Is this 05 TRD AC 4.7 worth keeping? (New member looking for advice)

Edit: provided more pics further down in the thread

Hey everyone, excited to be here. Looking for honest feedback. Love these trucks. Been looking for a 1st Gen for awhile. Picked up a forest green 2005 4.7 TRD 4x4 AC for $12k usd. 120k miles. One owner. Garaged. Timing belt done 8 years ago at 90k miles. Dealer maintained. Have all the receipts, huge stack of papers. Frame is original, has some rust, mostly surface, but more than I’d like. Dealer inspected for recall, said it was solid and not eligible. Airbag and other recalls were performed. If areas look “wet” it’s fluid film I’ve been squirting. Engine mounts and most suspect spots seem hard, but some surface rust. Not much flaking, way better than many of these that turned to dust. Unfortunately there’s chemicals on the road during winter. Interior is nice. Body is nice. Transmission and all fluids have been kept up on, shifts really smooth. Drives well, smooth, and brakes straight. Hasn’t been driven as much lately. Old guy got sick/slower. His son sold it to me upon death.

I live in an expensive area where these are very hot. I’m confident I could sell it right now for what I paid, maybe more, it’s stupid. So the question is, whether it’s worth it to spend the additional $2-3k to get lots replaced over time? I have another commuter, I just want it to be some thing I hold onto and play with on the weekends. Not planning to off road, just go fishing, hiking, camping, getting firewood, etc. It will not get more than 2k miles per year max, and I drive slow.

Need to do LBJs (have oem ones on hand already), and would likely do the other suspension work (4600s, links, etc) while I’m in there. All fluids, all belts, water pump, thermostat, pulleys, tensioner, radiator, etc. should all probably be done. Not urgent, but probably smart. It all starts to add up…

After looking at the below pictures, let me know your thoughts, or other things I should consider. Can I get this to last me 10+ years? Too much rust? Worth it to spend time and money on this? Would appreciate any thoughts. I’m totally OK selling this and getting my money back. Thanks for your support.

(posted this in the new member thread as well, didn’t know where to put this, please forgive me)

 

Way too much rust for my comfort level and especially for $12k. And you didn't photograph the parts of the frame that typically rust the worst.

Selling it is up to you.

 

Thank you for the feedback. Unfortunately this isn’t much rust for this area, but I agree, it’s not ideal.

Would appreciate others thoughts too, does anyone else have this much rust on your truck currently?

What areas of my frame should I look at most closely? Usual problem areas?

 

No. But I have a truck that lived in AZ all of it's life. I would run away from that truck. If you can get $12K or more for that, mine would hypothetically be worth $20K with zero rust and 100K miles. Not selling though.

 

People are paying that much for nice ones like yours here, it’s crazy

 

I too have an az truck. I think you got an ok rig. The clincher is those real troublemakers spots on the frame, search where they are and if your areas are bad. Otherwise seems like you a good truck and are on the road to long term ownership. If seen worse rust on the spindle before. Also read up on the effects of low mileage on engine and how to correct. If you like it then keep it. Best

 

Thanks for the feedback. It’s rough spending so much on a truck with rust, but it’s clean otherwise and the engine seems strong. Can you or someone please point me to where to look on my frame for the usual problem spots?

 

Sorry there, read the master thread

 

Head more towards the front of the truck. Check out the cross member under the transmission (and where it meets the frame), the frame under the cab, and all around the front differential.

 

Here’s the front. The iPhone flash makes the rust color pop. Any thoughts on these?

 

Oil undercoat it ASAP…continue to do so yearly, do the maintenance and run it when you need it.

 

Thanks. Fluid film ok? Or what do you recommend?

 

I use NH oil, been doing it since the truck was brand new. Frame is mint under the built up layers. It will “preserve” what you have there now and make the frame black again.

 

Based off the picture of your hitch, that's actually not as bad as I had expected.

Depending upon how motivated you are, spots like this spend some time with some rust remover and a wire brush. It'll give you a better idea of what you've got going on in there. Afterwards hit it with paint or better yet a product like POR15. After some good ol' elbow grease you'll have a much better idea of the extent and can make an educated decision to keep or sell. So long as it's not eating through the frame and it's on the surface you should be able to clean it up half way decent and reduce the potential of it eating through and requiring a new frame. Definitely drivable as is, but neglected it'll only get worse.

 

Here’s the rear cross member near the spare

 

That’s like brand new for New England

 

As a CA native that blows my mind! Haha. My brother has a New Jersey Tacoma and it's got more rust than OP's truck.

 

When tapping with ball hammer and sanding lightly on the frame, it’s hard. Seems like I can keep it at bay if I want to hold onto the truck. If the previous owner had just done car washes and fluid film, this would be mint… but alas, some wire wheel and sanding it is… either way, it’ll help me know if I love or hate the truck, and will help sell it again if needed

 

The salt and chloride spray is ruthless and gets into every crevice. There is a reason it’s rare to see anything 10+ years old on the road here.

 

Thank you. Can you please point me to a link to the low mileage issues and remediations you mentioned?

 

Shifty is the expert, but my understanding is this. Low mileage motor made short trips, that prevents full operation temps and therefore has a higher probability to have sludge in motor. I’m not usually the guy to say do your homework, but you’ll find the master thread very useful. You’re truck doesn’t seem to bad, get at the rust with a brush. Treat that shit and your rig will be solid. Do the maintenance, suggested by Toyota and you’ll be golden. Oh yeah these trucks can leak rain water on the inside.

 

Looks pretty good in the back. Where are you located @Tamarack ?

 

Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate hearing from people who live in snow/salt belts. We don’t have any rust free vehicles here it seems. I live in a place where it’s wet during spring and fall and they use road chemicals in winter

 

I'm not asking for your address. Are you northeast, midwest, midatlantic?
Edit: helps to assess what you're up against in terms of preventive measures needed.

 

In midwestern USA, near Canada border, not coastal

 

I would recommend getting a needle scaler from Harbor Freight, taking off the rust scale and treating with your petroleum or lanolin spray treatment of choice.

 

Thank you, that’s the plan. You think there’s life left in the frame if do that? Trying to decide if I should sell it or put another $2k into, torn honestly. But getting under there and treating the rust is my cross to bear for this one regardless

 

Covered in here: https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

Some of us have low-mile have gotten burned. Exponentially more often, it seems, than anyone 175k+ miles.

 

Thanks, Shifty. The truck was driven hard up until about three or four years ago, it’s been sitting more than I’d like since then. If you’re being honest, how would you assess where I’m at? If I can sell it for what I bought it for, would you do that? My goal is to get 8 to 10 years out of a truck and spend around $15-16k total over its life. Is this a worth keeping in your opinion? Thanks for your help

 

Core frame looks solid but also like it could use some love, then affter that, some yearly coating and it'd last plenty.

Rust has clearly had some time to settle in. I imagine it's inside the framerails. Tough to say. I wouldn't personally like to deal with it, but thinking at it from the perspective of all the things I'd personally be changing on the thing, some of that won't matter.

It's a lot of work. If you've got the time, patience, and attention to do it then hell, if there's not anything better in your locale, why not?