Searching for 1st Gen.... too high mileage?

I have just a general question...
How many miles is too many mile to buy a tacoma.
Ive read they last up to 300K.

Its difficult to find low milage Tacomas of the exact one I want (2000-2004, V6, 4wd, Xtracab). Is it foolish to purchase a truck with close to or over 200K miles?

 

I purchased a high mileage 1st gen knowing damn well I'd be spending more on rebuild and maintenance, I just didn't know how much. If you're a die hard 1st gen lover yeah go for it. If you're trying to get the best bang for your buck I'd suggest looking at other tacomas in the same price range, 2nd or 3rd gen (STAHP HATING ALREADY).

 

I bought mine with 235k. No regrets.

Only needed maintenance was a new battery, idler pulley, accessory belts, o2 sensor, and catback exhaust.

 

They are hard to find! I got mine in April - a 2001 v6, 4wd, 5 spd, trd and it had 146k on it. I certainly paid for it though, AND I feel like I got my money's worth. I owned another cult classic - a pre-DEF Mercedes Sprinter - short wheelbase (118") and when I sold it I got more than I bought it for. It's just the nature of these vehicles...

 

Meh, I bought my 3.4L '99 with 314+k miles on it. I've put over 10k on it since November. With the right maintenance, these motors and trucks will last.

 

My Tacoma has 258k no issues o2 sensors coil packs and water and timing belt. All expected maintenance

 

Difficult to find with low mileage? Not really if you’re willing to spend what they are asking.

Is a Tacoma with 200k miles too high? No.

Find one you’re comfortable with that has the mileage to dollar amount you want to spend.

I’ve lost count of how much money I have put into my Tacoma since I got it. Probably more than what I paid for it. Keep in mind I bought it stock too.

Good luck.

 

Mileage is less important on these trucks.

I bought my 1998 SR5 v6 for $600. It has 450,0000 miles. I had the oil tested by Blackstone Laboratories and it yielded no issues whatsoever. It’s in great health.

Just beat up, but it runs and drives great.

 

Bought my '03 with almost 200k miles. No regrets.

 

Here are my thoughts on this. I've bought and restored a few vehicles that were over 18 yo.

Regardless of the mileage, they all needed new struts/shocks, bushings, hoses, belts, water pumps with gaskets, injector o-rings, and some of the main and transmission seals. If not immediately after purchase, then once the usage pattern changed, old rubber components would start to break down. So I've learned to budget time and money for rubber component restoration work when I buy a vintage automobile. Due to an abundance of discounting online dealers and other sources for OEM part kits, this Tacoma engine compartment restoration has been one of the lowest cost restorations to date.

One of my cars required approximately $1,000 in hoses and parts from a discounting online dealer coupled with another $1,000 for injectors to correctly do the required 100,000-mile maintenance and repair failed injectors. Vacuum and water leaks can take days to repair. You only want to do it once. In that club, we see people show up looking to buy or who have just purchased the car and want to address some of the common age-related issues. We tell them, you need to have at least $1,000 in disposable funds to just get the rubber/plastic to be reliable and then you get to deal with injectors, suspension, radiator, and possibly a transmission failure. You better have some money in your clothes when you start messing around with restoring an imported luxury car that sold for $45,000 to $50,000 in the early 1990s.

So having done this a few times, I don't mind buying a 1990s vehicle with miles if the price is right. It just needs to have a rust-free/solid body and an interior that can be cleaned.

 

OP if you’re actually in VA there are some good looking trucks on CL that match your wants in Richmond

 

OP...

300K?!?! I’m aware of a 2nd gen with the 2.7L that had its engine replaced at 880K. That 2007 model currently has over 1.2 million miles on it!

 

just to tell you, there's a dude on here that had 988k on his 4cylinder truck

but anyway, to anwer the question, if the truck wasn't abused or neglected by previous owner, it's okay to buy high mileage. Mileage tells you how much a vehicle has been driven, but not how it was maintained. 200k and well maintained is better than 75k and neglected.

Try to get maintenace history of the truck and try to find out what the owner was doing with it

 

i would say it depends on furnished maintenance history & records and how it has been driven, very hard to do if it has had multiple ownership!
since you are looking at an MT there is possibility that the clutch is going to need work, perhaps soon after purchase! but it depends on how it has been driven
I am on my original clutch still at 120k (but my mileage is a high percentage freeway and not city stop-n-go)
my relative bot a used '98 MT in 2oo4 and had to get a clutch job at a mere 80k miles! if i remember

i have test driven a few local Tacomas on used lots for my nephew that had no more than twice the mileage that I have, one had 5 owners! and I could tell even by the truck idling that it should not sound like that! and they wanted $12k for it

 

TW is here to help you find the right truck! ... just have to be patient and/or willing to travel a great distance to find one in the age of cyberspace (i remember having to comb through newspaper ads with no pics to find my first used car)

 

to add to CS_AR... I have driven many, many other vehicles and it is very tough to beat what a 1'st gen Tacoma offers for drivability and "fixability". They are not overly reliant on electronics, yes ABS pumps go out and are $$$ but aside from that if the frame isnt rusted and the body is not banged up I do not hesitate to drop $6k in a powertrain to have a truck that is good for another 15 years.

 

Every 100,000 miles or so you need to drop 1-2k into your truck depending what you can or can not do yourself, with the occasional clutch or oil seals that will fail, (valve covers or axle seals),
It’s regular maintenance stuff from shocks to timing belts, to water pump to ball joints plugs, wires, filters, these trucks do need regular maintenance because of their age.
If your not up to that you can can buy a new Tacoma and make a payment of 500-600 a month and watch it go down in value.

The problem is that there is always something new you can add or upgrade and it
never stops, superchargers, lift kits, tires, wheels, etc

 

Lol nah miles aint that important as long as it is healthy. I will roll into the 300k mark in a couple weeks. Bought the truck 2 years about with 238k and virtually zero maintenance history but it ran well. When I pulled the spark plugs nearly every single one was a different brand and different electrode count but it didn't seem to have any issues. You'll want to do the timing belt and water pump on any truck you buy as well as lower ball joints (get the Toyota ones).

 

Do you know if your truck had spent it's prior 238k miles in your current midwest location?

 

Yeww! Fellow 118" Sprinter owner and 215k on my 1998 tacoma when I bought it last spring. Although did just have to replace my drive shaft...