We had a wonderful experience purchasing a used 2008 Toyota Tacoma truck from Ida Auto Sales in Burlington NC during October 2019.
Before finding Ida Auto Sales, I spent over a month researching used trucks and looking on autotrader.com to get a sense of what type of truck would work for our needs and the price range to expect to pay. We decided to look for a Toyota Tacoma with a regular cab and mileage into the low 100,000s, because we needed it as an infrequently-used backup vehicle and garden hauler, most of the time we drive with 1 or 2 people, and the regular cab size is less expensive. Our goal was to pay less then $12,000 and if possible less then $10,000.
Ida Auto Sales advertised the perfect truck for our needs on autotrader.com: a 2008 white Toyota Tacoma with 120,200 odometer miles and an asking price of $8,750. I kept looking online another month for similar deals, but found nothing better than this truck. Then Ida dropped the Tacoma price to $8500, and we decided to check it out in person.
We found the Tacoma on the small used vehicle lot at the company's Burlington NC address. We walked around the truck, checking the frame and tires and other exterior things. Then we walked to the small office, where a very nice young woman talked with us, got our contact and NC license information, and gave us the keys to test-drive the truck about an hour. The truck drove well, and had no leaks or smells during the drive and nothing leaked under the truck when we parked to check for drips. We saw the tire-inflation light come on during the test drive, and Ida had that checked and fixed after we mentioned it to them.
Two days later, we borrowed the truck again to take it to a Toyota mechanic for an independent evaluation in Liberty NC, Jeff at Toyz Unlimited (an amazing experienced Toyota mechanic). After spending time checking the truck, Jeff showed us a few areas of expected wear, and said the truck looked very good to him. His primary recommendation was to flush all fluids to make sure the lifeblood of the truck was all good. The evaluation was zero cost to us. (After purchasing the truck, we brought it to Jeff to have him flush the fluids and do a few other minor things his evaluation found.)
After getting Jeff's positive evaluation, we drove the Tacoma back to Ida Auto Sales and started the purchase process. The young woman managed all of the paperwork smoothly. We set up an appointment for the next day, to bring them the $8500 payment check and drive off with the truck. We have been pleased with the truck ever since.
I visited the Ida Auto Sales website during my research. One of their website pages says that they strive to find good reliable used vehicles for people who need them. I think they do a great job at their mission.
I would deal with Ida Auto Sales again with no hesitation. I strongly recommend Ida Auto Sales to anyone interested in a good used vehicle at a fair base price. read more