New to me 07...any advice welcome

Hello- just posted over in the introductions forum- looks like I'm about to pick up an 07 from a family member and I would love some thoughts/opinions on it. 180,000 miles but very clean and well maintained all of it's life in the south. 13,500 is the price- it is a TRD SR5.

The reliability of these Tundras are proven and I'm looking forward to getting ownership of it. Lurking around the forum however has me concerned a bit about the valve springs breaking and other first year issues. Is it overblown or is that something I should be concerned with? I know the owner personally very well and he has well maintained the truck over its entire life, and currently is in great running condition. Thought and opinions welcome...a couple of pics attached.

 

Welcome
I think the valve spring issue is pretty rare. At that millage I would just keep maintaining it and enjoy the many more miles it has to offer you.
The only problem I see is, it's white (the slowest color)
Congrats it looks like a verry clean rig

 

That truck looks awesome! Buy it and enjoy it. I sold my '08 in 2018 with 192K on it and she was running great.

 

A lot depends on how long you plan to keep it, what your current financial position is, and what the consequences might be if it drops a valve. Personally, I think the price is a little bit on the high side, but I also don't know if those are mostly city, highway, or towing/hauling miles. IMO there is a huge difference. If the truck has mostly simple highway miles and I plan on getting at least 200k more out of it. Then my plan would be to start the truck its own savings account and deposit about $250 monthly into the account. Then if one day it does drop a valve, it wouldn't hurt so bad to get it fixed. If all goes well, in ten to fifteen years you will have a nice chunk of change that could be really handy.

 

It’s all a roll of the dice…we all know of vehicles that were mistreated that ran forever then there’s vehicles that were maintained that didn’t last. That being said I would rather chance it on one I personally know was taken care of then not. Long way to say go for it.

 

Welcome from LA (Lower Alabama)! Nice looking truck!

 

Thanks for the replies everyone...I was thinking 13,500 was a little on the high side as well but pricing them at dealers was way worse. I do know this one has been well maintained so that is a plus. It also has brand new LTX Michelins on it too. It will get light usage, and 4wd only in the occasional Tennessee snow. I'm hoping to get 300k out of it. Reading some horror stories about the valve spring issue got my attention though. For what it's worth, I spoke to a 25 year mechanic at a Toyota dealership and said he was aware of the issue but personally has never seen one.

Looking to forward to being around the forum. Picked up a lot already lurking the past few weeks. This is the highest mileage truck I have ever bought, if anyone has any suggestions on what else to look for I'd appreciate it!

 

Sharp looking truck---very clean! And that's not a bad price...especially considering the nice bed cover and new Michelins.

The 5.7 V8 is as bulletproof as motors come. Change the oil, don't beat the crap out of it, and you can make 300k miles easy. 5.7's have reached a million miles...

Learn to do your own maintenance, that way you save a bunch of money and you know it's done right.

Be sure to check for bed rust from the underside, around the mounting bolts and related bed cross members. It's not a bad repair if so...

And check your frame and cross members (especially the one above the spare tire). A couple of cans of FluidFilm or similar once a year can keep your frame and underbody in good shape.

ToolCat

 

Be sure to check that the 4wd high and low range engage properly. This is especially important if it lives in an area where 4wd is not needed often. The internals of the two actuators that engage the 4wd need exercising, and that’s why your Tundra owners manual says to engage them once a month for 10 miles to maintain proper function over time. This should be done on a low traction surface ideally, though a straight 10 mile stretch of highway will also work in a pinch (you can go from 2wd to 4wd high at speeds up to 62 miles per hour). Nice looking truck!

 

This good advice. I have 3 Toyotas and still make budget accruals for maintenance and repairs, not unlike budgeting for food, clothing, rent (mortgage), utilities, etc. When it comes time for tires, batteries, repairs, etc, the money is available. (this does not include spending for accessories)

 

I drove from Pennsylvania to Denver in Aug 2022 to buy a 2007 with 213K on it. It ran great all the way back to Pa with zero problems. I knew I was going to be spending some money on it because I didn't have a real strong history of the vehicle when I bought it. So I had most all the fluids changed: oil , tranny (drain fill), differential, transfer case , along with a new radiator, upper and lower hoses t-stat, serp belt and tension pulley, plugs,and injector cleaning. The truck ran great before but runs like a Swiss watch now. Was it cheap to do? No, but I knew when I got it I'd do all that stuff to it so I had a starting point. The truck is worth it, it's super clean and I'm planning on giving it to my grandson when it hits 400k. I think you did good and I wouldn't worry too much about valve springs....I'm at 220,434 now

 

Congratulations, looks super clean!

 

I just bought an 07 SR5 with 208k for 12,500 and some rust here and there, especially in the bed, and no known maintenance history (bought from dealer). You got a solid deal!

 

enjoy it

 

Thanks for the responses guys....been busy with it the past couple of weeks! Rock Warrior grill and new wheels, 2 inch levelling struts in front and tinted windows. Kept the old Michelin tires since they were new, on the fence about the look though

 

The color matched grill looks nice! What are you on the fence about? Tires? Is there a load in the bed in the bottom photo?

 

Thanks, I really like the grill. The photo is a bit deceiving, as I'm parked on an incline and it makes the truck look a bit lower in the rear (but I do have the factory rims in the bed as well)

Yea it's the tires I'm iffy about, I wanted to go all terrain, but these are literally brand new. I do want to go ahead and color match the rest and see how that looks. Gunna plasti dip the front bumper and see how I like it. It's nice to not have that chrome grill anymore-

Edit- Took the load out of the bed, snapped a couple of more pics

 

I think the tires are appropriate for the truck. I’m sure they ride nice and are much easier on the MPGs. I would do the other exterior mods you’d like to get done first. I went vinyl wrap on the front and rear bumpers.