Help with Value

Hi All,

I am considering selling my Tundra and due to the circumstances below I was hoping you could help me figure out what my truck would be worth.

It’s a 2000 Limited 4x4, Access Cab with 198K miles on it. I bought it a few years back as a truck to haul stuff to the recycling center 1 mile from my house and the occasional 15 mile run to Home Depot. It was all going well until one day not far from my house it started overheating. I pulled it back in the driveway and discovered the radiator had busted causing the transmission fluid to mix with the coolant and contaminate both the trans and cooling system.

I replaced the radiator and the trans cooler and flushed the transmission with about 20 gallons of ATF fluid until I had transmission fluid flowing out the same color and consistency as it was going in. I then flushed the cooling system numerous times with prestone flush+water then distilled water and then filled it with Toyota coolant+water. My plan was to remove the thermostat and flush it a few more times then replace the thermostat but I haven’t gotten there yet.

In any case while the truck was down I ended up picking up a utility trailer and putting a tow hitch on my wife’s Sienna for hauling stuff and figuring I can get by without the truck, plus I would like to stop paying for the insurance on a third vehicle.

Everything seems to run ok now but I am not sure if the lifespan of the transmission has been compromised. I thought about buying a junkyard transmission out of an 03 but don’t really want to spend the time and money on a vehicle that I don’t have much use for anymore. So I am considering selling the truck.

I don’t want to screw anyone over but I also would like to get what I can from it. I am not sure what is fair to ask for the truck or if I should try to sell it to Copart or Peddle. There are a few other quirks or issues with it but the timing belt was done and frame was replaced on it.

Really just looking to see if this is something I should try to sell on my own to someone who will be able to keep her running.

Beyond the pink milkshake incident a few other issues with the truck:

• CD player doesn’t work. Radio and tape deck are fine
• There is some parasitic drain on the battery so if I dont drive it for 4-5 days the battery dies. I added a quick disconnect to the negative battery cable and just unhook it when it will sit for a few days
• The rear bumper is rough. I thought about buying a replacement but never got around to it
• It probably needs new tires

On the plus side the timing belt was done around 150K and the frame was replaced a few years back. It also has a cap

Let me know what you think, Thanks in advance

 

Frame rust? Parasitic draw might be your aftermarket alarm system or remote starter if you have one.

 

No frame rust, frame is in great shape.

No remote start but it has an alarm, I think its OEM though.

 

I don’t know about used lemon laws in your state, but here in MA the battery going dead so quickly might present problems.

I’d guess your truck is in the vicinity of $6-$8k if it’s in good to very good shape physically just by going what I see online.

I’d also probably do my best to resolve the battery issue though or track down the cause. I’d also exercise the 4x4 to make sure its working well if you haven’t checked it lately. They sometimes tend to stick if not used a few times a year.

Just my two cents.

Here’s a link on a similar problem:

https://www.tundras.com/threads/parasitic-drain-on-battery-13-volts-in-24-hrs.60046/

 

Hell if you were near me, I'd be tempted to buy the cap, but it sounds like you may be in the N/NE USA. Location is everything when it comes to price.

Pictures speak a thousand words, and options are king. If it's V8/4WD that's what a lot of people want, if it's nicely optioned otherwise, and the stuff Toyota won't replace during frame swaps is still there, and still rusty, that may be a hard sell. But if you're in the rust belt, for example, and the frame is replaced, I mean ... that's a pretty big selling point for a lot of folks.

Sight unseen, I can't give an estimate. Figuring out parasitic drain is usually not horribly difficult, just takes time and a DMM. Non-working CD player, also non-issue. New tires may be a pinch point, since that can rank up there with timing belt/water pump in price, upwards of $1k. Cosmetic stuff on bumpers is normal for a near-25yr-old truck.

I see trucks on my local CL fitting what I picture from your description going in the $8-12k range in various shapes. If you're not throwing codes on any solenoids in the transmission and you're not noticing wonky shifting (except for the normal cold-start sluggish 1st-2nd or 2nd-3rd shift), I wouldn't think twice about the transmission. You're not the first guy to have pink milkshake on here, only to flush and be alright.

 

Yeah I think thats a good idea, I will follow that thread and see if I can track down what the issue is

Thanks for the input I appreciate it, and yeah I am in NJ