Are early 2nd gen. Tacomas worth buying?

Hey folks,
I've been in the market for a 4 door OR 4x4 for quite a while now. Was waiting to see the price and mpg of the new '24s and well lets just say they didn't get any more affordable. And the gas mileage difference is slight.
I did rent a '23 OR for a 350 mile "test drive" and thought it was fantastic, but we are still talking $45k out the door.
Have been looking at low mile used and really like the 12-15 range but few OR models ever show up in my area. Well, yesterday a low mileage '06 showed up locally on CL and I'm tempted to go look at it.
Is there any reason to stay away?

 

I believe the early 2nd gens had head gasket issues, the '05 years. But a search on this forum will tell you

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld. 05-06 had head gasket issues but if it already lives this long it’s probably OK. Frame rust issues are always present so check that thoroughly. Good luck.

 

Make sure to run the vin to observe for the actual miles, some scumbags change the dash with lower mileage one’s to claim less miles. Aside from that I love my 05 frankentaco.

 

I'm still rocking my 2007 prerunner with no regrets over 15 years of ownership. Other mentioned the head gasket issues on the first two years and I think with the 2nd gen refresh they added some more emissions, safety features (airbags, etc...).

 

I just posted mine for sale yesterday in the BST for 2nd gens.

 

My 07 has been the best truck I've ever owned. There are things a small truck just can't do that a big truck can. But I'm well over 240,000 miles and have done very little to the truck.

 

What's low Mileage? I have an '06 with a 140K, it's got an early motor so it's prone to a head gasket issue, thats a consideration when a year later model doesn't have that risk. Other then the potential for a HG issue there's not allot gained between choosing ether except possibly resale. From what I understand it occurs around 170K + if it's going to happen. The HG issue wasn't well known back when I got mine. All that being considered I'm in no hurry to replace it, it's got the mods to give it modern tech in the cockpit and everything works as its supposed and arguably as good as any 2nd gen stocker.

 

I have a 2005 DCLB with 220,000km in Canada where they dump salt everywhere like it's candy...

Frame was replaced like 10 years ago. This truck is basically indestructible, although I take great care of it it's been through hell with me in the driver's seat lol. Lots of offroading, hundreds of -30 cold starts with only a few seconds to warm up (responding to emergency calls as firefighter), snow wheeling, etc.. truck has never let me down once. I love this thing, will have it for the rest of my life.

 

I’m at 343,000km on my 07 truck.

You have to worry about:
Head gasket.
Wear out items (bushings, pulley, etc.)
Water pump
Alternator.
And if you are looking at an older vehicle the higher quantity of rust on the frame.

 

Overall Gen 2 are solid reliable trucks. The key is getting one with the lowest mileage you can find. Mileage is the killer of vehicles. The more mileage the more things that can and will break and fail. Yes some people may have 300000 or more miles on their gen 2 but those are more rarities than common and you don’t know how much they’ve spent in repairs. The second thing you have to be concerned about is frame rust. Depending on where the truck lives and is driven determines if rust may be a problem. Mine is in california and there is zero frame rust.
so low mileage and no or little frame rust and you are good to go.

 

It's a California truck , so I'll assume there is no rust. It has 115,000 miles. Second owner. Totally stock with no mods. Looks real clean in the two crummy pictures they posted. They are asking $19k. Which seems high for the year, but not for the low miles.
How do the 2nd gens. compare in front seat leg room and general ride quality/ quietness to the 3rd gens?

 

$19K seems high for an '05 or '06 specifically -- just those 2 years, due to the known headgasket flaw. Seems the HG issue tends to present around the 140-150K mile range.

Owner may or may not be aware of the '05-'06 HG, either innocent or counting on prospective buyers not to know about it. If the buyer isn't aware of '05-'06 HG issues it looks like "just another reliable 2nd gen with low miles, awesome!" and might well command a high-teens price.

I wouldn't pay more than.. Hmm maybe $11-$12K for an '05-'06 with 115K on it, to cover my time/trouble/clost on doing the HG if/when it goes.

(Unless the HG had already been pre-emptively replaced by a competent mechanic, and/or if the specific date-of-manufacture of that particular '06 (by VIN and/or door sticker) is known to be after the exact cut-off date (?? if that is known) after which Toyota had fixed the problem by using a different/improved head gasket.)

---

When I shopped for my used Taco I specifically aimed at the 2012-2015 models, with a preference for 2013-2015 if possible, and ended up finding a nice low-miles, zero rust (California-kept) 2014 AC 4.0 MT TRD OR.

 

I’m thinking the same. You probably need the vin and or the build date off the drivers door jamb. Then figure out when the cut off date was.

 

early years HG could go bad. Motor mounts supposedly more likely to punch a hole in the frame.

Early also had mechanical LSD option instead of fake
Gas pedal instead of traction control
No roll over thing to pop your airbags
No SAI pump and foam to blow motor
better clearance easier to mod front fitment with ARB bumper
Cheaper
Etc

early is more compatible with exhaust mods

big headlights to fit lots of light
Stock faded by now
Replace with smoked as low as $50/ea. upgrade bulbs and harness. Or retrofit HID if you want.

if manual trans supposedly they would make it like 1% less shit (but still shit) update as time went on towards newer

 

I don’t know how they compare leg room and ride. $19,000 seems a little high for an 18 year old truck. If you can afford it go newer rather than older (18 years). Tacos are reliable/dependable but aren’t bulletproof, the older, more mileage the more potential problems. One other thing try to get at least 5 years of maintenance/repair records.

 

Something I learned during my taco hunt. One would pop up for sale, I’d think seems ok, I’ll think about it, look again & it’s already sold. After 7 months of that, I decided the next one I’m buying even if it isn’t perfect.

After is when I learned there’s 5 lug and 6 lug.

 

yes. Came across a clean one nearby at a used dealer. Didn’t know anything about them.

dealer knew about these types of vehicles so they had them. They were popular there. They work, and don’t take effort to sell.
But not like those “specialty” “motorsports” dealers who post $30k for 180k mi stock 1st gen advertising all over the country and it never sells

guy told me straight up
I don’t care if you buy it or not
It will sell
Probably tomorrow
Whether to this guy or that guy makes no difference

this was true
They had similar vehicles
Like 4x4 4runner, clean
Still have it? No. Sold in a day.
Couple days later they get another. Sold in a day.

meanwhile actual Toyota dealer down the street praising how good their beat up non 4x4 is they got on some used trade. No

there was another one. Different used dealer down the street. Hidden crash damage they weren’t honest about. Higher price than the better one down the street.

lot of competition to buy a vehicle like this considering anyone qualifies to be in the market. First time buyer, minimum wage income qualifies. Affordable payment.

 

I did not know there was a head gasket issue when I bought this 2005. I searched for info, but the only reports of head gasket problems was here on TW. I'm just over 180K mi. I have a bit of cash saved in case of emergency, but I hope I have one of the vast majority of engines that does not have a problem.
My truck is from inland SoCal, not a speck of rust on it. I could sell it for about what I paid for it, so even with repair cost of a head gasket job, the overall cost of ownership would still be acceptable. If the truck goes over 200K miles, the gamble on Toyota quality will have paid off.
Truck payments for a few years or repairs on an older vehicle, classic new vs. used dilemma.

 

This is what I know: SecondGen BestGen! Can't go wrong with a second Gen...