Possibly buying a truck tomorrow...in another state...please tell me what u think

[disneybound31]

Hi all-
Long story short...remember "Cash for Clunkers"? DH had a HORRIBLE clunker truck that was worth less than $600...soooo he really wanted to cash in with the clunkers deal for a crew cab truck of ANY make so he could continue to haul stuff and our kids. Well, we looked for 2 months and could not find any affordable trucks within a 4 hour radius so he got a small compact car that has been driven less than 7k miles in a year and a half--because we already HAD another car, but NEEDED a truck. We are sick of bothering people to use their vehicles to haul.

Fast forward to today- I think we have found a good deal, but it is in the next state 2 hours away- is $19400 for a certified used, super clean, clear carfax, 56k, 2008 Toyota Tundra a decent deal? We drive our vehicles til the doors fall off -but I hesitate to replace a new, car with warranty for a used truck with just a 3 month/3k warranty. They say it is mechanically perfect, but we go up tomorrow to drive it and look it over.

I already drive a 9 year old car paid off long ago- but we sooo need a truck. Any last minute advice? Or info from any current Tundra owners?

 

[sam_gordon]

Advice...

1) Go to kbb.com, put in the required information and see what the kelly blue book value is. There's too many variables that you don't state.
2) Get a copy of the carfax for that VIN. If the dealer won't get it for you, RUN, don't walk away. If you're buying from an individual, it might be worth paying for.
3) Find a reputable mechanic in the area you're buying the truck. Ask them to do a "pre-purchase inspection". It will probably run $100-$150 but could keep you from spending $19K+ on a "lemon".

 

[4HppyCamprs]

I agree with the PP advice and especially checking the Kelly blue book value and there was some site maybe that one that gave fair purchase price info. and I would like to mention that the insurance industry standard for mileage is about 12000 a year so you might want to keep that in mind as a rough estimate for how many miles you want on a used vehicle..that said we have a car for running around and a truck for hauling..truck is 2006 has 12000 miles on it (it really just hauls) car is 1 year old at the end of this month..runs everywhere and has just hit 11000 miles. That price seems high actually..not sure why but it is just striking me as high price.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Where is this truck located. Remember that a lot of cars/trucks were in the Nashville flood this past spring so knowing where the truck has been in critical. A lot of dealerships will buy vehicles at auto auctions from other states. So I highly recommend researching the background history.

 

[mrsklamc]

It's not on craigslist is it? SO many people get scammed trying to buy cars on there.

 

[disneybound31]

Where is this truck located. Remember that a lot of cars/trucks were in the Nashville flood this past spring so knowing where the truck has been in critical. A lot of dealerships will buy vehicles at auto auctions from other states. So I highly recommend researching the background history.

The car is at Toyota dealership- Toyota of Somerset (KY). I have the carfax- it's clean. No accidents, no flood, no nothing. The mileage SHOULD be around 35k, but it was a commuter work vehicle- so lots of interstate miles. KBB on it is $22,900. U can actually see the truck at that website- it's white. Base model- no frills, no bed liner, no tow hitch. Onyl power windows, doors, seats, etc- we don't need frills, just a reliable truck. Would have NO IDEA how to find a reliable mechanic in an unfamilar town. Truck is certified used- so surely no big probs, right?

I feel like I've done my homework- I just have never purchased a car out of state even though it's just over the border (we are in TN).

I would NEVER buy a car off craigslist- although DH posted our new car there for a bit FSBO. But our car is practically drive-off-the-lot perfect...

Only quoted one poster for quickness, but I hope I answered all replies...

 

[disneybound31]

Where is this truck located. Remember that a lot of cars/trucks were in the Nashville flood this past spring so knowing where the truck has been in critical. A lot of dealerships will buy vehicles at auto auctions from other states. So I highly recommend researching the background history.

Somerset, KY- originally purchased in NC.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

Well you can always negotiate if the car is as good and clean as it sounds There is always talk on the RV boards about what a fair price is and it comes down to what you feel comfortable paying and if YOU feel like you got a good deal after doing all your research You might want to see about getting a extended warranty tacked on since it is a dealership and that way you wont lose all your warranty security that you have now. I had the extended warranty on the only used car I bought and it saved me almost 4000.00 in the first 600 miles because the transmission dropped on it. So that is one way to get a little piece of mind on the major bits.

 

[sam_gordon]

Would have NO IDEA how to find a reliable mechanic in an unfamilar town. Truck is certified used- so surely no big probs, right?

Sent you a PM about finding a local mechanic. I would guess no problems, but for piece of mind...

 

[disneybound31]

Sent you a PM about finding a local mechanic. I would guess no problems, but for piece of mind...

I got it- thanks so much. I called our local reliable mechanic and he suggested that if it is deemed certified by Toyota and comes with the certified warranty then it has been inspected and had to pass a fairly rigorous process and would not necessarily need another independent inspection...however, I have had the same issue you had- bought a used car in 2004- not certified and with no type of warranty and the transmission dropped just 2 months later. That was on a Volvo tho and replacing it took 5k out of my pocket...BUT I am still driving it and plan to drive it til my daughter goes to college...she's 8.

 

[Green Tea]

My personal opinion of a clean car fax is that it doesn't mean much. I have had a poor personal experience with information from one. *I* wouldn't base a decision on purchase on a clean car fax.

 

[JENOS]

Not sure if this applies as I live in Chicago and rules might be different but;
If you are financing the truck and buying out of state you might not be able to roll the total into your loan. The tax will have to be paid separately (I think it’s about 10% here) when you register the car in your state/county. So if it matters, keep that in mind when you’re factoring in your down payment/loan amount.

 

[ENSOCK]

Not sure if this applies as I live in Chicago and rules might be different but;
If you are financing the truck and buying out of state you might not be able to roll the total into your loan. The tax will have to be paid separately (I think it’s about 10% here) when you register the car in your state/county. So if it matters, keep that in mind when you’re factoring in your down payment/loan amount.

It is different here in LA. You tell them that the bank is taking care of the Taxes and the bank will either require you to pay the taxes or put them into your loan. Depends on the bank you are dealing with.

I have a 2010 Toyota Tunda and I love it!! The only problem is it is soo big that it is hard to park into those little parking places at the mall.

as for mileage, it depends on the vechile. I have a Rav4 that I purchased in April 2010 and it has 11000 miles on it. But the Tundra that I purchased July 09 only has 8000. It is a truck for DH as he has a work car.

 

[cheerforchelsea]

Right now my SIL has a 2088 Toyota FJ sitting in at the dealer because Toyota is finding countless excuses to NOT make repairs that are covered under warranty. It has been there for over a week and looks like we are going to have to get an attorney to battle this thing out. (This vehicle was purchased new and has been nothing but trouble - one visit for a problem took so long that it was 1 day away from being covered under the lemon law.) This whole experience has convinced me to NEVER purchase a Toyota.

 

[ceecee]

Right now my SIL has a 2088 Toyota FJ sitting in at the dealer because Toyota is finding countless excuses to NOT make repairs that are covered under warranty. It has been there for over a week and looks like we are going to have to get an attorney to battle this thing out. (This vehicle was purchased new and has been nothing but trouble - one visit for a problem took so long that it was 1 day away from being covered under the lemon law.) This whole experience has convinced me to NEVER purchase a Toyota.

Sounds like the dealership is the problem and not Toyota!

 

[yoopermom]

We just spent *months* looking at used crew/quad cab trucks, and I would be very careful. DH is very mechanical, and we had SO many dealerships and private sellers out and out lie to us about the condition of the truck that it was ridiculous. They do hold their value well, and it's EXTREMELY hard to find a "slightly" used one with a decently low mileage for a reasonable price (and I live in truck country!). I will say that the Toyotas tend to be more expensive than the Ford/GM/Chevy/Dodge ones. We ended up with an '03 Dodge Ram 1500 4X4 quadcab from a guy who DH works with for only 8K because he was ticked at a dealership that only offered him 6K for a tradein and were going to clean it up and put it back out on the lot for 12K!

Just remember the old saying, "Buy in haste, repent in leisure..." (to paraphrase...)

Terri

 

[disneybound31]

OP here-
Well, we made the trip to KY this morning and returned this afternoon with the Tundra. DH is happy- mechanically it is in fantastic shape- it does have a bit of wear in the truck bed (which will be covered with the liner we have installed as DH Christmas present) and also a couple of minor dings/nicks in the paint. The most important thing to us is that it checked out mechanically and we feel like we got a good deal- any other comparable truck in our area was 4-8k more and none have the Certified sticker and the warranty that we got...

I feel good about it- now we will drive it til the doors fall off as is our motto!
Thanks for everyone's help! Have a great night.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

My DH has owned may different Toyota's and we have had very minimal repairs to them. Just the usual tires, brakes ect. He has a celica that he put over 200K miles on and only put tires on the car and one battery and only did that because the car was 8 yrs old and he didn't want to get stranded in the winter by a dead battery! So you should have a very reliable truck.