I have my eye on a 2012 Tundra double cab. What should I look out for?

It'll be my first Toyota and I don't know much about them.

It has the 5.7 V8 (I think that's the only engine offered, but I'm not sure) and has a little over 30,000 on the clock. Any hints or things to check will be greatly appreciated.

 

Check the service records if the seller has em, and any insight into the types of driving it's done isn't a bad idea: has it pulled a trailer regularly, was it just a weekend driver, pavement/off-road, etc. Also in my experience it also helps to know whether the previous owner was a teenager or not. Put it in 4WD and see if you can hear metal on metal, diffs aren't cheap to replace. Mine would've been $1700, but it was covered under the dealer's 3 month/3600 mile warranty.

The 5.7 is the engine you want, it has plenty of oomph and will perform under almost anything you can think of doing to it (I've pulled 12,000+ lb trailers with one). Toyota offers a 4.6L in the Tundra, but almost every one I've come across has the 5.7L.

 

Also has a 4.0 but most are 5.7

 

^4.6

I would also check the backup camera, make sure it works properly. Two of my friend with 2nd gens had blue and black screen issues with their backup cams.

The rest is just all the normal stuff, nothing specific to that truck...

Any suspension mods? How is the tire wear? Even? Pulling at all? Steering feel normal? Trailer hitch look like it was used quite a bit? Brake controller mounted inside? Do the brakes feel warped at all? Any evidence of any body panels that were resprayed?

They are solid trucks though!

 

I pulled the trigger last night and bought the truck. The paint in the receiver is untouched and the previous owner seems to have taken excellent care of it. The Carfax report was clean with just regular maintenance listed. After driving an S10 for the past 8 years, I feel like I'm piloting a land yacht, but I'll get used to that fairly quickly.

 

congrats !

 

Congrats, you will love it!

 

Ditto^^ By the way, welcome from CO. The dealer will give you a free build out list if you ask. The build out paper will list all the goodies/specs of your truck as it left the factory. FOR FREE!!! (Won't list any dealer add ons by the way.....) (It's actually something you should ask for when looking at any new or used truck....... besides a CarFrax)

 

Thanks, I'm going to the dealer to pick up a couple of "Born in Texas, Built by Texans" stickers (they're on order), I'll ask for the buildout sheet then. I'll get pictures posted as soon as I can get outside when the sun's shining.

 

Congrats on your new truck Randy. 30,000 miles is barely break-in distance for the Tundras. I traded up to a Tundra from a 2002 Tacoma about 6 months so I understand it's a lot different from your previous S10. Took me about a month to get use to the bigger ride.

 

I didn't know you could buy those stickers. Up here in the Northeast I never see them. I love them. Where did you order them from?

 

I called the dealer. The parts guy looked up the part number and ordered three of them for me. The price he quoted me was $3.00 each. I'll ask for the part number when I pick them up and post it in a new message or see if there's a sticky it can be added to.

 

I would look for a ford Eco boost any wher from 2011 to 2016 model skip a yota get a ford

 

I considered an F-150, but decided I didn't want to deal with blown out, or broken off, spark plugs.

 

To each his own. It does, however, make me wonder why he's hanging around a Tundra forum. Tundra envy? I wonder what Freud would say about that?

 

Please do! I'm not a sticker guy, but the Tundras.com decal and that Texas flag are exceptions! Thanks.

 

Amazing.

 

For those interested in the Born in Texas, Built by Texans sticker, I posted the details in this thread. https://www.tundras.com/threads/born-in-texas-built-by-texans-the-sticker.5196/

 

Thanks!

 

Congrats! I drove a 98 S10 for 8-9 years myself then jumped to a tundra! Just got mine 2 years ago and one thing I've noticed is its a helluva lot easier to back up into parking spots than it is to drive in headfirst! Enjoy!