How to find a 1st gen tacoma

Hello!
I'm new to this forum, and I don't really know much about Tacomas, but I'd like some advice from you guys that seem to know a lot about this. I currently ride a motorcycle everywhere because we only have one car. I'd like to get a car, but I can't afford a brand new one. I also really like tacoma's, and I'd like to get an old one and build it up into something fun and reliable (if possible).
It seems like even 1st gens are selling for like $20,000 around here. How do you recommend I find an affordable option ($7-10k), and how much work should i expect to put into one? Where can I learn more about this specific subject? I appreciate any advice at all. Thanks!

 

Welcome to the forum!
Most 1st gens selling for around $20K usually are in mint condition, with very few miles. If you're looking for a Tacoma within the $7-10K range, it will most likely have close to 200K miles and will show signs of wear. Reliability is not an issue for the 1st gens that are well cared for. They can easily run for well over 300K miles. To ensure that you are getting a solid truck at the price, I would check the vehicle history report of the specific truck (most of the sites offering that information make you pay to get the reports).

Here is a video explaining what to look for specifically when buying a 1st gen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x--ZUFjIjhI

I hope this helps. Good luck finding your truck!

 

Welcome to TW !
Frame rust, maintenance records, if its clean or not can indicate how well its been taken care of to a degree. How many owners? Lots of reading and learning about the first gen Tacomas before buying will help you make a good decision before the purchase- wouldn’t hurt to have a mechanic friend or shop look it over too.

If you are in the hunt, you need to be ready with cash in hand because they seem to sell fast when available. At the same time know when to walk away from a money pit..

 

It is all about the frame! In my opinion this is the starting point, find a good frame and take it from there.

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld
Good luck with your search

 

Want a clean first gen Tacoma, you’re going to have to put up the bucks……. Or get a Nissan…..

 

All this is great information especially the cash in hand. Nice 1st gens don’t stay for sale very long, in many cases a day or less. Although 1st gens are generally over-engineered but have their weaknesses like frame rust and ball joints. Keep in mind the newest 1st gen is 17 years old and there is decent amount of maintenance required to keep them running “trouble free”. But if you’re handy with tools there’s an incredible wealth of info and really knowledgeable and helpful folks in ithis forum

 

I’d also add that patience pays off. If you find one you like but are on the fence about it, just wait, another will pop up.

Also, if you can swing it, looking outside of your area can often times help with condition and price (depending on where you are, eg rust prone area, looking out of town is good)

Oh and check the frame then check it again

 

Welcome! Do not go to the dealer, they believe these trucks are selling for their weight in gold (just like some owners do smh). What I did to find mine was look at Craigslist ads. I only looked for a day (not lying) and I found my truck. One owner, 160k miles, 4wd, 5 speed extra cab with a clean title.

Clean trucks for a good price are out there, you just have to look.

 

Not sure where you are but if you want a fixer upper i know of 1 that i was gonna purchase and backed out cause i just dont have the time. This is a friend of mine in another part of the state. Its gonna need a motor. Its a 4x4 with 190k great frame rust on the body . Its a 3.0 but u can do a 3.4 conversion for a better motor. 2500 for truck. Itll have to b trailered out

 

Another option is to buy a Prerunner (2wd drivetrain with 4wd suspension) if you aren't looking to do any hardcore off-roading. It still has the same ground clearance and can handle some easier trails with decent A/T tires. I paid about 4k for mine a few years ago, at that time the 4x4 1st gens were going for 7k-10k in decent shape.

 

It took me a couple years to find exactly what I wanted, a 1st gen white 4X4 regular cab 4 cylinder stick shift. Usually when one showed up online from a private seller, it was haggard, had a lot of miles and questionable modifications. On the rare occasion a nice one showed up at a dealership, they wanted a fortune for it. I finally got sick of that and just started approaching people when I'd see someone driving one that looked decent. Within a month I had one. It took four tries but the one I got ended up having the lowest miles AND the lowest price.

 

In my neck of the woods $5-6k will get you a worn-but-not-ratty Taco at least at current. Facebook marketplace seems to be the place, nothing on craigslist since they started charging to post vehicle ads.

 

They're around, probably going to cost you more around $12K for an nice one under 150,000 miles.
Of course ones with 200,000>300,000 miles that have been taken care will still have plenty of life left in them.

 

I looked for a 1st gen for months before I finally found the one I own now. I put a wanted ad on Craigslist and got people offering me theirs up for sale! The best trucks are the ones that aren’t advertised!

I also asked anyone I knew with a Tacoma and was turned down, but eventually the one I bought I found sitting on the side of the road with a for sale sign in it. It’s a 2004 Prerunner and had 125k miles on it - 3.4 V6 two owner truck serviced only at the dealer. I got it for $9k which I thought was fair.

 

It took me well over a year of searching to find mine. I learned that pictures can be deceiving, CL is full of lunatics and dealing in FB Marketplace is much safer. It also helped that I narrowed my search by deciding what I deemed as required vs preferred vs nice to have. It had to be 6-lug, appear to be well cared for, mileage around 100K and be reasonably priced. I preferred extracab, unmodified, ABS and the nice to haves were power windows, V-6 and 4WD. As it worked out I hit all the requirements and the preferred and missed on the power windows, 4wd and v-6. But hitting all the other marks with a garage kept Prerunner with 91K on the clock and an inch-thick pile of receipts kept from day 1 for $7500 was too good to pass up.

 

not to slam or bad mouth the nissan frontier's. I looked at several of them. More horsepower nice room in the cab. But in the end after looking for 6-8 months, I finally found my 03 DC with 80k miles back in 2010. Be patient and look at all your options. just don't buy a ford or a chevy. If money is tight, you might seriously take a hard look at the Frontier's, they're not bad trucks, just not a Tacoma.

 

True,
The same could be said about the Ranger, cpl models were pretty good, but always regret not waiting for a Tacoma!

 

My Tacoma purchase was the complete opposite of taking your time. In Canada regular cab Tacoma‘s were never ever available and therefore I was looking for a unicorn. I found one in downtown Toronto at a sketchy used car dealership but the frame was great and you can see the details in my signature.

It was for sale less than 24 hours so I made a 3 hour drive with a deposit over the phone based on frame condition. I bought it then in there and drove it home as there was a lineup of buyers behind me if I didn’t purchase it.

October 2010 picture



June 2021 pictures




July 1 Canada Day picture

 

I like your style, @ontarioyota. Regular cab Tacomas are the best Tacomas. I didn't know they were never sold new in Canada.