Rust on frame, need opinion

Negative Ghostrider.

Don't do it.

You can pretty much guarantee that EVERY SINGLE bolt is rusted shut. That looks terrible. I don't even thing the frame is as solid as it might look. There isn't a smooth piece of steel on that frame.

 

1st gens are a gamble to buy
I bought a 01 and I'm sinking a lot of money into it to keep it on the road until my 07 is fixed

I was to late for Toyota to replace the frame for me so I had to have it fixed and welded in a lot of spots pretty much have 60% of the frame patched

But at the same time its hit or miss you could have found a gem or you found a rotten fruit

I still have a lot of fun in my truck tho I off-road and trail ride frequently

 

as those of us in the rust belt have noted, that's not bad for being up here. most of my "treatment" is still on my frame but has come off in certain areas. I have surface rust in/on other places. hell, my 2 year old dakars have rust already, was hoping they were treated but I guess not.

you can hit that yourself and spray it with the treatment of your choice.

you don't say what year it is, but the '03 has until '18 (depending on month) for the warranty and the '04 has until '19 (depending on month) so that's another factor.

if you plan an overland build you may be putting in an aux fuel tank as well. pull the bed and you can hit the nooks and crannies of it while there is room.

 

Take a pass on that one. Looks like it was parked in a lake for a little while.

 

Well guys, I think I am going to take the risk averse route. Im going to pass. Thank you all for the knowledge and input. You guys were my favorite forum, and continue to be. You guys are awesome.

Hopefully I can be back to being a owner instead of a lurker sooner rather than later.

 

If you're willing to buy in another state, then look at 1st gens from the Southernwestern states (Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada, etc.). Rust is practically a non-issue out here. No sense in taking a gamble on a truck with rust like this one has; you're only seeing the pics of the rust that they want you to see. Who knows how bad it is in other spots, or how badly the rust has eaten into the frame. Could be in another year (or less) that rust will have permeated the frame, and then you're SOL.

 

Well it was 11,990, and only had 37k on the clock. The exterior and interior were immaculate, minus the rust. It is the only reason I ever considered it.

 

Wish mine looked that good.

The rust paranoia is justified, but there is a "normal" for us cold climate owners. I'm not even sure a physical hammer testing of the frame is a guarantee of the soundness of the frame. I've had them go despite a seemingly satisfactory test.

Life's a gamble. You may get run over crossing the street. This we live with every day. Avoid every risk and you'll never leave the house.

Good luck with search.

 

As much as it looks like it'd be fine, I always think if there is a problem, am I going to be spending more money to fix it, than jsut buying a more expensive truck (edit completely agree with post quoted)

 

Good call. It seems like with most online / sight unseen purchases, it's always worse than it looks. Sometimes you get lucky but it's better off playing it safe. You'll find a good one out there.

 

Utah trucks are generally very clean too. But there's a dealer out here that's recently started stocking up on 1st gen Tacos, all imported from NY/NJ. Gotta check that history & give it a real good inspection.

 

Only if you live in the rust belt...

 

That's not good. Two of my rust buckets were from Long Island, one from NJ/PA, and the current from ME/MA-bought from a NJ dealer. I'd be cautious and thorough with inspections and check the history.

 

that truck looks in better shape then mine !!!

One winter in Liquid Brine will cause that much rust.

My 2015 Ford looks just as bad for Rust.

Living in the North East I would call that Cherry for the Age.

If that one was to rusty i would search just the South West USA

Otherwise you won`t find what your looking for.

 

Google Davis auto group. They always have clean Tacomas for sale.

 

One thing I wont do is pay above 15k for a 1st gen. I want a low mileage one, but the 1st gens and the 2nds are always like 5k different, and the 2nd gens have lower mileage.

The used Tacoma market is insane, and I'm not a fan of the 3rd. Its ridiculous.

 

oh man that sucks...37k miles and rusty. I'll pour one out for the Taco I found my '04 last year completely rust free with 24k on the odo in Southern California, but it was substantially over $15k.

 

yeah I think a lot of used car lots are starting to see what kind of money used Tacomas are bringing in and having them delivered from wherever they can find them. I was quick to jump on mine last year not only because of the mileage, but because it was being sold by an actual Toyota dealership and not some random/private used car lot. Not to say they're all bad but you have to be careful with them.

 

Id pay 15/16k for a 1st gen Taco, but once you get into the 17k you might as well buy a 2nd gen.

 

I might go $1000.00 if it had good tires.