2001 Tacoma with 190,000. To buy a new car or not

Hello Tacoma World,

I have a 2001 Toyota Tacoma Pre Runner that has about 190,000 miles. Haven't had a single problem with it, but was thinking maybe it's about time for a new vehicle. Anyone know how much longer the truck will last? Maybe I can save money a year or two more before buying a new car.

 

300k is pretty common as long as it's been maintained. 2.7 or 3.4?

 

If it was me I would keep it until either you're just tired of it or you start having a couple problems with it, unless you need a 100% reliable vehicle for work or 4WD. I regret selling my 03 sometimes.

 

Keep it unless you need a bigger/different configuration vehicle for some reason. A new vehicle (assuming you buy new and have to finance it) means a monthly car payment and higher registration and insurance costs in most cases.

Unless it starts needing expensive repairs all the time to where it would make more financial sense to sell it for a new vehicle, I say keep it.

 

Do all of the routine maintenance and keep it, plenty of life left.

 

Keep it or sell it to me

 

Keep it, and buy more cars!

My Taco will get a nice treat in the days to come; Fox suspension! It's a 4th car...so it's kind of a "step child"

Has 240k miles and still runs strong. These things run forever.

 

I would keep the truck for these reasons:

1. if mileage is what is bothering you, don't be. These trucks, if maintained, can last well over 300k. There's even a dude on here that had 988k miles on his 2.7l. A bunch of people have 300k+ and there's even someone with 500k+ on their 3.4l
   
2. These trucks are rarer and rarer everyday, so you won't find another one like it
   
3. your truck is paid for (at least, that's what I assume)

There's also a bunch of high mileage threads on here if you want to know how long they can last

 

Keep it. Do you really want a car payment? Just start putting money aside for the day it does give up the ghost.

 

I assume it's paid off. If it is, then do you really want a new car payment? As others said, you'll also likely have higher insurance costs too. If you start heading into the territory where you keep incurring monthly expenses that end up exceeding a new car payment, then maybe think about getting rid of it.

I'd have to work pretty hard to reach the ~$400/mo of a new car payment just by doing the regular maintenance on my '04. My wife's Corolla costs half that, lol, but lets be honest, you're not going to replace a TRD tacoma with a Corolla lol - you're going to get another TRD...

But owning an older vehicle is about WAY more than just what you can add up on a spreadsheet. Lots of people don't own older cars because it makes financial sense, they do it because they really like that car/truck. Often times it does pencil out, because at least with some vehicles, they are reliable enough to last far longer than your payments do, and the maintenance is pretty minor, especially compared to the monthly payment of a new truck.

All those rattles and squeaks are just character, lol

 

Mine just turned over to 250000 miles the other day it still runs good enough for me I paid it off 4 years ago

 

190K is just broken in. Avoid the next 6 years of payments and keep it!

 

I haven't had a car payment is 18 years at almost 600,000 miles
Think of the money you can save

 

You're barking up the wrong tree in this forum. Pretty much everyone here is going to tell you that Keeping Up With The Jones' is a good way to lose in the long run. You feel the itch to get a shiny new toy - well guess what. After a while that shiny new toy won't be shiny anymore, and you'll still be making payments on it, and you'll regret it, or maybe even resent it.

I spent $4000 on my Tacoma this year. Paid a shop to replace timing belt, drive belts, valve cover gaskets, new valve covers, valve lash adjustment, fan bracket.. then I had to replace the AC compressor, condenser and drier myself, and then go back to the shop to replace the fuel pump.

Most people will think "wow, what a waste of money! You should just get a new car" and say something about them being "safer".

But wait, my truck won't need anymore maintenance of this level of expense for another 10 years. And even if I spent $4000 this year on preventative maintenance, that's $333 a month, for a single year. Number 1, good luck getting a new car payment that low, and number two, have fun paying that for 3-4-5 years. Other than this year, I spend maybe $100 a year maintaining this truck. So it all roughly averages out to maybe $50 a month maintaining the vehicle vs spending 10x that much on a "new car", which will also inevitably need repair, and will likely be more expensive due to the technological mumbo jumbo that's been added to them.

Buying a new car is stupid, especially in this day and age where the A pillars are so thick you can't see around them at all, same with the B pillars (good luck checking your blind spots.. oh wait they all have BSM now because of this).. and if you get into a fender bender, it's likely your car will just be totaled because of all the dumb babysitting sensors and gizmos that are supposed to make you a better driver (hint: they dont, they make you a lazier driver, which translates to a more dangerous one. One step forward, two steps back).

Keep the first gen. I have the same mileage as you and it still runs the same as the day I bought it in 2008 with 50k miles, save for some extra squeaks and rattles. Unless your truck gets fucked up in a crash, there is literally no reason to get a new car. You've owned it, you know how it was taken care of. It's not the same when buying a Tacoma used with 190k. You don't know how it was treated, unless you know what to look for. But your truck, you know. Keep it.

IF I was going to buy a second vehicle, it'd be a 3rd gen 4runner with the 3.4L. The learning curve for DIY maintenance would be super short. But good ones are few and far between these days, likely the same rust problems as the 1st gen Tacos.

 

The engine will fall out of the truck before it stops running... how does the frame look?

 

My '99 3.4 4x4 has 285,000 on it and guess who everyone calls when they are broke down, bogged down or have a dead battery

 

My 2001 has over 315K on it. Two summers ago, I drove it to Salt Lake City and back. During that trip, it hit 300K. We are planning to drive it to Denver in June. I have no hesitation to make that trip.

Besides the basic maintenance stuff, I haven't had much to do to it. Clutch was replaced for the first time at 265K. A/C compressor around the same time. A new radiator was around 225K. That's it.

My daughter bought a '98 4Runner with 4wd and a 3.4L just over a year ago. She just turned 22 years old, and knows that her truck is badass. She can afford to buy a new vehicle, but knew that she couldn't go wrong with the 3rd Gen 4Runner or a 1st Gen Tacoma.

BTW...My other daughter (26 yrs old) has been driving an '04 Tacoma since she turned 16. She's never getting rid of that thing.

 

I would keep it. 190k is nothing and this is from experience. You said it yourself, 190k and not a single problem. Not many people can say that with that many miles. Just go have a look over at the 3rd gen forum Unless you want a new truck because you want something different. However I wouldn’t buy brand new, you lose so much buying a brand new vehicle. New used, couple years old, is just as good.

Do what you want but do you know what you want?

 

If your asking time to sell !

If your even thinking you already have the urge for something different .

I have been saving now for about 10 years each time I get about $6000.00 saved another emergency comes along