Help choosing what year to avoid buying used

Yes, generally in my experience the newer the vehicle the less rust. Your best chance of avoiding rust is a new vehicle fresh off the assemblyline at a dealer in an arid climate.

 

So pretty much avoid every year except 2023.

 

I would just avoid 16-23 in general. 2nd gen best gen.

depends on where OP lives too

 

If your going older, just check out the frame, you'll know! My '17 gets yearly Krown rustproofing and looks great, and does all the body panels.

 

Listen to most people on TW and they would say stay away from a third gen altogether. One guy even said stay away from 16-23.

I hear all the bitching about this and that on the third gen but I’m not seeing it. Had a 17 that I sold in November of 22. No issues. Frame wasn’t rusted out. Bought a 22 SR5 new in December of 22. Currently in Valparaiso Chile with 79344 miles. Will have around 135k when I get back in late March April timeframe. That’s 135k in 15 months. I haven’t had one issue besides running out of spare light bulbs, shredding wiper blades, and the shitty Toyota battery.

The issues that do exist are magnified on here and not a realistic sampling.

I’ll come home do maintenance, new shocks springs, clean out the 20 plus pounds of sand from the interior( really wish there was a vinyl flooring option) and would be more than happy to turn around and do it again. In the same truck.

 

All the goofy 2nd gen guys know very well the 3rd gens are far better trucks. They’re just delusional it’s funny.

 

If you’re worried about rust, wait and buy a 2024.
And hope that the frame updates helped.

All the prior frames suffer the same fate. They can and will rust.
And that statement is not meant to bash Toyota. It’s just what still does.
It rust. You can slow it down, but you won’t stop it.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2gr-fks-engine-problem-failure.774579/

 

You ask for help choosing what year to avoid buying used. A better question would be one that I would base a decision on is: What part of the country I should avoid buying a truck from, if your main concerns are frame rust issues. As far as paint/trim problems, excerpt for the '21,'22,'23 model years, it's common throughout the Tacoma line of trucks.

 

I’m sorry you had quite the bad experiences with 3rd Gen engines, oh wait, you’re that guy who speaks on behalf of everyone else’s experiences. Good for you.. and them I guess lol

 

My 2017 (late 2016) has not had frame rust issues. To my knowledge, no 3rd gens had any frame rust issues. The service campaign was extended to them simply because of the manufacturing process. All they did in that case was inspect the frame, apply CRC (turns out mine had it from the factory), and add frame plugs to any factory holes. I've not heard of any 3rd gens on here needing new frames.

That all being said, my 2017 has had the following issues so far which were all covered by warranty:

• Leaking timing cover (common issue for the V6)
• Leaking water pump and head gasket found when repairing the above. I never overheated or had any codes or driving issues.
• Fuel leak from o-rings that were likely damaged in the above repairs.
• A squealing sound that was also related to the above repairs and turned out to be a loose exhaust hanger.

I've put 105k miles on in just under 4 years. No radar cruise, TSS, or need for subscriptions for my infotainment. But also no Android Auto/Car Play.

 

Most likely - *Worst rust to best
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, and no rust 2024 (yet).
*Location dependent

 

Any year would be OK. Condition and price are most important. Just find a good deal. Suggestion: have a mechanic look over the truck before finalizing the purchase.

 

I had my purple 98 rust out after Toyota applied that “rustproof” stuff. With my 17 I now use AMSOIL Metal Protector HD on the frame and it seems to be doing pretty good. I’ve seen cars come in to the junkyard that fold in half when you pick them with the loader because they are so rusty. There are other products that work as well and some that make the rust worse like Zeibart or rhino lining the frame. All your doing is trapping the moisture and salt in the frame at that point. Used motor oil, wd-40, AMSOIL, fluid film all seem to have the best results.

 

I would love to have another New Year’s Eve dinner at La Concepcion with an ocean view, but instead it will be BBQ and longnecks in Austin on Sunday