If you have to buy one today

Where did you get the Jowlett stuff? I thought he wasn’t making it anymore

 

My 20 SR5 is perfect for me.

 

Would probably go from the limited to a platinum.

 

If I have to buy one today, all I could do is thinking of ol' good times when Toyota sold me a brand new truck way under MSRP (because they had to clean dealer's lot for a new model year) and fully financed my purchase, including taxes, paperwork, plates, for 5 years and 0% APR. Zero cash down. Over the course of these 5 years and crazy high inflation it is literally a free cash flowing back into your pocket. Meanwhile, the truck has been awesome all that time, no problems whatsoever, never saw a dealer for anything, even free oil change (waste of time, oil is cheap).

 

They haven't offered that here on trucks in a long long time.

 

Mine was 2.49% fixed last year. I'm actually debating paying it off. We just payed off the wife's Outback. I wasnt in any rush on that one as it was a 0%. She grumbled about not paying it off early, but free money is free money.

 

The transfer case changed to a different, arguably inferior model.

 

To be honest I’d buy a Ford, unless of course the 2.5 gen was still the “current” truck, then I’d probably consider going SR5 with cloth interior.

 

Pardon my ignorance... What makes it inferior? Performance, longevity?

 

tbh, I'm going by what I've read. It's one a few things that people have said Toyota started going cheap on to cut costs.

Who knows if it's true.

 

What he said!

 

Ok, I searched around a bit, and it seems going out of 4LO is what pisses people the most. Made a comment to this thread with my thoughts on the problem: 3rd gen transfer case fix/stuck in 4wd fix

 

Thanks.

I bought my '15 used in 2021. To all appearances it had never ever been used for anything except highway driving. Including 4wd.

I tested out the 4wd during the test drive, including 4low, and it worked.

But when we tested it out after purchase, it wouldn't come out of 4low.

Fortunately I have a family member who's a retired Toyota master mechanic who was happy to see how a '15 transfer case works.

He took it (xfer case) up to his mechanic friends in Phoenix and they opened it up. I believe there was a problem with something non essential inside the case falling into the gears, preventing it from engaging in 4high, and then 2high. They cleaned it out, put it back together, and all is well. It would likely have been a "replace the case" from a "dealer".

Since then I've been hesitant to put it in 4low.

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I had a '98 4runner once. Shifting into 4w whatever was a different shifter. I liked it! Wish the tundra didn't have this automated stuff...

 

Sigh...

Yes, with big V8 it is barely needed, in fact. I barely use it, only to climb up the hill very slowly, compacting the snow, in order to prevent wheels loosing the traction. For me it is not for torque multiplication, it is for wheel speed reduction.

 

I've been digging around and haven't found any actual failures of the Borg Warner xfer case...just complaints about engage/disengagement. Sounds like the Aisen wasnt faultless either, but didnt suffer from the solenoid issues.

The one person that said drive it a bunch in 4wd hi/lo to "break it in" maybe makes the most sense. If tolerances are tight, then non-use maybe exacerbates it?

 

A few years ago, after searching for a used TRD Pro for what seemed like forever, I bought a 2015 TRD Pro extended cab, long bed. Interior sucked. Cloth seats, no sunroof, crappy stereo. But I needed a truck and it was the right-est one I could find. Two weeks ago the wife comes home and says "there is a 2019 TRD pro sitting at the Lexus dealer down the street." Leather, sunroof, better stereo, crewmax etc. Had it in the driveway two days later and while I did not dislike my old truck at all, I like this one so much better. I wish it had heated seats (I will correct that after the holidays,) memory seats and a power passenger seat but none of that is a deal breaker.

 

I love love love my 2019 platinum. The only thing I think it needs is a heated steering wheel.

 

What does Tundra have for a better stereo? JBL, like Sequoia has in upper trims? Or something different?

I hate JBL in wife's Sequoia. It has high freqs cranked all the way down and low freq all the way up, just to play flat. Yet it still sounds worse than non-JBL in my Tundra.

 

I don't know if it's the same but, yes, there's a JBL option for the Tundra. Consensus seems to be it's not great.

 

My master mechanic family member said the biggest problem they have with 4wd is non use causing issues when you use it.

It just means I have to go driving up in the mountains every so often. Although I guess I should use 4L sometimes ... just not when alone somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

 

I would get the exact same truck - limited was the highest '21 trim for cement (and arguably the highest trim of all cements as the '17 cement pro was built on the SR5 layout).

Took me forever to find one fully loaded, (premium pkg, TRD OR, & moonroof) but it is exactly what I want/wanted.

 

Agreed. It's not as good as what you could get aftermarket or what came in my buddy's RAM. But in comparison to the 15 I had the stereo in the 19 is noticeably better.

 

The local dealer must be watching this, they sent me an email asking me to trade my 19 Limited DC for a 20 SR5 CM with six man cab. I really want a six man cab, but I feel like the seats are too tall for my wife.

 

Aren't the seats in the 20 exactly the same as the ones in the 19?

 

Bench seat vs center console I think.

 

Realistically I'd probably get a 17-18 SR5 CM. Closest thing to an even trade I can get for my tacoma. Not having a car note is great.

 

Sure but why would that make the front outboard seats different?

 

It's the height of the bench seat vs the height of the adjustable bucket seats. IIRC in the bench seat her feet didn't reach the ground.

My dog is pushing for the front bench so he can ride shotgun, my kid is pushing for a crewmax for the rear seat room. I'm considering a Tacoma because this thing is becoming difficult to park.

 

I am really wanting a Tundra but gotta wait it out...pay off wife's car by next summer and then our family trip to Disney...but, if I can find a 20 or 21 Platinum 4WD Crewmax, I'd be set.

Of course, if I was to come across a great deal on a Limited, 1794 or a Pro, I'd reconsider, but I've had my eye on a platinum for a while now....and I'm not considering the 22 or 23 at the moment.

 

I'm perfectly content with my double cab SR5. I don't need lots of frills. There have been a couple times when the crew cab might have been handy, but for 99.9% of the time DC is more than fine, and I really wanted the bigger bed for dirtbikes, MTB's, and such.

Have you guys with higher interest rates (above 3%) checked local credit unions or banks? Because 5% from Toyota is high. Mine was half that from my local credit union. Although that was last year.
Even if you go through Toyota, maybe inquire about refinancing right away.