Convince me to Jump....

My best friend is a die hard Chevy guy. His daughters think "Ford" is the F word, don't say it in his house.

He got a brand new Silverado in 2017 and regretted it. He said the 2011 it replaced could tow better and never gave him trouble, but the 2017 had a few sensors go bad in a year. Had warranty so no sweat but he didn't expect to spend time messing with a brand new truck.

He traded it last December for a used 2015 Dodge Ram, he likes that truck so far.

He is on his 4th American truck in the last 12 years, I've had the same Tundra since 08 and been paid off since 2011. Anybody who want the new car bells and whistles and shit probably doesn't need a truck for doing truck shit. I like not having traction control or tire pressure sensors and all those other nannies.

 

Weeeeee!!!

 

If you really want your dog to be comfortable, go with the crew max. That way the dog can even bring a fury friend and still have lots of room. Also the rear window on the crew max is amazing when you roll it down and have all the windows down, it’s like driving a badass convertible pickup.

 

The only thing I "worry" about is deciding whether or not I will want to pass it down to my son in 13 years.

 

Hmmm... depends on what your intentions are with the truck.

Towing? Depends on what you are towing. Gas mileage? Depends on whether or not you're towing. All 1/2 tons have limitations compared to 3/4 and 1 ton trucks.

But Tundras are all about towing (not like 3/4 tons obviously). When I tow my boat (about 4500+/-lbs) depending on fuel in the boat, I average 14 at 60 mph. Yesterday, I picked up a 3500 lbs travel trailer, towed it for 252 miles at 70-75 mph up and down rolling hills the whole way, and got 12.9 - with regular fuel. No other 1/2 ton is touching that and I have a 4x4 crewmax. A duocab should do even better.

 

We all know you'll end up in a Tundra anyway whether its now or in a year when the Chevy starts to act up.

 

Tundra = Reliability

GMC = Get My Car when I break down.

 

Do NOT go with GM , That new Inline 6 diesel is not all that long term reliable with all the emission junk on it that you know will fail ! .... Plus I dont like the idea of a Diesel running 0W20 oil ! .... I came from a 2015 Sierra 1500 crew 4x4 with the 5.3 . owned it for 4 years with Problem after problem . The New LT V8 engines ( 5.3 and 6.2 ) still are having cylinder deactivation problems with the lifters , Another big known problem that is still happening with these engines since 2014 are the oil pumps like to shit the bed . My sierra had 3 oil pumps replaced within 9 weeks ! , all replaced under warranty but I called GM corporate and asked if there is a fix or updated part for this problem , they said no there Is NOT ! Thats when I traded it in on my 2019 tundra CM 4x4 .. Never looked back ! Best decision I ever made .

 

As long as you don’t plan on towing anything bigger than a small travel trailer get a Tundra. Payload and towing capacity suck on these trucks. I wish I had done more research on the capabilities before buying mine. I’m going back to a 3/4 ton.

Anyone interested in a like new Tundy?

 

First off, if you do decide on the AT4, get the 6.2!!! My buddy has a 2020 Denali and that motor is sure sweet.

Second off, I would need to be GREATLY convinced that GM has fixed their AFM / lifter issue on their new 5.3 and 6.2 before I would get a new one. In our work fleet of five 2016/2017 GM work trucks, two have had to have the top half of the motors replaced after the lifters collapse and then cause downstream damage to the cams / camshaft / heads.

Simple test is look at the comparable forums. Look at the topics. Threads on problems after problems on the GM / Ford / Ram forums. Here...... it’s not the case. If you value reliability over creature comforts you probably won’t use, then the Tundra is the truck for you.

Now to our trucks...... New 2020 Tundras made a couple small changes that really helped modernize the truck with the addition of proximity entry, push button start, and CarPlay / Android Auto.

Still a great simple truck with unbeatable reliability and resale. The caveat with that reliability is that it comes as the cost of some of the fancy creature comforts, power, and a 10% loss in MPG. Part of that MPG loss is due to gearing tho, so if you tow a moderate amount you will certainly appreciate how the Tundra tows moderate loads.

I personally love the extra interior room (and roll down rear window) of the Crewmax compared to the DC. I’ve had both, and I find I use the extra interior room far more than the extra foot of bed length.

I also much prefer the premium leather in the Platinum to the basic leather in the Limited. Power fold mirrors, air conditioned seats, better interior, and far less chrome also had me preferring the Platinum.

I am however not a fan of the 20” wheels on the platinum, nor the option of putting TRD suspension on it. (In process of changing both currently on mine)

Since you are shopping the AT4, have you looked at the Pro Tundras?

 

Do you find the bed length of the crew-max a little short though for loading things lumber, kayaks, paddle boards, or for sleeping in (though my wife and I are both under 6ft tall)? Those are what I'm looking at.
I currently own a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 diesel, which I have had a ton of problems emission wise. Other than that its been a great vehicle, so I follow the forums for that and the Dodge Ram 3.0 diesel. Lots of complaints.
Also recently been following the GMC Sierra and Tundra forums, and yes I agree the Tundra has half the complaints.
I'm interested in the limited TRD with the longer bed, and yes 20" wheels on a truck seems silly if you're going off road. I have 20s on my jeep and have regretted it when I'm out in the sticks fishing. Not enough tire when managing over slightly rocky terrain
Thank You

 

Nothing wrong with outdated and solid. Actually, internal combustion vehicles are in general are all outdated. Same idea for the past century. Still waiting for hovering or fly cars, and the Cybertruck .

I bet many would buy a brand new J79 Land Cruiser. It was made since the 80s, but not sold in here.

Many people would buy a brand new MK4 Supra over the high tech new one, although I like it also.


Anyways, The Sierra should be a solid truck. Just buy the basic work models, not the high trim with the unreliable electronics.

 

Never an issue for me. Normal 8’ lumber, kayaks, SUP’s, etc still won’t fit in a 6.5’ without overhang, so they all get secured the same as the 5.5’ bed with the tail gate down.

For sleeping in the bed, I have spent probably a year or so sleeping under shells on DC Tundras (2001 and 2010 Tundras). If you want to run a shell / topper then that makes sense. If camping occasionally, then there are a ton of companies that make some really cool tents specifically for 5.5’ truck beds.