Why did you buy a Tundra??

Hi everyone,
I am new here. I currently drive 2004 4Runner and it's been a great SUV and has really turned me into the Toyota brand. Currently has 192,000 miles and still runs great. I am looking to get into the truck market and really like the tundras. I have also looked at the F150 and that seems to be the closest competition for me.

It's hard to gauge a truck by a 30 min test drive and reading so hoping to get some input here. Why did y'all go with the tundra? What issues have come up with the truck? What don't you like about it?

In addition, has anyone driven F150 and tundras who may have both perspectives?

Thank so much!!

 

Reliability.

 

I had a 2015 Ford F150 and I've had a 2018 Tundra for over a year now. The Tundra has better build quality, less shit to go wrong, better resale, and looks better. The Ford specs look good on paper, but lots of shit goes wrong on a lot of those trucks. Read these forums for a bit, then read the F150 forums for a bit and you'll see what I mean.

 

WELCOME

 

I have a 1999 Tacoma with 300,000 miles on it. I wanted to clone it, except:

• enough balls to pull a 9000 pound boat + trailer, which the Tundra does with aplomb.
• slightly more cabin space for my Ridgeback and a bit more gear, which the dual cab gives me
• larger bed for camping, which the 6.5' bed does nicely (I'm 6'5" so I can actually lay straight out perfectly)

Otherwise I would have bought a new Tacoma.

Edit: PS: Looked at Dodge Ram, but it looked and drove like a total grandpa truck.

 

Never looked into other trucks since all ive own are tacoma, fj and 4runner. Its reliable, looks good, crewmax to haul my kids and dog. Gas mileage sucks but ill sacrfice a few mpg for reliability over the other brands.

 

Reliability
Capability fits my needs(moderate towing and huge cab space)
Reliability
Looks
Resale
Reliability.
Very rarely will a toyota leave you stranded. None of mine have.

 

It’s a Toyota.

 

You looking at a new or used Tundra??? What's your budget???

Personally all the small Toyota trucks I've owned have served me very well, had a 1988 2wd reg cab lowered and mini-truck pimping, 1993 2wd reg cab that was beat to hell but ran great, 2004 Tacoma reg cab that I planned to keep forever until the wreck, all were 4 cylinder/5 speed.

Decided earlier this year I wanted a bigger, nicer truck, that I was going down to just one car instead of two like when I owned those cheap smaller trucks. Really wanted a nicely optioned 2005-2015 Tacoma, crew cab, V6, 4wd or Pre-Runner, one that sat up nice and high with the big wheel/tire option.

Figured out those were stupid expensive and that you could buy a double cab Tundra for the same $$$. Double cab Tundra had the same front hinged rear doors(no stupid suicide rear doors), good rear seat room, the 6.5' bed, and it had a haul ass V8 that got maybe 2-4mpg worse fuel economy.

Drove the Tundra, loved it, loved the extra power, the extra space, the extra size, just everything about it was more comfortable IMO, seats, ride, less noise in the cabin, it just felt more substantial than the Tacoma. Parking spots in my town are pretty big, also I've driven a couple full size Cadillacs as daily drivers so I was used to the huge size.

 

Bought my 2007 Crew Cab Tundra so my 6'1" tall son could ride in the back seat in comfort. I have owned all makes of trucks, have like each one for different reasons. But I love everything about my truck I'll never sell the one i have or buy anything else. A few months ago someone ran into the side damaging the tailgate, bedside and cab. If it wasn't a Toyota it would have been totaled. They hold their value! $10k in repair, but it looks and still drives great.

 

I have a 2012 Titan , a 2014 f-150, my former truck was a hemi dodge 1500...I found myself driving my car when I didn’t absolutely have to drive a truck. I finally went to check out the tundras, I have never driven that car since (2012 Lexus IS). I got this truck and fell in love! And the funny part is it’s a 2007 (low miles) but I freaking get excited everytime I get into it. My employees drive the others, no one but me drives my SC tundra

 

https://youtu.be/R9jaOROeYII


https://youtu.be/GR9Q2IjumAI

https://youtu.be/fDUlwj8MOaY
This is why also.....lol..........and I had a 95 V6 Camry with 295k miles and ran like a champ with that mileage so Toyota for life

 

The brakes are really damn good on these trucks, that's one of the reasons I bought a Tundra.

 

Back in 2010, when I was truck shopping, I test drove the F-150 first. Really liked their looks (still do) Ford's 5.4 V8's MPG claims weren't nearly high enough, when I compared how gutless it felt, compared to the 2010 Tundra 5.7. Tundra's Sequential Shifter was a feature I knew I'd use constantly and to this day, I can't remember the last time I drove my Tundra in "D". I have 81,000 miles on it now, it's been totally issue-free and my Mechanic tells me, I should see 100,000 miles before needing Brakes… it's a keeper!

 

Welcome from CO.

 

Welcome from SE PA!

After having Silverados for many years, I made the switch to a Tundra this fall.
Reasons:

• Reliability
• Safety features
• Looks
• The ride
• Huge mega cab where my 6’-3” son can sit in the back seat.
• Resale value (although I don’t plan on ever getting rid of it)

 

I have always been a Chevy person, but my 15 Silverado had the dreaded clunking, vibration, and other issues. Decided to try Tundra because of the reliability, performance, and look. I know the gas mileage is supposed to be the worse of all the full-size trucks, but I find it to be the same as my Chevy in real-world. I am getting around 16 in the city and around 20 on the hwy, plus a 38g tank, so I'm good!

 

Fell in love with the ole straight axles yotas of the early 80's and never looked back. I've had 3 Tundras, and I am certain there will be more in the future!!!

 

The Tundra is a true American made truck. Easy to keep maintained and won't leave you high and dry.

 

I bought mine for all of the above reasons. So far it’s a nice truck. I’ve only got 6k miles on it. Realistically, I probably didn’t need this size truck. But I have two boys so I like the space. I wanted a 4Runner but they haven’t updated that thing with any sensing which I wanted. It does drive nice and has tons of space. Some stuff on the interior feel a little cheap, but I’m not sure it’s any different in other trucks except Ram and I definitely wasn’t buying a ram.

 

Bought a new Tacoma for $27k in 2010 and drove it for 8 trouble-free years. When it started to show its age cosmetically, I knew it had lost only about $10k in value, so when I wanted to roll that equity into a new full size truck the only choice was a Tundra. No other truck company has close to the resale or dependability. That’s why all the domestics measure themselves against each other. Toyota is on another level.

 

Thanks for all of the great responses. Everyone here pretty much echoes my feelings during my research. Heck, toyota fixed a crack on my dashboard for free in my 4runner when it was 15 years old!!

Someone above asked about my budget. Don't want a new truck. Hoping to get one with 35k miles or less. I am going to try to stay below 40k (ideally though would like to pay about 25 - 30k cash). Would like a trim line above a SR5.

It seems like the biggest drawback is the gas milage. What are you guys averaging on a highway? Most of my commute is 25 miles one way on interstate.

Also, I noticed that the crewmax only comes with a 5.5foot bed. The F150 supercrew can be paired with a 6.5. Has anyone had an issue wanting that extra foot?

 

your 4runner is just broke in... you should keep it

I had a 2001 ... 475,000 miles of hard work as a work truck
maintenance tires, brakes, oil & a radiator.. still ran great..
made the mistake of sitting in a 2006 4runner & realized how bad my seat compressed & traded it.

ha.. should have just bought a new seat.

when I decided I wanted a truck.. I gave the '06 4runner to my son in law
no question.. my new truck would be a tundra

 

It looks like you settled on the right answer before I got my response in. I had a 2001 Sequoia with 250K miles that I traded in for a 2018 F150 Lariat Screw. I kept that for ~5 months before coming back to the Toyota family with a 2018 Tundra Platinum a few weeks ago.

I have similar "should have bought a new seat" thoughts regarding my initial transaction @Slayer

Mileage varies...13-18 depending on speed/traffic. Nothing too different from the older Ford's unless you are going with one of the EcoBoost engines.

GOOD LUCK!

 

Welcome @orthojacket

Budget.. you should be fine just but you will likely be at your upper end of budget..keep your eye out.
buying used has never scared me as long as there are service records.

Fuel economy.. if it's a concern.. get a 4.6 but it's not offered above an SR5
I average 18 - 20

Bed length.. You will find varying opinions..
for me.. mines a work truck I need the extra length.

 

I drove an F150 work truck, then I purchased a T100, then a 2002 Tundra, then a 2007 Tundra.

Reliability, dependability, and for a time they weren't quite as gargantuan as full size 'domestic trucks'.

I still drive the '02 & '07.

 

So I could be part of this wonderful community of degenerates.

 

No, no...Toyota fixed the gas mile problem. They gave us a bigger gas tank!

If you are going to pearl grab every time you look down at the mpg then this truck isn’t what you will be happy with.

This is my second tundra. The first lasted me 15 years. I basically welded the hood shut for the first 14 years and she finally succumbed to the harsh salt winters and ocean air of Boston the final year. The amount of money spent on gas pales in comparison to what I see other car and truck owners pay in fixing problems. My brother had owned 6 cars in the time I had driven my first tundra. And he was constantly bitching about stuff going wrong. All I had to do was basically changed my oil.

I drive 40 miles a day so I understand the mpg woes. But I also smile every time I walk outside and see her sitting there, knowing that I’ve invested in both a show pony, and a work horse, both of which I have full confidence to take me wherever the next decade and a half leads.

This forum is a testiment to the quality. @Tundra9831 said it best. In a world where everyone goes online to bash products, this forum is remarkably opposite.

You could always get a Prius, but in the wise words of my wife: “who wants to drive a tampon holder.”

 

What they said...

I've been in many GM products all my life, tired of trading them in when major things start failing. Saw too many old Tundras on the road for it to be a coincidence so...I'm in a Tundra now.

 

Different people choose different vehicles for different reasons (good or bad). It's really up to you to decide on your own situation. You might get a better sense just by skimming through the various threads here and other forums for any other vehicle you're considering.