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I'm helping my younger sister pick out her first vehicle and I think we have found a winner. We found a '98 Tacoma 2wd Reg Cab w/71k original miles! It has a clean 1-owner car fax drived by a 70 year old man. It drives very good..about what I'd expect from a 4cyl truck. It has a small squeaking/creaking in the pass front, but that's the only problem I could tell. I couldn't figure out how to open the hood , but nothing was leaking from underneath. It was a small dealer so he stayed inside and just tossed us the keys.
I would want that vehicle checked by a mechanic. Many times small dealers get most of their stock from auction that the makers dealers do not keep. They will keep any really clean vehicle mostly.Tacomas are good vehicles if the maintenance are keepup like most vehicles;which a mecahnic can spot pretty easily or someone knowing what to look for.
I agree. Get a good mechanic to look it over. It's good to have a Carfax, as you did, but it's not 100% accurate or without fault. Toyota still made high quality vehicles back in 98.
No idea about this particular vehicle, but I had a 1995 Tacoma with the 5 speed and 2.7L 4cylinder, which should be very similar to the 98. I'd recommend that model again in a heartbeat.
The carfax will show if the vehicle was bought via auction.
However the carfax won't show the one owner was 70 years old!
If the vehicle was taken care of - the Tacoma should do its job well. 70K miles is nothing on that truck.
If this is a new driver - caution her about rollover risk and check to see if it has ABS. If not - you have the usual risk of rear wheel lockup during braking in slippery conditions.
If this is a new driver - caution her about rollover risk and check to see if it has ABS. If not - you have the usual risk of rear wheel lockup during braking in slippery conditions.
Good advice, but since its a 2wd and not a 4wd, should not be a problem, as the 2wd sets as low as a car on those.
They are good trucks, but make sure its from the south, as frame rust were issues on those and Toyota had a buy-back option on rusty frame models. If its an original SC truck, there should be no issues. Most seemed to effect the 4wd models from up north.
Good advice, but since its a 2wd and not a 4wd, should not be a problem, as the 2wd sets as low as a car on those.
They are good trucks, but make sure its from the south, as frame rust were issues on those and Toyota had a buy-back option on rusty frame models. If its an original SC truck, there should be no issues. Most seemed to effect the 4wd models from up north.
Don't overpay! You are in a SERIOUS buyers market now for automobiles.
Thanks for the input. It is a verified 1-owner 71k mi truck. It has stayed in SC and appears a garage since new. As far as the buyers market...my sister is buying it for 65% of NADA retail @ $3900. It's basically for trade-in value. I think it's a fantastic deal for her considering some of the other junk we've seen in that price range.
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