Buying a 300,000 mile tacoma

I'm currently looking at a 2002 Toyota Tacoma, it has 282,872 miles. I'm wondering what I need to look for and if it's smart to buy a high mileage truck?

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld
Check for frame rust through.
Maintenance records on high mileage are better than low miles and no maintenance.

 

Frame rust should be concern number 1

 

Not sure if “smart” is the right adjective, if you save a ton of money vs a lower miles one perhaps, but I’d seriously look at how much $$$ your really saving. And stick some of that asides just in case.

 

I don't normally subscribe to new threads but this one got me. What's the price and what state are u in. Unless i missed the price? And frigin welcome!

 

Honestly i trust a high milage vehicle with service records and owned by a small amount of people over any low milage with no service records. Because usually yeah it may have 130k or so miles but I bet it’s never had it’s timing belt done, or any of the other little stuff that just comes with putting miles on a vehicle.
My experience with the two Tacoma’s I’ve bought are kinda funny. My original Tacoma, a 2001 double cab almost 100% rust free, very clean inside and out, bought for 11k had 211k on it, turns out the trans had pink milkshake and I didn’t know before I bought it, but with some snooping around I found that out, guessing the original radiator was never changed and it finally gave out. Also, my engine developed a weird throttle lag with a slight improvement with a MAF sensor but still does it after redoing my intake manifold gaskets, upper and lower, cleaning throttle body, IAC, etc. Also I’m very very slowly using coolant somewhere and don’t know where, could be cylinders but my compression is decently in spec. Also the crankshaft has a very slight bit of up and down play/very minimal wobble on the crankshaft pulley at idle.

Now on to my second Tacoma I bought as a donor for my manual swap.
A 2001 Tacoma with 295k miles on it, was a VT truck for 10 years so has a good bit of frame rust but it’s still solid all around. Some dents and dings and some body rust as well. Other than that it weirdly developed a misfire problem after about 7k miles of daily driving, but only happens when it rains and only for the first 5 minutes of driving in lower rpm in 1st and 2nd gear but afterwards doesn’t slip a beat. Other than that it runs like a champ and I drove it around 2500k miles in the month I bought it, not a single issue at all. I bought the truck for 4k, also had bumpers and sliders etc, owned by a Tacoma world member for 10 years with a crazy stack of service history and it is a solid truck, if it wasn’t for the rust I probably would have sold my double cab and kept it and fixed any little problems that pop up.
With that being said, that’s my experience of high milage and cared for vs lower milage with limited history.
100k miles and $7k difference.
Milage can matter but it really comes down to how it was cared for.

In my opinion if it has a good amount of service records and was owned by the same person for a long time and you do a good check over and it’s decently rust free I wouldn’t think about milage.

 

I'm in Texas, near San Antonio. The price is $6,495.

 

There's no reason it can't be a great vehicle with that many miles, but there's also a good chance its a mess. No guarantees either way. It all depends on how much its been maintained and what you want to put into it.

Make sure the frame is good, everything else is pretty easily replaceable. The engine should still be good at that age, and the transmission could be ...who knows.

 

too much

 

Where is the truck from? I hope its Texas vin search?

 

See my other post about where is the truck from? But it does seem high on first guess!

 

An 18 year old vehicle isn't an easy thing to make a judgement call on until knowing about the upkeep. 282k truck could have everything replaced that should be, oil changes on time, etc. and a 100k mile truck could have a hacked up harness from aftermarket electronics, leaking main seal, seized calipers, bhg, etc.

 

No way to really know without getting up close and in person.

I see vehicles trashed being a few years old with 20,000 miles others 20 years old looking like they were bought off the dealers lot last week with 250,000 miles.

It comes to the areas of the truck you focus on the most .

 

I have had 2 with over 300k. No issues. Both were 5 lug 2.4 though. I paid 850 and 1700. The price is too high for the one you are looking at.

 

Post pics of the listing. Otherwise 6.5k is too much.

I’d say 3.5-4.5 is an ok price for that many miles and that old of a truck

 

I bought my truck for $3500 with 260k on it two years ago. I'd say what they're asking is pretty high. Typically they haven't done all the bushings, suspension refresh, tie rods, lbj, u joints, common wear items, tbelt, etc. Then all of that will be on you to replace. I set aside a good chunk, (about the same as what I paid for the truck) to deal with preventative maintenance and getting it back to where it should be.

 

So very easy to say the price is to high when you have 10 Toyota 4x4s in the shop .

Might not be so high of a price if you really want a 4x4 Toyota .

It comes down to what you can afford to spend.

I have been looking the last 5 years all the prices are more then I have saved up so far.

 

290K on my 04 3.4v6 and I slap a supercharger on it 4 months ago. Still running strong.

 

Did you rebuild the engine?

 

I've said over and over the biggest enemy of the first gen. is time, particularly in harsh climes. (TX)

Mine w/ 190Kish miles developed a clang under pass. side last week going to Lowes. Got back to house, flexed it over a ditch and started pushing/pulling rear tire. Shackle bushing is gone..like it was stolen gone. Dry rotted and fell out after the baking over the summer on the driveway. I need CV boots, shackle bushings and new brake lines (prob. all new brakes as no parts besides pads and lines have ever needed anything in past)

Every summer is more rubber parts to change. Granted..new trucks are too high but you won't have a maint. free vehicle unless you want to run it in the ground. After 10 yrs. and especially 15. It's really for around town. Is the engine sound? Yes. Lots else involved in a 20 yr. old vehicle tho.

It's why I don't daily an old muscle car.