I found on craigslist, for sale by owner, a 1991 Tacoma DLX for $11,750 (firm).

It has:

V6 3.0 L engine
5 speed manual
4wd
no radio, just a CD player
some dings on the door and front bumper
no AC
just under 107,000 miles (!!)
is not from a snowy/cold region

the story is that this guy is the 2nd owner, scaling back on his vehicles and GF can't drive manual.

Is this a good deal? What should I look out for? What do you all think? I'm kinda excited about finding this, but want to know what I'd be getting my self into should I go for it.
Thanks.

 

I would say a 1991 Tacoma in that condition would be worth at least $750,000. No one else could get a Tacoma until the 1995 model year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Tacoma This must be one-of-a-kind.

If it's a 1991 Pickup (related to a 4runner), that seems a little high to me. But pickup prices are very regional. The price of a pickup in Austin, TX doesn't do you much good in Long Beach. What are other Tacomas (- cough- Pickups) going for in your neck of the woods? https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sf...202522538.html

 

scope103: thanks for the quick reply.
(and thanks for the catch. You're right. I've had tacoma on the brain for a while and was'nt really looking for something like this, but it popped up on my feed and got my attention.)
In just the quick look I've been seeing on CL this seems to be in the ball park for my region for something of this generation. I've seen newer Tacomas for between 7.500 and 13.000. some seem high, for their condition and others seen be be so low they give me pause. But a pick up from this era is a rare find, and they tend to be around this same price.
thanks for the feedback

ll

 

scope103: thanks for the quick reply.
(and thanks for the catch. You're right. I've had tacoma on the brain for a while and was'nt really looking for something like this, but it popped up on my feed and got my attention.)
In just the quick look I've been seeing on CL this seems to be in the ball park for my region for something of this generation. I've seen newer Tacomas for between 7.500 and 13.000. some seem high, for their condition and others seen be be so low they give me pause. But a pick up from this era is a rare find, and they tend to be around this same price.
thanks for the feedback

ll

 

I just bought my rust-free 1991 x-cab v6 4wd 5spd DLX with 185,000 miles for $5k. That price seems a bit high.

 

That seems crazy high to me, but like scope103 said, prices vary by region. Those trucks are probably a little more common where I live in CO, and for one to go for that much it would look like it just rolled out of the factory with less than 100K on it. I did a quick facebook search for comparison, this heavily modified 2004 tacoma with 160k miles is asking only $1250 more than the one you're looking at.

 

That being said, a 91, 3.0 V6 with only 107K on the clock... as long as the head gasket recall has been addressed, that'll get you well over 300K miles if you take care of it.

 

moto809

thanks for the info. you're right about the head gasket. if I get serious about this i plan on confirming that issue. i'm asking for the vin# to do some research and verify what he has in the ad and any other issues. those pickups from that era tend to be a bit spendy here (i'm in LA/southern california) as they don't have any rust/salt issues.
this wasn't exactly what i was looking for but it showed up in my feed and I got intrigued.
here is the ad with photos if you are interested: https://losangeles.craigslist.org/la...196943771.html

l

 

Lulz

"The AC doesn't blow cold only warm, the owner opted.."

Nah bro that AC is trashed there wasn't an option for warm AC.. Lmao over here at California prices of ~10k in part outs.

Sincerely Colorado.

 

Wow, it's really too bad about the body damage because I've never seen one so clean inside. With a straight body I could almost understand the asking price. Tough call but if it's what you want, hey it's only money. I'm so over invested in my 93 it would be absolutely stupid to sell it, but I love it and have no intention of ever doing so. You may end up head over heals for it, never know.

 

He was making a joke about the lack of A/C. If you look through the pics again you can clearly see the A/C button location has a factory cover instead, indicating it was never installed.

 

LoisLane,
Before you consider the first-gen Tacoma like below research Lower-Ball Joint Failure on that generation. I explain it here.

 

First, that's not a Tacoma LoisLane is looking at. Second, I've been downright mean to my 93 over the past 14 years and have never had a lower ball joint issue. I even jumped it a few times when I was younger. This post is literally the first time I've ever heard someone bring it up. I see how the Tacoma is designed a little better, but you can not say the older style is prone to failure. I've had my truck from 280,000 to it's current 365,000 and have never touched the lowers.

 

I know. That's why I said BEFORE she/he even considers shopping for truck similar to what you showed, I wanted to warn her of this.

THIS IS THE FLAW IN FIRST-GEN TACOMA / 3RD-GEN 4RUNNER

Of course, most people it happened to only learn it when happened, or when hit hits close to home.​​​​

Above is my daughter's.​​ ​That's why I'm helping raise awareness to it before it hurts someone.

NO. The first-gen Tacoma suspension is not designed better. The older truck's suspension with torsion bar is designed better as shown below. That's why WE can jump our trucks without worrying about the LBJ suddenly pulling apart.

TRUCKS WITH TORSION BAR

I did not say the older style (Toyota pickup, IFS with torsion bar) is prone to failure. I said the first-gen Tacoma in your picture (if stock with IFS) is prone to failure.
Before one jumps a first-gen Tacoma / 3rd-gen 4Runner he should think about this.


THIS IS THE FIRST-GEN TACOMA. Note the Swoosh. This has the SAS so this does not have the LBJ flaw of the stock First-Gen Tacoma.

 

The truck LoisLane is looking at is a 91 4x4 pickup (hence why I said not a Tacoma). I simply posted that picture as a price reference being a modified truck 13 years newer for nearly the same price.

 

I know, but I also wanted to make sure she knows what to expect IF, and only IF, she ends up finding a Tacoma because...
Meaning she could end up looking at a Tacoma and I would hate for her to find out the hard way.

 

Having cleared up the name difference, there are plusses and minuses to both trucks. Ive seen 3rd Gen 4runner BJ failure in person and its a major safety issue to be aware of. The other thing for both trucks is frame rust, which happens on the inside of the frame and can be hard to see.
the 86 to 95 pickup is an undeniably solid platform and market prices reflect that. Tacomas have OBDII which I think makes troubleshooting a lot easier.
then theres the 3.0 vs 3.4 debate.
Both are good, popular and pricey trucks.
Either way, around here I see people listing trucks in this price range and they sit on CL for a while. I bought a 94 over the summer that was listed at 5k and sat and I bought it for 4k. Take your time, negotiate, get it checked out by a trusted mechanic. If youre going to give someone 10k plus for a 20 yr old truck and they cant take it to a mechanic for you, this is a red flag. These trucks are hard to find but theres plenty out there. Keep doing your research and get what you want.

 

Ok, good point.

 

I was never fond of the 3.0. I saw customers dump all kinds of money trying to improve performance of the 3.0 and the results were always marginal at best. It did work better in the truck vs the 4Runner, though, as long as the driver didn't haul a ton of weight. We were so happy when the 3.4 came out.

 

JimKola, I personally prefer the 3.4 by miles but there are people who feel the 3.0 gets an undeserved bad rap.. 3.4 has better torque, easier to work on, no HG problems. Just valve cover leaks, that im aware of.