Rate this potential truck

On that bed issue, looks like he tried to back into or up to something that was narrower than he was thinking? Quick fix is get one of those swing-out tire carrier rear bumpers that requires you to cut out the lower part of those panels, just about to the area of that damage, and voila, you’re in bidness.

Sweet truck! Hope it works out and you stick around.

 

I was thinking he backed into a big forklift. Like the ones used to pick up boats. It's fun to speculate.

 

Haha I know! I was imagining all the dumb sheet I have seen people do and mentally crossing things off. No idea. OP needs to report back once he meets prior owner, for science.

 

I was curious about that as well. I dunno, it'll be a bitch to replace that bed, and paint matching equally difficult, so cutting out is the easier option. Anyway, sounds like you got a winner there if the price is right.

 

Haha. I didn't want to admit it, but I also thought "maybe he rear-ended a forklift somehow?" But I like @JasonC. suggestion of a new rear bumper and hack off the bottom of the bed.
I'm going to have the guy meet me at the dealership when I go pick it up. The owner was the one that installed the front shocks and he said he swaps out the LBJs everytime he does new shocks. But he uses O'Reilly brand. So if he makes it to the dealership, I'm getting those swapped out before driving home. Since I have to fly there I can't just change them out myself.

The only other red flag, and also going to have the dealership check out is the steering rack. Supposedly Toyota swapped it out in the last year, but from these pics the boots look fried (probably along with the rack). @shifty` I think the last pic shows the exhaust right behind the cat, and it seems to be intact.

 

Wow, yeah, those rack bellows are utterly mangled!

Don't forget to verify 4WD operations!

 

I am scared to know what the dealer charges for that. I would not be surprised if they want $800-1000.

 

I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but I don't want to risk the 9+ hour drive home on a ticking time bomb. Since I won't have any tools available so I can't do it in the parking lot either. Cuz it did cross my mind.

 

I’d roll the dice on it and just drive it home.

 

I've put a call into the dealership, and am waiting on a price, and if they can do it that day. We'll see what they say. If it's outrageous, then I might risk it with a puckered butthole the whole way back.
Either way, this truck seems like the best option I've found so far. I'm pretty set on it, but if there are some big issues or something isn't right, then I'm fully prepared to buy a return plane ticket and walk away. I still have 2 weeks before I go pick it up, but I'll be sure to report back.
In the meantime, I'm going to start prepping my current truck for sale.

 

Can you check a bag with the necessary tools and do it yourself before you drive home? Not ideal but beats getting raped by the dealership.

 

I considered it, but that would rely on everything going perfectly. Which is a lot of pressure and is exactly when Murphy’s Law would show its ugly head. The risk is a little more than I wanna take on. But I haven’t looked to see if any members are in the area and could be of assistance.

 

Well, you were right @FirstGenVol the dealership was going to bend me over for the balljoints. Luckily they said they didn't have them in stock; despite me calling a week ahead and having the parts department put them aside for me. The dealer quoted me $937 for the LBJs. Instead they inspected the ones on there and said they were good. So I drove the truck home and ordered them for $270 with shipping.

 

Welcome to your new truck!

 

Thanks! It's a pretty solid truck. It needs a little love and some upgrades but 70k fewer miles, extra 50 HP, and a full backseat. I'm stoked!
Steering rack is toast, but it was replaced at the dealership in November. Going to have it replaced under warranty.

 

oh hey! nice! glad you're happy with it. Welcome to the DC family, we've been waiting for you

 

Congrats on the new truck! A thorough frame inspection is important, what’s going on in this area??

 

You mean the giant cock you drew?

 

What???
Someone circled the frame overlap areas but neglected the main frame rail sections that should also be insp…. Oh my I did didn’t I . Shoot.

 

In a lot of the photos I've seen here of trucks for sale recently, the current owners really aren't being thoughtful. Yeah, you should wash it before you take the photos. But let it dry first...I know one of the tricks to making the paint look better than it is is to take a photo with the truck wet. But some of these photos the thing is half dry, so the finish looks all messed up because there's streaks of water halfway down the truck, with the upper half dry. Then you've got spots on the frame where water is still dripping out. And a potential buyer can't know...is that an oil leak? Corrosion? New paint trying to cover up something?

I mean one of those photos there's cat litter all over the floor underneath it. Does the truck have massive oil leaks at every seal? We don't know. But the seller clearly doesn't know what an informed buyer needs to see from halfway across the county in photos to feel comfortable making the leap.

 

Don't worry I got down on my knees and thoroughly inspected the balls and shaft before fully committing. Upper and lower ball joints and drive shaft that is.
It does have a little surface rust but the pictures were accurate and I'll slowly work away at it to get it nice and clean.

 

Very true. I've seen those tricks too and it's ridiculous the lengths some people will go. I can say that this truck still looks good. The paint is not chipped or fading. The small rust spots are very minor and only cosmetic. There were spots on the frame and axle that looked wet in weird spots, when I went to look at it. When I got closer it was WD40 or some other lubricating spray that had been used and had dripped down from whatever they had been working on.

 

I'm pretty excited about the extra space in the back. I know my son and dog will appreciate it too.
It does feel big compared to my AC but I'll get used to it. It'll be even nicer once I swap the bench seat out for buckets. Personally, I'm not a fan of the bench.

 

SAE instead of metric lower shock bolts?

 

Pretty sure it's Rough Country. Cheap shit, they DGAF.

 

Probably. I haven't messed with them yet. Going to leave them alone until I figure out what I'm going to replace them with. First I have to get rid of the damn blocks in the rear.

 

Getting a "new" rig is always exciting. Happy you found one that's a good platform to build from. When I went from an 06 double cab to a 12 double cab I actually lost space in the back seat leg room zone. Kinda miss my 06 and watching all these threads of people getting "new" first gens has me on the hunt again. Nothing serious, but...