Things to know about a 2004 Tundra?

[OutOfBounds]

I'm currently looking at a 2004 Tundra, crew cab, TRD package. It drives nice, but the brakes are a little mushy. The dealer still needs to do the AMVIC inspection on it and made note to check the brakes. They'll have to put new ones in before I buy it. Overall it seems in good condition. There's a few dings in the bed typical of a pickup truck and the only rust in the bed is where water was trapped under the rubber bed mat. I think it could be blasted off, and it hasn't compromised the bed that I can tell. Why people spend the money on those pieces of junk and not a spray in liner is beyond me though. The frame looks solid.

It has 163,000kms on it and they're asking $15,000 (Canadian). Sound like a fair deal?

What kind of things should I be looking for next time I go look at and drive the truck?

 

[AaronK]

Don't know what the Canadian market is like, but that's only a couple thousand US more than I paid for mine for 2/3 the miles.
Make sure the timing belt and water pump was done recently. That's a 90k mile interval service.

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[OutOfBounds]

Good to know. I'll ask about the belt and pump. Our Canadian market is a little inflated when it comes to Toyotas, but shopping around it does seem like this truck is priced in the right ball park.

 

[wrenchMonkey_]

I paid $15K CDN in Alberta in 2014 for a 2006 DoubleCab Limited TRD (Leather, Heated Seats, Sunroof, ect ect, minus NAV/DVD) private sale with 147,000KM. Already had bed liner in, brand new BFG AT's, very clean truck.

Your truck seems OK, not spectacular tho. I am up in Edmonton but found it in Red Deer.

As mentioned, service history is key. LBJ recall? Frame rust campaign (thats now over too BTW) Timing Belt / WP service? Lots of things that can add up quick if not done.

And if you want a DC, I'd go for a 05/06 as they had a 5 speed tranny vs a 4 speed + bigger brakes.

 

[OutOfBounds]

Great info wrenchMonkey. Thanks for that. I'll look around some and see what else is out there.

 

[Dabird]

I just paid 13k US for a 2006 Double Cab SR5 4x4 with the TRD package. It had 136,000 miles, is really clean, and came with an ARE topper...I feel like i got a really good deal... i looked for a couple months and most of the trucks in my area had 200k and were selling for 8-11k. I went to try and test drive to different trucks that were priced around 9k with 190,000 miles and they both sold on the first day they were on the lot.

 

[7echo]

My 2000 work truck has 215,000 and runs fine. But, it gets 10/11 mpg in city driving.

 

[AaronK]

Th only real negative about the 1st generation Tundras is the lack of aftermarket parts and accessories. I have a 2002 and absolutely love it.

That's starting to turn around though

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[OutOfBounds]

Thanks for all the info guys. After much searching last night, there doesn't appear to be many of these trucks left on the market at all in Alberta. If the truck checks out mechanically and the dealer is willing to haggle a little bit, I think I'll snag it.

 

[FJR Colorado]

I would get things like the T-belt, WP and brakes done yourself so you can ensure that Toyota parts are used.... If you're the dealer looking to sell this thing, they will no doubt use off-brand parts...

 

[AaronK]

Timing belt isn't that difficult to do yourself either. Time consuming though.

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[OutOfBounds]

I wish I could do it myself, but I don't have the time or the space to do so unfortunately. I'll ask about them using OEM parts, and try to work that into the deal if it's needed.

 

[Dabird]

I negotiated based on the fact that the (Ford) dealer had no record of the timing belt being done... I then ran a service history check through Toyota and found out the TB/WP had been done within the last 30k miles
you can register and check on all services performed at a Toyota dealer here.
http://www.toyota.com/owners/parts-service/history

 

[OutOfBounds]

I negotiated based on the fact that the (Ford) dealer had no record of the timing belt being done... I then ran a service history check through Toyota and found out the TB/WP had been done within the last 30k miles
you can register and check on all services performed at a Toyota dealer here.
http://www.toyota.com/owners/parts-service/history

I plan to negotiate with that in mind for sure. That site doesn't bring up any service records for the truck I'm looking at so I'll be asking for the service record hard copies.

 

[rickashay]

I paid $13500 CDN for mine 3 years ago.

- 2004 Limited 4x4 Access Cab 172,xxx kms
- Full dealer service history since day 1
- Southern Alberta vehicle its whole life (no salt)
- Timing belt replaced 30K before I bought it
- Needed new tires
- No accident history

Here is my take on buying vehicles: we always want the "best deal" we can get. Saving money and paying a reasonable dollar for a quality vehicle is what we always want to achieve. However, as someone who has bought a TON of vehicles I know that finding immaculate vehicles with a clean undercarriage is literally almost impossible (in Alberta). If you plan on keeping the truck for a while and putting some time/money/effort into modifying one, does the slightly-higher-than-market price matter? I have ALWAYS paid above market value if I believe the vehicle to be drastically above the quality by which the rest of the market is measured. The extra bit of cash may sting upon initial purchase but if you score a clean and well looked after unit, it will pay for itself over and over in the long run. FWIW I thought I "overpaid" for mine 3 years ago by about $1000-$1500. It has been one of the cleanest and most reliable vehicles I have ever owned. It remains rust free and I havent broken a single bolt underneath due to corrosion while turning wrenches on it over my length of ownership. It's also never had a single mechanical issue in the 50,000kms I have driven it. Worth it? Hell yes.