New to the board. Everyone seems awesome, so here is the scoop!
I am 19 and have been looking to get out of my ranger and into a taco for about a year, and I finally have the financial ability to do it. With the promotion I just got at work came an extra 700$ a month, but I spent 650$ on gas in Jan!!! So now the need for a 4 cyl yota is more than ever!

After heavy looking around I came across the truck I think will suit me best.

http://autoextra.com/vehicledetail/...mpa/fl/do-basic

It is listed as 128k miles, but the salesman said that when it got traded in, they put a new engine and tranny in it. I offered them 9,5 for it, put a down payment to hold it, and i'm going to see it and make my decision on friday.

My question is: does it seem weird that they put a new motor and tranny in it for no reason other than it "had a lot of miles on it"?? Most of the tacos for sale in my area have almost 200,000 on them and they are fine. Do you think maybe it had been sank in the mud/water? Any other reasons? When i look at it on saturday is there anything to look for that would tell me it is a bad deal? The carfax history came up squeaky clean!

This truck will instantly start saving me atleast 250 a month on gas ( i am driving an old v6 ranger) and it is the manual tranny like i wanted. Any advice would just be awesome guys!

 

link isnt working for me...

 

Me neither, you are gonna have to re-post that link, it's missing a bunch of stuff.

 

http://autoextra.com/vehicledetail/a...8/do-printable

the carfax report came up clean.

Now that the motor and tranny aren't original, will the truck get a " not actual miles" title?

 

Looks like a good deal @ 9.5k, maybe 9k IF the engine and tranny is "new". The only reason they would have to replace either is if they went bad, 128k isn't a lot at all for these trucks. If I were you I would make sure they did what they say, else the price might go down a little more, then again, you are dealing with a stealer. I hope someone else posts their opinion on this as well. Good luck.

 

I would ask to see some paper work on that new engine. Sounds fishy to me. Couple things I see that I like are the Manual Hubs which is rare and how clean it looks. The 4banger is pretty okay in my book as long as it is geared well and the tires stay on the reasonable side of sizing.
Not a TRD so no factory locker kinda is a bummer. Unless I saw hard proof of the engine swap and that the swap was for a New engine and Tans, I would not offer more than 8,000 for it. If they really went through the trouble of a new eng/trans they would absolutely have good documentation of it.
Good luck.

 

As many trucks as there are out there for sale, find one that doesnt have something weird going on. Replacing the engine and tranny at 128k miles? What are the odds that both engine and tranny died in a TOYOTA? I would say very slim, especially since that truck looks to be in good condition. If it was a rusted, busted, torn up heap, I would say its likely due to lack of maintenance, but that looks like a well taken care of truck. Just hearing that they were both replaced would make me extremely cautious. I agree with above, get paper work. I would want to see records, serial numbers, etc. Its possible they just "said" that to get some sucker to think they were getting a brand new drivetrain.

 

I agree with some of the others. It sounds way to fishy to just replace the engine and tranny that only has 128,000 miles. Get the VIN# and do a search on the net. There's a website out there with all the vehicles that got damaged in the hurricanes this past year. Many are showing up on used car lots. This one may fit the bill, and it may not. If I can find the site, I'll post a link.


*** I found the website: http://www.nicb.org/



BTW, I've got a 2001 for sale for $11k with only @69k miles.

 

Well when the dealer replaces a motor, it's usually just the short block unless something is wrong with the head, at least in my experience. And the tranny is probably a remanufactured, or could be. Ask them what EXACTLY they did with proof. But like others said, for about $8k your getting a nice truck! Except for th fact that it's GOLD!!! but it's ok my old runner was gold and I was forced to like it

 

I wouldn't buy a used vehicle without a Carfax report. You never know, maybe they took good care of it, then ran it without putting the oil bolt back. That happened down the street from me on a nice '98 Xcab Taco.
Best of luck

 

that was one of the things i liked most! My ranger has red interior, and I thought i would get used to it but i never did. I still HATE it.

I talked to them this morning and asked more questions. He said that the motor is brand new and they can prove it. He also said that the tranny came from a 99 with much fewer miles that came in wrecked. I told him that I will see him saturday and if they don't have some kind of warranty plan for it than it is a no-go. I am also going to get in writing that I am going to drive the truck straight to my mechanic and have him give it a checkup, and that if he says there is anything wrong, I am driving it right back.

 

The engine and transmission being replaced would spook me. I am wary of car dealers anyway, and I found mine on autotrader for sale by an individual. I have about 127K miles on my truck now and it runs like a new one.

Sounds like a good plan taking it to your mechanic. $8,000 ain't too bad if the truck is OK. Knowing what you already know, I would not hesitate at all in passing if he finds something suspicous.

If it doesn't work out, don't get too anxious. There are plenty more out there for sale. Just take your time and you'll find one.

 

I like the gold too. Ask them why the motor was replaced, it's about time for some of the flooded vehicles to show up from the Gulf Coast hurricane season. Look for corroision around wiring and dirt or rust in weird places.

 

I looked at the truck today. Everything looks lagit. No rist anywhere, and I LOOKED for it. The motor is new, as is the intake, starter, coil, radiator, almost everything. Definatly was not dissapointed, as i thought going from a 4.0 to a 2.7 that it would be very slow. The only thing that I didnt like was the radio sounded like hell. I've never owned subs or anything, but that radio had no base at all.

I also checked out the burgandy truck that I posted. I looked at it for 2 min and walked away. It was dented all over, had a bench seat that smelt like cigarettes, and had fluid splatter marks all over the body abover the tranny. Definatly not what I wanted.

 

now that you are sure that the engine and tranny are basically new...did you ever ask why they had to replace them?

that's scary...

 

I am curious as to why they replaced everything too.

 

I could be wrong, but this sounds fishy to me... and btw, dealers can make a lot of things look GREAT for a couple hundred miles. Check and recheck your VIN numbers, seen what was replaced, whats origanal. Get a CARFAX! Get a warrenty.