Looking to buy a repo Tundra, advice or a Carfax is greatly appreciated!

[Dianna]

Hey guys, I know nothing about Tundras but am thinking about buying a camper and don't want to tow it with my 4R or Tacoma. There is one coming up at an auction with a "broken control arm" and it just looks beat up in general. I was looking for something a little beat up, I just can't justify spending 75k for something I'm not going to use that often! Do any of you have insight on things to look out for? If this thing was just beat to hell for 120k miles should I be wary of the V8 being damaged? Is the control arm being broken something that is common?

The description:

2015 Toyota Tundra 4WD 4 Door Pickup Truck 5.7 8cyl. Flex Fuel 119,000 miles​

The VIN is 5TFDW5F16FX445873 if anyone has the ability to run a CarFax for me, I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[bbslider001]

Why not run a Carfax yourself? It's cheap enough. Or just take the VIN to a Toyota dealer and see what's been done.

 

[Weedhopper]

I think you are inviting trouble unless it’s a huge discount. I have s 2015 and it’s a great truck but I wouldn’t touch that.

 

[Dianna]

Why not run a Carfax yourself? It's cheap enough. Or just take the VIN to a Toyota dealer and see what's been done.

I put the vin into toyotaowners.com. I asked because there are a lot of amazing people here (from past experience in the 40 forum) that can run a carfax for free and are happy to help others

 

[zapatius]

I pulled the Carfax. It was in a front end wreck at the end of last year. From the picture, it doesn't look fixed. It does have a clear title. It looks like it had a charmed life up until 2021 (Certified Used from Toyota and serviced at dealerships until then). It was sold at auction in 12/21, then another auto auction on 3/22, then the current auction you're looking at. I would say three auctions in 13 months = basket case.

Which control arm is broken? It spent the last year or two in Ohio, wondering if it could have rusted through that quickly.

 

[joseywales]

Ten foot pole rule is in effect…

 

[Dianna]

Thank you Zapatius!!! I was looking for a 10 footer, lol, but not looking for something I need to dump in a year. You can see the broken control arm in the pic I posted. There were other pics of the interior and it appears to have been a repo because there are a ton of toys and a car seat with the snacks still nearby! It was overall really gross inside. I am surprised it was sold that recently as a Toyota certified vehicle. Thanks again guys.

 

[Dianna]

I was just deleting this from my Toyota owners account and found it for sale on Craigslist. 2015 TOYOTA TUNDRA for sale - Knoxville, TN - craigslist - https://asheville.craigslist.org/ctd/d/knoxville-2015-toyota-tundra-drive-it/7801467931.html

 

[Dianna]

2015 Toyota Tundra SR5 Columbus OH | Dublin Grove City Westerville Ohio 5TFDW5F16FX445873 - https://www.performancecolumbus.com/used-Columbus-2015-Toyota-Tundra-SR5-5TFDW5F16FX445873 I also found it for sale here! Buyer beware, I thought you all might find it interesting that this same truck is for sale at a Toyota dealer after being at another dealer twice for engine issues the past year. Goes to show you never know what you are getting when buying a used car, even if it is at a Toyota dealer.

 

[hoch]

Doesn’t look like a Toyota dealer. But good looking out. Hopefully the buyers will look up the carfax.

 

[Dianna]

Performance in Columbus is a Toyota dealership in a "family of dealerships." They sell new Toyota's. I just realized this Craigslist post is in Asheville, TN. Someone who is already down on their luck who had their car flooded or washed away is likely to end up with this mess

 

[cruiserpilot]

There are way too many really decent Tundras on the market to even think of dabbling
on a mechanical nightmare. With all the recent disasters and the cheap victims being sold
it takes 3 secs looking at that hot wet mess to walk away.

 

[Dianna]

There are way too many really decent Tundras on the market to even think of dabbling
on a mechanical nightmare. With all the recent disasters and the cheap victims being sold
it takes 3 secs looking at that hot wet mess to walk away.

I know more people who don't even know how to change their own tire than ones who are capable! Pretty sure many would have zero clue about what to look for. Someone on a Tacoma forum just bought a used Taco, it had been in a flood I'm sure. He said it was totaled because the wiring harness was completely rusted and the entire harness needed replaced. I actually looked up the PO for him, they lived in an area that was just underwater. He did not look at a CarFax before purchase. So... not just clueless chicks, lol.