Looking at buying a 2002 Tacoma, regular cab, thoughts?

The truck is listed for $4000 and has 210K miles on it. It is 4 wheel drive, and besides that has one dent on the the truck. I contacted the seller, but being here in Florida I'm sure the thing has some rust somewhere. Besides the pessimistic comment I made here, I miss having my Tacoma and want another truck. I even looked at a 2003 Chevy s10 4x4 with 151k on it. LOL Anything I should look out for on the tacoma? I'll attach some pics of what I have of it on here as well.

We plan on doing some wheeling in the truck, and also plan on doing some lugging on my motorcycle in the bed. That's about it!

 

About time for a timing belt but you don`t sat what engine.

The Lower Ball Joints !!

If it lived all it`s life in Florida never saw Winter The Frame should be ok It does not hurt to get under and look .

The normal neglected hoses belts etc

Brakes

 

it is, and don't quote me on this, but the 2.4l 4cyl. But yea the timing belt most likely needs a changing here. I have yet to see it in person but these are some good reminder points to take into consideration. What do you think about the proposed price point?

 

Now there prices are so regional but this one seems on the low side .

Then it is Auto

Perhaps the owner feels the mileage is high .

Maybe the AC is not working.

Take it for a ride make sure everything in the drivetrain works

 

Yea I will definitely do that. Thank you for the input I do appreciate it!

 

If it's a 4 cylinder 4x4, then the engine is a 2.7L (3RZ).

Depending on your local market, that price doesn't seem too high. I'd still try to talk it down if you can though.

Inspect the frame, especially around the leaf spring hangers. Take it for a drive and make sure 4 wheel drive works, AC, etc.

 

The 3RZ-FE engine in that tacoma has a timing chain which typically lasts the life of the vehicle.

_Charlie

 

Meh I'd pass. Auto with a four banger and 4WD.

Sometimes the tires can tell you a lot about the vehicle, shit tire brands sometimes can equal shit upkeep

 

That's not a bad price if truck is solid and frames not rotten. 3rz regular cabs are my favorite. Not a bad deal at all.

 

I am curious just what are considered (shit tires)

I have run off brand tires for the last 30 years why buy name brand tires pay the extra 25% or more to pay for a name

Since I never sold a vehicle but for scrap if I was selling one that drove I would put tires on that held air

 

I don't know how good things are for this out your way, but in Socal there's slightly used or brand new high quality tires on Craigslist for half price from time to time.

At that mileage OP, if the truck was not maintained well I'd walk on it. I've been sorting through a big list of maintenance misses that my 200k truck had. I don't mind doing it because it's my project. If I wanted it for immediate transportation I would be bummed though.

 

The only time I might buy used tires is if they are on wheels I buy

Most all my tire purchases are new and from the same dealer

 

Do you guys feel that the 4cyl is or will to weak for some light trail riding to medium-duty off-roading?

Examples are small hills of sand, shallow mud/ water, etcetera.

 

My 08 has a 2.7 essentially with the same block. The biggest downfall is hitting a headwind on the freeway. Other than that it has more than enough power - most of those conditions you mentioned require smart driving more than raw power. I wouldn't say no to more power, but I wouldn't necessarily get a whole lot out of it.

 

I saw fuelly mileage reports for the 2.7 and it was insane. Wait till I change out the intake

 

No Rev the hell out of it. Plenty of power to wheel. If you put bigger tires you will want to regear accordingly. I had 33" tires and 4.88 and went up just about everything I wanted without issue.

 

I get 18-20 mpg at the pump every tank. My driving consists of speeds and traffic conditions above and below the most fuel efficient cruising speeds - if I lived out in the country then I'd get another few mpg's I imagine.

 

I just bought an '02 base Tacoma w/ 4WD & A.C., 201k, replaced frame courtesy of Toyota. It is the successor to an '01 XLT F250 crew cab w/ 8'bed. Pretty much polar opposites. I mention all that to show I may have some bias...

Not so much what to look out for, but you mention plans to go wheeling & hauling your motorcycle. I am finding the regular cab really crowded - I really question where does one put any gear? If you go wheeling you don't want your stuff bouncing out of the bed, so if you don't get a larger cab I think you'll need to be adding some sort of stuff containment system, which could get in the way of fitting your motorcycle in the bed. Also, if that truck has an aftermarket tailgate, chances are it won't support a ramp + motorcycle. My aftermarket tailgate has a fold/crease/dent from a heavy guy sitting on it. I assume the original equipment is tougher. (If you're going wheeling - that door dent is just a starting point) BTW, DMV told me my truck value in CT is $5k as a reference for you looking at a similar rig.

 

No it's probably fine for most wheeling, if you go with bigger tires you'll want to regear accordingly though. It's more for hauling a lot of gear, highway speeds, etc that you'll probably notice the lack of power.