What is my 1st gen worth?

Hey everyone,

Hope this is an appropriate post, sorry if it's bad form.

I’m selling my 1st Gen 99 Tacoma and I’d love some realistic feedback on what I should ask.

It is a white 99 4X4 extra cab

6cyl 5sp manual

standard 15” wheels with matching paint snug top shell

167,000 miles

New bilstein shocks and BF Goodrich T/A K03
Interior is near perfect

Recently purchased from the original who kept it garaged, did all scheduled maintenance and kept all records, near perfect paint. Runs like perfect. Any feedback much appreciated.

 

Gotta ask where has it lived. In a salt state, frame is #1 concern, and you don't mention.

And since you recently bought it (less than a month, based on your 1st post), and it's so near perfect, why are you selling it?

Three options come to mind. You found something big wrong and are looking to bail. (like the frame). You bought it to flip and are here fishing. You have suffered a financial setback that needs a cash solution.

 

Need pictures. What’s the frame look like? Ballpark is probably $12-20k if it is as nice as you say.

 

The car lived 100% in the desert, zero rust. Why am I selling it? It's a very impractical second vehicle for my family. My wife doesn't drive stick, commutes in our 4 runner (which doesn't make sense) and I have a 4 year old, our car seat really doesn't fit in the Tacoma. I love this truck, but anywhere I need to go off road, the 4 runner is more than capable, so I need to take what I can get for it and put it into a car my wife can commute in.

Not fishing for buyers here, just want a place to start regarding price.

 

What did you pay for it?

 

$6,800

 

Would you be happy selling it for that?
I think the price varies by location.
Here in Mass there are a lot of first gens in that price range.
Unfortunately around here even if the truck has a replacement frame, it's still probably gonna have rust issues.
Many of the replacement frames are rotted out again.
What are other first gens selling for in your area?

 

No matter what I'd sell for more considering brand new tires + shocks. I'm going to look and see what they are selling for in Southern California, but honestly, I think it's going to be hard to find 1 to 1 comparisons for it. Most of the 1st gens I see have been modded to the gills, driven very hard, tons of miles, so I thought I'd check here before looking thought all the listings I can find. This truck is 100% stock.

 

You should probably get a sense of what they bring through the various online methods (like Edmunds or NADA), though some of them now want you to create an account first. The reason I say start there is because most buyers will start there too. Then if you have some compelling stats that makes it worth more than the average, you can try to add that onto the price.

There's also the auction website, 'bringatrailer dot com' which you could possible see what they've been going for and what condition brought those prices. It's an interesting business model in that they tend to control what you can put on the listing and the price (they often try to get sellers to take less because it's in their interest to sell them quicker than high priced models bring).

I wouldn't use the price you paid for it because it's not relevant for the buyer. I sold cars at one time and we had a customer on a used car they wanted. They asked the manager what he paid for it and he replied, "I won it with a $1 lottery ticket." He smiled after that to let them know he was kidding but also to let them know that what he paid didn't really have anything to do with the going price of that used car. It's worth what someone will pay you, not what you paid.

 

Thanks for the recommendation for bring a trailer, need to do some research, but this looks like a good place to list it.

 

There's plenty of unaltered trucks out there. Try this for comparison, and consider listing it here if you sell. Really depends on overall condition. Post a few photos.

https://bringatrailer.com/toyota/tacoma-n1x0-1994-2005/

 

My 2001 is fully stock, though I've gone through and replaced the entire front suspension with OEM parts, new OEM driveshaft, steering column shaft (that causes the unwanted steering play), but I still suspect that those things will only go so far in getting more money.



If you take a look at Facebook Market Place (which is an okay place to sell cars), prices are all over the place. You can find a burned out 1978 Pinto station wagon for $12,000 bucks. It's hilarious.

One other thing, I did sell my girlfriend's almost new Mini Cooper (2024 year model / 11 months old at the time, with 700 miles on it) through Facebook and ended up with a dealer from Texas offering me halfway between high trade in and low retail. The benefit for me was not having to jack with people wanting to test drive it - most people's car insurance won't cover them in my car, so even a small fender bender could soak up any profit I hoped to make selling it on the street.

Just an idea (and it's automatic). But remember that we don't necessarily know if people get all they're asking. Edit: Just noticed it's been on Facebook for a year. . . so there's that.

 

Thanks for all the intel. The final prices on bring a trailer are illuminating. Not sure if that will be the right fit, sounds like they like to lower the reserves, but we'll see. Facebook and Craig's list can be a wilderness in their own right, so everything's a trade off.

 

Does your wife suffer a Physical Problem it is not possible to ever use a Clutch ?

I would keep the Truck . Does she commute at least a 100 miles one way?
You have the truck .
Start at $16,000.00 easier to lower the price then raise it.

 

That’s the issue we have in today’s world affairs. Everyone think their junk is worth millions and will not take a penny less. Inflation? Supply and demand? It’s crazy how things got, though not as bad during Covid. All it takes is one person to create a domino effect and a chain reaction.

People seemed to think first gen are worth gold bars. Maybe to a selected few but most will laugh and move to another truck. It’s funny seeing some Tacoma list for $15k on marketplace or Craig and is still on there after 6+ months. Will I pay $10k for your truck, bloody no. Not for a 25+y/o truck. I rather consider other options like a 4th or early 5th gen 4R with third row seating, more powerful engine, better gas mileage, and more comfortable.

 

You should post some pictures here. You might find a buyer here without having to pay another site to host the listing. I may be interested myself.

 

I've had similar thoughts about even keeping my 2001. Most of the car manufacturers will not stock (or even make parts) for these aging vehicles forever. There are many parts that are not found in the aftermarket sector (brake vacuum booster, OEM Master Cylinder), and I just installed an OEM driveshaft and Olathe Toyota in KS said it was the last one in the US (maybe more coming but that's pretty thin inventory.

So the audience for these old vehicles is dwindling. I think the demand side for 1st Gens is diminishing.

 

I think $10k minimum if the frame and all is good. But without photos its hard to say.

I have a 2 owner 2000 Tacoma 4wd, 2.7L 5speed with 371k miles in great shape that I've turned down an $8k offer. Its not for sale. (See my sig links for photos for those that are curious)