Am I insane for considering paying 23K for a 05 DC?

Pffff. You're no fun.

 

This post here 100% nails it.

 

Lived at the top of Noe Valley (Diamond Heights) and the fog would roll in every afternoon…. God I miss it …but not all the crack heads…lol. Couldn’t afford a car as my parking tickets were more than my car payment (98 Wrangler Sport at the time).

 

...thats funny. My sis lives "up there" just below the antenna tower by firestation.
Epic view fr/southbay to Coit tower and ATTpark; but what a PITA to get to and you better have a strong automatic or healthy clutch and left leg. That daily commute is a car killer, but thats what they like.

Yes, good rule of thumb w/any vehicle purchase is to know your financial pain tolerance when it comes to an insurance total. At the moment Id have to live w/a 50% loss of what Ive got into it. Im ok w/that and as each year goes by, that potential loss diminishes.
Living w/out risks is nearly impossible [and boring].

 

Same story basically. But bought used in 2005, paid half that, still have it, cost per mile / cost per year are ridiculously low for how much use and enjoyment I’ve gotten out of it. Still my favorite vehicle I’ve ever owned. Partly because of how well it fits the use case, and mostly because it’s never let me down.

 

Would like to use this thread for something like it's original purpose. I'm looking at this truck https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/cto/d/dallas-2006-toyota-tundra-limited-4wd/7867913782.html and the owner has sent me the service records, at least an abbreviated list of the alleged service records. The maintenance has been fairly regular but there are several things that are certainly not current. I'm going to make a list of all the things I think it needs to have done immediately, or within the next 10-15k miles (which I'm considering an immediate need), and I'm hoping those of you who are more experienced will add anything I've forgotten and correct what I've got wrong. Also, if you care to provide a rough estimate of cost, that too would be appreciated. I can handle some of the lighter work myself but for now, assume it's all going to be shop work. I'll take the completed list to my local Toyota wizard at Safari Classics and get his opinion as well.

- oil, oil filter, cabin air filter
- timing belt, water pump, fan clutch, radiator
- all hoses, brake line, fuel line, fuel filter
- spark plugs, coil packs, valve cover gasket, pcv valve
- all fluids, brake, transfer, diff, etc.
- front shocks and struts, rear shocks
- upper control arms
- calipers, brakes
- tires
- rear bumper (back to white)

 

There is no cabin air filter, but there's an engine air filter under the hood.

Any claim of needing to do lines (brake, fuel, vacuum) is completely outlandish and over the top, as is, I think, the fan clutch. None of those things are known to typically fail with such low miles, and I think vacuum could be done, but it's personal preference, or if evidence of dry rot.

Same with coil packs: If no misfires present, you'd be (IMHO) wasting time and money.

Same with shocks/struts.

Same with upper control arms and calipers.

The list looks, frankly, very nuts, like it's coming from someone who has outlandish expectations or doesn't understand normal maintenance on vehicles. Unless you're literally just throwing any possible maintenance item out there, in which case you forgot the steering rack and lines, which could be leaking, the seats which may have rips, the dash which could have scratches in it and should be fully replaced, and ... (you see where I'm going with this?)

Clearly that truck was, potentially from the day of purchase, here in Atlanta area, where it for quite a number of years. At least through the end of 2024, so I'm assuming the frame should be clean, but it may be worth checking.

But that said ... if there's no evidence or proof the timing belt/tensioner/pulleys/water pump/t-stat/radiator has been done within the last 10 years or 100k miles, then it's way overdue at this point. And yes, I think it's fair to ask for $1,500-2,000 off for that, but here's the thing: If that truck is sitting at a dealer, they're liable to tell you to go suck eggs, OR they'll potentially swap out the belt only with whatever brand they deem fit and call it a day.

 

I’ve owned over 15 Toyota trucks Tacomas 4Runners tundras all generations so I know these trucks pretty well and Toyota or Asian coolant is acidic and every single Toyota truck has this issue including first gens

I love car care nut but this video is click bait imo if you don’t change coolant you’ll blow your head gasket on any model

 

Thank you for the quick reply, exactly the kind of response I was hoping for (mostly). I went off the forum and AI searches of the internet to compile the list since I lack the real world experience that you and many others here have. So I'm going to blame AI for telling me that all of that (fan clutch, struts, control arms, coil packs, etc.), had an expected life of 150k or less. Pretty sure it was also AI that told me, if the vehicle is in a hot dry area (Dallas), likely to need hose replacements. The fan clutch I think was recommended partially because it's easy to do if you're already doing radiator, t-stat, timing, and water pump.

It's a private seller.

Thank you again for your quick and honest reply.

 

Yeah, I think it was @woodamsc who mentioned using AI for diagnostics earlier.

I appreciate everyone's willingness to use AI for automotive stuff, but you really must understand the huge problems with it: One, it doesn't understand basic nuances that can be wildly critical. Two, it's pulling from sources laden with misinformation like Facebook and Reddit which can result in you potentially doing more damage than good. Three, it can't interpret diagnostic sets very well, unless it's been trained on known-good materials, but I find that the unknowns of material ages, especially in different climate/environments, and external factors like rodents, it does a really piss poor job.

AI is great if it's something basic, or easy to parse, with a very clear pattern OR a very professional data reference set, like x-rays and similar imaging scans. It can peg off evidence of cancer, and differentiate that from pneumonia like it's nobody's business. Automotive? Sadly, that industy doesn't have the same dataset. With one of those (medicine), someone is liable to see a professional, doctor, with credentials and a clear diagnostic path, they won't try to self-diagnose, and can't take their own x-rays, and you can't "parts cannon" your body. With the other (car), 50% of the population is probably going to try to self-diagnose, maybe throw some parts at it, and everyone has an opinion, and less than half the time they're probably right (me included).

 

Just now reading this and as usual Shifty is on point. My first thought was whoever put cabin filter …. Well that explains what they know about our trucks. Edit… just got to the AI Part…. I should just read and keep my mouth shut….lol

 

Pilgram,
Was the truck used to tow or haul heavy loads?



Pilgrim,

 

That's a good catch and a good inference. Might also explain the replaced rear bumper. I will see what I can find out.

 

Even without reading you weren't wrong, I am ignorant about these trucks, hints my reliance on AI! Dare say mechanic is not one of my greater talents, and I'll certainly put my foot in my mouth again before it's over.

Funny thing about the non-existent cabin air filter, going through carfax maintenance reports on these trucks and 'check cabin air filter' has been on several of them. Dealerships taking advantage of my fellow ignorami.

 

On just about every Multi-Point Inspection there is a "Cabin Air Filter" section. On almost all of them you have 4 options, 1) Red, 2) Yellow, 3) Green, 4) N/A. Even I perform "Check Cabin Air Filter" on my own truck's MPI. Don't let that bother you.

 

Everything else being equal, I'm cautious of used vehicles that have been used for towing.

FYI... I've got a 4.7. Changed plugs for the first time at 235k miles. Engine still operating perfectly but the valve covers were leaking so it was an opportune time to change plugs. The coil packs have never been replaced. Nearly 300k miles.

My 2 pennies... If you're considering a 20-year old vehicle there will be plenty of things needing attention. Don't be on a hurry to fix what ain't broke.

Cheers.

 

Seriously, AI is not some magical technological breakthrough that happened over night. It's the same old machine learning that's been around for years, now with a more user friendly GUI.

The biggest problem with people relying on it for things like mechanical diagnoses or general trouble shooting, like you said, is it is only as good as the data that it's been fed. If ChatGPT has scraped 100 people on facebook posting to use Autozone LBJs, and only 20 people saying to use OEM LBJs, it's going to tell you to use the Autozone ones.

Most of the AI summaries Google feeds me in searches are absolute garbage, but a lot of times I can find the correct answer in the source links that it references. At the current level that it's at, I like to think of it about on par with some random drunk guy I've been talking to at a bar all evening. He may know his shit, or he may be full of shit, but it's on me to verify either way before trusting anything he says.

 

Same. The current owner, 3rd owner, doesn't know anything about it and, though he seems nice enough, might not tell me if he did. I called Christian Brothers automotive who performed the removal 40k miles ago and they were super helpful. But it seems they just performed the removal and the tech and manager from that time are no longer there. They did say they'll try to find the intake inspection report that was done a couple years before removal service, see if they were on then. Other than that, I've got a couple toyota dealerships to call and ask what they know. Though I doubt they'll be as receptive and helpful as the folks at Christian Brothers were.

Thank you for sharing your experience with these maintenance issues. I'm not trying to overthink this, though I tend to lean that way, I just want to account for all that's going to need to be done to keep her running optimally going forward. I'm buying this truck for the long haul after all and usually preventative maintenance is the best sort.

 

Yup. I've noticed many Google AI search results are nothing more than an excerpt from Reddit.

 

Have you looked up the maintenance history on the Toyota's owner site? Just need to enter the VIN. Mine was used for towing by an old retired couple, they bought the truck new in 03 and took it to the dealership for everything. Recalls, warranty work, random noises, etc. Even had it towed to the dealership with a dead battery because it would sit for months at a time when they weren't using it to haul their trailer around the PNW. Dealership even documented telling them they needed to keep it on a charger. The main thing is that it had all the regular service work done, and when I got it I knew the only things I was going to have to deal with were the lower ball joints, and I had about 20K miles before I had to worry about the timing belt. Sure, towing can be harder on some stuff, but I'll take a well maintained occasional tow vehicle over a neglected daily driver that sits in stop and go traffic every day.

 

This.

 

Yeah AI is great for when you can take a critical mind to it.
If you're asking it questions you know nothing about...it's easy to be lead astray.

I like using it to expand my mind and find gaps in my thinking - then I'll verify that data elsewhere.
I'm handy and technical, but I don't know everything.
So asking it things like
"My 2003 v8 tundra has these symptoms, what are the most likely causes and what should I check?" is useful to give me threads to pull on

Asking it
"My 2003 v8 tundra has these symptoms, what is the problem?" is not useful and will start taking you down rabbit holes of hallucinations

 

The prompt really is important. They lie a lot too, claiming to analyze papers and providing feedback when having not actually read them. Have been known to make up books and citations that have never existed.

Last night I asked one to generate a list of the 1000 most popular boy names and when completed it provided an excel file for me to download. When I opened it, there were only 11 names. When I confronted it, it apologized and did the task again. This second time there were 1000 names but after about 70, it just repeated the same list.

Definitely best to take any info it gives you with a grain of salt, that's why I brought my results here to be scrutinized.

 

I swear, these AIs today are such lazy asses! Back in my day, we had to AI by ourselves, uphill both ways, in the snow!!

 

This is it. Original owner recorded doing much of the regular maintenance himself, second owner did some himself but relied heavily on Sam's as well.

 

Its called consensus steering
Reddit is 70+% bots all parroting the same thing, over and over, steering consensus
There are clear signs to it on this forum and 4Runner forum and T4R forum as well. They released the better GPT4.5 stuff on the 4R forums recently, you gotta watch to catch them slip up but they do slip up. Reddit is absolutely chocked full of absolute nonsense, and bots parroting it and bashing you for not believing it. This is a way to push away people who dont agree with the "hive mind" and then brainwash the idiots left standing around with more nonsense.
Consensus Steering
It is todays MK Ultra

This guy's got it figured out

That white limited looks good
The list you provided was nonsense as others have said.
At 150,000 and 9 years, and 70,000 on the timing belt, you have a LOT of time left on it i bet. I bet the belt still looks practically new with no cracks. Since it was done at a toyota dealer you KNOW its the good one. I would pull the 5-6 bolts on the drivers side cover and pull it back and look but i bet that belt still looks great and isnt something you gotta worry about on day 1.
The spark plugs are well overlooked things and worn out spark plugs eats up coil packs. The spark plugs were done at 80k, i would recommend changing them with OEM Toyota spark plugs. When were the lower ball joints done, i know it said in the listing it had new OEM joints but it doesnt say WHEN. The timing belt, and ball joints are the only real things that go bad on these vehicles. I would replace the fan clutch when you replace the timing belt because its relatively cheap and you gotta pull it off, but honestly if it were me, i wouldnt do it till 200k miles. I would change the spark plugs, put some sea foam in everything, check the brakes, grease the driveline, and put it in the road.

 

Why even 'consider' 20 year old antique? If it was 600 bucks, sure, but over 20 thousand? Wtf

 

Are there 170 AI bots on here? Seems excessive.

 

Well, I never said she's worse, just very elderly.

 

Well said. Funny how Reddit used to be among the best places for open exchange of ideas. Now they parrot the establishment line, ban users who disagree, and think themselves rebels and pioneers.

[/QUOTE]That white limited looks good
The list you provided was nonsense as others have said.
At 150,000 and 9 years, and 70,000 on the timing belt, you have a LOT of time left on it i bet. I bet the belt still looks practically new with no cracks. Since it was done at a toyota dealer you KNOW its the good one. I would pull the 5-6 bolts on the drivers side cover and pull it back and look but i bet that belt still looks great and isnt something you gotta worry about on day 1.
The spark plugs are well overlooked things and worn out spark plugs eats up coil packs. The spark plugs were done at 80k, i would recommend changing them with OEM Toyota spark plugs. When were the lower ball joints done, i know it said in the listing it had new OEM joints but it doesnt say WHEN. The timing belt, and ball joints are the only real things that go bad on these vehicles. I would replace the fan clutch when you replace the timing belt because its relatively cheap and you gotta pull it off, but honestly if it were me, i wouldnt do it till 200k miles. I would change the spark plugs, put some sea foam in everything, check the brakes, grease the driveline, and put it in the road.[/QUOTE]

147k on the lower ball joints.