Would you hesitate to buy a Taco with 100k+ miles???

i just bought a 98 taco (about a month ago) with 170,000 miles

 

when buying this type of truck over 100k you must:

climb all over it/under it. write a check list of things to look for when you go to look your potential new truck. keep your cool and follow your list. lucky for us most of these trucks are easy to get under for a look see.

look for oil / coolant leaks

Rust

listen really really close at engine noise, worn bearings etc. \



Timing Belt History? who knows,, so eventually you will do that job just for the hell of it.

look for mixing of anti freeze oil look under oil cap for anything not like oil. this would not be good! dipstick.

smell the oil, Imagaine when it once was part of some old dinosaur. mostly likely like the truck your buyin.

crank truck cold, does it smoke?

are the drive shafts wet.

clutch feel, slippedge, rumbling.

transmission noise, any?

engine vibration

suspension: bushing cracks in rubber/tears in boots, leaks



etc.

or find a mechanic that is willing to hang out with you on your searches.lol

is there a used car check list on the net somewheres or here on TW?

I bought my truck with 147,000 with high probability of new clutch soon!

I'm getting my tools together for the replacement. Part of buying old trucks is doing work to/on em.

I paid way to much on my truck. I was needing it pretty quick and it was close to me. so ya know,,,,
O, btw I love my Toyota Truck!!!!!!

 

I bought my '02 with 119k miles on it. I looked at a lot of things and it seemed to be alright, it's at almost 128k now 6 months later and haven't had one single ounce of trouble out of it. Going to be changing some fluids soon, but it's ran like a dream.

 

do it!

 

Thanks for all the info guys. I see a lot of guys mentioning checklists. what would be the top 5 on everyones checklist? I liked all of Gofas ideas.

ALSO. What would you guys expect to pay for an 01-04 with 100-120k miles?

 

take the truck to a mechanic and get a UVI (used vehicle inspection). They'll check out everything for you. I did one before i bought my truck and it cost about $40.

 

Go to nadaguides.com and look up the truck that you are looking at. The most I would pay would be "clean trade-in". Many dealers asking price is clean retail. Example: My trucks clean retail is $15200. Clean trade-in is $12,125. I paid $12400 for mine with 104K miles because it was in near perfect condition and had a clean carfax.

 

I bought mine with a 155,000 on it.

 

We just bought a 98 Taco with 130k on it. It was from a dealer but we were able to talk to the previous owner about it. We test drove it over 100 miles, and had two different mechanics look it over.

We will be doing the timing belt asap. It may need a clutch soon. Eventually, front brakes and shocks. After all this stuff, it should be in great shape for the next 100k miles!

 

I bought my tacoma with 225K, I didn't know a whole lot about yotas then, just that they last a ridiculously long time and that I always wanted one. I've had to do some maintenance to it, some due to my own fault... I ran it hot in Alaska when my coolant froze, which it was only a 50-50 mix, only good to like -30 or something like that, but it hit -47. In turn, i blew a head gasket and in the process of that found that I cracked a head as well. That sucked and was certainly not cheap to fix, but on the other hand, I got my timing belt, water pump, thermostat and fan clutch replaced all at the same time.

My advice would certainly be to have a mechanic take a look at your future favorite toy of all time, but if possible, take someone who knows tacomas pretty well so they know precisely what to look for, i.e. what is and is not supposed to be there or leaking etc. Just take your time, have a good idea of what you need to look for, go over it well enough for your satisfaction, then if you feel confident about everything GO FOR IT!!

 

I bought my 02 with 170,000 miles on it. I thought that was good compared to my chevy with 265,000 miles on it

 

I got my 01 TRD 3.4 v6 5-spd with 126,xxx on it for 3,000! she now has 130,000 on her and havent had a problem and the previous owner never had anything done except regular maintenance and a new clutch and timing belt at 113,000!

 

i bought mine with 327000 kms that is and it runs like new. only one owner and i could tell that they took care of if. depends on who and how it was driven.

 

First thing I did was take mine (bought it at 92k) to the dealer for all the goodies: timing belt swap, seals, shocks, tire balance/rotate, etc. Cost a few bucks but was worth it I feel. Also, they found a bad valve cover gasket which I wasn't aware of.

One thing, I wouldn't be satisfied with the 4 banger's power; I drove both while looking for trucks and there's an ovbious difference (inadequate imo compared to the v-6). Completely steered me away from the 4 cyl, maybe they're okay with a standard cab 2wd and manual trans.

Good luck with whatever you find!

 

I bought mine with 176,000 miles on it. No problems at all; sure I changed the clutch around 195,000, but that's not too bad for the first clutch job on a vehicle!! I'm at 205,000 now and I'm just starting to get a front diff leak.

 

Incase you guys are wondering i bought a tacoma about 3 weeks ago with 121000 miles. I did a lot of research and was confident in my buy. Plus it was a one owner truck and the guy was a former mechanic. Only thing that didn't come up in my research that im dealiong with now is the rear leafs.

 

the 4 bangers are some of the best engines that toyota makes. no timing belt!
my buddy has one with 280k

 

I actually bought my first taco a 1997 with 110k on it, drove it to 160k without any issues. I just traded that in 5 days ago and bought a 2006 with 102k on it. I was in the same boat as you as far as the price that's why I went with higher miles. Just inspect the frame look for rust and see if you can find one with one owner who treated it like his/her baby and your are good to go!

 

Even current Taco owners that use their truck to wheel takes good care of them so they can go wheeling the next day.

 

I just rolled 150k on my 04 2.7 with no problems.....