White exhaust is still my problem

I'd be willing to bet they just stick it back out on the lot and sell it to the next person hoping buyer #2 won't be as diligent as you in making sure they don't get ripped off.

 

Yup. Guaranteed. Those independently owned small car lots (at least here in socal) are a bunch of scammers 99% of the time. No way they take a loss in an investment and just toss the truck, they'll do a quick fix on it at best and sell it again in 'excellent condition' for the corresponding price.

OP if you want to find a reliable first gen, I recommend buying through a private party, someone you feel is trustworthy and has taken good care of it. There are a lot of them out there. I bought my '04 recently but found it through a Toyota dealership, so there was a little more peace of mind there...but not much (all dealers are scammers to one degree or another in my experience). Especially with older, used vehicles. Its all about doing the least amount of work to make them the most presentable just long enough to sell them and keep the customer happy for 30 days. After that, who cares they're on their own...

Glad to hear you got your money back though, hope your next experience is a better one!