(Should I buy?) 2004 V8 crew cab 187+ trying to join the 1 gen ranks

Sorry I’m advance for quite possibly the most common thread post, but while I tried to do some research beforehand, ultimately I’m more of an automotive white belt who could use some truck-savvy gents to slap some sense into me.

Truck in question is a 2004 green Crew cab tundra that is based mostly in CT and is being sold in NJ. 5 owners (red flag) and prob bought by the used dealership at a auction (pretty common?) is currently priced at $7900.

My main concern is obviously the frame rust which in my noob eyes seems okayish? Maybe mostly surface-level, dirt, but you can see the gray metal for the most part?


Aside from that, there are some significant cosmetic issues that I see, the biggest being a side swipe accident (of course not on carfax), scratches, rust, and some rock chips on the hood and various spots. Also, I noticed that the metal inside the cabin was rusty (possible flood victim?) but assumed was the air in a rust state over the course of 15+ years. Overall carfax looks pretty clean, no accidents listed (lol), very intensive service history, timing belt replaced at around 80k, etc.


My main question to yall is this. I know I'm not getting the shiniest toy with this make/year, and to find one in pristine condition would be a unicorn. But while I really just care about it being drivable and structurally sound, I'm wondering if all the additional issues would be a hard PASS for most of yall. I dont know how much the body work would be for this but id assume eventually it would run up towards the cost of the truck.... (is this something I can just ignore or will it get worse over time if I dont get it touched up)

Fortunally the owner didnt seem to give me much pushback regarding a PPI inspection, and I have one set up tommorow. My request to yall is whether or not from a initial glance you think this one is worth all the hassle at this price point and market, or if you think there's better fishes out there. If my mechanic says it looks good, should I still wait to see if theres one in better cosmetic condition?

Thanks to anyone who can get to this in time!

-AtomicNugget

 

Doesn't look like a hard pass. I would definitely have a mechanic do an inspection (post undercarriage wash) to see if there are any weak areas once up on a lift. Looks like it was coated in a rust encapsulator with no upkeep, hence the paint peel and rust.

It WILL need to be wire-wheel and painted again in a rust protector (POR-15, Chassis Saver, etc.) or just annually coated in Fluid Film to prevent further rusting since it already started.

The 5 owner thing is something to worry about if there's mechanical issues.

Don't forget to check out and bed holes under the bed liner if it has one.

 

Thanks for the quick reply! Ouch, thanks for pointing that out. So does that mean that all the gray areas are hiding the rust via protective paint and the real condition is the like the visible rust shown?

 

Welcome from NY.
Definitely bring it to a independent mechanic for a honest inspection. Is there a Carfax to see if it was involved in any major accidents?

 

I was actually going to say it is a hard pass. I'm sure that frame is hiding more rust and it needs body work.

That's a $2,500-3000 truck assuming the frame isn't toast.

 

Thanks for the welcome!

The carfax shows no accidents reported (aka no insurance called), and quite a comprehensive service history. My red flags on the history alone is what seems like a unusual timing of certain replacements? (i.e. brakes, exhaust, etc.) in such a short mileage period? I understand that its common practice to replace stuff come new ownership but my spider senses are tingling... At least the timing belt got replaced (ROFL)

I uploaded it for any to see.

 

I would call that a hard pass. Trucks like that go for $3k-$4k in my neck of the woods w/o all the rust. That's way too much rust and the worst part is, I can see evidence the frame has been coated and re-coated, so there's no goddamn telling what's really under there waiting for you.

Combine that with the cosmetic problems and you've got a 'nope, walk away' situation. That is not your truck. https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

 

Hard to tell if that’s rust that was sprayed over at some point, or the protective layer is just now coming off and the newly-exposed area is rusting. Need to pick some off to see what the metal underneath looks like. Also, drop the spare and poke around in there and especially the crossmember there that supports the spare, where it connects to the bed. Use a flashlight and a small mirror and poke around; consider beating on any ugly spots too to see if it’s into the metal pretty bad.

I can say that I wouldn’t pay a lot of money for a rusty truck that needed a lot of work requiring removing nuts and bolts.

Engine bay brackets and clamps all rusted too. So was definitely in some wet, rusty air.

 

The replacements you're seeing are probably because lines were rusting out, and they were probably trying to track down vibrations in the driveline which may've been related to the brakes, rear adjustment is pretty critical to proper, smooth functioning without vibrations and wobbles.

 

Oh and timing belt is overdue. Ready to fork out $1,500 out of pocket for that?

 

Yeah that's my main issue, I'm thinking the frame might have some life but the amount of work on everything else far exceeds the ability to find a better deal. Im just making sure yall agree in case I'm looking at this whole thing through my modernized 2015+ driving lens lmao.

 

Your gut instinct is correct on this one.

If you're willing to travel, hunting down vehicles from TN, SC, AL, and GA are good options. If you can pull a CarFax, look at where the vehicle is registered and you should be able to find one that has a tiny fraction as much rust, if any.

 

Dang, just double checked. Your right typically every 90K miles huh... idk how I missed that

So far I'm getting the vibe this is beyond my capabilities

 

Thanks, def opened my eyes towards this.

Quick question while on the topic... I mean I live on the EC, so my understanding is that any 1 gen tundras nearby are gonna be rusty no matter what. As such, should I just keep my eyes open for any that fall below a certain thresmark, or are you basically saying to AVOID EC tundras all together and my only real viable options are to find those far away like you said.

Just trying to be realistically given my price point and obviously expenses for traveling and whatnot.

 

Even if you had to buy a 1 way ticket to a non rust belt state you would still come out ahead vs buying a rust bucket.

 

It's hard to say, but I would definitely go around it with a ball peen hammer and check out the different areas thoroughly. Is this your best option? That dent in the rear quarter is definitely a turn off but if you don't mind and just want something reliable to get you from a to b. That 5 owner thing is something to worry about. Either there's rust in a particular area causing a structural defect or you probably have an issue mechanically to be worried about.

 

Depends if that's his best find. I wouldn't take it with that required body work unless I could repair it myself. He just needs to be thorough in checking if the rust has gone through in any areas. Flying south and checking out trucks where it doesn't snow would be a better option if the price wasn't that much more.

 

I'm not telling you avoid EC Tundras. @FirstGenVol and myself both bought our trucks on the EC. I'm basically telling you to avoid stuff that's been registered in a rust-belt state, and be cautious of anything you look to buy in a rust-belt-adjacent state. If you're unfamiliar with what states make up the rust belt, see the attached pic - the "real" rust belt is in red, but you need to be wary of any state in pink or red, really... Any of the blue states - as long as the truck was registered its whole life there - should be generally safe, but always check the frame.

Honestly, it took me about 6-8 months to finally find my pickup, and I snatched it off the back lot of a dealership in Auburn, Alabama. I went in on it sight-unseen, just drove the 1.5 hours each way to check it out. I drove a car I was willing to trade-in on it. It panned out very, very lucrative for me. Sometimes being willing to travel means a lot, and I had to put a deposit down for them to hold it while I was in transit (they applied it to the sale). There's a TON of stuff available in the blue states shown and dealers from up your way are coming to auctions down here all the time to snatch up rust-free 1st gens to resell in your states ... so you MAY be able to find something up your way that's actually a southern truck! My parent's neighbor purchases auction vehicles for a dealership in AL and is always complaining the northern dealers are causing auction prices to get inflated these last few years.

 

If you can find a truck that has the frame replaced under the service campaign, that would save you a trip.

 

Panel damages alone, he may be able to replace the bed with something color-matched for $500-$1k, but ... Once you start getting into paint, knowing the clearcoat failure problems with the green metallic and red metallic trucks in general ... That's a hell of a project when you consider what else is out there a couple states south.

 

Best option? likely not considering I been focusing my efforts on a reasonable driving zone, which in my case sucks this model considering im in the North Jersey area. There is a potential black one in MD that my friend recommended that looks pretty good (no underside pics, so who knows) that i'm waiting on confirmation on.

I know taking a trip down to the midwest is obvs the safest bet, but not really feasible for me unless i saw a perfect deal too good to be true. I can't afford the time and money to go that far just to see its a POS.

Really like you said, im just looking for A to B ability on a truck that everyone considers legendary in realibility, but the amount of rusty toasters and scam dealers out there near me are ridicious.

Im trying here guys i'll be able to join yall someday.

 

Those rear leafs are on backwards. Also, nice legs OP.

 

Not true. You'd be shocked (A) how many folks have relocated to the midwest and even southwest with their 1st gen, and (B) you'd probably also be shocked at how many trucks in states you'd never imagine would have rusty trucks - like Nevada and Arizona for example - have clapped out rust buckets, because an owner was driving all over Utah on salted roads periodically. This is why I gave the 'adjacent states' warning. Utah trucks can be just as bad or worse than anything found in the New England area.

Just don't rush. And know some guys on here would be willing to go look at trucks for you, within reason. Sometimes members on here want to sell their stuff too.

Do you care about what cab type you get, do you know what options are dealbreakers for you, or what is a must-have? Drivetrain-wise, I take it you want 4WD?

 

LOLOL.. yeah I need a solid truck to handle these legendary calves of mine. I shoulda worn something more presentable for u all, next time...

 

Damn. No backplate for the passenger side rotor. Definitely some work done there. Might want to check for aftermarket parts used (i.e. CV joints) in that area. Those typically don't last unless they're OEM or rebuilt OEM.

 

Yeah, luckily I'm not in a dire rush, which is good, just impatient the more videos I watch lol. TBH I'm basically in the situation of trying to get rid of my new shiny thing and get a reliable older indestructive thing.

- Ideally a crew cab or at the very least an extended cab. I'd like to take my dogs hiking and if it lasts long enough in the future, to have room in the back for kids in an emergency if the family SUV is out of service.

- Years dont matter for me.

- 4WD, it does snow here eventually, and unlike more northern states, I feel like ppl in the tristate have no clue how to handle the weather. So yeah. I don't tow, but at least I can look at people in the eyes menacingly and say that I can tho.

- Color, black, blue, gray are my favorite, prob green too since it looked way better in person. As long as its not weird to yall, it prob is fine with me.

- And automatic. My car is a manual, but man enough trips on the turnpike has done its damage to my soul, so automatic it is.

- Price point, I'm trying to keep it around 10-11 at the max-ish. Not againsn't a perfect deal situation but otherwise the lower the better.

- Like I said, im a white belt when it comes to vehicles, so my capabilities would be limited to friends I know with lifts and biting the bullet and going to shops. That being said, im not looking for a straight restoration project.

- Willing to travel a distance, but like i said I would need to be sure or the person would have to be legit (like from one of yall). No more lying POS with damage not listed on the carfax (rofl).

 

Lol, man yall are good. I wasn't gonna know any of this looking at it myself.. but its amazing how theres something new wrong with it every 10 minutes like its a puzzle for you guys

 

I'll see if he actually responds but being in N.NJ, PA is like, potentially "right there".

That said, @PennSilverTaco tends to post a lot of pics of some great trucks he see in PA (link), they're up there. My aunt & uncle used to live in Bucks County and I remember seeing quite a few Tundras that were well taken care of up there also. Of course, plenty of rust buckets in PA also... maybe he'll have some leads on something or can keep eyes peeled for you. He knows plenty about 1st gens. You may also want to consider the Sequoia too, it's just a DC without a bed, they're basically siblings sharing more in common with each other than either shares with the reg cab and acc cab trucks.

But you gotta promise to stop calling it a 'crew cab', it's 'double cab' or 'DC' for short.

 

Expand your search a ways and see what you find. Like they said, I'm sure someone is probably around it and would be willing to look at it for you. I'm not sure if it's been said, but mileage isn't really an issue on these trucks. I just went to AZ and back in my 327k mile truck. About 2k miles round trip. Not even a hiccup.

 

Just a quick look on autotempest and I found this.