Am I overpaying?

@Conman04 I can find you a truck about like that with a solid frame for about the same price around here. As could most of the southern boys. I usually like to do a fly and buy. Gives you time to spend with your new ride.

 

It looks like something exploded in the engine bay!

 

Thats water. Looks like it was sprayed off, prior to the photoshoot. You are seeing remnants of underhood dirt and water spots everywhere.

 

Wonder if this is a too good to be true.
Around here, that’s a $8k truck.


If it were me. I would absolutely go look.
Driving an hour for a used car is normal.

 

Lot of rusted hardware in that engine bay makes me think underneath can’t be any better

 

I think you are right to pass on it too.

 

Up north that engine bay is actually in good condition. Some people are afraid of a few rusty screws. That’s why they make impact wrenches with a low torque setting.

It’s when they’re rusted and deformed you need to be concerned.

I am willing to bet the pickup bed is full of rusty holes though just seeing the edge of the liner.

 

I'm 100% bringing my next used tundra purchase to this forum so the boys can give it a look over

 

If youre set on a G1 Tundra and can travel to West of rockies:

https://lasvegas.craigslist.org/search/cta#search=1~gallery~0~0

Quite a few under $10k and CARFAX can tell you where truck started out and lived; that will minimze the 'rust belt' trucks.
Yes, you will have to add travel expenses but call it a shopping vacation.
Took me a while but found my Unicorn in Modesto, CA, 450 mi's fr/home and that was after a separate trip to Reno and Phx.
2 things that tipped the scale on my unicorn: not much bumper to bumper 'Stop n Go' in Ca Central Vly [farm country] and w/cost of living and gas in CA, lots of Tundras are on used market...

 

My 2005 DC Tundra got its frame replaced under the recall in 2014 by the first owner.

I am living in Northern New Jersey and I was looking at a 2006 Tundra DC that with zero rust at a dealer lot in North Carolina. Before buying a flight to go buy it, I decided to drive 1.5 hrs into upstate NY to checkout my 2005 Tundra DC. It had some superficial rust but with the frame replacement. I crawled all over under the vehicle and took dozens of photos. I surprised myself and decided it was worth it to buy it and save myself the hassle of the flight and drive back. It has been a few months but it has worked out so far.

If I were you, I'd drive and take a look at it.

 

I've travelled often to buy rare things and when I do I generally try to line up a secondary objective in case the item I'm going to buy doesn't pan out. Plan to visit some place or do something else when you travel to buy that old truck. That way if the buy doesn't pan out for whatever reason, you still had a good time.

In 2017 when I drove 6 hours (one way again) to see the eclipse in totality, I also went to buy a set of 1972 OEM doors for my 1972 Chevy truck. Turns out the doors had been stolen from the junkyard but that was OK, I still got to see the eclipse, which made the trip worthwhile.

 

I like that thought

 

Bought mine in Manteca, CA. A few years ago…… ok more like 18 years ago.

 

Did you bring the doors home?

 

I may be wrong, but I intepreted that as him going to pick up the doors from the JY but someone stole 'em before he got there.

Former fellow 67-72 C10 owner here, there's a few of us floating around @Bought2Pull!

 

The Sage of the Doors: after the eclipse I had a nice nap (as I didn't arrive at the hotel until 4 AM that morning) then a great dinner at a local restaurant. The next morning I head out. Another 6 hour drive westwards. I arrived at the junkyard but the owner couldn't find the doors. He and I looked everywhere! The 1972 Chevy truck doors are unique to that year although other years would fit. However, I wanted my rebuild to be perfect. 1972 or bust!

After some searching, it became clear the doors had been stolen since as I put it "nobody is getting past those junkyard dogs you have unless the dogs know the guy." I got the strong impression that wasn't the first time something had gone missing and his only help in the yard was family.

I used to know a guy who got into drugs then stole and sold everything in his dad's shop! Guy ended up doing some prison time....not sure why....but I assume it was drug-related. That's pretty common actually.

I left the junkyard, dodged an insane thunderstorm, and drove 12 hours back that night in order to take my dad to see my mother in the hospital. He'd never had found the place had I not been able to take him.

I ended up deciding to have my OEM doors repaired whenever I get the truck frame-off restored.

 

12 hours for 2 doors..... man, you went far....

 

OH... They were stolen FROM the place you went to pick them up...

 

That's nothing. I have twice driven 3 days (6 to 8 hours per day) to ski for about 12 hours, then the same 3 day trip back. Done that twice. One of those times in a snow storm and if I didn't have chains, I wouldn't have made it to the ski resort and definitely wouldn't have made it home.

Once though, went 10,500 miles one way, to see a girl. A few years later, I married her.

 

Ya, I think that was what had happened. When the owner and I had looked all over the yard and couldn't find them, I told him of my x-friend that who got onto drugs, stole then sold all the tools and stock from his dad's tire shop. The man didn't say anything, he just hung his head and looked at the ground. I got the impression things had gone missing before and he was finally coming to terms with it. Very sad, the guy had some nice vintage doors, but nothing else 1972....so those doors were probably pretty nice.

He didn't try to push me onto anything else, so I don't think he sold them to someone else before I arrived.

 

Smart move on the Mrs. Though, 10,500 miles, damn, where to where, if you don't mind me asking....

 

Washington, DC to Jakarta, Indonesia.

 

That's hella a loooooong way bro, but congrats on landing the dream girl.

 

Rare and valuable spices generally require long travel.

 

Agree w/@Bought2Pull.
G1Tundras are just rare enough now when in good and above condition, that anyone so compelled to find one that requires travel in excess of couple hours, should have a list of at least 1 or 2 others within an hour drive of the other, give or take. Finding these prospects will also be a random function of time.
I went to Reno fr SDiego to see an 06 AC 2WD at a Ford dealer- it was OK but did have an accident listed via Carfax + was $2k over my budget- dealer wouldnt negotiate, so i headed West over DonnerPass to SJose and saw one in Roseville that wasnt quite worth the stop and then another in Riverside which also wasnt my idea of 'good and above'. So, w/airfare, motels and car rent, the trip cost about $1500, but wife and I spent 2 days in Reno, another at Incline Village- LakeTahoe in so we had a bit of a fun/biz trip. Back home, I resumed search and found a very clean 'looking' one in Fremont,Ca but by the time I saw AD, it was being negotiated on w/owner...then another in came up in Marin but it sold before I was able to make the hike...in the end, i located one on a 'used car lot' in Modesto and its Carfax showed it lived in the area since born. After a lot of pics from dealer, i drove up to Modesto in a 'one-way car rental' presuming this would be THE ONE. It panned out well for me except the dealer wouldnt negotiate and i gave him $9990 for it and drove home.
BTW, all of my prospects were via CList; chose a city and then extended search area map to a 400mi radius...used Fbk a few times but their app sucks; Clist is a better format showing all essentials in expected form- Fbk is a 'blunder-bust' w/too much superfluous BS...

On dealer lot
Ready to drive home
At home w/new headlights

 

ps8820,

You sir ARE A TROOPER! If I was wearing my hat I'd take it off for you in response to your perseverance. Congrats on your find.

And remember, "you didn't pay too much you paid too soon." (Prices will only increase with time).

 

thx @Bought2Pull. what can i say?
wife started to worry about my 'perserverance'.
Much like your Tundras.com ID, i needed a 'pull machine' but refused to drop $55k+ on new and didnt want a 'big-block' 5.7...so being Toy fan [ovr the years, betwn wife & i: 3 Tacomas, 2 Corollas, 1 Prius] and browsing Tundras.com, I discovered how exceptional Gen1s are. Glad I stumbled in here ever since. For my purposes theTundra SR5 AC works well and is thoroughly documented w/a following of mechanics to offroaders to street drivers. Cant beat the size to power ratio; I see new Tacomas that look as physically large but probably dont have as much torque or HP [but they are $46k+ New!].
I bet I wont spend $10k over my purchase to keep this Tundra healthy and pulling over next 10yrs; after that I likely wont need.
BTW: just sold my 01 Tacoma I acquired at its ripe young age of 16 w/150k; in the 7 yrs I owned it i added 73k more and the worse I ever dealt with was a failed LBJ [lo-speed thankfully] and a set of burned valves [replaced w/new head @222k]. I just sold that truck 2 weeks back for $900 more than I paid in 2017 [to be fair tho, that sold price likely has more to do w/inflation and shoppers aversion to debt. like me].

 

Wow! Again, my hat would be off!