Is this worth it?? Found a gem!

As long as they are worry free miles, I agree. I'm thinking I'll have some luck with the price, but honestly any 1st gen Tundra I've seen locally under 10k is either damaged from an accident, salvaged, or over 300k miles. You're estimate of 14k for 150k miles feels pretty realistic.

 

I'd feel better towing it. I was honestly worried enough with my '05 at 127k where the PO said he took meticulous care of it and tons of receipts which I verified on carfax. It's the unknown problem that sidelines you. A tow would be safest, then get a full review but you want to find a quality mechanic other than the dealer to keep costs under control.

I spent way more than 4 on mine but I went hog wild. I think a budget of 4k and try to be smart about it, try to find a non-dealer local mechanic you can trust, build a relationship, do the important stuff first and start with shorter trips where you can either tow it home (worst case) or call for help or something. If you tow you can then do a short trip for tires and get them at the price you want (maybe order in advance if you want something specific) and take your time. Don't daily it till you have confidence and signoff from whoever your local mechanic is. Plan for all fluids, no reason not to start with a fresh slate there after all that time. Then it's a matter of visual inspection and paying keen attention. Don't drive it like you stole it on day 1, get to know the truck and fix the important stuff first, take note of the less important stuff and deal with it as it comes up.

It's a fun adventure, but it starts at purchase, it doesn't end at purchase

 

Also, there was a moment with my '05, after it got dark, when the check engine light went on and I was like "oh f me" but that turned out to just be the cap (Arizona is dry and the gas cap seal wasn't great, there's a self test done while the engine is hot.) My '02 Tundra threw an airbag code on the move north as well, still tracking that one down. Neither is catastrophic but it sorta sucks to have a nice "new" truck and deal with problems. Iterate and solve.

 

OP, you gotta ask yourself why it is that anything half decent price and/or condition in your area shifts in hours but this one hasn't...

Truck prices are bloody silly over here, makes the 2007, 185k, beater, Frontier Nismo that I just bought for $4.5k seem cheap. This one came with refurbished transmission, including the regulator upgrade, new cats, new cooling system, new A/T tires, new battery...and a branded title because the small side knock it took wrote it off, drives great and straight which is always a bonus! And the 4x4 system still works!

 

I have a 2001 2WD I bought new, all maintenance done and documented. Today it has about 101K miles. SoCal all its life with zero rust. If I were to sell it today I'd ask between 10 and 12 thousand. That seems fair, just for perspective. I still have the original window sticker, sales brochure and the returned check for the purchase. I like documentation.

 

Beauty. Let me know if you want to sell it tomorrow!

 

Respect!

 

Please hit me up when that day comes.

 

I would pass. I think some are getting hung up on the low miles, but at this age it means hardly driven, as in detrimental to the truck. I would prefer a 100-175K truck that has been used and maintained over one that has been parked for most of it's life-rubber, seals dried out, fluid has accumulated moisture, etc.

 

A big factor would be whether the truck was garaged during it's life in retirement. Keeping it out of the sun would prevent a lot of deterioration. Why would hoses, etc., be more likely to fail on a little used truck. I've never needed to replace hoses on my daily driver, yet, and it's never been garaged.

Another factor in buying an older model is the huge savings in licensing and insurance costs.

If that's the model you want, if the description of condition is genuine, and you can negotiate a more reasonable price, go for it.

 

I miss the days you could use a pick to pull the pawl to set the milage to whatever you want.

 

Because if you don't run the engine, various lubricants don't get cycled, so the gaskets and what-not those lubricants are meant to protectt from drying out, get dried out.

 

Short trips, hardly driven all contribute to fluid degradation which isn't good for internals. I bet that truck has all factory fluids, maybe one oil change.

 

10-12k too high for a 2wd…

 

This is the best advice of the thread. The 56k miles example I bought a couple of years ago has been great. No seal problems, no engine leaks or driveline problems. I replaced the dry rotted tires, did the timing belt, and have driven it happily. It was previously owned by a large animal veterinarian who treated it like a motorized wheelbarrow. It still hasn’t had any problems. To make it worse, it’s 2WD. Maybe I should go outside and set it on fire while I’m ahead….

 

Sorry - was in a [literal] jungle over the last week and missed this. I agree with everyone else here - I would pass. Half of that is because of all the unknowns. The other half is, simply, I don't deal with "Oh, I know what I've got here ..." people. Anyone that bullheaded isn't interested in selling the vehicle, they're either (A) interesting in maximizing their dollar or more often (B) actively hunting for a buyer that's a pushover because the same kind of person willing to pay a higher price is less likely to complain later if there are any issues found after-the-fact.

I don't think the price is outrageous if this is some old dude who, say, every other month put a few hundred miles driving it out and back somewhere at higher RPM. But I highly doubt it.

I'd gladly pay $10k for that truck depending on the options if the frame was solid. I think that's more-than-fair price. But for 2WD, I'd be moving to larger wheels and sport suspension, or full-on bagging it. Sadly, there's virtually no support for really lowering these trucks aggressively, so one would need to build their own solutions, I think.

 

Well, did you buy it?

 

I bought a 80K 2005 XSP.
Old guy owned it.
It has been more than I preferred maintaining it. Front wheel bearings, drive shaft, sludge in engine. Timing belt. I paid 10.5 for it.

If I were to do it again.....

Has truck been garaged?
Is truck in no rust area?
Does it look like a 25K truck?

If yes, then go buy it.

 

Just got home with it! I'll be posting separately to show it off

 

Did you smile all the way home or hoh hum....Best Genners want to know

Oh and update your profile

 

Damn right. Been my dream truck for long time now, and I found one with 10% miles I expected. I don't want to spoil the deal I got on it too. I'll be taking some photos once the rain calms down and I clean it up.

 

Fine! I'll go weather the storm. Just for you Bubba. I'll get some photos up in a few

 

Here’s the post of the truck

https://www.tundras.com/threads/found-a-gem-05’-rclb-v8-4wd-w-25k-miles.120961/#post-3102149