Work in healthcare - need a reliable vehicle.

Hi Everyone!

I work in healthcare and now that I've stopped taking the train, I need a reliable way to get to work (getting called in more often). My current budget isn't great, as I'm saving for a wedding and a house. Probably 5-6k max.

I have a motorcycle, but its not cutting with the weather around here. I'll want to transport that occasionally, and I love fishing, so I'll want to put a jon boat in the back, or tow eventually.

I have my eye on a few Tacomas around here and thought I might be able to get some knowledgeable input from you folks. Is this a good place to post some ads and get an opinion? Mainly concerned about the mileage/service history.

Been looking at this:

Craigslist ad: https://providence.craigslist.org/ctd/d/providence-2006-toyota-tacoma-4x4/7097639872.html


Carfax: https://www.carfax.com/api/consumer...79d3daaae1a672bd182037fa5459a79f12c8317da637b


Feel to delete if its not the right place. I tried the regional forum and haven't had any luck.

Thanks!

 

you definetly should get a Toyota truck, but a 5k-6k budget is not going to get you a reliable or well maintained Toyota truck unless you are using the money on a down payment and finance the rest. you will need to spend at least 10k to start with

 

5-6k would get you half way or more to a really nice 1st gen, but if in RI need to watch for rust. A good 2nd gen won't be under 12-15. And I don't think the 3rd gens are worth considering with your needs and price points.

I'd expect to pay 10-12k though for one that will last a long time without much work beyond basic stuff.

 

Thanks. Would you say the 10-12k range would be through a dealer or private sale? What sort of mileage should I be expecting?

Always been a motorcycle/public transit guy, so I'm new to the 4 wheel side of things. Thanks a lot for the help.

 

Boston metro area for reference. I'm assuming whatever I pick up has had the frame replaced.

 

I am from Western MA and went to NJ for a clean frame, they are for sale around here though, just go super fast. There are more in boston area/southern NH than out here too. I found car gurus to have the most update listings. I tried a few private party ones but they were fishy, and with a dealer I had someone to hold responsible and short 3 month warranty.

My truck is a 1st gen double cab that needed a little maintenance but otherwise was in great shape and had 120k miles, I paid 10k. Bought it after trading my 3rd gen in a few months ago.1

 

When you say clean frame, do you mean it's had the recall done withn the last few years or original Frame?

 

Mine was replaced in 2017 with the leaf springs and a lot of the other exposed parts, brake lines, LCAs and maybe a few other things. The skid plate and spare tire weren't and you could tell.

For the trucks I was looking at, I asked for frame photos from people and the vin. If they wouldn't send frame photos pretty quickly I stopped talking to them, it's a huge red flag IMO. The VIN is good because you can go to toyota.com and search the vin, it will show you all service records they have and if the recalls were done.

 

Something fishy about that CL ad. That’s way too cheap for that truck with a clean title. It’s even too cheap for a truck like that with a salvage title. The ‘05-early ‘06 4.0 was famous for headgasket leaks around 170K miles, but according to the carfax, that one was built after the headgasket redesign. The headgasket redesign was about 11/05. That truck should be around $9K to $10K all day long.

 

Is that a dealer add? Almost seems to be. I agree, truck should be more, BUT, and this is a slight but, not a big one.

The car market is fucked right now, I was talking to the sales manager at my local toyota, was looking at trade in value on a 4runner I have and he gave me a low, low price, which made me ask, is it with the Covid? He said that auctions are flat, sales are flat and it just is what it is right now

So maybe that 10k taco has been sitting and the dealer needs to get something going, so they are just trying to recoup.

Maybe call, see if its a dealer, ask for a 3 month or 3k warranty or something on it, and then you have some security.

 

I thought the same thing, so I called and asked them a bunch of questions. They said sales have been slow, and that it had been sitting on the lot for a while. That price also only applies to cash transactions. I had concerns about differential issues because of the carfax. He didn't have any other info, but said it ran well and they couldn't see any issues with it.

I called the place that did the differential check on the carfax and they said that it's a standard part of their service. According to them, if there were any issues it would be noted. They wouldn't pull up the service history for me.

I also asked about motor mounts, control arms, etc... Dealer said that if I had any specific parts I was worried about they could give me a 1 month warranty on that specific part.

I agree. Still feels way too cheap, but that's what's making it attractive to me.

 

Make sure you confirm the production date on the door sticker. Make sure it’s 01/06 or later. Have it inspected by an independent shop. That may just be a smokin deal.

 

Maybe go look, if they are willing to back it for a month or so and you drive it and it feels okay... Or drive it to a local mechanic you trust if you have one during your test drive and have them do a quick once over.

 

Its an hour drive away and because I'm not a car guy, I don't have a mechanic I'm familiar with. Should I just call around places in the area and ask if they can go over it? Anything specific I should ask them to check out?

Sorry for all the questions. You've all been really helpful.

I could also go for a few other vehicles in the market (10-12k max), but I'd like to not get in over my head, financing-wise.

 

Take the wedding funds and put that towards the reliable vehicle you need if you can. That's the best used car buying advice I can offer.

Since you work in health care Toyota could offer a healthcare worker package with germ resistant interior components.

 

Forget the Tacoma, buy a Corolla. Stay out of debt. Since all you need is reliable transportation to get to your job, you can always adjust your priorities as current circumstances subside.

 

This might not be the sexy answer but maybe a good one. Even a Yaris hatch or something, maybe a Honda Fit. You can get anywhere you want with those and some snow tires in winter.

As far as mechanic I honestly use my local dealer so not a good example

 

Buy an older Honda Civic, try to find a decent mileage and with service records. You can find a 2000-2005 for under 4K in good shape and they run forever.

After your wedding and such save for a truck you want, not a truck you’re settling on.

 

I bought my first used Toyota truck after having bought 3 new ones previously, I would consider if buying used to try buying a used vehicle with a warranty to be on the safe side of issues you may not be aware of with a preliminary test drive and review. I bought mine from a Toyota dealer(not fun) as a Toyota Certified used vehicle it came with a short limited warranty, but I paid a premium price as opposed to a private sale with no warranty at maybe a few dollars less. I would seriously try to purchase with some sort of back up warranty anything could happen no matter how thorough you are.

 

I hear you man im not a car guy either my truck in my daily driver, other options are to buy a different make truck like a NISSAN frontier while maybe not as appealing as a Toyota IMO but still usually are reasonably reliable trucks and may get them at a better price since everyone wants Toyotas as opposed to a NISSAN, I would definetly avoid any Domestic truck or car