Advice on for sale Gen 1 Tundra

edit to add....Kevin has posted this also on Tundra Nation
https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/2000-tundra-with-28k-miles.1668370/

As Erik, @FirstGenVol alluded to, member kcornett1990 did not adhere to rules concerning advertising his vehicle. Perhaps one could private message him if interested.

kcornett1990(kevin) mentioned he was in Dayton, Ohio area, posted a pic with Ohio tags HMU 5233 that's available on Google and mentioned later in thread he had placed an ad locally, if any of that helps anyone.

Apologize in advance if the cache paged linked to is not permissible.

https://webcache.googleusercontent....th-28k-miles.57263/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

 

If your in CT there are options. I myself look just to senwhat is out there. I live in nj

 

That was a prob attack. Testing waters. I’m alway leery of those types of posts. Guy bought the truck with 18k miles and is selling at 28k? My suspicion is that the truck suffers from too low of miles. Engines aren’t designed to sit around and not be used.

 

Yeah this doesn’t appeal to me tbh. Not that I’m a mechanic by any means but engines need to be run. Outboard boat engines typically last 2k hours by a weekend warrior but commercial guys can get 8-10k because they run them so frequently. I’m sure the same applies to car engines too.

 

Curious, what would you consider too low of miles for a 15 year old truck? 50k? What's a good average yearly mileage to put on?

 

Not sure exactly. But a 20 year old truck with 18k miles is less than 1k miles a year. Then a 10k additional boost on the 18k to bring it to 28k is enough time to discover all the problems.

I had this convo with my mechanic last month about the low miles topic. He has a 20+ year old Acura that just sits and rots from lack of use. He said its because the engine doesn’t get used.

 

The low mileage doesn't bother me but the sitting would. If they started and drove the truck a few times a month I would think it should be fine. If it sat for 12 months and was never started I'd be more concerned.

 

I brought mines with 57k miles and its an 2006.

 

What's the consensus on used car shops. My brother got hosed at a use car lot, sure enough when he got home the CEL kicked on and he was SOL on his Land Cruiser. Got it fixed and all is well now but he's in it deeper than he wanted.

 

It is what it is...always get a VIN to check it on Toyota's website and a carfax or autocheck and due your due diligence. The good thing about the internet is you can really investigate a dealers reputation online as well these days.

 

Gotta be careful with some of those small used car lots. In my home town we had a used car lot that had been family owned and operated for 3 generations. It turns out there were in debt up to their assholes. I don't remember all the details but they were basically buying cars from other lots on credit and then reselling them as their own. The problem is that they were not paying their bills and didn't have titles to any of the vehicles. So people were paying them for vehicles and then upon payoff they were not getting the titles. A lot of car buyers lost their ass. The place went out of business and the owners didn't even get prison time. Small town connections, politics, and prosecutors that let them off easy.

Point being, if you're going to buy from a small lot, either bring cash and get the title right then, or do some research.

 

wut

 

That's a good looking truck with low miles and some sort of lift. If I wanted a low mileage DC I'd try to get it for $13K OTD.

 

Kinda confusing I guess. Car lot A(liars), financing vehicles from car lot B. Then A was reselling them as their own, even though they didn't own them. So everyone that bought from A(liars) then paid their monthly payments for years only to find that they were scammed. They had their cars repossessed by car lot B who had a legal right to them. A lot of people got screwed all around.

 

Oh no no, I got it, I'm just amazed that they did that for so long and didn't get whacked with jail time. Horrible

 

The other pictures look good if you can ignore the bullbar...lol

 

Looking for insight here. Per usual. Prices are my likely negotiated price.
I've narrowed my search to 4 LOCAL (Connecticut) cars and am hopefully seeing at least 2 tomorrow. Included alternate plans as well. Primary use is getting to hunting/fishing spots ~1-2 hours away on the weekends... maybe some towing but not mandatory, would like the option but not necessary. Goal is for this to last >3 years with minimal-to-no shop/time and ultimately cost much less than a lease (I'm fairly mechanical but don't have good tools/experience).

1. Well-maintained 2005 DC Tundra 4x4 ($5,300), 220k miles (one primary owner that put a lot into this)
   1hr drive away
   Primary owner 90-220k miles kept up with maintenance and did almost $5k in replacements of parts (he sent me receipts for everything); including water pump, timing belt, and tensioners within the past year... LBJs, suspension (bilsteins), exhaust gaskets, cat back exhaust, wheel bearings, rear leaf springs.
   DOWNFALL is that the frame was not replaced, but was inspected and coated by Toyota 6 years ago. I have images of the frame below.
   Tires are about half-way through tread.
   I'm leaning towards this one however I find it hard to bring myself to drop almost $6k on a 220k mile Northeast rust-belt truck with a coated frame that could be rotting from the inside. Not yet determined if he fluid filmed or undercoated in the winters.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. A Mysterious Family Guy's 2004 AC Tundra 4x4 (mid-high $3k), 240k miles (3 owners, fairly equal length of ownership/miles)
   2.5 hrs away
   Frame Replaced 6 years ago, nice. Guy frequented the dealer, saws he did timing belt and water pump 'recently' but I doubt it. Doesn't seem very mechanically inclined and may have just let it sit.
   Tires are brand new and knobby. Concerned about the other parts, one control arm was replaced with the frame, along with various other parts that are usually done at the same time, but that's all.
   
   
   
   
   
3. 2006 Honda Ridgeline ($5.5k), 160k miles
   Down the street
   Seller is kind of a dick... not very responsive but is in my town, can take a look at it easily.
   I've read these are reliable, pushing 200k regularly, and a very pragmatic 'truck.' 5k towing capacity, drives like a crossover, wife likes the leather interior. Comes with two sets of tires.
   
   
4. 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland ($4.5k), 60k miles
   20 mins away
   Seller is also rather unresponsive. He stated he had a work truck and rarely used this, rarely took it out in the winter, the frame barely shows signs of rust, all surface (he sent me photos to confirm). I love the engine in this thing but have heard Jeep's get a bad rap for the little things breaking down; electronics, sealing, etc... which I can live with as long as it's not damaging safety or the engine.
   I have a friend that runs a Jeep Shop so he could probably get me good rates and work done if the thing goes tits up, but I don't want to bank on that.
   
   
5. Forget all this and wait for a good Austin, Texas truck, convince a friend to look at it with a mechanic, and make the trip/ship it
6. Lease a Tacoma SR5 for $220/mo (meh, probably logical seeing as I won't drive it THAT much and am not a skilled DIY'er)

 

Forget that Ridgeline

It should have the top cut off and filled full of dirt to plant flowers in

He is a dick because his wife liked the leather seats and it came with two sets of tires and he bought it.

I would be bitter too

 

I agree they're pretty fuggs, but it's grown on me the more I see lifted and modded ones. Plus the reliability, lower cost, and mileage.

 

Wizumz, I think you said you're a mid 20's guy trying to get your first truck and don't want to get suckered in the process. We're all here to support that effort. But, you need to understand that none of us can provide you any assurances regarding a truck that we only see on the internet. All we can do is share our past experiences as data points for you to apply as you move forward with your purchase. Anyone on here that has purchased more the six cars in their lifetime, regardless of their age, probably has a story of a purchase that went sideways or became a money pit. It happens. The best you can do is apply what we've shared, make a decision, plunk some money down, and see what happens. I've suggested the new frame Tundra cause I no longer enjoy fighting rust. Swapping parts that attach with bolts and screws, even if transmissions and engines, is better than grinding rust any day.

Keep in mind that Tundras are great machines, but machines they be. So a 150k neglected truck may prove more of a problem for you than a 240k well maintained. If you don't feel you have the skills to evaluate the condition during a test drive, bring or take it to a mechanic for a prepurchase inspection. The mechanic wont be able to do a dna analysis and promise you the truck will not issue a single drip of oil for the next 5 years, but they will be able to point out areas of short and long term concern. You can then determine if your skills, time, money, will be able to resolve said concerns if they arise. Print yourself a checklist of items to review to keep you organized during the visit.

Lastly, I'd keep both these comments from other postings in mind. I think you're in CT so the annual inspection may not be required after 10 years, but I'd check to make sure.

Last, last, lastly forget the Ridgeline with it's weird no function bed and forget the Grand Cherokee unless you really enjoy mysterious breakdowns and transmission failures before 100k.

 

OMG! It looks like a 1st Gen Double Cab. Hahahahahaa. I told you guys!

BTW this is the first Ridgeline I’ve seen tricked out.

 

Hey all, don't want to butt in on @Wizumz 's thread, but I'm in the same boat: also 20-something looking for my first truck. Right now, I drive a 2008 Saab 9-3. I really love that car and it goes FAST (still), but I'll be moving and doing mobile work, so truck it is.

I've been looking for first gen Tundras and second or first gen Tacomas w/ standard transmission. I'm quite biased toward the Tundras. I need the bed length, so I'm looking at access and regular cabs. 4X4 is preferable, but not required.

I'm pretty set on it being a stick, so am looking at out-of-state/regions options, too. I'm in Chicago, but if I find the right thing would definitely drive to pick it up or get it shipped.

Anyway, if anyone comes across a truck that fits this description feel free to post it. I'll post finds here for kicks. Thank you @Wizumz for starting this thread! And thank you everyone else for all the great information! This forum has been a great resource in my research-phase.

 

There's no question the Ridgeline is ugly as sin... but it's a fantastic vehicle if it fits your needs.

You have to understand that at its heart, it's a front wheel drive SUV with an open bed. If you don't go off road, you don't carry large loads and don't tow anything over about 4K lbs, it's a really clever design with features that are unmatched by any other vehicle. But compared to a Gen-1 Tundra, it's on the totally opposite end of the truck spectrum.

IMHO