What do you think happened to my crossmember?

It’s certainly something to consider. I’ve definitely wondered many times why my truck was for sale at 3900 miles. It has certainly performed flawlessly at least. I’m not sure if the PO offloaded it due to this or he just didn’t want/need it anymore. Either way, I’m glad this is a minor issue. So far nothing else to make me think there’s anything wrong with this truck.

 

I was kind of relieved my truck didn't have a tow hitch when I bought it for that reason.

 

Got to wonder if it was a quick snatch and grab tow truck repo situation. Like it got grabbed by a big J hook and pulled with the rear wheels locked onto a flatbed tow truck. Someone stuck in mud would have probably used the front tow hooks.

 

Yeah key word is so far. Hope for the best for you, but surprises will pop up later.

You know my biggest fear was someone draining the transmission fluid when they intended to change their oil, then replacing it and selling the truck cause they knew there would be long term damage. I’ve had lots of opportunities to buy a used Tacoma but this has always been what deterred me.

 

I bought mine used. Put 10,000 on it so far. Not a hiccup.

 

All of my Toyotas before my current 2017 3rd Gen were used, some with over 60k on them. Paid cash and drove each of them over 275k miles before selling them. I never had to spend anything for fixing them except the usual maintenance stuff.

 

Ya think I should use the cross member to jack the truck up, good idea or not?

 

Frame at crossmember intersection.

 

Would you agree that there is a higher chance buying a used vehicle that someone abused it/hidden damage, than buying a new one that was abused/hidden damage?

 

my money is on this.
had my 1st gen towed and the dumbass hooked a huge J hook to the front sway bar.
then tightened it up until the bracket broke.

 

But using the cross member, I can get the truck higher in a pinch.

 

On a 3rd gen the easiest place I’ve found to jack on is the “boob” sticking down from between the front and rear stock skid plates. The TRD skid plate even encourages jacking there and has a little protruberance for you to put the jack on so you can jack on the skid plate which corresponds to that same spot on the frame. When I jack my truck up in the front, that’s where I always do it, and then jack stands on the frame.

 

i've also known dealership people that abuse 'new' trucks well beyond what most would consider acceptable for a used truck...

my brothers got a story about a brand new hellcat, a dealer porter tried showing off and swiped a bollard bringing it into the wash bay for cleaning it as part of the new-vehicle prep. 10 miles on the odometer, a trip to a body shop for a new door and some paint, and it was sold off as a new car later on...

title status doesn't always indicate abuse status.

 

We’re talking about the rule, not the exception. Probability-wise, not very likely. I mean an asteroid could hit the earth tomorrow, but….

 

What lift should I get to be ready for that and will the asteroid delay my allocation? Oh, and how often should I change the oil after the asteroid hits?

 

Not a big deal. Just smash the shit out of it with the largest hammer you can find. Problem solved.

 

Not to worry, Bruce Willis will save us like he did last time

 

That depends, are you comparing a brand new third GEN to a clean condition 1985 all steel body carbureted four-wheel-drive? I can answer that question easily...

No actually, if you know what to look for you can get a very good used vehicle without any of those issues. But you’re right - if one does not know what to look for, a new vehicle is definitely going to have less of a chance of an issue.