Looking at rusty 1st gens - what to look for

Hey guys,

Looking 1st gens here in Montreal Canada.

Most of them in my price range have rust in the lower part of the bed.

How much rust is too much rust for these trucks? Not overly concerned with looks but want a truck that stays together and (I seen some photos online of of tacomas broken in half. Ha ha) Anyway I drive old cars and rust is just part of the game here but I try to see how rust affects a vehicule before I buy one.

Anyway what are the problem areaa that come with rust?

Those with rusty Tundras, what are things that had to be adressed due to this?

Anything in particular to look for or ask the owner if he has already adressed it?

 

The frame is prone to rust, along with the rear end. I personally had issues with the power steering lines where they had rubber sleeves over them and trapping moisture causing them to rust. Wish i took pics before i traded it in, still miss my '03.

 

It’s a Toyota, so it’s going to have body rust. The biggest concern is the frame however. Toyota recalled thousands of the first gen tundras for excessive frame rust and in many cases replaced the entire frame for free. My Tundra was one of those. I recommend thoroughly inspecting the frame, as well as looking up recalls by vin on Toyota’s website.