05' Acab 4x4 V8 310k miles - Your opinion needed

I like having others opinion, because I might overlook something or didn't think of something.

I'm interested in a 2005 access cab limited 4x4 V8 tundra with 310k miles on it. Four owners.

1st owners: lived in CA, 2004-2006 0 to 8k miles
2nd owner: lived in CA, 2006-2016 8k to 230k miles. Sales person, highway miles.
3rd owner: lived in FL, 2016-2018 230k to 240k miles. Sales person, local.
4th owner: lived in FL, 2018-2022 240k to 310k miles. Survey person.

Last reported service, mileage was inputted incorrectly. Owner is in contact with Carfax to fix it. No accidents. Carfax & NICB was good.

Frame is solid. Very minor rust.
Paint, better looking than my 2000 Tacoma. Clear coat is going. Fading in some spots.
Interior is very clean. The steering wheel hardly has wear and tear.
A/C is cold. Heat is hot
4x4 works


My mechanic looked it over and said:

Tundra runs great. Power steering is noisy. Steering rack boot torn and minor leak from rack. Rear brakes are due. Valve covers gaskets showing minor leakage. Timing belt, seal & water pump due. Routine maintenance needed. Trans, transfer case, front & rear diff fluids.

I am able to do most of the repairs myself. I will most likely have my mechanic do the timing belt.

Anything I might be overlooking or be concerned about?

Thank you for your time.

Exterior pictures and frame pictures coming soon.

 

Get a look at the rear diff oil, if used at a salt water boat ramp, might be hard to get the rear wheels off.

 

If it's not already clear, FRAME RUST, FRAME RUST, FRAME RUST. The biggest killer of these trucks is frame rust, old timing belts, using non-OEM balljoints, and wrecks.

Don't trust anyone who says the frame is rust free, and never go by where a truck was registered to know whether it saw salt water. People will do all kinds of stupid shit to hide frame rust. Given the life in FL, assume it was used to launch boats into salt or brackish water. Get pics where the X-shaped crossmember above the spare tire connects to the frame. Get shots of the inside of the framerails under the cab, and inside/outside of framerails where the leaf springs connect.

Paint clearcoat fail is typical for the metallic trucks, especially red and green. Other than that, you've got about $3k-4k in work to clean up. The truck shouldn't be listed a dollar above $7k-8k or you're getting ripped off. When I was hunting for my truck, I almost bought a double cab out of Orlando with 103k miles in mind shape, limited, all leather, for $11,500 and it was fully up on maintenance.

 

Oh and it looks like that was stored outdoors in the sun a lot. Check the passenger side floorboard for signs of mold/mildew or mildewy smells. I bet you anything the cowl clips are shot, and it's been leaking rainwater in there. We have a thread here covering leaks for 1st gens. That's one of the most common ones.

And your mechanic mentioned noisy PS pump. Find a guy on here who doesn't have one in the later-model trucks (super common)

 

Drop the spare and check for rust with a hammer.

 

I crawled under and my mechanic checked the frame also. I will be uploading pictures of the frame this weekend. Ball joints, dang it. I knew I forgot something in my post. I checked them and my mechanic checked them. No play, but I'll have them replaced with OEM. X crossmember, good suggestion. Inside the frame, noted. Leaf spring frame rail, noted. I have pictures of the frame, I'll double check to see if I got those.

$3k-4k I would agree. The truck is under $5k. Double cab? disgusting. lol. AC for the win.

Stored outside, of course. We don't have garages for our trucks. Garages are for stuff. Haha. Floorboard was checked. No dampness. I checked both sides. I even pulled up the door sill and ran my hand under the carpet. Dry. No mildew smell. A possibility on the cowl clips.

Good suggestion!

 

That's a no-brainer at 5k. And yeah, I know, as an AC owner we'll always agree there, but the market seems to put a higher $$ on DC. People like SUVs with beds.

 

Wow my whole post went away. Sometimes I'm jealous of DC owners, but then I remember my 01 has the Japanese made 2uzfe, no plastic crap on the engine (intake manifold), no secondary air injection pumps etc... and mine is cheaper

 

Not a 2004 DC! You can be rid of the sealed transmission, and the VVTI schtuff and have your four full doors, and never be able to find aftermarket headlights ever again!!

 

Neat! I didn't realize that. I have a feeling the Japanese made motor vs usa motor has zero difference, but it still feels nice. I also like the way the rear ends on the earlier tundras look. More classical

 

Yup, you accidentally deleted one of the brackets on the quote tag:

 

Whats the tattletale signs of a us vs jp 2uz? I thought all US toyota 2uz's were US built.

 

I have zero idea. They tell a tale of a usa made tundra rods being weaker than the Japanese, but zero proof of that. The usa 2uzfe plant didn't open till like mid 2002, therefore all tundras built prior to that had to get their 2uzfe motors made in japan and shipped over along with the a340 tranny

 

You can also look at the engine code stamp or whatever on the top of the block near where the iron meets the aluminum

 

Power steering rack and axles replacement is not that bad if you have more than average tools and pry bars and can do regular maintenance plus. That alone is going to be $600-$750 aftermarket. Very normal on this Gen at around 200K. ALWAYS buy separate bushings and replace the ones that come with the new rack, trust me. Only an extra $30.

 

https://pressroom.toyota.com/toyota-motor-manufacturing-alabama-tmmal-fact-sheet/

Start of production:2003

 

Bingo! Happy Japanese engine travels. I feel like a landcruisr bro now! Lolol

 

My rods are so strong, they could probably handle 10krpm and 20 lbs of boost.

 

I've been to that plant. Haven't been inside, but been there.

 

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I'd love to go to that plant and hold them up at gunpoint and demand they start producing the 2uzfe and 1mzfe again

 

A limited with cloth, a bench seat, and no wood grain? That's odd.

For under 5k that's a good price. It's like a newer version of mine with less miles. I'd snatch that up today or it'll be gone. It's happened to multiple people on this forum. They ask about a truck, wait a day, then post back it got sold.

 

To my understanding the US motor had warranty claims when supercharged vs the Japanese motor did not. Yota's Jap engine builders took the job pretty serious. Controlled environment with special suit they would put on before going in. Straight breaking bad style. Jap motors are the best, considering that's what mine has.

 

So is the V6 also jap built/imported?

 

Is nobody gonna talk about the limited with cloth bench seats and no wood grain? That's called an sr5.....or a base.

 

Mine is a limited with cloth seats and no wood grain. (A big part of the reason I got it) Not the bench seat though. I assumed limited got you the added electrical features (steering controls, electric seats, ect) and the rest were options?

 

Maybe so. I could be wrong on this. @shifty` what's the difference between trim packages?

 

I am the original owner of a 06 Limited DC that came with cloth seats and no wood grain

 

Yessir, Alabama plant didn't start churning out motors until 06 or so

 

Hold on. "Alexa, what's the difference between trim packages on a 1st generation Toyota?"



I'd seriously need to go dig it up. But I'll add to the confusion instead. When I run my VIN at the Toyota Owners website, it shows mine came with cloth seats, power seats, even a 60/40 instead of captain's chairs, but it also said I have captains chairs in another section, but I very clearly have OEM leathers (not ported, not dealer add-on) on power captains chairs. Check it out, both the red boxes conflict with each other, then conflict again with what I actually got: