New-to-me 2003 V8 4x4 SR5 access cab

Just purchased my first truck from the original owner, a 65-year-old who took incredibly good care of this truck for 230k miles. It came with service records and the original owner's manual, and it still has the window sticker folded up in the glove box.

Save for the normal wear and tear of a 20-year-old work truck, it's in excellent condition with no rust (lived in the CA Bay Area for it's entire life) and everything is functional with the one exception of the volume knob on the stereo that seems to have a mind of its own.

I bought the truck to commute to and from my job (2 miles) in the garment industry where I found myself putting some abuse on my 2016 Audi S4. I am also a property manager and do some gardening, and I just couldn't keep putting bags of soil, rusty tools, and dirty materials in the Audi.

I'm a "car guy" at heart and will probably be doing most of my own maintenance and modifications, but all I feel this truck really needs right now is some interior updates (new stereo/speakers, backup camera, etc.). I'm also looking into mods that aid durability and longevity rather than adding power or aesthetics.

Looking forward to diving into the wealth of knowledge and experience you've all provided here.

 

Welcome from the valley

 

Welcome from LA (Lower Alabama)!

 

Did this original owner keep up with timing belt changes? May want to check if you're not sure. At 230k I'd definitely consider replacing the lower ball joints with OEM as well if not done previously.

With a 2 mile commute you would definitely benefit from doing oil changes more often than the usual 5000 or so miles. 2 mile drives are hard on things and can cause condensation buildup in the engine.

Nice truck though. Looks great. Welcome! Stop by the 1st gen section when you start doing mods and improvements. Good bit of info on audio stuff here.

 

Welcome from So Cal

 

Welcome and good looking truck.

 

Welcome from NY.

 

Thanks everyone!

@NickB_01TRD good advice all around, thank you! I’m a big fan of frequent oil changes and the previous owner was religious about doing them every 3-4k. He was on top of the timing belt as well- last changed about 16k miles ago with the records to show.

I did come across the ball joint issue, good call, I haven’t had any reason to be concerned the way the truck drives (quiet, tracks nicely) but I’ll be putting it up on the jack this week to confirm. Word has it they can be pretty catastrophic if you neglect them.

 

Welcome