Would you buy...

[Andy W]

Looking at 01-03 double cab 4x4's right now and have found a few that aren't grossly overpriced, but one is an 01 w/ 135,000 miles, the other is an 02 w/ 139,000. Would the higher mileage be a concern to you if you were looking to buy something like this, as long as the maintenance has been kept up?
Opinions wanted! thanks.

[hossmaster]

only you can answer that question, but my 02 has 141k on it and it drives like the day i bought it. The suspension components are more of a concern than the engine or trans

[Sykostick]

The only big worry for the engine would be, if it's a 6 cyl, the timing belt. Make sure it's been changed, or have it changed. 4 cyl's have chains, and are not to be worried about.

But as said by hossmaster, your bigger concern should be the suspension.

[TuRDle]

Presuming that you are referring to the comparison of the higher mileage between the two trucks you are looking at and under the conditions you mentioned, 4000 miles won't make a hill of beans of a difference between the two. It's negligible.

[Andy W]

Not really trying to compare the 2 trucks, more trying to get a sense of how some of you current owners of V6's felt about slightly higher mileage on the 3.4, if there are any major concerns...timing belt of course being one as far as the engine is concerned. The only thing that made me think about their longevity was just that both trucks are a little over the average miles per year and wanted to make sure that they weren't getting close to a mileage one would consider worn out.

[KdF]

3.4's have a rep of rock-solid. As long as the oil has been changed occasionally and it's never overheated badly, it will last forever. The Timming belt/water pump/tensioner are the big questions. Buy it, either one, change the previous, with newplugs/belts/wires and hoses, give it a good radiator flush and a thermostat and drive.

carry on...........

[TuRDle]

...as long as the maintenance has been kept up?

That's is the operative phrase.

Three things will cause unnecessary wear on an engine: (long answer to short question)

1. Not driving it often enough. When an engine sits the oil drains into the pan and off of the moving parts. 90% of engine wear occurs when it is turned on because the moving parts are unlubricated until the oil pump starts a pumpin. So it stands to reason that the longer between starts the more wear occurs. Engines that get the most miles on them are police, ambulance, transportation, and service type vehicles. They run constantly. The shorter the duration that an engine is turned off between starts, the more miles you will get on it.

A recent article described how a woman in one of the southern states drove a 1,000,000 mile vehicle, a 1970 Camaro. That equates to an average of 72 miles a day. That’s not exactly “leaving it in a garage”. Cars that don’t sit get more miles because they’re always lubricated.

2. Not driving an engine long enough when it is run. One of the by-products of the internal combustion process is H20 (water). When an engine is not run long enough to reach normal operating temperature the water doesn’t evaporate. It mixes with the oil and becomes...you guessed it, sludge. Sludge is a bad thing.

3. Dirty oil. No elaboration required.

One of the worst things one can do is buy a low mileage used car from a little old lady for any or all of the reasons mentioned above.

Unfortunately we can’t always know the history of the previous owner of a used car or we’d all opt for one that was driven 5 miles each way to work every day and somewhere on weekends. So, the next best thing is to get one that has a reputation for being dependable. Toyota vehicles answer that description. I’ve had most of ‘em and the trucks are no exception.

A high mileage engine is not necessarily a bad thing. One reason people use “freeway miles” as a selling point is because of no. 2 above and because of the logical minimum wear that occurs on tires, steering, suspension, cooling, exhaust (remember the H20) and braking systems.

Bottom line. The conditon of a vehicle at any age is how it is driven and maintained.

[Sykostick]

I admit I'm not one of them, I've only got 61k on my truck, but I can securely tell you that plenty of people (on this forum, no less) own toyota trucks with thousands upon thousands of miles on them.

Before getting my '02, my '92 22RE PU had almost 400,000 miles. It was maintained, and used as a commuter most of it's existence, the only maintenance was regular oil changed, brakes, CAT, etc. The suspension was old and sloppy, and the clutch was beginning to wear out, but that was it. The reputation didn't change one bit with the newer trucks. Toyota builds solid motors. Trust, if the oil was changed and it was "taken care of" the truck will last you. Should last you, anyway.

There's a reason that when I'm driving to work, before I even get to the main road I can count at least 15 trucks, old and new, with the Toyota badge on them in my neighborhood. Let's not even mention the number of cars.

The friggin military used these things out in afghanistan. Does that tell you something? lol.

Redundantly I repeat: These trucks are solid. Worry not. Make sure the oil changes were done regularly, and you will be buying a very reliable pickup.