Should I worry about how much mileage is on a used 2nd gen?

Hello group. I'm looking to buy my first 2nd gen Tacoma. I've looked and driven several and have came close to buying one but I let the mileage change my mind. Several I looked at have between 170,000-180,000 and the years were 2007 and 2008. This would be my daily driver putting about 75 miles a day for my commute to and from work. My question is should I let mileage determine whether or not I purchase a truck? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

Questions on high mileage can be two sided. Are the miles highway with good upkeep and maintenance, or were they put on hard and fast without any upkeep or maintenance?

Kinda like when an old girlfriend wanted to get back with me after a couple of months. I told her, it wasn't the miles she'd traveled that scared me, but it was stops she made along the way.

Seriously, in my late teens and twenties I purchased several trucks (S-10's) each with over 100,000 miles. I'd then put another 80,000 plus miles before selling them. I sold one with 240,000 miles to a guy who drove it to Canada and back to South Texas. When he got back he stopped by my house to tell me. When my youngest son turned 16, I bought him a Ford Ranger Club Cab 4x4 that had 180,000 miles. The truck was super clean, well kept and had all its maintenance records. That was a great truck for him all through high school. He kept it until I bought my Tacoma and gave him my 2000 Dakota QC 4x4. The Dakota now has 235,000 miles and going strong in AZ.

If possible, check out the truck several times. Has it been repainted due to an accident? Crawl under the truck and look for any fluid leaks Take it to a mechanic so they can check it out. Drive the truck in town, on the highway and on an unimproved road to see how it handles on different conditions.

Hope this helped and good luck!

 

^this reply from Dave is good.
My $0.02: Generally, higher mileage is not an issue with these trucks, so long as it has been maintained and not abused too badly. Be sure to ask for service documentation regardless of mileage. If you can't get any documentation, of course it is a roll of the dice. I would avoid any vehicle with a lot of previous owners but maybe that's just me. Take it for a test drive and make sure it starts, runs, shifts, brakes, and tracks (steers) well, with no funny noises or vibrations. Also I would plug in a code reader and see what it says, with permission of the owner. Finally, be realistic about what you can expect for the price you are paying -- yes these truck have high resale, but after that many miles you should not be surprised to find a few issues.

 

You are getting good counsel on your question from @BlkDakDave & @DGXR , but here is another thought.

Gas won't stay cheap.

Tacomas are not the most cost effective commuting option out there. Unless your work or commute requires a truck, you might consider something else.

 

If you are willing to travel you could buy a low mileage truck so why settle for high mileage? A quick look around Autotrader show many with less than 50,000, some 20k or less. Cream puffs are out there if you look. Don’t be in a hurry and be ready to jump on these when they come up for sale. I’ve had great success using A-trader having sold my x runner in about a week and got the money I was asking. Win win. It was 06 w/144k miles, condition and full maintenance history sold it for me.

 

I purchased with almost exact scenario; I bought mine in 2016 and now approaching 320K mi.; up until this year, I'd only done regular maintenance but my big ticket was ~ $700 about a month ago on a drive train...GO FOR IT; I'm looking for a '15 now. Take care fella.