94yotaSup

I bought my 94 reg cab 4x4 22re at the end of last winter with 90k on it. I thought that with the low miles I was getting a good deal at $3,400.
here's a list of what I've fixed so far...

new starter
new front calipers and pads
e-brake cable
replaced timing chain (guides broke) $1000
gas tank, sending unit and fuel pump housing $350

Now that I have all this work into it should I sell it? I sold my 94 GMC Sonoma with 145K on it and never had to put a dime into it...other than brakes. Do you think anything more can go wrong? What are your experiences with these trucks with around 95k on them?

Paul H.

Did you have it inspected by a good mechanic before you bought it?

4Runner 4Play

Well... you could go to the doctor for a check-up and have him come back saying, "well, I've got good news and bad news..." "Good news is your going to have a disease named after you...."
Or you could wake up with 4 flat tires
Or you could not wake up at all (good news tho... no more taxes)
The point Iam making is you cannot ever tell what "might" go wrong. That being said, everything that happens, has symptoms. So keep ypur eye and ears open, do all the reg. things to a "new" truck and keep on going. Just learn from your mistakes and from those of others.
Just my .02 cents.
Cheers, Lee Hathaway

94yotaSup

Yea...I had it checked by a mechanic. The truck was the only older Yota that didn't have a spec of rust on it, so I "assumed" that if the body was that well taken care of the mechanicals must have been also. I was aware of the brakes but, the other stuff happened about 5k later. I just don't want this truck to be a money pit.

Nathan Buchanan

Hey man, you've got a 10 year old vehicle, and you spent 3400 bucks on it. One of the tradeoffs for an initially lower priced vehicle (because it's older) is going to be making some repairs. Anything that's 10 years old is going to need some work done on it. One way to save money there is to do some of the stuff yourself. I know it's too late for the timing chain now, but I did mine for about 100 bucks or so, and I replaced the water pump while I was at it. The timing chain is pretty common on these motors; just think, you won't have to do it again. Starters are also something that goes out every once in a while, though a lot of times it's just the contacts that are bad. Brakes are going to wear out; that's just how they work. The front brakes on Toyotas are super easy and a half to do, there's no reason that should cost you much at all. The gas tank sucks, but crap like that just happens. It seems like you're into it right now for about 5 grand; you aren't doing bad at all. I paid 5500 for mine with 10k more miles. One of the things about owning a vehicle that's older and has a few miles on it is that stuff is going to happen, and that stuff costs money. We all have to fix crap we don't want to spend money on. Just think, it beats the heck out of making payments for a brand new $40,000 vehicle. Toyotas are pretty reliable and a hell of a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy yours more than you have so far.

toy283

What he said, sorta. A ten-year-old Toyota may or may not need any work done. A timing chain at 90K is aweful soon, something else must've been contributing to this. Buying a 10-year-old vehicle is an especially good bargain if you can do the repair work yourself. Timing chain, new belts & hoses, and a new water pump cost me less than $200 when I did it at 198K. If you have to pay shop labor rates, these costs are gonna escalate rapidly and kill any bargain you may have from the purchase.

94yotaSup

I was thinking the same thing about it beating the car payments on a 40k car! Hell, it's the best feeling having all the rides paid off...I just finished paying the Supra off this summer! It's a 1995 na 5-speed with 50k on it.
I try to do most of the work myself...I've just been so damn busy with work that I didn't have the time...plus the wife is prego! I did do the new calipers/brakes myself..very easy job. Thanks for the encouraging words guys...I think I'll keep the Yota for a while.