WHAT SHOULD I BE AWARE OF BEFORE PURCHASING THIS TRUCK?

Yeah this was a deer lease truck and probably rode the shit out of it.

 

I'll never understand why NA cars remove cats, it does nothing for performance, maybe a couple HP at best. On a turbo'ed car yeah, cats off all day long, big gains there.

 

does a lot if you want a loud vehicle. when i was putting my dirty deeds 6" on i figured why not start it up and see how it sounds, honestly wasn't much louder than it is with the exhaust. those cats do a lot for muffling the sound

 

My two cents. Before your buddy goes over there tell them that you accept the $12,5k offer contingent upon an inspection (your buddy), test drive, and they have to detail the hell out of the rig before your buddy goes to inspect it. Have them wash the outside, vacuum and shampoo the inside. Be sure your buddy doesn't inspect it while it is raining. That'll cover up leaks and other flaws. Also be sure to take it on a long test drive and inspect again after you return. To cover your ass for liability just email them a bunch of questions including if it was in an accident, stolen, flood vehicle, yada yada. I'm sure there are laws in Texas that make them disclose this information.

Seems like a good deal but then again...

 

It's perfect for that. You can always fix it up as you go. Hell of a deal for a low mileage Tundy.

 

Ridden hard and put away wet... may be decent, but I think you can count on a lot of deferred maintenance. I wouldn’t touch it.

 

I wouldn't pay more than $7k for that one.

 

If they have vehicle inspections in Texas, Wouldn't it be illegal for them to sell it if it cant pass inspection? Due to missing Cats.
seems a little off to me.

-Jason

 

I'd give it a fair shot. Truth be told that's about what mine looks like on a daily basis. It gets a wash maybe once a week probably closer to every 3.

I live on a dirt road and it gets everywhere.
Leave the sunroof open? Dash looks like a potato field.
Rains? From the door handles down it's solid brown.

As long as it runs/drives well and the fluids are clean, sure.

 

So it’s currently at a Toyota dealership getting a full pre purchase inspection. The service advisor owns and turners and he mentioned he will have his master tech do the full inspection. I told him to check on the can shaft and where it was in a flood or not. If I can figure out how to upload a video of it after they washed it, I will do so. Thanks again everyone.

 

Great Idea, good luck!

 

I really think this all will be ok. I am really curious of this truck because of the painted to match head lights I have only seen thos online and only one truck and it was white also lofted looks almost just like the truck you are looking at. Probably not the same one but interesting.

 

THIS!

 

all I know is that if this was getting sold up here in new England I would've jumped on it in a heartbeat, so would everybody else in the area too because it doesn't look any rustier than most new cars you see on the road up here

 

^^^^ DITTO
EXACTLY what I was thinking !!

 

Thing has had a rough life from the looks of it. I mean its literally filled with dust/dirt and is covered in mud. Probably not a pampered truck

 

I would agree to disagree I know a couple people that have completely custom trucks that run them trew mud holes and the next day you would never have know it. But yes you should at least wash it off lol

 

I also hope this works our for the O.P. and as long as he doesn't find out this is the truck he is looking at.

 

Just had a call with the Toyota service advisor. He did a full walk around himself as well and sent me a bunch of videos (I have not figured out how to upload them. The truck has no signs of any flood damage. It does have some surface rust on the underside, he said it was nothing too alarming given that it was located new the beaches in Texas and was not protected by any sort of undercoating. When they ran diagnostics on it, only two things came up. Both were related to sensors since 2 of the 4 cats have been removed. He said he checked the code history as well and nothing was abnormal. Fluids all checked out fine in color as well. Drain pan is leaking and the drive belt needs to be replaced. License plate bulb is out, tpms light is on. One of the cambeds has a very minor seep(see pic). Other one shows no signs. My buddy went and test drove it and sent me some pictures. Take a look and let me know.

 

Additional Pictures

 

Well someone had some fun in it for sure but I still think it's a decent truck for the price but it's your money. I say go with your gut no one on here will be able to tell you just from pics though. The underside is a little rusty to me for it being a texas truck but by the bay makes sence.

 

Well I can officially say that's rustier than my new England 2011 tundra. sea water really takes a toll huh... but for the price of the truck most of those other things wrong with it are relatively non expensive and the money you'll be saving is well worth putting back into the truck to make it good again. power wash the under carriage and wire wheel the rust off then hit it with some POR15, drive belt shouldn't be too much of a hassle. tpms light is most likely on because they aren't in the wheels anymore. can't give any helpful advice on the other issues as I've never dealt with that stuff before, but I'd say if you're mechanically inclined and have the tools and space to work on it then it should be pretty easy

 

That rust is nothing, my 88 4runner lived 500ft from the beach for most of its life and the rust on that thing was truly cancerous

 

I'd try to get it out the door for 12k, seems like you did your due diligence and it's paying off.

 

Thanks everyone! My gut is telling me to go for it, which I plan on doing. Dealer dropped it another $200 and Im working on getting him down to $12K. Im comfortable taking the risk on this thing. I'll be reaching out to you guys for additional advice regarding minor mods.

 

Here's an example of rust that you don't want to have. and just think, his tundra could've looked just like this but its in much better condition

 

That’s a mudding/offroad truck. I’d check the steering components... rack, CVs, lbj, all bushings in the suspension, shocks and resis for leaks, etc. I’d also guess those shocks are shot or soon to be and the leafs look flat. Suspension doesn’t last long if you run them that dirty.

Did they check for cam tower leak? Has the AIP ever been repaired? The CEL isn’t on right? And they’re going to repair the drain pan and drive belt? My biggest worry would be working on that thing. Looks like every nut and bolt is going to be seized. Just simple repairs are going to suck. I personally wouldn’t buy that truck. The potential that this thing will turn into a massive money pit and complete nightmare is just way too high.

 

sucks gas, fun to drive and that bumper is so ugly, send it to me, I will dispose of it for you.

 

Something seams odd. For a grand you could pay someone to put new cats on it, why would a dealer not do it so he could sell the truck. Why wouldn't the dealer clean it up? The problem is that a dealer will tell you anything to make a sale. I would want someone to take it to a mechanic to do a good look at it. Also make sure that everything is tested, like the 4wd. It could be a real good deal but if it is why wouldn't the dealer (who's sole purpose is to make as much profit on vehicles) do a little bit of work so they could sell it for a lot more money.