Getting out of debt and selling my 17 tacoma.

Looked at a 2001 sr5 4x4 runner yeaterday. Truck is in close to new condition. The color i want and the year model im looking for.

Has around 210k miles. Owner is a coworker of my wifes. It isnt their primary vehicle as both husband and wife have upgraded to newer 4 runners. They have had it for 2 years.

Everything works as should and no problems right off hand. Upon inspection i did notice some transmission fluid in the over flow coolant tank. However the radiator appeared to be clean fluid.

They said when they purchased it the trans cooler had busted. They replaced everything including the radiator. Flushed the system and replaced the coolant. Said he had a hard time removing all the oil from the coolant passages and he hasn’t bothered to check the overflow or clean it in awhile.

Trans shifts as should and all fluids appear to be full or within where they should. Im thinking another coolant flush and thoroughly cleaning the overflow tank should get rid of the blackish dirty coolant in it. I believe its priced well at $3500. Thoughts?

Would upload some pictures but they are failing to upload from my phone.

read this thread and find a different 4runner: 3rd Gen 4Runner Buyer's Guide - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

From what I’ve read about the pink milkshake (which is what happened to that truck) - you could flush it like crazy and still have the trans fail 5k or 10k miles later.

Since it still has trans fluid in the overflow tank it sounds like they didn’t even do a great job of clearing it all out when it happened. I’d be wary of it - how many miles have they put on it since it happened? Did they say what process they followed to flush the trans?

I’ve read threads of people doing 4-5 complete flushes.

The price is OK, not great though if you have to replace the trans at $2k.

Then there are any other things that will just add to your out of pocket cost. I’d also look at the rest of the components - especially the frame (for rust) and the front suspension - lower ball joints, control arm bushings, condition of shocks (are they leaking?). Check the steering rack for leaks as well.






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As someone who got hung up on the specifics (mine was one owner, low-ish miles, limited w/ multi-mode), don't let that blind you. I missed several things that I shouldn't have... like that the dash is 2 different colors (part replaced), evidence of accident (drivers door hangs odd, just noticed a mid-level repaint yesterday). I paid $2k too much for this thing now that I'm noticing what I'd missed by not staying objective and keeping my emotions out of the sale.

Don't do that, it sucks when you're angry over the purchase every time you go to get in it... and worse when it's someone your wife will have to work with, given that she'll suffer the majority of your frustrations.

If it checked out perfectly, that's one thing... but this kind of KNOWN issue, either pay a price where you're fully comfortable with a transmission replacement (and any/all other things it might need), or walk away and wait for the next one. There WILL be another one that comes along.

If you can buy it a price that you are happy with and you have the assumption that the transmission will fail sometime soon (tomorrow or the next year or so) I'd say go for it if everything else checks out good.

It is extremely rare for a transmission to survive a pink milk shake. Sometimes they fail within a couple hundred mile or sometimes they last about 10k miles like mine did before they start to shit the bed.

Another important question to ask is whether the truck was over heated or not when the tranny cooler failed. And by overheated i mean did the temp needle go up past normal (middle), not necessarily all the way in the red. Sometimes if it is caught right away and several flushes are done, the tranny can survive but it is definitely not the norm.

Not only did my transmission take a dump after a PMS (10k miles later) but the HG went shortly thereafter (it was overheated pretty badly).

At $3500, I wouldn't be interested at all. But if the price was low enough and everything else was in pretty good working order, I'd take a gamble on it.

If you do end up buying it, do another full transmission flush. Then six months later, do it again. I literally had to flush gallons up gallon of tranny fluid through mine over the course of months to get all remaining coolant out of the tranny. Even a small amount of coolant can do serious long term damage and will make the fluid "cloudy".

Thanks for all the replies and information. Read up on the link that was posted. Yea it was a concern for me for sure. And I definitely am in no rush to find one. As i still have my tacoma to drive and wont be selling it until after i do purchase something else. I guess the hunt is on for another clean runner. I dont mind the though of doing the repair even replacing the transmission as im a mechanic myself. ( forklifts ). But i dont think they are willing to work on price.

Don't forget to miss the obvious like I did. I bought a very clean looking 2002 SR5 a year ago. I was so eager to go for a test drive I miss that the check engine light did not come on initially, so it did not come on during the drive.

A random missfire showed up at the smog check at registration. It ran OK, but coolant started to drop. Turns out it had a cracked head, and the previous owner had removed the check engine light bulb, but no coolant was in the oil. The truck got rebuilt heads at considerable expense...

If it's in like new condition and the model you wanted $3500 is an excellent price in my area. I wouldn't dismiss it, but definitely would offer them less.

If it runs and drives, is in good shape and all functions, go for it.
Its 3500$. Offer 3?

Its not a 17 Tacoma, that is 25k...
-worst case is a new trans down the road, just have that $2500 emergency fund ready. Worth fixing is it not?

Roll the dice, and get outta debt is the objective- and the 4R will help you do it. Kind regards

1- Congrats on getting out of debt, excellent decision!

2- If the truck is pristine but has pink milkshake symptoms, it may be worth a new/used transmission. If the price is right and youre mechanically inclined and do not have to pay for labor, etc that is...

Wow, shady!

It is definitely a clean one. One of the cleaner ones ive came across. Especially for the price ( in my area ). However i know there have been some others that are just as clean and without coolant problem for a bit more ( price of transmission or a little less )

I would be able to do all the repairs myself thats not an issue as i have access to garage with lift. Trans jack , ect. I told the owner of the runner that i was going to hold off for right now. I dont think they have marketed it yet to anyone else and not sure when they plan too but i suppose they will need to At least flush the system again before someone buys it. So im going to think on it for a couple days and may give them a shout back.

And thanks for the congrats on getting out of debt! We started following dave ramseys program on may 10th and have paid off a little over 11k in debt. Should have the rest of the wifes car paid off this month. And then we are only left with the tacoma lease and our mortgage. Once i turn the tacoma in or sell ( around November ) it should take less then 3 years to have the house paid for. My goal is to be completely debt free before im 30.

Yeah definitely pass on that rig..... what's their number??

My wife was 31, I was 35 when we hit that (but also had north of $100k in school loans 5 years prior). It's not the normal path, you'll get grief... not blatantly, but in backhand ways, so be prepared for that. I couldn't imagine it any other way (I'm a few decades on now, occasionally with a home mortgage, occasionally without) and love the freedom it offers. I don't work for pay, my wife only works 3 days a week (damn healthcare costs since the ACA came into being), she has the complete freedom to tell her boss to shove it at any time as we have YEARS worth of living expenses available to us. The stress I see others who are paycheck-to-paycheck but have all the new and shiny things is all the confirmation I need that this was the right decision. Wait, we have 2 paid-off 2018 vehicles (after 20 years with the prior 2 vehicles)... so it's not like you Have to deny yourself the shiny new things. It's just paying yourself and collecting interest vs paying someone else + interest.

Best of luck in your journey, just thought a little "been there, done that" motivation might help you along.