t see them. They don’t go to the dealer. Because they’re not significantly breaking all the time in a complex way that requires going to the dealer. That tells you something.

I should probably do my water pump and serpentine tensioner, like on any other car. Cool, no problem. I will Google it, do it, then move on.

since youre in CO find a non rusted 4x4 V6 In Manual or auto wherever that can be found
Whatever year you want past initial build with head gasket issues unless it’s cheaper to reflect that and you plan to do them
and pick trim level. Whether you want OR, Sport, pre facelift, post facelift
and size
for example ACLB is 6’ bed while DCSB is 5’.

some used cars an owner did oil changes. Other ones the owner didn’t, so it sludges and has issues. Not because of time or miles. Because of neglect.