Thinking of buying a 1st Gen tundra

Hello,
New member here and I wanted to reach out to this community so I could get your insight in regards to buying a 1st gen tundra. I have the opportunity to buy a 2006 Tundra SR5 DC 2x4 with 150k miles for $15k. I've known the owner the the truck for many years and although I've never paid close attention to the finer details of the trucks condition, the truck always looked like he kept it well maintained. I'm not well versed on the value of a 1st gen tundra, so I was hoping you could tell me if 15K is within the ball park or much to high. I'm planning on taking it to my mechanic to give it thorough checking inside and out before I make the purchase. But I wanted to know even before I did that, if all being well with the truck, is 15k reasonable? My thinking was to take whatever my mechanic found wrong and needed to be repaired and subtract that $ amount from the 15k or what ever $ amount would seem reasonable for the truck. I would appreciate your assistance in helping me with the decision of, to buy or not to buy. Thanks.

 

$15k is not unreasonable if it's a very clean DC 4x4, depending on miles. Do you know when the timing belt was last done?

Start by reading this thread.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

 

It's a 2x4 with 150k miles. I haven't asked on the timing belt yet. Wanted to see if the 15k was even worth it before I go the next step and take it to my mechanic to inspect it.

 

It's worth it if that thing is cherry. You could post some pictures and you will get a much better assessment.

 

2nd that. It’s worth it if the timing belt/water pump/tensioners/pulleys have been recently done (due every 9yr/90k miles), the frame isn’t fucked with rust which is virtually impossible if it was ever living in the Northeast, and it has fresh OEM lower ball joints with fresh hardware.

 

If you take vehicles to a mechanic, an 18 year old vehicle might not be the one for you. Pretty bulletproof truck, but sometimes it takes a bit more than regular maintenence to keep em on the road. Dont let me dissuade you, i'm not here to rain on your parade, but sometimes you've gotta pull the intake manifold or whatnot.

 

I love my DC i just had to do a good amount of maintenance to the truck though. I would also personally hold out for a 4x4 just in case the truck isn't for you it'll be easier to sell if that's the case.

 

15k for a 2WD the truck better be pristine. I paid 14k in the height of the used car market couple years ago for a nice condition 4WD, excellent frame, plenty of services done on the carfax, 178k mi. For 15k for a 2WD I'd want to see PROOF of maintenance done. Rear diff oil changed, engine oil change intervals, what oil was used, timing belt, more stuff shifty listed above. A mechanic can't tell you things like:
Aftermarket O2 sensors?
Aftermarket coil packs?
Engine oil condition?
Diff oil condition?
Timing belt last serviced?
Ball joints last replaced?
A mechanic will tell you if the frame is good, but you can just look at that yourself.
Oh and for 15k there also better be the right color coolant in the radiator.
And the suspension bushings condition? Last time suspension was replaced? Shit will cost money if you don't determine. You can pick up a nice 2WD under 10k and spend the rest of that 5k+ on actually replacing parts at your mechanic.
I second also what mr bee said, but if you know where to look you can tell if it's worth the money or what needs replacing. For what it's worth I have never removed the intake manifold and some jobs are intimidating to me, I've taken to a mechanic like twice. But i knew what was wrong exactly, and where to look, and what needed to be fixed, and what new part needed to be put on, dont go into this blind.

 

Yeah, I get what you're saying DarkMint and the others. I owned a 04 Avalanche up until a few years ago, so I know the upkeep of older trucks. Before I did anything I would ask about any and all maintenance done and check the condition of the usual suspects. What I wanted to know is, is 15k for a 2006 2x4 with 150k miles worth it under any condition. The truck is not in pristine mint condition from what I can visually see without getting underneath it. I guess I just wanted to determine if 15k was a valid ask and then subtract for any needed repairs or should I offer less and then subtract for any needed repairs.

 

Start by getting a pre-purchase inspection by a reputable mechanic and go from there. The mechanic should also be able to give you an opinion of what he/she thinks it's worth. Again, no pictures and very few details don't give us much to go on...

 

In my opinion, no. A 2wd truck is a worthless vehicle for me. If it was a 4wd truck, I would be inclined to entertain the $15k price tag if it was remarkably clean. Today a 2wd Tundra seems to fetch about 2/3 of what a similar 4wd would on the market. I have a friend who is trying to sell a near spotless 2002 2wd V8 access cab Tundra with 90k miles in Kansas for $11k and he has not had much interest.

 

I appreciate the reply. That is more or less what I wanted to know.

 

While @87warrior says that, don't be fooled: We have a marked number of 2WD'ers on this very forum with quite built-up trucks who offroad regularly and rarely (or never) run into issues.

Knowing where you live, roughly (Norcal/Socal/inbetweencal), and what you're intending to do, honest and truthfully, not some glorified "well, I'd love to ..." would be helpful.

Knowing where the truck has spent its life would help also. Not where it lives currently, cars migrate.

 

Everyone wants a truck like mine, but no one works on their own vehicle. These trucks run forever, but it’s sweat equity. They will bury you in repair costs if you don’t work on your own vehicle.

The good thing is that most parts will go 300k.

 

I'm in socal. The truck wouldn't be my daily. It's more for the occasional drive, utility use, stop at the hardware store type of vehicle. Don't planning on going off road with it. As far as I now, it was bought and been kept here in socal.

 

15k is a little steep but reasonable if you can verify the maintenance and the truck is in good aesthetic condition

May be wrong place but I just gotta know… what’s the hate on 2WD? I can see if you live in swamp country or you farm with it but that’s almost not the case here. I’ve done things and gone places in 2WDs right behind 4x4s. I’m talking from ice to muddin. It’s absolutely your choice in the package but I’ve never understood the hate on capable 2WD trucks

 

If you’re in socal and just want a truck to do truck things I would 100% get a 2wd truck. I live in Ky and now moving to tx and I use my truck to haul dirtbikes and daily drive. I have never had a reason to even think about using 4wd if I had it. I’m not saying some people on here don’t need it but it sounds like you wouldn’t miss it. Benefits to me are no cv’s to leak or replace, easier lbj replacement (lol), no front diff to service and better mpg. Just food for thought.

 

I would 100% buy a 2WD truck. Maybe not a 2WD Tundra, because I need a truck that I can use at boat ramps, in the woods and fields when hunting and to pull bushes out of my flowerbeds and what not. But a lowered Chevy short wide? All day. So depends on your use. For me, $15k is a little steep for a 2WD FGT, but may reflect your market. Better be immaculate. And I’ll echo a previous poster, if you’re not planning to wrench on it yourself, buy something else. Old trucks will need fixing and maintaining. These get pricey fast if you’re paying for someone else’s labor.

 

This ^^

$15k for a socal, always-in-Cali DC even if 2WD, as long as the frame is 100% clean, and it's decently optioned, is actually a pretty damn fair price. We've seen clean, lower-mile DCs in Cali go for way more.

If the timing belt and water pump hasn't been done in the last 10k miles, you're looking at $1,500 for a qualified dealership to do the work, and that should be factored into the price. Lower balljoints should also be replaced with OEM if not done within the last 100k miles, or if they were done with aftermarket parts.

If radiator has never been replaced, or if timing belt is being done, I'd proactively replace it. $150 for Denso if you purchase from RockAuto or Summit Racing, Denso is the only brand you should buy.