Should I walk away?

I found this 2003 v6 manual 2wd 115kmiles going for $9k. It was originally from Hilton Head Island South Carolina (coast). I heard really good things about these trucks and this will be my first truck; I am just really worried about rust. Do you good people think I should walk away?

 

I don’t see anything crazy in those few photos. That all looks very superficial.

 

2WD. Manual. That much rust, even if superficial. $9k. I’d be running, not walking. https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

 

The photos don’t show the most problematic areas. Inside frame where the stiffeners and braces are, especially the X brace for the spare tire. Also the front frame rails beneath the fire wall where it’s boxed in.

 

Look at the rust on the UCA bolt

 

Has to be 6 cylinder? [mpg not much better than v8 w/lots more power].
Willing to travel? If you could spend up on trip to SoCal, you likely would find a rust free FGT.
both these start asking below $9k...
This :
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/d/san-diego-2003-toyota-tundra/7821840201.html
except for the ratty looking wheels, may be a clean truck to make offer...

...just sayin'.

 

Here is what I did. I test drove it over to a muffler shop/repair shop where they immediately got it on a lift, took a look under it, and gave me their opinion.

Shop time cost nothing (I went in and asked them the day before if they'd do it for me) but I tipped the owner a bit for his time.

That looks just like surface rust, no big deal, but I can't really tell. I told the owner "I want a test drive and that will be to a shop to check the computer and get it onto a lift."

I paid $7,500 for it last July. A 2006 DC, V8, 4x4. Bought in WV from a mowing client who literally died about 2 weeks later.

BIT OF ADVICE:

NEVER get under a vehicle or anything for that matter (house, deck, etc.) without safety glasses on. When you get rust fall off a frame into your eye....you'll know why!

 

That doesn't look bad. I've seen worst

 

The exact setup OP is looking at would easily be $2,000 cheaper in my area one state south (or even less), with far less rust. My beef is more with this being an unfavorable drivetrain configuration for $9,000, but hear me out on one other thing.

That’s not an unsubstantial amount of rust, and it’s coating everything, as if the truck was underwater. And given all the flooding from NC TO FL to LA in the last 6-12 months, I wouldn’t trust that shit farther than I could throw it.

@Ergo21 if you’re still reading, do you have any way to confirm this truck was NOT in a flood? That is NOT typical rust for SC. Even for a coastal area like HH. It’s covering everything. That’s suspicious as hell. Airborne salt doesn’t coat to that level, and the bright orange spots are suspect too.

 

This is a VERY good point. I was kind of scratching my head and wondering why that rust looked so "uniform". I think this one's asking for trouble. Not to mention 2wd, V6 for $9K. Pssssshhhht...Fuggettaboutit.

 

I think I will let it go, I think I only liked it because of the bed size https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/405837957

https://www.carfax.com/vehiclehisto..._bhxihE-oqHO7NkD7B8SqTjfnHiqV2lrvT5qllg-8k4O0

 

The bumper is very rusty. More rusty than my frame-swapped New Yorker. I would inspect the chassis at the problem areas

 

unless youre after a RC [Reg Cab], the AC [AccessCab] FGTs are 6'4" and the DC [DualCab] is 6'2" beds [considered 'short beds], but this is what makes them so easy to drive in tight quarters.
If you are continuing the search for a FGT, by all means be sure to get the VIN [vehicle ID#] and plug it in to the toyota.com/owners page...that will give you exact specs on the build, date it left factory as well as any options included. The site may also list whether it received any 'Recall Services'.
When you do find a truck worth considering for purchase, I recommend buying a CarFax report based on its VIN [I purchased the 3 vehicle plan which dropd the price to about $40/report b/c I was certain I'd see at least 2 trucks that I was interested in and I think the subscription is good for 6 mo's but 3 vehicle limit]; anyway, yes it will list the "Reported" accidents the trucks been in, but the most important part of the report will list the service history and ownership transfers. Where the truck has been serviced will give you an idea of what state/county/city its spent its time in. If a Toyota dealer is listed as performed service, you can call their service bay and ask about what & when- most of the dealers I called still maintained that record of service; this will help you decide if the truck and/or seller are being straight w/you. Also Toyota benefits from keeping that data since theyre hoping you drive in for an oil change so they can sell you on fixing every other thing they find wrong w/it. If the seller agrees to the oil change [$50-60 on you], you get the full picture, fr/Toyota, of what the truck needs and you can then negotiate w/seller if all else is right.
PS: You might already be knowledgeable of this, but seeing your link fr/CarGurus made a bell go off for me. I personally think those guys and Carvana, etc are just huge corporate entities in the biz of flipping used cars, which is OK- cant blame peeps for their trys at making $, but I avoid them like STDs...you might luckout and find a good vehicle and good deal, but I once looked at a vehicle for my wife which they had listed quite a while ago here in San Diego. From that single experience I got the overwhelming sense that they know as much about cars as dogs know about cell phones. Their primary interest is to sell you that vehicle whether they have any info on it or not, and you may as well presume most of their info is 'manufactured" to mimic the same style as a CarFax. Every vehicle I saw on their lot had just been washed and the engine bay douched w/armor-all; a very common resale op. I think CarFax may also have their own chain of reseller lots, but at least they have a good research/title plant-database to produce their reports.
Try to stick w/private sellers is optimum, since you likely will see exactly how the vehicle was managed and when you decide to buy, you can request the seller to sign off on a lower 'sold price' on the DMV transfer doc so you can minimize your sales/transfer tax owed to the state.

 

What am I looking at here?!? It almost looks like a part was cut out and welded back in there; poorly. Very bizzare.



Other than that, for what I’m seeing, it just looks like a lot of surface rust. Interesting how it completely coats the frame for a vehicle that lives next to the ocean.

 

What a thoughtful detailed reply. This is why I joined the community. Thank you so much. I am glad I walked away. Will look into private sellers.

 

No idea, this would be my first truck purchase so not sure what that is.