might 'dip toes' into toyota's water.....

[rancherman]

Ok, so to replace the totaled ford f150, I been looking at a possible toyo or Nissan for our daily 'bomber'.... 4 cylinder, manual trans, and 4X4 is kinda what Im looking for.DANG them things hold their value! 20-25 yr old trucks AT LEAST $3500!!! If they are priced cheaper, it's because a cat could crawl though the rust holes. (or engine is blown/missing etc)Does anyone know why on a lot of the Toyota listings, referencing the condition of the frame rails? Seems like there may be an issue with these? I've seen ads with: Frame has some rust. Or Frame is ok. Or Frame only has rust on bottom edge. Hmmmm, kinda unusual for that many mentions isn't it?

[98whitelightnin]

I have heard the old Tacomas would rust around the rear spring mounts and my buddy from up north said toyotas frames rust before their time. Tacomas are like these dodge diesels, they hold their value great because they are great Trucks. I had 4 Tacomas and 2 corollas and they have all been excellent vehicles, I used all of them on the mail route and never any trans or engine problems. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mopar1973Man]

That the weird thing in ranching or farm country trucks tend to hold there value for a long time. But now in the cities the value seems to fall for some weird reason. Texas being one of the lowest priced spots.

[mopartechnician]

I just traded in our 04 grand cherokee for a toyota sequoia. We needed more room and the prices were right for the trade in. I talked to the previous owner and he said something about a recall to inspect the frame rails for rust but havnt had a chance to look into it. The toyota market in western nebraska really has gone downhill. 10-15 years ago everybody wanted/was driving toyota pickups. But now you rarely see them.

[rancherman]

a quick google search on rusty Toyota frames, came up with nasty recall about 3-4 years ago. Toyo was either fixing, replacing the whole frame, or even buying back the affected trucks. If time wan't such a factor this fall/winter, I've got a pretty nice 97 sport 1500 4X4 with a dud 360 gas that would be the perfect recipient for a cummins 3.9 A quick crunch of cash flow says it'd be about the same money as buying a good Toyo...My neighbor has been getting right at 25 mpg with his chevy half ton/ Isuzu/727 torqueflight combination...

[anoldbiker]

There is a lot of pros and cons, but I had a '92 Toy Tacoma for 14 years and over 400k without any issues. We liked it so much and maintenance was so cheap, when the wife needed a new vehicle for retirement, we got the '03 4 door Tacoma and we still have great performance with it. She still say when this one needs to go, it will be replaced with the same.If Toyota had the Cummins in their 3/4 ton, I'd have bought that instead of my Dodge.

[hex0rz]

Toyota has a 3/4 ton truck?My dad has a tundra and he received a recall a while ago about the frame and rust. They did not have a proper application of underbody spray. Either it was not applied correctly or was not thick enough. I can't remember now...

[diesel4life]

All 01-04 Tacoma's are eligible for a potential buy back. The owners of these trucks were contacted by Toyota and encouraged to take there trucks in for inspection. Depending on the condition of the frame they either had the option of repairing their truck or could opt into a buy back program where they were compensated more than 100% of the trucks value. Even the earlier Toyotas were susceptible to frame rot directly behind the cab where the frame arches. With that being said, they are probably the most reliable truck mechanically that you will ever find. I've had 2 pickups with over 350k miles on the original drive train. The front ends hold up well to abuse as well. They also have Excellent off road manners and are very predictable in the snow and ice. If you can find one with a solid frame and body you will not be disappointed. JR

[diesel4life]

All 01-04 Tacoma's are eligible for a potential buy back. The owners of these trucks were contacted by Toyota and encouraged to take there trucks in for inspection. Depending on the condition of the frame they either had the option of repairing their truck or could opt into a buy back program where they were compensated more than 100% of the trucks value. Even the earlier Toyotas were susceptible to frame rot directly behind the cab where the frame arches. With that being said, they are probably the most reliable truck mechanically that you will ever find. I've had 2 pickups with over 350k miles on the original drive train. The front ends hold up well to abuse as well. They also have Excellent off road manners and are very predictable in the snow and ice. If you can find one with a solid frame and body you will not be disappointed. If I ever buy another non diesel powered pick up it will be another Toyota. I won't even look at anything else. JR

JR

[rancherman]

Thanks guys for your input! I've heard that they are tuffernell I got an eye on a couple 'south of 6k' west of me ( larger cities seem to have more Toyota dealers!) these are 93-97's with the 4 cylinder, 4X4, and most importantly... not totally rotted out. 160-170k miles. NEVER IN MY LIFE did I think I'd have to spend that kind of dough on a 20 year old 'jap car'... sigh. I have apparently spent my last 20 years in a cave!I have to remember, that it's not what I'll get out of it on resale, (Im usually the last owner before the salvage yard) It's what it'll give me in saved gas, durability and how many miles before the crusher... So, I guess if I look at it that way, it can only depreciate a maximum of 6k! LOL

[diesel4life]

The 22re (4cylinder) was available through 95. Not exactly a power plant but will literally run FOREVER. The only thing you have to watch out on those are timing chains every 90-100k miles. You can tell when its time for replacement if you hear a brief rattle at cold start up. Almost sounds like a valve train rattle, but 9 times out of 10 it is the chain rattling off of the cover because its so stretched out that it takes a minute for the oil pressure driven tensioner to take the slack out and quieten it up. Eventually the plastic chain guides will break, then she will make even more noise, and by then if you haven't rubbed a hole through the cover your flirting with disaster! (Don't ask me how I know)JR

[hex0rz]

So its an interference engine?

[98whitelightnin]

Not an interference engine, the 4 bangers have chains and the 6's have belts. I have had 4 Tacoma's and would give nearly anything to have my 96 4cyl 4x4 back I bought it at 101 k and other than changing the oil, putting a seal and bearing in the power steering pump and rebuilding the front end it was a solid truck at 225 when I sold it.

[mopartechnician]

My first pickup was a 92 pickup 3.0 v6 and that thing was a beast. I put 100,000 on it in 4 years and I sold it 6 years ago and i still see it driving around

[diesel4life]

They are not interference engines but when the chain comes off at 6000 rpm it wads up in the timing cover and makes a nasty mess. Split the cover from top to bottom almost. It was actually pretty neat to see and didn't cost me anything as it was just a parts truck with a rotted frame and the only thing I wanted out of it was the straight axle in the front end to replace the IFS that was in my 89.JR

[Wild and Free]

♂..............↓.....................♀

[MnTom]

♂..............↓.....................♀

First time I ever saw it put that way! Good one Bill!!

[dorkweed]

The 22re (4cylinder) was available through 95. Not exactly a power plant but will literally run FOREVER. The only thing you have to watch out on those are timing chains every 90-100k miles. You can tell when its time for replacement if you hear a brief rattle at cold start up. Almost sounds like a valve train rattle, but 9 times out of 10 it is the chain rattling off of the cover because its so stretched out that it takes a minute for the oil pressure driven tensioner to take the slack out and quieten it up. Eventually the plastic chain guides will break, then she will make even more noise, and by then if you haven't rubbed a hole through the cover your flirting with disaster! (Don't ask me how I know) JR

My first ever "new vehicle" purchase was 1987 Toyota pickup regular cab. Put just under 200k on that bad boy in 12 years of ownership. The 22R in that truck was indestructible……………………30-32mpg on highway regularly, and she'd start all the time down to -20*!!!

[diesel4life]

Sheesh! I was lucky to scratch 13-14 out of mine. Of course every yota I owned had a minimum of a 4" lift and 33" or larger tires... But yes they are the strongest engine I have ever abused, they gotta rank right up there as one of the best engines ever built. I was out wheelin one night in my 89 with a straight axle swap and 38" Intercos and overheated it to the point the engine actually stalled out. half hour and a gallon of pond water later she cranked right over no questions asked. That engine got so hot it actually warped the hood to the point I had a hell of a time latching it. That night turned a lot of my wheelin buddies into yota believers. That hood hung on the wall in my garage for a long time. JR

[Killer223]

i still have a 93 4x4 with 5 speed and 22 RE, 31.10.50 tires. it get about 20-24 MPG if driven nicely, don't get in hurry though. here in Flag at 7000 fet it as 0 horse power!!!! lol. but 300K and still ticken i've only put front brake pads, rear shoes, tires, oil, i've NEVER changed the diffs or trans or T-box lol but it's not showing any sign of stoping. no howling no wining, just smooth operation. i did develop an oil leak this summer, gotta clean it up. i'm thinking oil pump? or front main seal. they eat timing covers and guides when you don't use toyota oil filters. heck i've neve even adjusted the valves!!! and it runs like a TOP!if i could find another toyota pickup with the 4 banger diesel again i'de buy it tomorrow. had one in high school. got 50 MPG!!