96 tacoma should i buy

[uwabaseball]

Found a 96 tacoma ext 4x4 5spd really taken care of, but lil cautious due having 298k on the motor. (3.4l). The truck remains all stock. My question is how much longer is this thing gonna last. I will be using it as a daily driver so don't want to be stranded. I've have had several yotas but never one with this kinda mileage. Also what question do I need to ask. He's asking $4900 for the truck.

 

[uwabaseball]

Here some pics

 

[jynx]

Truck looks good for nearly 300k. With that kind of mileage I would guess that they are all highway miles.

I would want to see all the service records that they could provide, Timing belt services, oil changes, regular service stuff. if the truck has been well maintained then 300k is not unheard of. There are some with nearly a half a million on them.

Now when I say service records, I would want records that it had been serviced correctly at every specified service interval. That is a lot of miles on all the drivetrain components.

If you are looking for something to serve DD duty then you might be ahead to save up a little more $$ and pick up something with under 200k miles. That price seems a little high to me. A 96 in that shape is probably worth every bit of that, but I would expect low-to-mid 200k range.

We looked at a 2006 VW Diesel Jetta a couple years ago for my wife that had 295k on the clock, the price reflected it and I was seriously considering it, but I just couldn't get past the mental barrier of that 300k mark.

 

[Haggis]

Seems like a lot of miles. I would hold off and keep shopping around.

 

[War Pig]

A '96 with 300k?? That's about an 17.5K per year average. (pretty high)

I sure would like to know when the last water pump/timing belt were done. (with proof)
And no way I would think about this without a pressure test on the cylinders.
I think it's priced around 800-1200 high. (IMHO)

Happy Hunting!

 

[uwabaseball]

Thanks for the info guys

 

[Mr Optimist]

Hey I thought I might pitch in. I just bought a 96 Taco ext cab with 212k miles. Paid 4k for it. Paint on hood and roof is faded, but it has a soft topper. I do agree that his price is high for the mileage.

Good luck shopping!

 

[rifleshooter]

I have virtually the same truck. I abused the s***/continue to abuse the s*** out of it. I bought it new. Head warped, needed a new engine about the same time as the truck your looking at. Tranny and transfer case blew due to water at 305. I go 3400 max on this thing. I have replaced all running equipment besides front and rear diff. These are true work horse rigs.

 

[Epic Ed]

I have a 1996 4x4 extended cab automatic in the 2.7L 4-cyl. Bought it for $1500 a few years ago and it had 136K on the OD. I know I stole it but you can definitely do better than that price. At nearly 300K you can expect to start running into some repairs that might cost a good amount of money even if you do the work on your own. Be sure to take a look at the manifold and inspect for cracks. Those are notorious for cracking and if it hasn't been replaced and has been driven for God knows how long with a cracked manifold you can bet the valves are rather scorched.

I'd offer $2000.

 

[uwabaseball]

So I passed on the taco and end up buying a project. 1986 4runner all original no rust. Just needs some tlc to her. So may take me awhile to get her back to her original glory. But can't wait to get started.

 

[uwabaseball]

Trying to post pick but having trouble will try to follow up

 

[bull3tprf]

I'd say if you can get it for $3,500 that would be a good deal.

 

[uwabaseball]

My new project