Any red flags with this truck?

It's a gamble OP. But things could also be the alternative. This truck could have been taken well care of in house. It could drive like a dream and have very very few issues down the road. Other than the "transmission issue" that no one seems to know what it is/was, just do your part with the truck and maintain and take care of it. If you start to see transmission issues on your own, trade her in real quick and get something else.

 

I hear that, just trying to stay positive about the situation, it’s my truck now…..

 

I get it and just to be clear - I hope it works out well for you!!! If you have a way to monitor the trans temp doing the drain and fills yourself is relatively easy if you can be clean and methodical. I would definitely do the prescribed check for the fluid level and not simply measure what comes out since you know it’s been messed with from the OEM fill.

 

I signed the papers probably like 5 mins after posting or maybe even in tandem. I was hoping that I wouldn’t receive the responses I did honestly, I should have thought to post about a day before that.


I also have my personal reasons for buying this specific truck but I don’t feel like getting kicked while I’m down (I needed the longest term financing I could get while I wait for an anticipated raise at work and couldn’t get what I needed on anything older than 2018 and a nationwide search only had like this truck and ones with tons of miles)

 

First off - if my ramblings are a ray of positivity- you live in a very very dark place.

And sorry to say - but this forum (as most vehicle forums on the inter webs) tend to be overly critical - especially on used vehicles for sale. According to some members - 95% of vehicles are over priced - and those that aren’t are only priced so low because there is some hidden abuse not being disclosed. Amazingly / these same members ALWAYS manage to find the 5% of vehicles that are “complete bargains” and were “babied by the prior owners”.

Used vehicles are complete chance - that said, a bit of common sense can eliminate 90% of the risk and keep you away from most problem children. Research the vehicle to find common issues and know which are costly and which are just annoying or simple fixes. Reputation is important - but remember there are exceptions to any rule. Toyota has a great quality rep - but they have made dogs, and even the best models have sub standard vehicles. Likewise - the worst brands still have some perfectly fine examples. I like to point out International Harvester trucks as a good example. In the late 70s/early 80s these things were considered economy beaters that would rust if shown a picture of salt. Now 40+ years later there are plenty of allegedly “rust free, fine rock running” classics offered at stupid prices. Unless I saw a complete documentation of the resto - I’d say 99% of the undocumented are ticking timebombs just waiting for a novice with more $$ than sense.

Buy what level of risk YOU can live with - any late model used Tundra is a big investment for most people. If you need low risk - ole Ty of clean SR/SR5s out there for which a warranty can be purchased relatively inexpensively. Skip the high trims and mod to taste - always can add most all of the lux trim items.

Fleet isn’t a bad thing - again despite what many will say. The biggest rental fleets are full of F150s and Rams - yet these are the least reliable in my opinion. But you will notice they are primarily 6 cylinders - which have a better track record and cost less. The lower tech versions of these models and the less powerful drivetrains make them last longer in general. Of course rental is different than corporate fleet. Rentals get a new driver at least 1x a week on average - corporate fleet might have 1 driver it’s entire time in the fleet. There’s a big difference to me between the renter “borrowing” a car from a rental co and the worker who is issued a car by their employer.

When your employer is giving you the car - you tend to treat it better in general / knowing any signs of abuse can be used against you and impact your employment. Rentals are a total crapshoot - some withstand the abuse better than others.

 

My two cents, from the pictures, it looks good. No major body/paint issues, interior isn't ragged out. Drain & Fill the transmission every month for 3 or 4 months and see what happens. You own it, so TLC it !

 

I want to thank everyone who chimed in on my post. I contacted the last known Toyota dealership the truck was serviced at over a year ago and asked about the transmission diagnostic they ran. Turns out 5 codes and they recommended a transmission replace at the time.

I was livid (towards the car lot I bough this POS from) and demanded my money back. surprisingly I got it and had the financing cancelled. So a bittersweet ending but overall bullet dodged. You all sure know how to call it like you see it!!

 

Wow what a turn of events. Glad it all worked out for you in the end. Keep huntin!

 

Surprising, but a fairly painless lesson overall I suppose. Good luck on your next one.