Rare find?...1998 Regular Cab 4x4 42K miles (Commercial Vehicle)

Found a 1998 Tacoma at a dealer about an hour away from me. The 1 owner car fax shows it as being registered from 1998-2016 as a commercial vehicle in New York and has an extensive service history. One of the cool things I've noticed about it are the 3 faded HPE off road decals on the bed. One on each side, one on the tailgate. I've never seen that before.

I'd check it out if I were closer, and if the dealer's ratings weren't horrible.

Here is a link to the dealer's listing...

http://roadreadyusedcars.com/1998-Toyota-Tacoma/Used-Truck/Ansonia-CT/8268383/Details.aspx

 

Cool truck. I would be very concerned about the frame though.

 

Yea, that's certainly the top concern.

 

Depends on how reputable the dealer is, I've seen some try and hide some pretty serious defects. Only an hour away, you should go look but bring a hammer and a good heavy screwdriver for those hard to wack places.

 

That's a decent price too considering it's in good shape with those low miles.

 

The HPE decals look stock, but I'm not too sure.

The dealer's ratings are horrible.

 

I dunno, ~$11K is still a lot of a money for a reg cab 4 banger 20 years old. If the frame was perfect, maybe if you really wanted this exact truck.

 

Tacobelt,

I would definitely follow the advice that some members have already outlined for you especially when it comes to the frame. Remember cabs are not as versatile as extra-cabs or double cabs. If you buy a regular cab, they are pretty much just good for a house fix it truck or a commuter. They won't be very comfortable camping, fishing or any kind of activity that requires hauling equipment, people and animals at the same time.

Good Luck,
Paul

 

One thing to keep in mind regarding commercial vehicles is mileage can be misleading.

Speaking from personal experience, there are many, many hours of idling with ac or heater running.

 

Just be careful of carfax a in general, sure they have a lot of info, but sometimes cars/truck has big issues that go unreported.

For example I purchased a 2011 VW golf Tdi, clean carfax no issues but over time the front apron started sagging, agter further inspection I found it was held on by screws and zip ties!

It being in New York, like @gmr102 said be concerned about the frame and rust issues.

If your not a mechanic, I highly a using third party mechanic to inspect any truck you intend to buy.

 

I'm going to steer clear of this based off of a couple of factors. Mainly it being 19.5 years old, being a tacoma in New York (frame rot), and the dealer seeming totally shady (based off of reviews).

 

Probably a good idea. I bet some poor sucker will buy it and post here about how they got screwed. If only Toyota would have figured out that not everyone who buys these trucks is going to live in Arizona and California.

 

HPE? It was owned by Hewlett-Packard Emterprises?