2002 Toyota Tundra...good buy?

[supton]

Not familiar with gen1's, but all the other posters seem to have it covered. If it checks out underneath (rust, basic inspection) I'd jump on it. You could drop a couple grand into and flip it, maybe even make money.

Or not. Used car market is starting to come around, finally. Several years of strong sales have rebuilt used car inventory; and let's face it, this is a 15 year old vehicle. With 15 year old issues and tech (timing belt? who uses those anymore? also I think this is a 4 speed not the 5? not that it matters at this price!). Tundra's have always been thirsty beasts; this generation wasn't known for its towing ability either, and it was not quite full sized.

If your brother has driven this generation Tundra, likes it; and if this model checks out, I'd buy it, fix it, drive it. It's cheap enough to do so and own for a few years, and then throw away. But it's going to need things, just like any 15 year old vehicle will.

 

[gregk24]

Originally Posted By: supton
Not familiar with gen1's, but all the other posters seem to have it covered. If it checks out underneath (rust, basic inspection) I'd jump on it. You could drop a couple grand into and flip it, maybe even make money.

Or not. Used car market is starting to come around, finally. Several years of strong sales have rebuilt used car inventory; and let's face it, this is a 15 year old vehicle. With 15 year old issues and tech (timing belt? who uses those anymore? also I think this is a 4 speed not the 5? not that it matters at this price!). Tundra's have always been thirsty beasts; this generation wasn't known for its towing ability either, and it was not quite full sized.

If your brother has driven this generation Tundra, likes it; and if this model checks out, I'd buy it, fix it, drive it. It's cheap enough to do so and own for a few years, and then throw away. But it's going to need things, just like any 15 year old vehicle will.


Right. I told him that in addition to the timing belt / water pump it will still have 170K miles and may have issues that 170K brings. I told him the price of the dealer timing belt / water pump job and he seems happy with it. We will check it out next week hopefully. If its rust free he will probably bite on it.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: gregk24


Its not a scam, they guy is a friend and just giving him a good price.


In that case, jump on it. That's the kind of deal that comes along once. That truck is worth significantly more than $2500.

Unless it lived near salt water or saw a lot of mud, rust should not be an issue at all in the South. The vast majority of Toyota truck frames I see down here are in excellent condition, often without even surface rust. It's really only an issue if the truck was exposed to a lot of salt.

 

[RichR]

If the truck's frame and mechanicals check out ok,they are very reliable.
I had an '02 4.7 4x4 AC.
They are easy to do maintenance on.
They only thing I didn't like was the sitting position.
I miss the dual sunvisors 10 years later.
Good luck!