Is this 1994 Pickup a Good First Truck?
 

http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/3812970907.html I saw this truck on craigslist, and it says that it has a lot of new parts, and the price doesn't seem too terrible. If I got this truck, it would have to be able to drive from Houston to Ohio (Long story, but I have family in Houston). Anyways, does it look okay from the pictures, and what about the price? Thanks.

Why would someone put in a lot of new parts and then sell it? (Maybe: he's tired of it always breaking down on him?)

I'm not from Houston, but is door rust common? If this came from the rust belt, you might have to look very closely at it. Could be an excellent, well maintained vehicle. I sure can't tell from a Craigslist listing.

The price seems a tad steep to me, but truck prices are very regional. If that's what he can get in Houston, that's what you'll have to pay.

I would say that is not a good deal, particularly if you are transporting it all the way to OH after the purchase. I bought my 3.0 with 177k miles for $3000 last year. There was no significant rust (but lots of paint oxidation). I have probably put $1500 of parts on it, but I know they are good parts, and I know who put them on (fwiw, synthetic gear oil is really expensive!)

New paint but still rust under the doors? Weird.......

Not for a 1994

I would give him 4000 for it I had a 89 just like it for my first truck lasted for ever drove it till the box rusted off then used it as an off road buggy and if you buy it be prepared to go slow go anywhere and you will love them yota's till ya die

That price seems high for what it is. I bought my ~150k truck last year in Central Texas (4x4, Xtra Cab, SR5 bells and whistles package w/ abs, towing, etc) for $4700.

Houston is on the gulf so possible if that truck was near the coast that it has a lot of rust. If I were you, I'd be looking more inland -- San Antonio, Austin, Waco, & Dallas -- for a better condition truck.

Find out what the story is on it. For mine, the PO planned too keep it for always but bought a Tundra in TX for and then drove it to his Northwest OR or WA brother and decided he needed one. Bought one, and his lady said he had to pick the Tundra or the P/UP...
Mine had quite a bit of work that needed to be done on it, despite above average maintenance. But then I am replacing a lot of stuff that is near failure but not completely failed to bulletproof it as much as possible. And plus one of the benefits of buying used is that you have $ to mod and upgrade since you don't have a $500/month new car payment!

Yup I'm in San ahtonio, there's some decent trucks for sale now. Much better than that one too

Receipts!:
All the receipts for the work done and parts installed, and an indpendent on the ramp inspection by a seasoned mechanic [you pay 1/2 labour $40].
Get your Toyota P/U check list ready. If it's an honest sale [looks a decent house so I expect it is] owner will provide you with all the above. The $40 you spend on an inspection will either give you piece of mind or a bargaining tool on the price.
Same goes with any vehicle.
There I spent my 2cents.
No I have no sense.

20 year old truck and a long drive is a crap shoot.

Would stink to drop that kind of money and not get an extra cab, IMO.

That's true, I like the extra cabs. Anyways, thanks for all the replies, guys. It was just one of the "nicer looking" trucks I saw, but I'll keep my I out. My dad, who is currently in Texas, might just go to check it out, but I saw this truck in my first day of searching, so I definitely won't jump on it right away. Now, is there a sticky, or maybe another thread about a used truck buying guide? I know of some basic things to look for, but I'm not sure of the major stuff. Thanks for all of the help.

Here's some that I found.
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/3897301966.html This one seems good.
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/3855165007.html
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/3905809229.html
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/3906668266.html This is a bit too much at $4500, though.
http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/3907145408.html I really like this one, but I just called the guy and he said that it has 326,000 miles, and he isn't sure if the engine was ever rebuilt. So I'm not sure about it.

Okay, I just called the guy from the original post, he said that it has a few problems, such as some oil seeping out (maybe gaskets) as well as the rust on the doors. I asked about the receipts, he said he has all of them. Do you guys think it might be worth at least taking a look at, or would it just be too much trouble? Thanks

If you ever plan to go offroad, you'll want a 4x4. And with all it'd cost to add 4x4 components new, I'd say wait until you see one before jumping.

Basically, think about what all capabilities/needs/future mods on the truck, and then go from there.

If wanting to do a Toyota diesel swap on your own, 22re engines are better. 22re's will also allow you to swap in a 2rzfe or 3rzfe engine to get hp and torque equivalent to the 22re's same gen 3vze, but with better fuel mileage.

3vze's allow for a really simple 3.4 5vzfe swap. The supercharged 5vzfe is also one of the most powerful engines that can fit into our truck w/o substantial modification of the engine bay and entire driveline...

And the 3vze trucks, while the engine has its issues, is much more powerful than the 22re, and its tranny and tcases are stronger than those paired w/ the 22res too...

Further on 4wds Yotas, they're much more robust overall -- have stronger suspension, steering, propeller shafts, 6 lug wheels, frames, larger fenders to accomodate larger tires, etc. You start alot ahead in parts and time by going w/ a 4wd over a 2 (and definitely get your $s worth in the $500-$1k premium on the used market you might pay for that 4wd).

Wow, I didn't know that about the 4x4's. I'll keep that in mind. I don't really plan on going offroad, but I would if I had the chance, and it would pretty much be a work truck/ daily driver sort of thing. But I may have to stick with 4x4's now.

Being in Ohio (I've lived in both North and Central), the 4wd would be good for you to have just during winter alone -- and the snow in the north, slush in Central, and freezing snow/rain in south.

These trucks will go pretty much anywhere in 4wd with decent tires. You have a little more in maintenance costs with 4wd and a little more weight for slightly reduced mpgs, but IMO, the safety and capability gains are more than worth it. And adding manual free wheeling hubs eliminates much of the 4wd's drawbacks.

Also, if you go through the factory service manual, you can see many of the differences between the 4wds and 2wds: http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-buchanan/93fsm/

And a parts catalog like RockAuto that offers both 4wd and 2wd parts in the same section is good for seeing all of the parts differences.