Should I buy 2017 Taco with 250K miles?

My company is selling their 2017 Tacoma TRD 4x4, double cab, with shell. They are asking $12K. The car has generally been well maintained and I think we're the first owners. Most of those miles have been highway miles around the state of Colorado doing deliveries.
Our local mechanic did check it out and it needs about $2k in work to be super solid, some cosmetic...serpentine belt, cabin air filter, license plate lamps and r/f corner market light is inoperable, transfer case rear output housing leaks, trans fluid needs changing, air bag light on for B1610 R/F airbag sensor, and windshield is cracked.

The big issue to me is that it has nearly 251,000 miles on it. It seems from some searching around that this is a good price. What are your thoughts though? Concerns?

 

pass for high mileage

 

I’ll would pass

 

Are you mechanical at all? A lot of that stuff can be done relatively cheap if done yourself. $12,000 is pretty good price, but at 250k you have to expect a lot of little things will come due for repair. If you're able to do it yourself and save money, then it makes sense. If you have to pay someone to put in a cabin air filter, then it might make sense to pay a little more for something newer and less miles.

 

Seems like the value is there. A 2017 TRD Sport DCSB 4x4 with standard options and pickup shell in good condition shows $12794.00 as average trade and $14,038.00 as private party value in my area on KBB. As others have said, if you can do minor mechanical work, it may be worthwhile as a second vehicle for trails, Home Depot runs or whatever...

 

I would be pass because of mileage.

 

No. High miles and it’s Colorado so it’s going to be rusty. And it’s leaking.

 

Take a hard look at the rust...all those rusted parts that must be removed/replaced if you have to work on anything in the suspension...
Control Arms, Rack, Alignment....
Are they negotiable? Maybe you can lowball...

 

Yeah, I might be able to talk them down a bit too but not much. I have always done my basic maintenance myself, including, but, not always, things like brakes. The leaky transfer case is probably over my pay grade though.

The company has done a solid job as I've seen over the years of keeping up on the maintenance so I'm comfortable with that i think.

I'm new to Toyota's (although my family did have one of those slant nose toyota vans when i was growing up) and hear so much about their longevity and resale, etc.

I wouldn't think the rust would be an issue in CO as we have low humidity. We actually have one of our local dirt roads, we're in the middle of the state, chaffee county, that is sprayed by-annually with Mag Chloride too.

I am appreciating all of the feedback. Seems to be a solid mix of depends with no due to high mileage. I personally don't plan to put more than 10K on it a year, if even 5k, but, that depends on how my daily subaru lasts.

I do have some local resources that can help me work on the truck as needed and this is not something I'm foreign too or would be against, I just would rather not have to invest a lot of time and energy into that and just need something to tow my raft on trips and to get up into the mountains for some excursions.

 

IDK……as long as you’re ok with some exposure for a large repair. If that motor launches you’re looking at (on average) about $7500 for a used one installed…..with probably a 100,000 on it.

 

Take it to your local dealer and see what they'll give you for trade in... use that as a basis for "value". As others have said, it's a high mileage truck, so expect plenty of small items (like the issues it currently has) to pop up.

 

Miles? Not a big deal. Highway > city. Either they maintained it during that time or didn't.
The value may be less. But so will the purchase price.

If I got a 3rd gen with 0 miles for free, I'd probably sell it.

But cheaper is good. When the motor blows, less money was spent on the truck to begin with.
Maybe it was highway miles easy on the motor. Or maybe the miles indicates the motor was accidentally made correctly unlike the other ones and you got lucky not to need replacing.

a 2017MY in a state that uses mag chloride doesn't have rust

 

I would pass unless you know how to work on the truck.

 

$12K for something that can give up the ghost on you at any time.
200,000 is expected with these trucks
250,000 your approaching the end of life. Some do last longer.

 

^types mechanical advice

nice

 

hard pass for me.

 

I’d personally pass

BUT if you don’t - be prepared to replace all the suspension components (all ball joints, control arms, etc.) I agree with some of the other posters - mileage is prime for stuff to start aging out (compressors, alt, starter, etc).

Leaking cases they should drop the price a couple $$$ - check for the other leaks, timing chain cover, valve covers, and the dreaded Water Bypass tube coolant leak. Those issues could bury you on the purchase.

Hope whatever you choose that you’re happy with it - that’s all that really matters! (Off-road maybe, Sport nah)

 

Agree on pass with everyone. With the issues it has, it honestly doesn't sound meticulously taken care of (which is the only way I'd consider a vehicle with 100k+ miles).

If price is a major concern to the point you'd consider this, I'd be shopping a lightly used Frontier instead of a high mileage Tacoma.

Previous gen should be a bit cheaper now that it's been redesigned, and they've been pretty consistent in design for about 16 years (2004-2020).