Looking at a 2003 - advice?

Hello first post here. I am wanting to go look at a 2003 Tundra and was looking for some advice on what to look for. This truck has 122,000 miles, 4.7, TRD 4wd, access cab. Pictures look good. It is about a two hour drive for me to go check it out. In the past I have owned a 1987 Toyota access cab 4wd pickup and a 2006 Tacoma DC 4wd TRD off road but don't know much about 1st gen Tundras. Asking price is 8900.00 which sounds a bit high to me but not sure. Any pointers? Would you consider at this price? Thank you in advance.

 

First thing would need to know: Was is regularly maintained? If you have the VIN, you can look up service records with Toyota.

Second thing we need to know: If you can't post pics ... Is the paint good? Is the body dent-free? Is the interior in good shape, or does it look like it was a work truck for a group of ditch diggers?

 

Rust. Have them send you pictures of the undercarriage before taking that drive, especially the frame. I consider myself lucky having found a Tundra that spent all of it's time here in AZ but I've seen pictures of used Tundras from rust prone areas that make me shudder.
Oh, and welcome!

 

Here are some pictures. Pretty sure it is a southern truck so I don't think its rusty.

Thanks for the welcome! I will definitely ask for pictures underneath.

 

What state are you or that truck in?

Looks well cared for.

 

Arkansas.

Thank you for your reply - I thought from the pictures it looked pretty clean for the age. Looks like the badging is missing from the tailgate? Or maybe that is normal not sure.

 

Badges were intentionally removed, pretty common thing to do. I removed all of mine.

Find out if the one big service for the truck has been done, if so at how many miles and/or how long ago. The timing belt/water pump/serpentine belt job. At this age even if it were done at 80k miles, I would do it again because this truck has only seen 7k miles per year and belts age even without use.

Check for rust under the frame, look at the parts where frame joins crossmembers and the inside of the rear bumper.

Other than that there isn't much to worry about. You'll have some regular maintenance to do and these motors last forever.

The high price is because of the low miles and seemingly good condition, try to talk them down. I don't know the price ranges in Arkansas but in California that would sell at 9k no problem and at 7k would be a steal.

 

I mean, it looks alright. If the frame is OK, and you can dig up maintenance records, and the big stuff like timing belt is done, I think $8k is a fair price based on what I'm seeing.

 

$9k is a little steep around here (also in Arkansas). I would still check the frame for rust issues, that hitch looks awful crusty. Could be a transplant. When I got viciously attacked by a deer and insurance wanted to total my truck, they couldn't find a comp over $5500 locally.

 

Upon further research, $9k is in line for a 4wd, the 2WD versions are going for free. Well, $3-4k cheaper. Mileage on that one is a plus.

 

Get the VIN and register it here www.toyota.com/owners and check it's Toyota dealer maintenance history there. As has been said, rust underneath is the biggest issue...get a bunch of underneath pics...A BUNCH. Also, I's consider $40 on a Carfax worth the investment before you drive 2 hours. Maintenance can show up there that won't show up on the Toyota website....good luck, the truck looks good!

 

It looks good, but I would still have a mechanic inspect it and hook up a scan tool to it BEFORE making an offer on it.

 

Side note, those are interesting wheels...I like them.

 

By the way this truck DID turn out to be quite rusty underneath. Had some pictures taken of the undercarriage and too much rust for me. It was a transplant from the St. Louis area. Thanks for the help from everyone!

So the hunt continues...