I've gone from an 80 series to a GX470, and now I'm thinking of a Tacoma. Why? My work vehicle is now a Ford transit 250 high roof. Aside from the slight moral gray area of using a work truck for personal stuff on the weekends, having to reset the van to haul anything is a p.i.t.a. And obviously hauling say yard debris in the GX is no picnic either. I miss having a truck around.
I found a 2009 DClb sr5 4x4 auto at a "cheapskate" price. There are/were some known issues reported by the seller, Check engine light (p0031, p0051) crack in windshield, hole in muffler, odd "dead spot" roughly center in steering wheel travel, soft brakes. Body and interior are pretty good for a truck that was supposedly used by a college kid (more on that later)
It is the dark green color and seems to have the peeling clear coat on the roof.
Title is clear, and Carfax looks good.
Upon my initial inspection, I thought there was more rust than a Washington car typically has and that there was rust in some places that were odd given other places that were not.
many of the smaller brackets and clips and such are rusted. Main pinch welds and weep hole of body are very little rust. Frame not too bad to my untrained eye. Entire drive shaft has a good amount of surface rust. Drivers side front seat bracket/foot is rusty. All of this led me to think it's possibly a flood car. I didn't notice any electrical gremlins, any musty smells or any spots of mold.
It turns out the truck started its life as a Canadian truck, and then was a Bellingham truck from 2017-2026. I think this explains the rust.
Current owners and I are down to around $7800 price. My plan is to get it into a shop I trust on Monday morning for a thorough inspection. I've probably watched too many frame related videos on YouTube because aside from catastrophic frame problems everything else seems doable. Whether a cheap truck plus some repairs is still cheaper than a "clean" copy of the same year remains to be seen.
My other thoughts regarding a Tacoma vs what I have now; Way more and easier aftermarket support than the GX. This Tacoma doesn't even have the JBL system (which I thought SR5 had but maybe not in Canada)? so audio upgrades should be simple. Suspension replacement/upgrades are relatively cheap. A bit less electronics. Higher day to day functionality for me. It should also net another mile or 2 per gallon better than the GX as long as I don't go 35's right off that jump,
Oh, upon initial meet with seller, He told me some story about it being his sons truck while at college and he was selling to recoup his cash layout to help said sone with a downpayment for a new truck.
Upon my second meeting with dude's wife, I learn that they don't even have college age son. This set my spidey senses off and knew at the very least I wanted to get a Carfax and see what that told me. Apparently this family is going through some type of family emergency and need to get the Tacoma gone. Fine, but why make up some odd story? Even if the truth was that the seller knew it needed work and simply wanted to unload the truck is that not a simpler tale than some made-up college kid?
The Faults he told me about and the engine codes match my own findings and again, the title is clear and the Carfax looks good. Maybe cocaine is a hell of a drug?
My main questions right now;
Can the rear frame be properly evaluated while on a lift or is the true status only discoverable by pulling the bed off?
If I buy thins thing, how much can I help the longevity with wire wheel action and various epoxy primer/paint and/or undercoating? I know it's slow messy work.
Sorry for the long first Tacoma post. I tend to jump on the first cheapest vehicle with the least milage for the greater Seattle area. Does it bite me in the ass? Sure. Why have life be simple?
I found a 2009 DClb sr5 4x4 auto at a "cheapskate" price. There are/were some known issues reported by the seller, Check engine light (p0031, p0051) crack in windshield, hole in muffler, odd "dead spot" roughly center in steering wheel travel, soft brakes. Body and interior are pretty good for a truck that was supposedly used by a college kid (more on that later)
It is the dark green color and seems to have the peeling clear coat on the roof.
Title is clear, and Carfax looks good.
Upon my initial inspection, I thought there was more rust than a Washington car typically has and that there was rust in some places that were odd given other places that were not.
many of the smaller brackets and clips and such are rusted. Main pinch welds and weep hole of body are very little rust. Frame not too bad to my untrained eye. Entire drive shaft has a good amount of surface rust. Drivers side front seat bracket/foot is rusty. All of this led me to think it's possibly a flood car. I didn't notice any electrical gremlins, any musty smells or any spots of mold.
It turns out the truck started its life as a Canadian truck, and then was a Bellingham truck from 2017-2026. I think this explains the rust.
Current owners and I are down to around $7800 price. My plan is to get it into a shop I trust on Monday morning for a thorough inspection. I've probably watched too many frame related videos on YouTube because aside from catastrophic frame problems everything else seems doable. Whether a cheap truck plus some repairs is still cheaper than a "clean" copy of the same year remains to be seen.
My other thoughts regarding a Tacoma vs what I have now; Way more and easier aftermarket support than the GX. This Tacoma doesn't even have the JBL system (which I thought SR5 had but maybe not in Canada)? so audio upgrades should be simple. Suspension replacement/upgrades are relatively cheap. A bit less electronics. Higher day to day functionality for me. It should also net another mile or 2 per gallon better than the GX as long as I don't go 35's right off that jump,
Oh, upon initial meet with seller, He told me some story about it being his sons truck while at college and he was selling to recoup his cash layout to help said sone with a downpayment for a new truck.
Upon my second meeting with dude's wife, I learn that they don't even have college age son. This set my spidey senses off and knew at the very least I wanted to get a Carfax and see what that told me. Apparently this family is going through some type of family emergency and need to get the Tacoma gone. Fine, but why make up some odd story? Even if the truth was that the seller knew it needed work and simply wanted to unload the truck is that not a simpler tale than some made-up college kid?
The Faults he told me about and the engine codes match my own findings and again, the title is clear and the Carfax looks good. Maybe cocaine is a hell of a drug?
My main questions right now;
Can the rear frame be properly evaluated while on a lift or is the true status only discoverable by pulling the bed off?
If I buy thins thing, how much can I help the longevity with wire wheel action and various epoxy primer/paint and/or undercoating? I know it's slow messy work.
Sorry for the long first Tacoma post. I tend to jump on the first cheapest vehicle with the least milage for the greater Seattle area. Does it bite me in the ass? Sure. Why have life be simple?