Opinions needed

So looking to add to the first gen family. found an 02 extra cab 4x4 V6 stick TRD with only 74k miles one owner for 9kish frame looks reasonable, but its a 6+ hours away. What are Y'alls thoughts on price and going to look at it? Anything else I should look out for? I have a 4 cyl now and have never dealt with the V6

 

I paid more than that for an 01 with twice that mileage! Frame is perfect on mine and the whole thing is in excellent shape......I drove to California to get it! Two hours is nothing, go look.

 

I wish it was only 2 hours away! its more like 6! frame is reasonable not perfect just some what I can tell some surface rust

 

Somehow I saw 2hrs and not 6.....

 

I got my 02 back in 07 and never had any troubles. If they toke care of it, than it's worth looking at. I have 190k miles on mine and it is my daily driver. V6, Auto, 2 Wheel drive

 

Where is the truck located? Maybe have a member that is close go and look at it for you before driving that far away. If it's more north of VA I'd run anyway from all the salt.

 

With only 74,000 I would confirm never wrecked or engine trouble.... Look for signs of having been repainted, body panel gap differences, etc. Just confirm why so few miles.

Also, I don't think there was a "TRD" version then. Maybe so, but somebody will probably weigh in who knows for sure. Only bringing it up in case owner is making some false claims.

 

TRD started on trucks in 98, I'd be worried about surface rust, oftentimes the inside is worse than the outside. Test with a ball pin hammer or other metal object, knock on it and listen to the ping it makes. Thuds are bad, look really closely to the spring perches-these are more likely to be problem areas. If it has an elocker, double check it has the button AND check the diff for the actuator. Some people will put in the button only to sell for more money. Has the timing belt been replaced? 18 years is a long time on a single timing belt.

 

Lucky for me its a one owner truck that has a completely clear carfax

 

Sadly I'm afraid if I post where it is exactly someone will snipe it out from under me.

 

The frame is the biggest concern. As far as the timing belt I'm not sure. if I buy it I can promise you its the first thing getting changed.

 

Yeah, I'm lucky enough to be in California, its a lot easier to find really good frames out here. Specifically the forward spring connections are the worst for rust. You might also look for rust in the wheel well, Every once in a while you find someone who got unlucky and found one with rust. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wheel-well-rust-repair.531226/

 

At least with a stick there's no concern of Pink Milkshake history

Cereal? No one you can trust to take a gander for ya?

 

Dear Mallard386,

Here is my take on the differences between the 2.7 I4, and the 3.4 V6. They are both great engines by the way. To all the serious mechanically talented members, I know there are a lot more differences than what I am going to outline in this post. In this post, I am just trying to give members who are curious a general idea of the differences between these two motors.

The Toyota 2.7 inline 4 cylinder is a much simpler motor than its 3.4 V6 sibling. It is a single head, which makes everything inside the engine compartment extremely accessible with the exception of the fuel filter. These Toyota four bangers use a timing chain rather than a timing belt. Timing chains are replaced much less frequently than timing belts. As a result of their simplicity, size and configuration, this motor is both easier and cheaper to maintain and repair than its larger Toyota 3.4 V6 sibling. They will get also get better gas mileage. Although, I am told this is not a significant difference.

The Toyota 5VZ-FE 3.4 liter V6 engine is a very sophisticated motor with two heads and double overhead cams per head. It uses a timing belt instead of a chain, which has to be replaced every 90,000 miles. As a result of its size and configuration, it occupies a lot of space in the engine compartment, which makes getting at things much less accessible. It is going to be both the more expensive and complicated motor to both maintain and repair, but it is going to have significantly more horsepower and torque than its smaller sibling. Please do not think the Toyota 3.4 is an impossible motor to work on based on what I just said about it. I have completely surgically engineered hands, and I have done plenty to our 3.4.

Take it easy,
Paul

 

Thank you Paul I really appreciate the overview! This is a great write up!

 

If the seller has a Toyota dealer nearby have him bring it there and tell him you want them to inspect the frame.If they give the truck a clean bill of health go buy it.If they say the frame is going to be a big headache then save yourself the drive.

 

...Came here to say this, but @TacoBike already said it. And to clarify, he's talking about inside the boxed sections of the frame, not inside the truck (I'm sure you understood that but I felt it needed to be said). Make sure you know the steps to engage the e-locker in order to test it (another thing we assume people know but some really don't). The mileage at that price is crazy though. It'll definitely be a nice buy if you can make it happen! Well worth the 12hr round trip IMO.

 

Ask the seller to make a video, with sound, like this one and send it to you.

 

Road trip !

You and your copilot only way to be sure.

Full test drive before reaching for the money.

Make sure everything works both ranges in 4wd

Only you know how much frame rust is to much.

Best of luck Don`t let the Tacoma Lust Over Come you!!

 

I would bring an OBDII scanner with me and check to see if all of the smog monitors are cleared. There are many stories on this forum where the buyer was too excited and bought the truck after a quick test drive and on the second morning start up, the CEL comes on due to an evap code or a cat code. If the monitors are not "ready" that means that someone has cleared the codes and reset the PCM and is hoping that the test drive isn't too long for it to reappear.