Help narrowing down a 2.5 gen?

Hi all,

Currently I have a 2005 DC Tundra and am looking to get a newer truck. I know I want a crewmax, I know I want a 2.5 gen 5.7L.

Here's where I need help. Looking at all the trim packages and from my research so far I think I currently have my search narrowed down to 2018-2021 so I get the LED headlights and the radar cruise control. I know some find the RCC annoying but I have it in my other vehicles and hate that my current Tundra doesn't have it. Same thing with the LED headlights.

Now, I also have Apple Carplay in my other vehicles and I see that in 2020 that was available in the Tundra so should I really be looking for a 2020-2021 model instead?

I want all the bells and whistles so I'm only looking at Platinum models, and I only want a white exterior so I'm starting to already look for unicorns, but if I now am only looking for 2 model years instead of 4 that does limit me more.

I know I could upgrade head units to get carplay in a 2018-2019 model but is that really worth it?

What other things should I be considering here?

 

The oem headunits suck. Aftermarket is not that expensive, nor hard to swap out. Don’t let that sway you from a possible solid deal on an 18 or 19. The led headlights are also easy to swap to a non led truck. All Tundras after 18 have the radar cruise control.

 

I have no issue putting a head unit in.. in my 05 I redid the whole stereo.

If I know I want all the options that Platinum gives me and I want the radar cruise 2018+ is my only option correct?

 

Yes 18+ for the radar cruise control. 2018 is the true unicorn year as it still has the OEM transmission cooler. 2019+ lost that granted it can be added aftermarket.

 

Yes. Toyota didn’t start putting any of the pre collision or adaptive radars in Tundras until the 2018 model year.

 

2018 here and it is a good year. RCC and LED headlights, plus the trans cooler.

I added an aftermarket stereo to get wireless carplay/android auto.

 

I would add you want a 38gal tank which is 16+ MY. (maybe 2015?? chime in with corrections anyone)
If you're comfortable upgrading an entire stereo system in a truck then you shouldn't have any trouble adding:

• OEM LED headlights to any model year 16+
• Apple Car Play aftermarket unit
• heated/ cooled leather seats
• heated steering wheel.
• trans cooler (depending on what and how much you tow)

This way you're not limiting yourself to platinum trim - which given your color preference and other limitations will drastically reduce your available stock to choose from. Just my $.02

 

As someone with a 2020, don't buy a 2020 just for CarPlay. The OEM head unit isn't that big of a deal, and it occasionally has issues. Additionally, it has no 'true' transmission cooler, whereas 2018 does. If I were to buy all over again I'd get a 2018, probably at least an SR5 with the SR5 upgrade package (which adds the 38 gallon tank amongst other things), and then just add an aftermarket head unit.

 

I really don't stress the trans cooler thing. I rarely tow, but when I do, it's heavy for the truck over long distances. Lock it in S4 and be done with it. My short trip driving is way harder on the transmission than towing would be. Just had my transmission fluid changed (65k mi) and the old stuff looked fine. And no I didn't have it analyzed by blackjack or blackrock or whatever - because that's for nerds.

 

38 gallon tank is 16+
Came with SR5 upgrade package (all models with bucket seats up front).

 

So I went with a 2018 Platinum to avoid the costs of adding those things, but sure one could add those items. I'd reckon adding all of them would cost far more than paying a couple thousand more for a Platinum up front (especially the seats).

Additionally, the Platinum comes almost entirely free of chrome (minus door handles, mirror caps and 4x4 badge on the tailgate). Some guys on here spend hundreds on a proper paint matched chrome delete.

So OP waiting for the right Platinum to pop up could save him $3k or more.

 

Keyless entry came out in 2020. Personally I’m not buying another vehicle without it unless it’s a classic or a track car. The CarPlay is ok, but it’s not wireless. Shark fin antenna also replaced the coat hanger antenna in 2020. Only thing missing is the transmission cooler, which really isn’t a big deal unless you tow. But keep in mind, many of the later 20’s and 21’s were built during Covid. Try to get an early 20.

 

Without a doubt - but it's not 2018 anymore unfortunately (for so many reasons), so he's in a "beggars trying to be choosers" situation. Totally forgot about the paint matched stuff - great catch.

@carlsoncustoms - you can search for a TRD sport package (which came out model year 2018). They are also chrome free, and then add all of the stuff from my original post if so inclined to get your DIY platinum.

 

Can you clarify what you mean by keyless entry? Are you saying prior to that you had to use the key to unlock the door? That doesn't seem right as my 2005 has a remote fob. If you mean keyless ignition so it starts with just the FOB in the cab instead of inserting a key in a cylinder in the steering wheel that's a huge deal to mean and I may go with 2020+ just for that alone.

I don't mind wired carplay, it's nice that keeps the phone charged at the same time.

Shark fin is a good catch too.

How exactly would I check the build date to ensure it's an early '20 (and what are you considering early?)

Thanks

 

Thanks for both of your comments, I'm not in a huge rush as I have other cars to drive so I think I'll likely wait for the right truck. I don't want to HAVE to swap the whole interior out with aftermarket stuff. I don't mind upgrading the head unit, but swapping in heated/cooled seats and steering wheel is starting to push it.

 

He means the door unlocks when you put your hand on the handle, assuming the fob is within a few feet of the door. And yes it also means push button start with no need to turn a key in an ignition too

 

Colors would be the most important thing to me.

If I didn't have my truck, I'd find a 2021 1794 in army green, de-chrome the outside, color mach the bumpers and slap on pro grille, put on some 34/35s and call it a day.

Or the least optioned crewmax with big tank and mod away.

 

Thanks, ok yeah it sounds more and more like I'm after a 2020 and add a trans cooler if I start towing.

 

Yes, what @Red&03Taco said. Prior to 2020 it had the old remote key you had to push the button to lock and unlock the doors and insert the key and turn to start the engine like some kind of Neanderthal.

Lots of ways to look up build date. I think you can enter vin on the Toyota site and I think there’s a sticker on the door. Other guys can tell you, I’ve never looked mine up as I bought mine before covid hit.

 

I went through this same process last fall. I started with 18 and up (pre-collision and RCC), then learned about more of the features of each trim, and what years those features were available. I ended up looking for a 20-21 Platinum or 1794 (with a TRD OR package as well was preferable, but a unicorn). Ended up with a 20 platinum in black (4x4 was a must). I got all the features I wanted. AFTER buying it, I only then realized that it was "wired" CarPlay only, AND no tranny cooler. I wanted wireless CarPlay, which I now have thanks to a $50 adapter that I learned about here on the site. I've had it a month and it works flawlessly (after tweaking a couple of settings), and I've already found a tranny cooler option, 2 actually, that when I'm ready for it, I can do myself. I almost never tow, so it's not a priority.

I only wanted 2 colors, so that limited my choices even more, but I was willing to travel for the right truck. 2-3 months later I found it, albeit 3.5 hours away from home. It was definitely worth the wait!

 

Yep, sounds like me! Glad I'm not the only crazy one. I'm actually willing to drive/fly to get my truck but it's gotta check all the boxes. I'm mainly looking for white but could do the red too. I like the vudoo blue but I'm worried it won't age well and I typically keep vehicles a decade.

 

I'll add one more thing. When I got the truck, I was REALLY frustrated about the range and functionality of the keyless entry. Pissed in fact. Half the time touching the handle to "lock" wouldn't work, and the range with the fob when I pressed the buttons was ridiculous! Long story short... the leds in the cargo lights (not bed lights) were creating RF noise which interfered with the keyfobs. I learned this when having to replace them when one burned out. The new non-interfering leds have increased the operating range by at least 5-10x, and lock and unlock touches on the handle work perfectly and instantly EVERY TIME! I do not exaggerate.

 

Yep, known issue with the LED cargo lights. Toyota remote range sucks as it is, don't need interference stealing any of it!

 

AND replace the OEM HU with an aftermarket HU if the OEM goes on the fritz.

 

Can you recommend a non-interfering LED that is a known good one?

Funny you mention this, in my garage I have a ton of those Amazon special 8' long LED lights that light up the garage great, but they also emit so much RF noise that if the garage lights are on you can't use your garage door opener from outside the garage. I've thought about running the antenna wire from the unit to outside the garage to see if it helps but right now its just my wife thats affected, and she just honks the horn when she wants in the garage and I'm out there with the lights on.

 

I went with a 2018 Limited and love it. The LED headlights and driving lights are wonderful, and I love the radar cruise. I was a little bummed about no CarPlay, but the stereos Bluetooth works good, and the subwoofer is nice. Reading this thread, I just learned that the 2018’s have transmission coolers, bonus awarded!

 

Here are the cargo LED lights I'm using in case this helps. https://www.vleds.com/921-36-w-t-2.html?

The HU has some controls for the truck that I wanted to continue having access to. Went a slightly different route and purchased this amp for the factory JBL stereo. No regrets. https://tech12volts.com/shop/ols/pr...l-dsp4086-plug-n-play-except-power-and-ground

Getting ready to install an add-on transmission cooler this weekend.

I've owned the truck about a year and a half now.

 

Carlson, the leds I went with are exactly what 2020_Tundra linked too. AND they're on sale this week for the 4th! In fact I used VLEDS throughout my Tundra.

 

Keep in mind that the 2020/21 head units are WIRED connections for Android Auto and I assume Carplay as well. It's not a big deal to me but something I didn't realize before going with the '21.

 

So I've had a wrinkle in the plan.. yesterday I went on the hunt and looked at some Tundras at dealers a couple hours away. I looked at a clean certified gold used 2020 Platinum at a dealer. I was assuming the radar cruise would work like my 2016 Civic where it brakes down with traffic and goes back up to speed with traffic. I quickly found out via the salesman and on the test drive that it only goes down to 25mph and then it gives up and just beeps at you.

Then I had the same assumption about lane keeping in that I assumed it'd actually steer the truck to keep it centered in the lane like my Civic but I was misinformed, it's lane departure warning and just beeps at you when it crosses the line.

The salesman told me 3rd gen's solved these two issues.

This truck had the best JBL system in it so I hooked up the Carplay and cranked spotify.. then I cranked it some more.. and cranked more to await the volume.. I was pretty disappointed. I couldn't tell there was even a sub installed.

The last disappointment was with the cooled seats. The seat bottoms and backs both had perforations on them so I assumed cooling would go up the back too.. nope apparently it's just a fan that blows up on the bottom only. I couldn't feel any difference. It was in the 90's outside yesterday.

The truck did have more power but seeing it had 100hp more then my 05 on paper I don't know that I felt that on the pedal like I thought I would. Maybe I would notice while towing.

Admittedly much of this is my fault for not understanding ahead of time the limitations but I was a bit underwhelmed.

The salesman told me about the recall and how they are fixing all the engines, so I guess that brings up two questions:

1) Should I expand my search to lesser trim 2.5 gens or older models knowing I'm going to have to upgrade the stereo fully, and cooled seats don't matter to me, and the radar cruise isn't good for me? I do want dual climate control and leather, those are non-negotiable.

2) Should I just bite the bullet and go new '25 or at least a 3rd gen? I sat in a new 1794 and it was WAY nicer then the 2020 Platinum. I didn't drive it though.