Eric De Paoli

Hey everyone,

I'll keep this short. I'm looking at purchasing an older toyota truck with the 22re as my first vehicle. I've found one somewhat close by within my budget, and it seems like it's the one. 350K miles, recently rebuilt engine, frame and body look really good for the age, and the owner says that everything else is in good condition. I'm going to get a pre-purchase inspection, but I also wanted to ask some of the veterans here what they thought.

Here's the for sale link:

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/c...uck/1226731058

The engine was rebuilt because the previous owner ran the engine dry of oil... Now, I'm not super versed in cars and engines, but my understanding was that engines run dry were basically toast. Would a rebuilt 22re be able to fix any issues that might have arisen from a seized engine? And, despite the high mileage, given that the frame and body have minimal rust can I expect this truck to keep on working well and reliably? For how much it is, I'd be happy to get 2 years of use out of it and to sell it afterwards, but I'd love for it to be the vehicle I keep for the next 5, maybe more years.

As I said, I'm not super versed in cars or engines, but know that I want a small 4x4 pickup for daily driving, and driving through the coastal mountains and often snowy roads. As I said, I'm not super versed in cars or engines, but I'm keen to learn and willing to put the time in on the right vehicle.

Thank you all for the help!

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

498k km on it, other crap besides the engine is gonna be needing work, that is like 300,000 miles. These are great trucks but it still depends on how well they have been maintained.
I have run into people who say they can rebuild on engine that I would not trust to change my oil.
does the guy have receipts for the rebuild? Warranty transferable?
tons of crap rebuilds that end up with blown head gaskets because some idiot didn't follow the correct sequence for torqueing head boots
A 28 year old truck could be a crapshoot

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

I have to second this!!!.

If you can`t do the work on this truck Because there is always areas of neglected maintenance ..

I would say on average I spend $1000,00 or more on parts just catching up on neglected areas.

These are on running driving Inspected vehicles not bought as projects

If the engine was out I am hoping the clutch was also done.

What are the Suspension and Brakes like??

Why spend all the money then turn around and sell the truck

If you need a pre purchase inspection It needs to be done by someone who lives and breathes Toyota`s 24/7 otherwise it really does no good.

To many things get missed

Just don`t be over Come with buying a vehicle lust

TacoTank

Wyoming makes a very important point. I spent months looking for my first truck, don't settle. If it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be. Some learn that the hard way.

Could just be my screen but it looks like it has had bodywork, look at the color difference between the front fenders and hood with the rest of the body.

The two guys before my post covered what you need to know. An example is the small oil leak the truck has. Just cause it's small doesn't mean it's inexpensive. Could be anything from a gasket to a harmonic balancer.

Let us know how it works out.

83

Engine rebuilt 3,000km ago and already a small oil leak...

Isn't necessarily a bad thing but it's a red flag.

That's really just a ton of miles. It looks like it's been well taken care of, but I'd be hesitant. Things like this can easily turn into a money pit. I've bought enough old vehicles ignoring stuff like this to know...$4,000 later on a $1,000 truck and I finally had a solid vehicle.

Only way I'd buy this truck is if I knew who owned it the last 10 years and who rebuilt the engine. And it'd still be a bit of a gamble.

bootscootboogie

iTrader: (1)

When you test drive it, put the transfer case in 4lo and first gear, and get the rpms going. If the seller freaks out then it's a piece of shhhhh and will either overheat or start running poorly. You're SUPPOSED to be able to drive this thing up a mountain, so if he's weird about you testing out it's capabilities (within reason) I'd be weary.

My dad always test drove used cars like they were his already. Brake hard. Downshift. Don't be careless of course, but get a solid feel for how it will operate once you've purchased it

My go to formula is to immediately pop the hood, fire it up, get out, look at the engine, listen to it, blip the throttle, then take a look under and observe the suspension, leave it running! Then look at other stuff and go for a test drive. After driving it LEAVE IT RUNNING AGAIN... STILL. and just keep looking. You want this thing running for about 20-30 minutes total. Because if it's gonna crap on you, it will do it by then.

After you turn it off. Fire it back up. At least once.

If it goes well, enjoy.

Eric De Paoli

Thanks for all of the input, everyone. I know, buying a vehicle that old, with that many miles is always a gamble, but I can't really afford anything more than $5000ish so I'm left stuck with searching for vehicles in questionable condition.

I'm in contact with the owner, and he said that the engine rebuild was done at a shop by the owner BEFORE him and has a receipt for $900. Brand new block and cylinders. He also said in an email:

"very little rust and nothing structural which is rare in these old trucks and awesome... you can buy a motor or clutch or transmission or all of the above with low km for $1000 (not that you need too just if you keep it for a couple hundred thousand km) but once the frame is gone you cant do anything.
suspension is fine
front breaks are in very good shape rear ones will need to be replaced eventually but not something you need to worry about now."

I'm unable to go see the truck in person for a few weeks due to work constraints, but I'm looking at getting an inspection done. Would it even be worth it, or should I just drop my obsession with this truck and try to find another one with less mileage around the same price?

Eric De Paoli

^^ and that's great advice, bootscootboogie. Thanks!

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Funny I would rather rebuild or repair a frame before rebuilding a engine any day

83

I agree with his assessment if you plan to "restore" the truck. I can replace an engine or tranny or whatever else, but not a frame, and not the body. Not with my current skills or workspace. So he's right, but you aren't (I don't think) buying this to restore. You just need a truck that won't cost you thousands of dollars on top of the purchase price.

I can't say do or don't buy it. Just giving some info.

So he's owned this truck for less than 3,000km.

Eric De Paoli

^^ I think we're saying the same thing? My hopes are with this truck that the engine is reasonably sound with the rebuild. The owner claims most other components are solid. Of course, I'm strongly considering getting an inspection to verify this.

The frame is what caught my attention, it looks to be in great condition despite its age. As you said 83, you can replace an engine or tranny or whatever else but not the frame if it has rust.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

So 3000 km since it was rebuilt and the previous owner before the current owner had it rebuilt?? That is a huge red flag to me. If the truck in great shape was in the new owner dumping it after driVing it only a short time?

gsp4life

I rebuilt my 22re over the summer and it has 3300 miles on it now. If it had an oil leak anywhere at all (even an easy to fix place like valve cover gasket or half moons), I'd be questioning my engine-assembly skills, the machine shop's work or the quality of the parts I bought. If I were selling it right now, it'd only be because I knew I screwed up bad and needed to get rid of it for decent money while I still could. My mechanical and body skills are improving to the point where I'm never selling it.

Other people have their reasons, maybe he and the lady had a baby or he lost his job, but I'd be suspicious about it and want to know exactly why he's selling.

I bought my runner for good money from a guy who'd owned it for a couple years and now was having kid #3. His wife wanted it gone. It had a newer rebuilt engine, just rebuilt steering knuckles and supposedly everything was in great shape. Like you, I knew very little about cars and I believed him. He told at least several lies to my face, but it made me learn lots of stuff about my old yota.

If you have the time to learn, the space to work and the money for tools, go for it. Or keep shopping, you'll find a good one but it'll still need work at some point.

83

My point is that even though he's right about engine and tranny being replaceable, you don't want to have to do that, correct? So it's a moot point. Buying based on a "the body/frame are solid, so nothing else matters because I can rebuild it" mindset is for someone planning to restore a classic; someone who's ok with putting a bunch of work and money into a vehicle. Not for someone just looking to buy a truck that'll get them around.

I would personally not buy the truck without getting it checked out.

I agree with dropzone and was hinting at this myself- the fact that the guy bought the truck, put 3,000km on it and is now re-selling it is definitely a red flag. Oil leak is another red flag. Neither of them necessarily mean it's not a good truck, but they deserve explanations and are cause for worry. And as much as we'd all like to, you can't really fully trust an explanation from someone trying to sell you something.

Like I said, I've bought a truck and had to replace the engine and tranny. Yeah, it can be done. But I bought the truck for around $1,200, expecting a truck I could just drive. $4,000 and almost a year later, I finally had that truck...I loved it, but it was a bad decision.

gsp4life

I fully agree with you. Getting my 4Runner was a terrible financial decision and the PO made a decent profit from my ignorance. I don't regret it anymore, but I'm 4 years in and now have a couple other vehicles to drive if needed.

Just a year ago, I'd have told this guy to stop looking at old Toyotas asap and find something newer. I have an 08 Subaru Forester and 06 Suzuki XL-7 that each cost $3000 or less and they are way less trouble and maintenance than the yota was before I made it right.

thefishguy77

iTrader: (1)

If your budget is $5,000 keep looking. You can find a good one for that price. Winter jacks up the price of 4wd rigs. Just keep looking you should be able to find that 4 runner with that many miles for less than $2,500. And I still think that's too much. I paid $3,500 for a one owner 85 4Runner in great physical shape with dealership maintenance records knowing it needed a motor. Now I am struggling with electrical issues with it. Expect to put $1,000 ish in to a "solid" new to you old rig. And if you don't have to call it a win.

BlackPearl808

Where oh where were you guys right before I bought my truck?? The above points would've saved me some $$. Those oil leaks are evil.
But also, thanks to this site, I now have a little bit more knowledge on how to fix said oil leaks.
I'd keep looking, she's out there!

bootscootboogie

iTrader: (1)

Yep. I've noticed people either get a $500 yota and spend $3000 making it a $2500 yota, or spend $5000 on a $3500 yota. lol

thefishguy77

iTrader: (1)

Mines now up and running with no codes a new clutch and freshly rebuilt engine by me. I'm in it just under 6k. She's real clean and I'm the second owner. Never been wheeled. 85 4Runner SR5 5sp. Tops never been off