New Here and in the Market...

Greetings, peeps! Not yet a Tundra owner....my father had one, I think it was a 1998 model, and he (the original owner) just sold it a few years ago with 30k original miles on it...it looked new and never, ever had a single problem with it. The only reason he sold it was because he lost his sight in one eye, and his Extra Cab Tundra had a nasty blind spot that other vehicles didn't have with his situation.

So my wife and I were out today, and I wanted to check out the new Tundra's after looking at the factory website last night. My folks had 3 or 4 Toyotas in the past with ZERO issues other than general maintenance. I've owned one and it was reliable.

We looked at a new 2018 Platinum 4x4 model in Magnetic Grey Metallic today and, after checking out the other offerings (Denali, Silverado, Fords) over the last few months I'm pretty interested, though I have not yet driven one. I like the new 2019 Dodge RAM 1500 but I think their pricing is a bit optimistic and they won't have the Toyota reliability, either. As far as the Tundra, I don't see a big benefit to getting a 2019 vs a new 2018, but I'm all ears.

Anyways, thanks for having me, and I'll try the search window before I ask any questions. I have much automotive experience and history, & have owned many vehicles in the past; I'm well aware of Toyota's attractive reliability factor.

Cheers, and thanks again!

 

Get an 18...you seriously can’t beat the prices going on with them.
Just bought my wife a 2018 sequoia platinum a few hours ago and we got 8k off msrp....
Which never happens

 

The color IS pretty amazing. Not your typical Metallic Grey. My wife, who is not a fan of grey paint, loves it. Even dusty, we could tell the paint was pretty special.

I DO like the 2018 Denali 1500 with the 425hp engine, and I like the fact that Alpine makes a brilliant drop-in head unit for it; and though it drives nice, I just walk away kinda feeling meh. The FORD? F250 Super Duty Diesel all the way, please; but this is for my personal cruiser/truck. And the Fords look like rolling bricks that have been squeezed-in on the sides. I want a petrol engine, and the Toyota 5.7, though a thirsty little unit, is a GREAT engine.

IMO the Tundra may be the ONLY true, full-size pickup left on the market. All the others have been downsized....to almost mid-sized proportions. The Tundra's cab volume is HUGE...spacious and wide, like REAL full-sized American trucks used to be.

What are my plans with this next vehicle? Rear Swaybar, Supercharger are in the top 3 desires.. I know this is a 4x4, and i WANT the 4wd, but I'm not going to lift the truck. If anything, I'm going to go the opposite direction. That's likely heresy amongst many here and I mean no offense or mean to inflame. For me, the 4x4 is for all-weather traction & travel issues. But I'm not looking to slam the truck in some sort of 'baller', stanced attitude like seems to be popular, nor 26" wheels lol... Not my bag, either.

I do have something in mind and so I'm going to do some searching. It seems that TRD has a drop kit, but only for 2wd Tundras. I'll see what aftermarket offers. Thx for the warm welcome, ColoradoTJ!

 

WELCOME

 

waving a hand from Oregon

 

Welcome from Texas

 

Welcome! ... That 1998 truck would have been a T-100.
The 1st generation Tundra hit the streets in late '99, I think.

You can lower a 2nd generation 4WD, SOS Performance makes a kit for that and more.

I used an SOS kit to lower just the rear of my 2WD 2007 Super White Tundra.
It sits perfectly level now, and I would have done the same thing if it was 4WD.

 

Welcome from Ohio!

 

Welcome to the party!!

 

Welcome from NY.
That color is okay.

 

Thanks for the welcome, Rex and thanks to everyone else I haven't responded to. Welp, it was his truck, not mine so I obviously had the year wrong. Definitely 1st generation Tundra, 2wd. I'll ask him what year it was...I may be off by a few years. I've been in it and seen it numerous times, definitely a Tundra in Metallic Burgundy-ish. The people who bought the truck from him were so jazzed about the condition...but I digress.
I did see the SOS site and kit...for 2wd & 4wd, 2007 through 2018... a 2" & 4" drop. Are you happy with the kit quality? Yours looks real good, 18" wheels, correct?

I'm real picky about proper geometry- alignment, camber, etc; so I want to do it right...but don't want the slammed to the ground look ie bagged. Something along the lines of no more than the Shelby Snake F150 4x4 in drop/ride height, is what I'm looking for...again, I plan no offroading with this particular truck, but do want the 4wd for bad weather/snow. I'd even consider going to 22's but no larger. So my response to you, Rex, is also to answer a bit more of ColoradoTJ's query.

We would have test-driven the Tundra today were it not for the fact that we had other errands to take care of in a certain window of time. But we spent enough time that the hook was set, methinks.

 

Yes, I am very happy with the kit.
Yes, 18" with 32" P255/70R18 tires, more sidewall height results in the best ride for me.
I retained proper geometry- alignment, camber, etc; by leaving the front suspension stock.

 

did it look something like a clean version of this?

 

Bingo...with a color-matched Camper shell.

 

Great trucks, but not quite full size.
My 4WD Tundra is this 2002 V8 Long bed.
It's been in service as my work truck since 2004.

 

The 2002 trucks are definitely smaller trucks than the 3rd gen. Nice truck, BTW!

Not to quibble, but if you check the dimensions of say the 2018 Sierra 1500 Crew Cab to the 2018 Tundra Platinum CrewMax, I think you'll be very surprised... they are very, very close...nearly equal in many ways with only a 1/2- 2" difference in some areas. Check the exterior and internal dimensions. When I got into the Platinum Tundra the first thing that stood out was how much bigger the interior was than Dad's 1st gen, and that's not counting the rear seating area...yet seeing the trucks on the road and the size of them, I wasn't that shocked I guess. It was just quite a difference from the 1st gen. I was used to. Tundra also has a slightly longer wheelbase than the Sierra 1500. Yes the 3rd gen Tundra is a Full-size pickup, IMO!

I'll throw out a few specs just for example and grins:
(edit- I got curious, researched and threw in the equitable Ford F150 SuperCrew Specs, too)

Length: (in inches)
Tundra: 228.9
GMC: 229.3
Ford: 231.9

Front Interior Shoulder room:
Tundra: 65.7
GMC: 66.03
Ford: 66.7

Wheelbase:
Tundra: 145.7
GMC: 143.5
Ford: 145.0

Overall Width:
Tundra: 79.9
GMC: 80.0
Ford: 79.9

Cheers, Rex! Gotta go get back on the perch...

 

Welcome from Ohio !

 

Welcome from OK and GL w/your hunt!

 

Howdy from NM!

 

Welcome from AZ

 

Welcome from CO.

 

Welcome from CA

 

Welcome from CO! Lots if MGM jealousy here as you can see.......