1st gen tacoma owner considering a tundra

Hello everyone
I own a 03 tacoma v6 trd and have been the proud owner for over 11 years!!! I absolutely love my truck and never thought about getting rid of it until now..
I am considering getting a tundra because I want to tow a travel trailer and after doing some research, Ive decided that my truck is probably not the best for towing. My tow capacity is 3500 and looking to tow something around 3000.

Soo, I'm joining this page to learn more about tundras. I would love to hear any advice from members that have switched over from a tacoma to tundra... Are u happy with ur tundra? Do u miss your tacoma? Should I buy a 1st gen or 2nd gen.. I think 1st gen tacomas are built better than 2nd or 3rd.. is this the same for tundras?

I'm not the type of person that likes to buy a new vehicle every few years.. if I get a new truck I want to feel confident that it will last me a long time!! My tacoma is at 250,000 and I feel like it can run if for another 250! Do u feel the same way about ur tundra?

Tell me your stories......

 

Welcome from LA (Lower Alabama)! Quite a few on here have graduated from Tacomas to Tundras!

 

Welcome from Ohio

 

OP, here’s a ‘welcome’ bump to get you back to the top of the board.

Can you keep that and get a Tundra? That’s ideal in my opinion....

 

I would agree with @Sunnier in keeping the Tacoma I jumped from a 02 Celica which I still have to a 2nd gen 07 Tundra 5.7, it has now 227k miles, original owner, with minimum issues in my opinion, batch of the first 1300, according to the VIN, there are a few 4.7 that hit a million miles on mostly original parts, so you should be good with either 1st or 2nd gen. There are some issues, if you look for the noob posts on looking to buy a 2nd gen you can get a pretty good idea of what to look for.

 

Welcome from Pennsylvania

 

I've had 3 Tacomas and two 1st gen tundras.
My 1st tundra was an access cab 2wd V6 . . . loved that truck, actually miss it sometimes. Torky!
Now I'm in a 2006 DC 2wd Tundra . . . love it. Only knocks are turning radius & mileage, no biggie, rides like a cady.
I tow 2- different boats, and do construction with it, works perfect for my needs.
If I didn't tow or do construction, I 'might' have a crew cab long bed tacoma . . . but it's hard to go back to such a smaller truck.
No-thanks on 2nd Gen and newer tundras,(over-rated IMO), if I'm going that big, I'd be buying Ford/Dodge/Chevy.
Can't go wrong with a 1st gen. tundra if you don't mind an older basic truck w/ minimal bells & whistles.

 

Welcome

 

That's good advice but I don't have the money to pay for a new truck.. was hoping to sell my truck and only pay around 5,000 in difference.. Im planning on moving out of state soon so that would be tough with 2 vehicles.. I live on my own.

 

Great advice thanks. I'll check out the threads on 2nd gen.

 

Wonderful advice! Thank you Soo much!!!

 

Another thing to keep in mind is the back seats on access cabs vs double cabs. My girlfriends kids were fine in the back of my old access cab till around 6th-7th grade, then they grew out of it. You 'can' fit a couple people back there if you're just going down the street and push the front seats forward . . . but forget it on a drive of any length. It became 'storage' after the kids grew. The rear seats on my 2006 double cab have more leg room than my neighbors newer tundra. Just something to keep in mind if you're planning on pulling that travel trailer w/ more than 1 other person.

 

Realistically, any of the Tundra's are as reliable as your 1st gen Taco. Not to be taken as negative towards Tacos, just Tundras are that
good too.

 

It's just me!! I prefer more truck bed! Thanks for the advice

 

Welcome

 

Welcome from the wet side of WA.
I had almost 300k on my 2008 when I traded it in, and it was still running like the day I bought it. Two water pumps, and I did have the Air Induction Pump issue (easily solved with Hewitt bypass kit), but everything else was normal maintenance.