So I've got my eye out for a compact truck and this Tacoma has come up on my radar but with a few hiccups.
It's a 2003, single cab, 5 speed manual, 2WD, 4-Cyl. It has relatively low miles and the price is very good if the issues aren't as bad as they seem at first glance. I checked it out and started it up, and it sounded ok to me. The body work/frame I could easily lay eyes on seemed fine.
Like I said, at first glance I should be running from this, but I figured it couldn't hurt to get some more informed opinions.
Issue 1: It has what seems like an abnormal amount of rust under the hood. Looks like a lot of components have at least surface rusting present. I don't know if it maybe was flooded or if this is just pretty normal and I'll just need to do normal component replacements as needed. The engine itself didn't look overly rusty or anything, just a lot of the components in the compartment. Is that normal or is something up with this one?
Issue 2: There is no record of it receiving a replacement frame during the recalls due to frame rusting prior to 2012. That alone might be the deal breaker. I haven't had a chance to look into the recall details to check, but does anyone know off-hand if the single cab frames were somehow different and not prone to the same rusting defect as the others?
Issue 3: It has a few collisions on record, but all reports indicate they were pretty minor and it was driveable after each one. I'm not too concerned with this one, but it's worth noting. Its got a cracked windshield, but that's an easy fix.
Everything else is just cosmetic, which I am unconcerned about for the most part.
I'd appreciate any insight.
It's a 2003, single cab, 5 speed manual, 2WD, 4-Cyl. It has relatively low miles and the price is very good if the issues aren't as bad as they seem at first glance. I checked it out and started it up, and it sounded ok to me. The body work/frame I could easily lay eyes on seemed fine.
Like I said, at first glance I should be running from this, but I figured it couldn't hurt to get some more informed opinions.
Issue 1: It has what seems like an abnormal amount of rust under the hood. Looks like a lot of components have at least surface rusting present. I don't know if it maybe was flooded or if this is just pretty normal and I'll just need to do normal component replacements as needed. The engine itself didn't look overly rusty or anything, just a lot of the components in the compartment. Is that normal or is something up with this one?
Issue 2: There is no record of it receiving a replacement frame during the recalls due to frame rusting prior to 2012. That alone might be the deal breaker. I haven't had a chance to look into the recall details to check, but does anyone know off-hand if the single cab frames were somehow different and not prone to the same rusting defect as the others?
Issue 3: It has a few collisions on record, but all reports indicate they were pretty minor and it was driveable after each one. I'm not too concerned with this one, but it's worth noting. Its got a cracked windshield, but that's an easy fix.
Everything else is just cosmetic, which I am unconcerned about for the most part.
I'd appreciate any insight.