WTB small 4x4 farm use truck, any advice?

[Senor_Taylor]

Any <95.5 Toyota Pickup will be a rust bucket, however, the 4 cylinder 22re is a reliable motor.

95.5+ Toyota Pickups (now called Tacoma) came in a few flavors. 95.5-96 have glass headlights and a different grill. The 2wd comes with a relatively modern 2.4 liter. However, the 95.5 still uses a distributor. The 4wd can either have a 2.7 liter or the 3.4 v6. This remains true through 2004.

You can snag the 2wd trucks for 2000-3000, but you can honestly find a 2.7 regular cab 4wd for $3000 if you look hard. The 4wd models had a recall for lower ball joints on the front that failed catastrophically, so check those. These trucks also had recalls for the rear spare tire carrier rusting and allowing the tire to fall out.

Most notable, the 1st gen Tacoma had a huge frame rust issue where Toyota would test any vehicle within 15 years of it's manufacture date. If the frame failed, it would be replaced by a dealer. If it passed, the truck would receive a rubberized undercoating. Opinions on this are mixed as they trapped moisture against the frame. If you look at one of these, look at the frame behind the cab and hit it with a hammer.

4wd trucks 95.5-2000 have manual locking hubs up front where 01-04 have ADD (automatic differential disconnect) where the front driveshaft always spins the front diff, but the axles aren't connected to the diff. Regular cab trucks only came with the 2.7 liter whereas the xtra cab could have the 2.7 or the 3.4.

95.5-2000 2wd trucks can be had for 3000 or less.

95.5-2000 4wd 4 cylinder trucks can be had for around 3000-5000, V6 trucks will probably creep up to the 6-7 range.

Anything after 2000, add another 2 grand to the price. You can also get a 4 door with a short bed after 2000, but those only came as automatics.

Another thing to watch out for is that they sold 4wd trucks without the 4wd drivetrain. These are called prerunners. They look just like a 4wd so make sure you check badges and look for the transfer case shifter.