What's Your Deal Breaker

G

Grease

New member
Looking for some input here on viewing and purchasing a used 3rd Gen...

I'm going to be looking at a 2000 Limited with an elocker with 163k miles. The guy is asking $5500 but I'm looking to pay $4500-4900 tops for it.

The truck is in great shape, no dents and interior is in great shape. The catch (there's always a catch) is the truck was in a front end collision and the front bumper had been replaced with another stock one. Besides that the truck, from the pictures, is in great shape. I hope the engine and everything else look the same...

So with that being said, would you purchase a vehicle that has been in an accident?

The title is clean, aside from the accident.
 
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I would so as long as there is no frame damage or any repairs done to the strut towers as well. A car that old I would expect a fender bender or so in its life time. If it's just really the bumper I wouldn't worry too much about it
 
Like said above, most vehicles that age have had some kind of fender bender. It really doesn't matter how big or small the accident was as long as it was repaired correctly.

For a vehicle to be "right" after it has had an accident all the measurement points on the chassis have to be within 3mm of perfect tolerance which is actually closer than some are from the factory....the key to a good vehic is good repairs and maintainence. Look for rusty creases around the suspension points wear the paint/corrosion protection has popped loose and not been replaced and same thing around the body mounts where things could have been shifted during an accident.
 
Sounds like a pretty good deal to me if it looks alright otherwise! Some have paid a few thousand more for similar trucks.
 
I would say, if it looks good, check the frame for rust or signs that it has been repainted. I would also check the gaps between the hood and quarter panels to make sure the repair wasn't half asses. Other than that, run a Carfax to check vehicle history and maybe run the VIN on Toyota's service site to see if there is much in the way of service history to be known. Even for what they are asking, that would be a pretty good price where I live.
 
All my vehicles have been in accidents. And I have no problem with salvage title as long as the repairs were done to my satisfaction. Of course I am a lifelong body guy, so I can see the obvious, and the not so obvious. But I've been fooled too, although if it fools me, it's probably pretty good.

Look close, drive it, if it's good, it's good.

:lookout:
 
Also, look at tires for abnormal wear patterns due to alignment issues. New tires won't reveal anything however.
 
Pop the hood and see how far the damage went. Mine was also in front end collision but the radiator, bracket and light housings where original. So the damage was just to the front bumper, grill hood and one fender. Usually not enough to cause frame damage to a vehicle with body on frame design.
 
For me the deal breaker is when the new paint doesn't match the original. Or when the new paint is peeling! That always looks like crap! All the advice above is great advice!
 
If everything (paint) matches up and all is lined up no big deal. As long as it wasn't a salvalge/rebuilt title.

Mileage doesnt scare me either IF the truck was well taken care of. I personally have a 250k rig that is much cleaner than rigs with half the mileage.
 
Thanks for the input guys, definitely makes me feel more comfortable about the potential purchase of the vehicle..

Here's a couple of pictures to show you guys the condition, it's priced well for my area (which concerns me) but we'll see come Sunday!
 

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Just spoke to the owner again..

Said "the water pump is good and the timing belt is 3-4 years old"

Replied back saying "approximately 40k miles on them"

Not necessarily the best record keeping which partially worries me, I'm not looking to buy someone else's headache but hopefully the truck has been serviced by Toyota so I can get some more accurate records.. I'll keep y'all posted!
 
Grease said:
Just spoke to the owner again..

Said "the water pump is good and the timing belt is 3-4 years old"

Replied back saying "approximately 40k miles on them"

Not necessarily the best record keeping which partially worries me, I'm not looking to buy someone else's headache but hopefully the truck has been serviced by Toyota so I can get some more accurate records.. I'll keep y'all posted!
Click to expand...
so the water pump is good....is that because its not leaking or making noise or because its full of stop leak and water pump lubricant ( snake oil and piss)
a receipt on when it was replaced

the timing belt was done 3-4 years ago about 40k ago....got proof, was it the cheapest belt they could find when the old one took a crap
did they replace anything else at the time,,,,seals , tensioners

been hit in the front....I agree with earlier posts, damage to strut towers
receipt of repairs

rust on frame

otherwise looks good in pictures

but then again so did my last date
 
I do all my own work, so labor cost is just my free time. I bought my 97 for $1,500 with 200,000 on it a few months ago from my next door neighbor. It had a bunch of dents (it was his old farm truck) so i did all the bodywork and painted it. When i did my 3 inch lift i found the ball joints and tie rods were wore out so replaced them, got alignment and bought new tires. I still need to do a waterpump and timing belt because my neighbor bought the truck with 100,000 on it just after the water pump and timing belt were done.

So look at it this way, you pay for it one way or another lol



When i bought my 94 bmw 325is i was told going price was $5,000 for one, wether you paid it upgront for the car, or got a great deal then put what you saved right back in it for needed parts and neglected maintenance lol
 
Grease said:
Just spoke to the owner again..

Said "the water pump is good and the timing belt is 3-4 years old"

Replied back saying "approximately 40k miles on them"

Not necessarily the best record keeping which partially worries me, I'm not looking to buy someone else's headache but hopefully the truck has been serviced by Toyota so I can get some more accurate records.. I'll keep y'all posted!
Click to expand...

Timing belts can last a very, very long time. Water pumps will let you know when they are failing, they start to leak first. The 100k intervals are more of a rule of thumb than a must since we have non-interference engines.
 
hawkmanjr said:
Sounds like a pretty good deal to me if it looks alright otherwise! Some have paid a few thousand more for similar trucks.
Click to expand...

I paid like $7k for mine a year and a half ago.

It sounds like it's a great deal, as long as there is no structural damage from the accident (bumper only).
 
Not sure how close you are to ATL but there was a shop called "The Toy Shop" which specializes in Toyotas and they use OEM parts for everything and OEM filters.

Picked mine up from a fellow just north of ATL and they literally had binders of records for this vehicle.

Top notch place.
 
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