rangefinder84

Greetings,

I was wondering if anyone had advice on what I should look out for or what I should have a mechanic check for when purchasing a 1997 Tacoma reg cab, 4x4, automatic?

I've done some googling, but would like to ask you guys because you're more trust worthy than a bias blog site lol.

Thanks so much!
Be well

Best Regards,
Kevin H.

83

The basics of any old vehicle, first and foremost. Mileage is hugely important when deciding what to look at also.

Assuming you've done your research on that, the specific things for these vehicles...it obviously is 99% depending on how it's been treated and maintained.

That said, the lower balljoints are a dangerous failure point. Leaking rear axle seals are an annoying, recurring, expensive issue.

My truck is a 98 with just shy of 300,000 miles. It's been very well maintained, so I can only tell you what tends to go wrong even with good maintenance.

My trucks issues have been: rear leaf springs needing replacement. Rear axle bearing and rear axle seals. CV joint. Radiator and all coolant hoses. Two timing belt/water pump jobs. Door handles. Control arm bushings.

Essentially routine maintenance. If treated well, these trucks keep running and running. All the same, a backlog of routine maintenance is expensive. If you need to replace all coolant hoses, do the timing belt/water pump job and a few other things, you're getting up over $2,000. All the things I listed for my truck are totally expectable after 20+ years and 300,000 miles, but that doesn't mean they were cheap.

MaK92-4RnR

Hey Kevin,

Other than what 83 has mentioned, you're probably gonna end up hating the 2.7/auto combination (unless it's a rare 3.4 regular cab, in which you'll be fine). the 3rz/auto combo is slower than a 5 speed 3vze.

Thanks,

rangefinder84

Thanks 83/Zach and MaK92-4RnR

I'm not sure if I should continue investigating/vetting this example.
I was told in the last couple of days that I should avoid buying vehicles from this province in Canada.
Apparently they do not meticulously record accidents and writeoffs as much as other parts/other provinces.

Hmm, the seller has listed for $6500 with a replacement engine with 127,000 kms and has a 3 month warranty.
I asked about frame rust and they sent me a low resolution video of the frame, barely legible.

If I people think I should investigate more, I would ask the seller if I can get a Toyota dealership to examine the car.

The only other Tacomas (reg cab, 4x4, auto) I've seen online are 230K miles/$9000 usd, or 128K miles for 11,000 usd.

What do you smart awesome people think I should do?
I could get that 11,000 one, but that's a lot of money after exchange rate, shipping, tax.

Thanks so much again for your time and help.
Rock on!
Cheers,
Kevin H.

83

These trucks aren't cheap. They definitely go for a premium where I live, not only because they're awesome, but there's a "look" people are going for. Subarus and Toyotas, rocket box etc. The prices are ridiculous.

If you want one bad enough, you pay it. If it's worth it to you it's worth it. Only thing you need to do is if you decide it's worth paying the Toyota premium, make sure it's a good truck. My truck was $7,000 5 years ago with 189,000 miles. I bought it off a friend and that was his "low as I'll go" price. Pretty sure it's exactly what he paid for it a few years before with 120,000 miles

But like I said, mine was very, very well maintained and babied. You could just as easily find (and I saw them all over craigslist at the time) a truck for the same price or higher with more miles, body damage, mechanical issues. The price for these trucks is worth it, IF they'll provide a bunch of years and a lot of miles of service. So make sure it's been treated well. At this age and typical mileage for this age, they're going to be costing you money no matter what. After about 250,000 miles, my truck has had a steady stream of things needing to be replaced. It definitely costs me money, but it's still perfectly reliable and costs way less than car payment. But I've known people who bought a used one and had a lot of issues.

Oh and that's the other thing to worry about if you hadn't already seen it somewhere: frame rust. There was a major recall on these trucks in rusty areas. Frames literally snapped in half. If they're from a fairly rust-free area and treated well, it's no issue. Mine has nothing but very light surface rust in a couple places. But frame rust can be a very serious issue.