Saga for Finding a 4x4 First Gen with Low Miles in Florida

When you're an owner who can't do your own work, sometimes you let people do stuff on your vehicle that's 100% unnecessary. There could be any number of stories there. Not sure if front diff or rear diff, but ... If 4WD wasn't working, the shop may've talked him into replacing both to solve it. If it was the tranny and rear diff, it could've been the weird 1-2/2-3 shift jolt that caused it, or maybe he was getting vibrations and the shop told him he needed to swap both to solve the problem. You really never know, and you're at the mercy of the seller to be honest. IME, they'll tell you whatever to sell.

 

@michael.crg if you're willing to do 2WD, this may be a fit for you. Has some cosmetic stuff, but ...

 

And I will say, whoever did the audio on that truck north of Vero, that's some quality shit right there. Those door lowers are sweet. The fake woodgrain stickies are meh.





@bmf4069 and I appreciate the amp choice, also.

 

messaged the 2wd guy to take pictures of the frame, and glad that the audio setup looks quality!

 

Most of the dealer True Start batteries (including the one pictured) are Clarios / Johnson Controls made in US or Mexico.

 

Some people selling private crack me up with the rusty frame stuff. Like this ... "Frame is zero rust". Uh, ok bud, is that why you spraypainted the frame over the bubbling rust here on the right, but didn't touch the rust over by the rear leaf hanger/shackle?

​

 

Shit Shifty the 05' tundra is also a crazy steal. Got some frame pictures and take a look at this:


All I can say is wow I might have to check it out since it's totally worth the money. It's through a dealer, so actual price is probably at around 8k-9k though

 

That white 05 2wd DC is pretty clean, sure its got some bumps and bruises but thats very low mileage and likely super clean underneath.

 

Right, nothing the local dent fixing guy and painter can't fix for < $500 if I wanted to get that work done. I'm also crazy enough to do a 4wd conversion by myself, but that's VERY far down the line when I actually start doing some serious national park hopping.

Still kind of looking for a 4wd truck though to save me that hassle down the line, but nonetheless a really good deal I'll probably check out this weekend unless something else pops up.

 

That double cab limited should have the TRD limited slip, you would be surprised where that vehicle can take you, its length and weight and weight over the rear axle when climbing, with the limited slip will take you WAY farther than you can imagine.
Long story ahead: the work i do, pulling trailers where i take them, i started my business out with a 1992 Toyota 2wd pickup and eventually put the TrueTrac in it for positive traction and i went practically everywhere i ever needed to go. Sure i was dumping the clutch and spinning and running 3rd gear WOT to pull a boat out of the water but i made it everywhere i ever needed to go. I got a 2003 2wd and did the same thing, put a TrueTrac in it and did all i needed. I found a good deal on a 2005 4wd TRD and bought it and the fuel mileage was worse, and turning radius was worse so i didnt keep it long and ordered a 2008 2wd TRD Sport because it came with the TRD Limited slip. I took it absolutely everywhere i ever needed to go and many places i wasnt supposed to be able to. The turning radius is better on a 2wd and fuel mileage might be 1mpg better or so. When i started looking for these 1GT i REALLY wanted a 4wd because my wife got her 2wd Jeep stuck out of town at a soccer tournament and nobody would help her get unstuck. This kinda put me on the quest to start buying 4wd stuff more for the "got it when i need it" so my 1GT is a 4wd, and her new 4R is a 4wd. My daily is still a 2wd 4runner with limited slip and lemme tell you what, i have been everywhere, snow, ice, sleet, freezing rain, black ice, torrential storms, climbing 2-1 slopes, climing 4-1 slopes with pea gravel, it goes absolutely everywhere i have ever needed but there might be that one day i wish it was 4wd.

 

I'd say if you plan to see any snow, sand, gravel or climbing, and go with 2wd, the LSD is a must-have to get you through to your 4wd conversion down the road. Probably better to just get a 4wd though. But then...apparently I'm starting to get older. Nothing was too big a project to make the truck I wanted to get work for me, in the past. Now I'd so, so much rather buy what I actually need and save myself all that work. Going to be plenty of projects on a 20+ year old truck without adding a 4x4 conversion to the list.

But that's me. I'd love to follow along on that project if it's the route you go.

 

I'll keep that in mind! If I stumble upon a good deal I'm not one to let it go! I contacted them again asking for their cash price, because there's no way I'm financing through the dealership unless they give me a better rate. So we'll see!

Yeah projects upon projects seems to be a trend! Speaking of that, my 02' Tacoma's check engine light just came on when I was getting my girlfriend breakfast this morning lol. So now I have to see what's up with that before anything. Probably just a sensor since the truck is still running fine and they go out all the time.

Still going to check on the 00' Tundra today, but maybe not the 05' for a bit until I figure out my Taco problem first!

 

Also to kind of address the 4wd project thing, I see people parting out 05' and 06' Tundras almost every day since I've been looking, so I'm not in short supply all the parts for the job. I can probably snag all of them for under $1000, I just know it'll be at least a long project and I still need a car that can drive at this time hahaha. I also have a buddy who's the middle man for dealer-only auctions. He has a shop and he knows a bunch of junkyard owners so it's totally feasible to do this project cheaply.

But yeah, looking for a 4wd off the bat would 100% save me the headache!

 

If you're willing, go for it!

Parts are like 10% of the job, though. Whatever welding/fabrication you need to do to get a tcase/front diff etc to mate with the 2wd truck is the real job.

 

Also update on the 00' 4wd, looks like I'll be the first person seeing it and he's meeting with two people tomorrow.

I was also curious, with a quick google skim it looks like a 5-speed transmission is compatible with the 2000-2004 tundras, so I wonder what kind of Toyota transmission was put into the truck, my guess it's still stock. Including overdrive here. If it is a 05-06' transmission though, that'd be a really crazy find.

 

4wd conversions aren't impossible. @MrDirtjumper did it. @whodatschrome did it
06 DC Daily Driver / 2wd to 4wd Conversion | Toyota Tundra Forum (tundras.com)
Tacoed Tundra project | Toyota Tundra Forum (tundras.com)

 

Well, '00-'04 will have a different gauge cluster on shifting/gears, with (I believe) L being the lowest/1st gear. '05-'06 the gears start at 2, and "Shift L" button lives in the dash to get to low gear.

Two things:

1. All door stickers will tell you what transmission and gears came with your truck (list of models by year is here: https://www.tundras.com/threads/new-to-me-2002-trd-limited-access-cab.142530/page-2#post-3585183 )
2. I've looked under a few trucks, and the model number is usually on a plate mounted/stuck/embossed on the transmission body somewhere, you can look for it.

Door stickers ... they give the info on your truck. In this example, I've blocked out the VIN and barcode, but ... from the bottom of the sticker:

C/TR os the color/trim, i.e. on this 056 is natural white (exterior) and FB12 is charcoal grey (interior)

A/TM is the gearing and transmission, where A03B is the gearing and A750F is thre transmission type.

UCKxxx-xxxxx is the chassis code. What is in the "TR" position of your sticker?

 

Another example on an earlier year truck's sticker, same content, whatever's on this sticker for "A/TM" (The TM value specifically, in this case "A340F") should match whatever the transmission is badged with on its housing:

 

Thanks Shifty. I will be taking pictures and reporting back after the test drive!

 

UPDATE: I think this is it fellas, unless it gets swooped out from under me this will be the truck.

You wouldn't even think this truck was from 2000 if you looked went and looked at it! Owner was super anal about the upkeep and making sure the truck looked like factory. He got a matching truck with his brother when he bought it back in 2000 (first owner). Former Air Force guy, he also worked for the same industry that I'll be interning for so we chatted for a long time. Unfortunately chatted so much I never got to take any pictures, but I have a really good feeling about this guy and how he treated this truck.

Told me the whole story about the transmission and the diff. When he brought it to the dealership they said it was the first time they've seen this problem. I'm unsure if he said they both went out at the same time or separate, but probably separate. Apparently it had something to do with the rear diff being faulty and something with the gearing in the transmission. Same 4-speed transmission and it was in fact the rear diff that were replaced.

My assumption is that he was extremely anal about the outgoing look of the truck, and I mean EXTREME, but didn't do much in terms of swapping out fluids and general that's why things failed. My theory could be completely wrong though because he took really good care of this truck and it really just might be a fluke in the mechanics. He waxed it once a year and cleaned the engine bay from top to bottom every time and it shows, because the truck is in amazing condition.

Checked the frame and it was actually spotless. He didn't opt in to get it undercoated at the dealership when he bought it, so I could really get a good look at it and tell it was in really pristine condition with very little rust, and I mean VERY little, only had surface rust I could rub off with my finger. He told me that he took it up to New Hampshire for two years when he was stationed up there, but actually bought a RAV4 to drive around and only used the truck when he needed to. Again, he told me he cleaned the RAV4 once a week and cleaned the truck whenever he drove it, so very minimal exposure to salty roads. By the look of the frame, he was telling the truth.

No spaghetti wiring from the sound system, though he actually did do it himself with his brother. Exhaust system was him too. The lower units for those speakers were custom. Looks like it was all well done!

Only pressing issue with the truck is that the back right tire has a small leak that needs to be refilled every 2-3 days, so I need to address that immediately along with the lower ball joints, radiator, and fluids.

He says he has one more interested person looking at it today, and two tomorrow, but he strictly told me he wasn't selling the truck today and that today was a test drive for everyone. He was honest and cold cut, not into the bullshit that people throw when it comes to private sales and I think the price is super fair at 8k, which I told him.


Hopefully I can pull some money by tomorrow to throw at it, but it's not the end of the world if this truck gets sold because I know I'll be able to find something later down the line. Just crossing my fingers and praying for the best!

 

Also another theory:

This is the first run of the first gen of Tundras, and no matter what, there is usually issues with a generation's first run and a lot of the kinks are ironed out in the latter runs. Although, transmission and diff issues? What could cause that besides being faulty to begin with? And even then, Toyota was making the same transmissions and diffs before the Tundras. Thoughts?

 

That is all great to hear. Good luck! If it's not 'first come, first served', I wonder how he's going to deal with several people who want it?

It is nice when you get along with the seller. They guy I bought my truck from picked me up at the airport, and we ended up getting a couple drinks and food afterwards before I hit the road.

I get what you're saying about the first run of a new truck, but I haven't gotten that sense from the Tundra. They came out swinging. They made some improvements over the entire run, but some of those "improvements" have turned out to be a bit of a headache, long term. There will always be flukes. People buy a brand new truck and the engine explodes in the first thousand miles. They get a replacement, then get 100,000 trouble-free miles. Just never know. I'd say there was just some flaw with something in the tranny or rear diff on this particular truck.

 

Yeah I thought the same thing. I was just throwing it out there, must've just been something faulty from the get go. And thank you!

 

They kinda had a test run with the T100 so that helped us a lot

 

This is indicative that he's looking to get a bidding war going. i.e. you may want to reach out to him, let him know you were really impressed with the truck and think it's a good fit, then offer at least $1k over ask. But don't be surprised if you get outbid at $1k over.

 

I think it might lead to that, however, he told me he doesn’t want to deal with bullshit and he knows people just “talk”. He told me that some dude from Michigan was trying to start a bidding war and tried raising the price $200, but he didn’t want to deal with anyone out of state. Could be a ploy, but I think he’s being fully honest.

We’ll see how it goes when he responds, I just messaged him back that I’m good to go on purchasing the truck. Him wanting to do the sale at a DMV works somewhat towards my advantage, but I also start my internship next week so I won’t have much free time to do the sale since I work 9-5 other than Fridays.

 

UPDATE: PISSED

Oh well, onto the next one

 

Yeah, he's bullshitting you. Dude probably offered him $10k and he's fishing for excuses. But as you said ... time to move on.

 

Dang. I get integrity, but I don't track with his logic. Oh well.

 

I think shifty nailed it. I have found most sellers of items to be so full of it, even when they appear to have “integrity”.