Hey all, I'm looking at buying an '01 Tacoma 3.4L 4x4 extended cab with a 5 gear. It's got a 2 inch lift and 265/75/16 tires. Also the guy lists a 15 hp chip and dual exhaust as "features" of my possible new truck. Can anyone ballpark a fuel mileage on this truck, assuming it's working as well as buddy says it is (he claims all new plugs, wires, filters, and O2 as well as oil change regularly)? The truck needs to run double duty as a daily driver (15 km commute but all back roads, no city, yes I'm in Canada) and back road cruiser. We own a 4Runner with the 22r (5 speed) as a beater/woods/mud truck. 33s and a 5 inch lift but it rarely sees pavement. I'd like to have a decent street truck but need to be able to afford to drive it! Thanks in advance for any help with my "newbie" question.

 

probably 18mpg+ on the commute...Dont know about km/l

 

I'd say between 16-18mpg depending on your driving habits.
The 15hp chip is most likely a gimmick so I wouldn't put much weight on that at all.

I would ask if he has service records and which shop he took it to for the work.
Do a little research to be sure it was taken care of.

Fink

 

He's a mechanic at a garage about 4 hours from here. After a little checking, seems to be a reputable garage but being that it's a ways away it's hard to say. He does his own work but has 2 other trucks and can't afford all 3. Seems he's selling this one to keep the others or something along those lines. It's a real decent price so I'm trying to figure out why, lol. Maybe I should stop thinking like I'm getting screwed and start thinking that he's a moron who's charging too little...a friend of mine just bought essentially the same truck except auto with no lift and cheerfully paid $3000 more than this guy is asking. He's a bit jealous now. Thanks for the replies and if anyone in Canada has their mileage worked out I'd be interested in hearing it.

Ok, 1 US gallon is 1.2 gallons in Canada and 1 mile is 1.6 kilometers. By my reckoning, 16 mpg US is roughly equal to 22 km/g here.

 

Try and get some pics of it - engine bay, underneath, interior, etc...
Post em up so we can take a look.

I would also suggest paying the $15 (US) to get a CarFax report on it to make sure it hasn't had any significant damage to it.

Okay, you beat me to the conversion.
That sounds about right.

Fink

 

ohh..Canada uses imperial gallons not liters?!
We learn something new every day

 

15 HP chip is bogus...if hes talking about a unichip. Im running the same tires with a 2.25" lift and in the winter i get 20 mpg and in the summer i get 22 mpg.

Oh yea, i also have a AFE Pro Dry airfilter, elbow mod and a Airaid Mit.

 

Actually we do use liters MOST of the time, but to calculate mileage we use imperial gallons...never have figured out why exactly...either way, I understand now what approximate mileage a truck like this will get. Thanks everyone!

 

Sounds like a nice truck, I'd like to see some pictures as well.

 

Fink

 

Oh...kinda like how we (U.S.) use a stupid form of measuring? i.e., inches, feet, miles, etc. Centimeters, meters, Kilometers are so easy. They're all go by such uniform units.... I just never fully learned cm,km, etc.

 

Ok, here's the best pic I have of it. It's not mine...yet. I'm going to get it this weekend.

 

thats a cool truck. looks like it has sliders and bumbers thats nice!!!!!
x2 on the carfax

 

Wow, great find!
Looks like its already pretty well modded out, too.

Fink

 

Thanks! I thought it was a nice find too but it's always good to hear that opinion from others! It's a friggin steal, for sure. A buddy of mine just bought one of these with no lift for $3000 more than this guy wants. Unfortunately it's a 4 hour trip one way so I have to wait till the weekend

 

How much is he wanting for it if you don't mind me asking?

Fink

 

a toyota turbo diesel gets 25+ mpgs..
but the 3.4 is also a great engine...
any toyota truck can be great at daily driving because they are built to take alot more..
just keep up with maintenance and also get it krown oil sprayed!

 

Fink, he's asking $9600 CAD for it but I think cash will bring him down some. His reason for selling is "bills", lol. The US exchange rate for the Canadian dollar is about 1.3 right now so it works to $7385 US.

Thanks again everyone for your help!

Are there any special things I should look for on these trucks that may indicate problems or any known issues? I'm taking the money with me but it would be great if I knew what the deal breakers should be.

 

if it does have that "15hp chip" then i would take it off, it will be a box in line with the mass air or the ECT sensor, it is just a resistor that makes the ecu thing that the intake air or engine coolant temp is lower than what it really is so that it will run slightly richer and sometimes add some timing. Typically they cost you hp and mpg rather than gaining

 

I would say lose the chip and do a Carfax. Otherwise it looks like you have found a pretty nice modded truck that had an "actual" mechanic tinkering with it.

Enjoy the truck and have fun!