I bought a Taco'... - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

Christ · 06-26-2009, 06:51 PM

Of course, a taco isn't a success story... but, A Taco' is.

1996 Toyota Tacoma... it's a rollover case, but it was a slow roll in the winter, which basically left it on the driver's side roof. The cab needs to be realigned, or replaced, but for $200 for the whole truck, which runs perfect and drives nicely, it's a steal for sure.

2.4 Liter/5 Speed

Excellent maintenance, fresh tires and brakes, fresh oil change, new spark plugs and wires, been sitting for awhile.

The guy was gonna junk it, but he decided to ask $300 for it. I told him that I wanted to fix it up, and offered $200 for it in cash, and he shook my hand. I drive it home tomorrow.

Overall, so far, it's got a smashed windshield, needs a driver's side window, needs some random bodywork, like the pass-side fender, bumper, rear wheel wells (chance for wheel skirts?), few dents in the hood and door, but all in all, nothing so serious that it can't be fixed or replaced.

I'm just amazed at how this thing runs, for sure. Pics to come this weekend!

McTimson · 06-26-2009, 10:20 PM

Nice find! As long as the engine runs, it's definitely worth it. I'm guessing that 2.4L is probably a 4 cylinder, how many miles are on it?

And, how does the frame look? I think that truck is part of the big Toyota truck rusty frame recall, you might get lucky if the previous owner didn't already try getting the credit for it.

Christ · 06-26-2009, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McTimson

Nice find! As long as the engine runs, it's definitely worth it. I'm guessing that 2.4L is probably a 4 cylinder, how many miles are on it?

And, how does the frame look? I think that truck is part of the big Toyota truck rusty frame recall, you might get lucky if the previous owner didn't already try getting the credit for it.

Yep, it's a 2.4 4 cylinder. IIRC, it's got about 155k on it, with good maintenance. It's not too dirty looking under the hood, and what is there is to be expected for a 13 year old truck.

From what I could see of the frame by getting under the truck while it's in the guy's yard, the frame has typical surface rust for being a NY/PA (Twin Tiers) vehicle. If it's bad, I might take it to a dealer and have them check it out.

How did that recall work? Did they just swap frames, or replace the vehicle?

cfg83 · 06-27-2009, 12:31 AM

Christ -

Sounds cool. Is this a keeper or a turner-arounder for profit?

CarloSW2

Christ · 06-27-2009, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfg83

Christ -

Sounds cool. Is this a keeper or a turner-arounder for profit?

CarloSW2

Well, that really depends on the scenario. I'm going to drive it for a bit, but I'll sell it if someone wants to buy it.

The real idea behind it is so that I can take Cara off the road, drive the Taco, and put the diesel engine in Cara at leisure, without being rushed to do everything all at once, and possibly screw something up. It's the first part of the project, honestly.

Once Cara is done, and road legal and all again, if someone wants to buy the Taco for $1000 or so, I'll sell it, then go buy another truck for $200 - $400 and fix it up, do the same thing.

I guess I don't really intentionally buy vehicles to sell them, but if it ends up that way, it won't bother me.

cfg83 · 06-27-2009, 01:13 AM

Christ -

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christ

Well, that really depends on the scenario. I'm going to drive it for a bit, but I'll sell it if someone wants to buy it.

The real idea behind it is so that I can take Cara off the road, drive the Taco, and put the diesel engine in Cara at leisure, without being rushed to do everything all at once, and possibly screw something up. It's the first part of the project, honestly.

...

Ok, that's a double-plus-good plan. Puts you in control of your automotive fate.

CarloSW2

Christ · 06-27-2009, 01:20 AM

First thing, I'm going to try to save myself $250 or so and just straighten out the cab myself, so I can get a new windshield in it.

If I can manage that, I'll pat myself on the back, for sure. Couple creases that need to be worked out, but it shouldn't be too bad to square the doorways up, so the cab will be aligned halfway decently, and won't be torquing the new windshield.

Once that's done, and a driver's side window is put in, I'll just put it on the road, and take the insurance off Cara. Then the real fun begins.

If I can't fix the cab up enough to be to my liking - I'm not hard to please, it's a beater for now - I'll just go spend another $240 and get another cab, plus $10 in gas. With any luck, they'll let the cab go with a clean windshield and not charge me for it. (They're usually pretty nice to me at the junkyard.)

RandomFact314 · 06-27-2009, 01:20 AM

You could defiantly put it, piece by piece on e-bay and craigslist and get more than $200 for it, especially for the engine, trans, a/c, tires?

Christ · 06-27-2009, 01:25 AM

Funny, I just got an offer for the engine alone for $400... lmao.

News travels fast, apparently.

Christ · 06-27-2009, 10:08 PM

PICS!!!

After driving it 20 miles home, before working on it at all:

After about 15 mins worth of working with a piece of wood and a Hi-Lift jack:

As you can see, I've squared up the door frames again, after over-torquing the cab the first time through, I had to move it back a bit so the door would close and the seams line up correctly. Now that that part is taken care of, I have to work out the creases in the windshield frame, and try to de-dent the roof panel as best I can next. Once I get a windshield to fit without leaking, the next step is the passenger side fender, which I'll try to pound out first. If that doesn't work, I'll replace it.

After that, it's the bedsides, and the rear bumper. Then just little stuff.