Help us decide - 2003 Tundra with 60,033 miles

So while my dad was on vacation in Wyoming, he and my mom were rear-ended in their 2000 Tundra. Thankfully the damage was minor and the guy had insurance. The entire bed of his truck needs to be replaced.

So he had seen how well I had done with my CoPart buys and zoned in on a 2003 Tundra that had a good bed in what we thought was the same color. $1900 winning bid, $2700 out the door, which was less than insurance cut the check for. CoPart never juiced the trucks system so we didn't know how many miles, but once we got it, I put on the jump pack and saw it has 60,033 miles. Engine starts and runs great - Interior is fantastic minus blown bags.

So question: What could he get for this low mileage, but wrecked, Tundra? Is the best option to pull engine/tranny and sell, or just try and sell the whole thing, with his crunched bed on and the good bed pulled off? We're not rebuilders - so not interested in that route.

Here are pictures of his bed :


And the copart truck:

 

I would say you could get your $2700 back if you put the crunched bed on it. Some might prefer to have an entire low mileage donor vehicle for what ever project they are working on. If it doesn't sell for some reason, then im sure you could get most of your money back if you part the drive train out. Especially since you have proof of the low mileage. Its just more work for you, so id start with selling it as a whole.

 

Maybe you could uhhh....

 

Were I in the same situation, and I had a place to store the parts truck, I would part it out - no question. I would first try to ascertain the value of the major components: engine, transmission, front differential, rear differential, rear axles, ABS module, ECU, rear doors, front doors, front seats, etc. Remember that some of these parts may be very difficult to find now, like the ABS module, and its resale value is fairly high as a result. If you were not in any hurry to sale the parts, I would think you could double your return, or better, by this method. In the meantime, should your father need a part that this truck can supply, he is going to benefit well by having this parts truck on hand. The key, though, is storing the parts truck out of the weather as you can, to protect the parts. In a sense, this parts truck is a parts bonanza for your father as well as a money maker, though no treasure chest. Just my $.02.

 

I would try selling it. Even with the crunched bed, that's very low mileage for the model year. You never know what someone might pay for it. I have no idea what you would get parting it out vs just selling it. That requires math, and I'm just not into that.

 

I am guessing it was totalled and has a salvage type of title. That doesn't bode well for resale and making money. Your buyer needs to be a one that has a similar model with a totalled out rear end that he could merge the two. Even if found isn't going to give you more than a few grand for it.

Maybe a body shop guy with some resources could repair and use or sell.

As mentioned, lots of parts that could be scavenged available over time.

 

I would defiantly swap the bed if you can and it's the right one. If you aren't rebuilders, are you parts removers? There is a handful of first gen tundras in my area that are being parted out and they don't seem to be moving a whole lot. It really comes down to if you have the equipment, space and time to remove the parts.

 

If it were my truck, I would absolutely tear it apart piece by piece and store the parts for sale.

But alas it is not, and Dad wanted it for the bed and then to move it out.

Hopeful to find someone who wants a low mileage drive train and doesn't mind buying a whole truck to get it. I was curious if ya'll could think we could get at least $1500-$2000 out of it and it seems it is in the realm of possibility.

It would come with a Texas Salvage title...which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I am working on putting a 2014 Scion tC 10th Anniv edition back on the road with a salvage title. The only thing wrong with it was the engine hydrolocked due to a flooded (6-8" water level) street.

$728 for new engine and it'll be good as new. Titles are circumstantial sometimes.

Being a Texas-only truck also adds some value, as we do not have salt/snow down here and the undercarriage has no rust.

 

Sounds doable. First $1000 offer and I am taking it.

 

The engine and tranny are worth at least $1500 each based on the mileage, and I would think I am erring on the low side by a fair margin. If I couldn't store the whole truck, I would consider storing the engine, trans, front differential, rims and a few other essential parts as your ability to cover allows. I would then look to selling the remaining hulk.

 

Swap the beds and sell the wrecked truck for whatever you can get. Either way, it sounds like you're coming out ahead financially since you paid less for the wrecked unit than you got for insurance. Sounds like a win.

 

2wd or 4wd?

 

2wd. It's a TRD Sport.



"TRD Sport Package (4x2 V8 models)—includes tuned coil springs, tuned Tokico shock absorbers, rear stabilizer bar, limited-slip differential, 17” split 5-spoke graphite-toned aluminum alloy wheels with P265/65R17 tires and fog lamps"

 

Still agree with all this.

Side question. Did they total your dad's truck? Or are you swapping the bed and keeping a clear title?

 

They did not total it, which was a huge shock to us. Check was for around $3200, which for a truck that has 147,000 miles, seems like more than 50% of the value.

So we will be swapping his bed and keeping the clean title.

Appreciate all the advice, seems like we are going to pick off what we need from the truck and then sell it for whatever we can. I think we can pull the front frame out and remove the crunched bumper in order to get it running/driving. That should help resale a lot.

 

Glad to hear. Sounds like a good plan.

I had my 2003 sideswiped with about 160k miles. Insurance wrote a check for 4k and didn't total it. I was surprised too. Even insurance knows they hold their value. Hence our advice on your auction one. Good luck and I'm glad you made out! Always a bummer when something isn't your fault and you get the short end.

 

A toyota pickup that runs with less than 200K on it is worth a lot even with damage. A lot of people snatch up S-title trucks and fix them up. With the price of new truck and even good used being so high there is a high demand for older trucks in any condition.

 

I'll back off my earlier assessment now that I know it isn't a 4x4. Which brings me to what engine was it equipped with and was there air conditioning and ABS brakes? I personally don't have much faith in straightening frames yet it might be possible to turn the wrecked one around. Probably the best call is to get rid of it ASAP after taking the parts you need for your fathers repair.

 

4.7, yes it has A/C, unknown on ABS (i'll have to look for the dash light the next time Im over there)

 

Just an update:

Sold the parts truck for $1800 yesterday. Ended up swapping the interior out of it as well and we took the nicer 16" wheels. Dad always wanted captains chairs and these were in mint condition with only 60,000 miles on the truck.

So all in all, a "new" bed, wheels and interior for $900 + what we paid for basecoat/clearcoat...not bad!

 

Can you share some updates photos of all the work?

 

I didn't take any photos of us swapping beds or painting. I can give some after photos if that helps?