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Hey guys! I am kind of struggling with trying to choose a reliable vehicle. It’s got to be a Toyota or Honda. So I can get a 1996 Tacoma low miles (139,000) and 4X4 5 speed xtra cab with a 4 cylinder (very very reliable and known to last years) it’s been inspected by a shop and they said it’s perfect and gave me the green light. No frame rust anywhere. It’s $6000 but if you look around you’ll see rusted out Tacoma’s or 4runners from that era that are 270,000 miles asking the same amount. They hold their value very well cause they last. I’ve seen 400,000 to a million miles on these. The plan with the Tacoma is to run it into the ground so I can save up for a duplex or triplex or even just a single home of my own and once property is bought buy a corolla or Camry to daily drive and have the truck for truck stuff and blizzards. I need a 4x4 or AWD where I live and do multiple trips to the family cabin through brutal conditions. The other option is to buy a newer, safer, 4runner. It’s a 2007 with 121,000 miles. It’s 13,300. I’d like that instead but money’s tight and I feel like it would be more to maintain than the bare bones Tacoma. All though it can seat 4 and presents a better image to outsiders.
So a bit about my money.
Make about $800 a week gross
Really early in my career
Have about $17,500 cash saved up
Kind of hard to build that kind of cash up with my income.
I have a Roth IRA that I contribute to monthly for my retirement I started at 24 (26 now)
So spend 13,300 and have $4200 left
Or spend $6000 and have a stil reliable as heck but older truck and have $11,500 left over.
Let me know what your thoughts are. I’m looking for answers of people who have been through a similar fork in the road.
How long are you thinking of taking to save up the house down payment? If you are going to be keeping that car for a while I'd suggest going with a more compact car with under 100k miles for the same price. Otherwise you raise the effective cost of your mountain biking hobby to $2,000+ per year. Is it worth that much to you?
And why do you need a truck exactly?
It is not frugal, an average person doesn't need a truck for anything and you can't even pick up chicks with that make and age. Also anything that old develops fatigue of metals, the thing can just break in the middle of not rusted frame.
Yeah, I see them all the time, shower of sparks flying from the rocker panels.
And why do you need a truck exactly?
It is not frugal, an average person doesn't need a truck for anything and you can't even pick up chicks with that make and age. Also anything that old develops fatigue of metals, the thing can just break in the middle of not rusted frame.
The fact that you even had to bring the motor in to be taken apart into pieces drives me away from Subaru’s. Yes cars break but that story with Subaru is much more common than it should be.
Not so with a Subaru of similar vintage as the Tacoma. The mid to late 90's Subaru have the 2.2 engine that is dead reliable, maybe more so than the Toyota truck you're coveting. Avoid the Subaru 2.4.
The old Subarus don't get great MPG, not much better than the Tacoma, but they're generally much cheaper to buy and maintain. I'd still go with the Tacoma though. That's a good deal.
I owned a used 1997 Toyota Tacoma ext cab, 4 x 4 auto transmission with 67 K miles on it, back in 2000. Great little truck.
Have to watch out for frame rust on the older Toyota trucks though. I saw a 1997 TTEC 4x4 auto just like mine, that had 180K miles on it the other day in very good condition for sale. $9K. Wow. The old Toyota trucks in good condition, have good resale and are in big demand in my state.
The only reason I sold mine was I could never get the seat adjusted to where it would not hurt my back. I even looked in to custom seats for it, but finally gave up and traded it to a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
I would skip on the Taco mainly because it is too old to be your daily driver. Also, prior to 1999, light trucks including the Taco (under 8500 pounds) were not subject to Federal Safety passenger car rules. That means no airbags and no side impact capabilities. You should find something 10 years newer. Taco's always draw a premium.
I would skip on the Taco mainly because it is too old to be your daily driver. Also, prior to 1999, light trucks including the Taco (under 8500 pounds) were not subject to Federal Safety passenger car rules. That means no airbags and no side impact capabilities. You should find something 10 years newer. Taco's always draw a premium.
Too old because....why? Remember he's in Alaska. Probably drives more than I do but not nearly as much as in lower 48. I drive about 3000 miles a year and have a 30 yr old vehicle that would no doubt outlive me if it weren't for frame rust progressing.
Lack of airbags means truck should be driven by no one-sent to junk yard or Cuba perhaps? That's not very frugal advice. Well, maybe if you calculate in hospital costs in the unlikely event a wreck occurred in truck that was more injurious than in a newer vehicle.
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