A Toyota Tacoma pickup truck cost this woman just $500. It’s either the best or worst project the TikToker has ever undertaken, according to her. Luckily, this Tacoma is from a golden era for all-terrain vehicles.
TikToker and YouTuber Chloe Kuo (@chloekuotaco) posted the video on May 28. It’s since gone viral.
"I know $500 for a Tacoma is relatively inexpensive, but this one basically fell in my lap after some unexpected family stuff," she says to start the video. “Which is not perfect. I mean, somebody named her ‘Beater’ for a reason.”
The Tacoma is a 2002 model with more than 200,000 miles. “This thing is basically a time capsule from when Tacomas were small, simple, functional, and built like tanks,” she said. “So I immediately took it off-road for some real-world testing. And she did an awesome job at Diablo Dropoff. The shocks made the truck feel like I was riding a pogo stick.”
The Diablo Dropoff is an off-road trail in Southern California’s Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, known for its challenging terrain.
She continued, “But, honestly, having a truck I don’t have to worry about beating is kind of amazing. So, yeah, this is either the best $500 I’ve ever spent or the start of a very expensive mistake. But yeah, let’s build it or blow it up.”
In the comments, used car owners couldn’t believe the deal Kuo got on the Tacoma. “Nah, where are you finding a $500 Tacoma????” one wrote. “Where I live, people be asking $4,000 for 350k miles and rust.”
A second user agreed, “200k miles is barely breaking in for a 2002.”
A third user wrote, “They gave you GOLD. That truck will outlast any other car or truck you will ever own.”
Someone else wrote, “Thing’s got a factory moonroof. That’s a rare option.”
