SOLD!! - 2003 Tacoma PreRunner 4x2 DC TRD V6 LTD (Redlands, CA)

Hey all,

I'm mostly a lurker here. I've been gearing up to sell my Taco for awhile and now it's time. Gonna upgrade to the latest and greatest. I tried to post this in the Buy/Sell/Trade forum but apparently I can't. Hopefully I'm not violating some sort of rule by posting here. Would welcome any feedback or constructive criticism. Or if there are any questions, feel free to post!

For Sale: 2003 Tacoma PreRunner 4x2 Double Cab TRD V6 Limited. I’m the original owner, and a non-smoker. The truck has been my daily driver for years (I only live 7 miles from my office) and is in great shape. Mostly street and freeway driving, been off-roading in it twice in the 13 years I’ve owned the vehicle. Clean title, no accidents, all VIN tags accounted for, no paint work. It's very close to stock original, and as I have only made a few cosmetic upgrades. I upgraded to a Clarion CX 501 Double Din Head Unit w/remote. It Plays MP3/CD, has USB flash drive input, line out, AND Bluetooth 4.0 for complete hands free phone operation. No need for Bluetooth earpieces! Sirius Satellite Radio Ready (not activated). I also have the old OEM stereo that I will include with the sale of the truck.

CLEAN CA TITLE IN HAND!
Mileage: 184,XXX
Engine Mileage*: 156,xxx (see below)

Options/Features: Power Windows, Power Door Locks, ABS, Cruise Control, A/C, OEM Floor Mats, TRD Off-road and towing package, Electronically Controlled Towing Assist and Rear Locking Differential
Tires: Near New 80k mi rated 16” Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenzer Plus (Installed at 168k)
Brakes: New premium high carbon rotors, ceramic pads and new rear brake shoes.
Suspension: Tight, no noises
Steering: Tight, no pulling, centered wheel, no slop.
Interior: As close to new as you'll find in a 1st Gen
Glass: Perfect with no chips.
Upgrades: Billet Steel Grille, HID Front headlights, Clarion CX 501 Double Din Head Unit w/remote, Line-X Spray on Bed liner

Keys: One OEM key fob and an OEM spare key.
Cosmetic issues: Some very small paint chips on the front. Chrome grill surround shows some wear above the headlights on each side. CLEAN TRUCK!
Needed repairs: Temp control backlight burned out.
Summary:
No check engine codes, no pulling, no odd noises and it drives great. Runs perfect, A/C blows cold, heater blows hot. All accessory items work. I installed better headlight bulbs in the OEM capsules so that it wasn't like driving by candle light at night. This truck has always been serviced on time at either a Toyota dealer or a trusted local shop. Service history is available upon request, full service history documentation will sell with the vehicle.

*A note on the engine mileage: The shop that services my truck had a rookie mechanic that failed to notice that he installed an improperly sized oil filter. I drove the truck away from the shop, with oil leaking from the oil filter mount; the engine quit running less than a mile from the shop. The truck was towed back and the problem was diagnosed. The shop owner replaced the motor with an exact Tacoma JDM used motor that had 50k on it, my truck had 80k at that time. Therefore, this motor has 30k less miles than the chassis and body.

If the buyer is in CA, I will smog it prior to changing hands. Vehicle does not leave my possession until funds have cleared or I see first-hand they are from your bank. Cash or cashier’s check from your local bank branch while I am there. The deal will be done at a bank for local buyers or by FedEx for remote buyers. Can you tell I've had someone try to pull a fast one on me before? lol.

Price: $13,500 - OBO

 

Nice truck but TW requires 50 posts before sale thread

 

^^^ What he said. Don't be surprised if your post gets deleted.

 

Thanks guys. Before the thread goes bye-bye, any ideas on price or how my ad looks? Guess I'll have to start posting...

 

Me being the skeptic (and a bit of a smartass) that I am would wonder about a complete engine install being done by a garage that f**ked up something as simple as installing an oil filter.

That aside, I'd say you're at the top of the mark at $13,500 for my region. There are plenty of first gen double cab nutters out there willing to pay a premium to get one. Probably won't find them here though.

I'd consider posting the ad in as many places as possible for maximum exposure to increase your odds of finding a motivated buyer.

 

Thanks, 2BP. Your skepticism is warranted, and it's a fair question, which is why I made sure to note that they had a rookie on the job. The owner promptly fired the guy once he found out how bad he screwed up. After it happened, the shop owner steamed out the original engine, did a complete flush, and ran the truck down the freeway and around town, and he said while most shops would've said it ran fine, he couldn't let it go like that knowing someone he hired screwed up. He really went above and beyond with the engine swap. I'm a county employee where I live and this shop is where all our sheriff patrol cars get repaired, so that incident was definitely an outlier. He also makes sure to personally work on my vehicle now, lol. Also, that happened almost 80k miles ago and I have had zero issues engine-wise since then. I've even gone back to the Toyota dealership for a recall and they commented that it ran like new, haha.

I chose 13.5 just because of similar tacos for sale in my area, and the condition of mine topped theirs. If I found a motivated buyer here, I would much rather sell to an enthusiast and could probably negotiate on the price a bit. What would you say is fair? That's the reason I'm posting here, to get feedback from the community.

Thanks for the reply.

 

You'd know the garage better than anyone on here. For the record, I don't think $13,500 is unreasonable based on your description. That might change if I could see it in person.

You know going into it people are going to come in low to begin negotiating. The question then becomes, what's your rock bottom? I think if you're patient, you'll get an offer you and the buyer are happy with.

Good luck with the sale.

 

Thanks for the advice!

 

13500 seems extremely overpriced for a 2wd. Somone correct me if im in the wrong

 

yes it is overpriced. id say by about 2000 -2500 $$ KBB is 11k in excellent condition but people pay more than kbb and something is worth as much as someone is willing to pay soooooo if it was me i would propose 10k cash for it?? and then eventually settle all the way up to 11k/no further...if i was trying to buy it. does that help?

 

sorry the "does that help?" was directed to the OP not you.

 

Interesting bought my 2002 sr5 4wd for 7000

 

That helps a lot and you pretty much nailed my thought process. This ad was written for hagglers on Craigslist and I just copied and pasted here. I priced similar trucks in my area and they were a tad cheaper, but nowhere near as cherry as I've kept my baby, and I priced accordingly.

 

did you get any offers on craiglsit?

 

Yep, and as I suspected, they were a bunch of knuckleheads that wanted to haggle me down to $8K. No way Jose. I delisted the ad for now, because I may have a buyer lined up. We'll see.

 

My two cents.... I live in NorCal and have watched CL pretty consistently the last couple years. The price does seem high to me... A quick survey on CL in my area finds the exact same vehicle with lower miles at $1k less:

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/d/2002-toyota-tacoma/6248207458.html

In fact you can find a 4x4 DC with only 102K miles for $12950:

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/d/2002-toyota-tacoma-double-cab/6247245869.html

The JDM / mechanic story sounds legit (but if I was the buyer i would speak to the shop owner (and inspect the shop) before pulling the trigger).

I would probably price this at 12K on Craigslist with 11K being the rock bottom.

 

Yeah, as I commented on another thread, I set the price high for the Craigslist hagglers. You're absolutely right. My TW and friend "no haggle" deal is $11k. If someone wants to drop $11k from here, it's theirs. No lowballing, no haggling, no fuss no muss.

I could probably get another $1k out of it if I craigslist it, but I would gladly take less if I knew it was going to a fellow Taco enthusiast and someone who will truly appreciate it and take care of it as I have.

Thanks for the advice!

 

I haven't priced 2wd but I think $11k seems high. Really the $8-9k offers seem fair, but you might find somebody at $11k.

When I was looking I filtered out mileage over 160k and was really only interested in something under 130k. There actually quite a few 4x4s under 130k right now, including the double cab linked above. That double cabs been listed for a couple weeks at least now and came down from $14k.

I wouldnt pay full price for a truck with the engine replaced.

One suggestion I'd have would be to put the original grill back on to make it look more stock.

Edit: I've given this further thought. Assuming your post here was similar to your Craiglist post, I think it is also too much information. Tell me its well taken care of but not what you've done. Adding a list up front makes me see things are wrong with it. Id you say well taken care of and then when a buyer asks for proof and you have proof which they havent seen, their expectations are lower and for whatever reason your price will seem more reasonable.

Fyi, Im fairly certain there was a 2wd trd off road in Bakersfield with around 100k miles listed for $9k about 3 months ago that I considered before deciding 4x4 was necessary.

 

I think many buyers fail to account for the value of a well maintained vehicle. That may be because it's hard to prove diligence of that type beyond the shadow of a doubt, unless the buyer knows you personally. They would rather go cheap and take their chances. I've been on both sides of this transaction, and the cheaper vehicle usually costs more in the end. Of course, there is no guarantee that something will not go wrong 10 minutes after the sale.

I'm a 4wd guy, so this vehicle would not be on my radar, and I don't know my local market on DCs. I do know I let a '01 extra cab 4x4, with a new frame, go for 5k. The cosmetic condition was only "fair", but it was solid otherwise. This was after about two months on CL and with a sign in the window. No one cared about the mods or the maintenance, they just wanted a cheap truck.

 

There is a guy at my work that has said he'd give me $9k for it, just give him the word. That is my last resort, but I know I could find a higher offer.

LOL, the original was that high grade plastic thing? It was so cheap looking and felt cheap. Anyway, to install the billet I had to cut and dremel the original grille out, so it was just a hunk of broken plastic when I was done with it.

Thanks for your advice. I'm taking all these suggestions into account.