Need help picking the right year first Gen Tundra

Well guys Im pretty new to Tundras and to toyota's for that matter. I have done some research but on some of the visual differences 2000-2003 (Has correct amber, white, red taillights) and 2004-2006. My goal is to purchase a Black with gray interior first gen Toyota Tundra and make it like Marty Mcfly's Toyota Pickup in the back to the future movie. Just wanted to get some ideas from you guys before I start my search for the right truck, who knows maybe one of you guys already have done this. Any help is appreciated or even if you have suggestions on what to look for when buying a first gen. Thanks in advance.

 

03 and 04 have stronger transmission than older models and a different grille and front bumper
Mid year 03 got bigger brake calipers
05 and 06 got 30 more horsepower and 5 speed auto (previous models had 4 speed)
Other than that theres not much difference.

Side note, the 05/06 tail lights can be installed on older models, which leads me to believe that the red/white/amber tail lights can be used on 05/06.

 

Be prepared for proud pricing on 05-06 for those vehicle$$$. Around here $15-18k. Ridiculous!

We all have our own tastes and I’m not a fan of 4 full doors on trucks. The suicide doors are what drew me intially to my purchase back in 02’. Having had 2 Toyotas prior (87’ P/U) had cemented my trust in their reliability.

Back to my point to answer your question. The earlier models run in the $4-8k range around here. The same engine without VVTI. The difference in horsepower is negligible from some reading of other owners who owned both. All other things are the same basically or can be made better.

Would you rather buy half a brand new 2019 truck for $15-18k plus $5k mods costs? Or, get one for less than half that price ($5-8k) and mod it out?

Be prepared for rebuild your front ends regardless of the year you pick. I just did mine at 150k miles after deciding to hold on to her for another 3-4 years. She does some towing/hauling so the heavy service applies in my case. Not much offroad anymore.

 

Others have already listed most of what I was going to say but for me, the single most important thing is finding one that has a non-rusted frame. If you are not aware of the frame issues then start researching that. If you find one that had the frame replacement that would be ideal.

It really comes down to what you want. If I could do it over I would have opted for an 05-06 double cab so I could actually use the back seat. The backseat in the access cab is only useful for hauling those that are vertically challenged. Having to open both doors every time I want to access the back is annoying. First world problem for sure. Around here, a nice double cab can be found for $10-12K. Maybe more for a low mileage unit.

I've also read that Toyota worked out some kinks in the early 00-02 models. Some have hairline cracks on the exhaust manifold. I believe mine does as well but haven't verified. Toyota also went cheap on the non-metallic early ones with single stage paint(no clearcoat). That's why 95% of all white ones look like the paint is made of chalk.

If you don't want a double cab, I would look for an 05-06 Access Cab with the VVTI and 5 speed auto.

 

Here are a few examples of what I would like to have.

Low miles. 4x4. TRD package.

Another lower mileage unit

This one is far less but more miles.

It depends on your comfort level with the miles. Now that I've seen how many of these trucks have hit 350k+ I would consider a really clean unit with 200K if it was the right price. If I found a nice 1 owner it wouldn't scare me too bad.

 

Don't be afraid of higher mileage on these trucks like you would be with a domestic. With routine maintenance the 4.7 is pretty much bulletproof. Anything under 200k is just getting broken in. Look for maintenance records on timing belt and check for rust.

 

Wow thanks for the info , I do like that the 05 and 06 have more horsepower. The taillights on the older ones is what I’m going for as far as looks. I wonder if anyone has done that yet. Are the twilight shape or outline different on the limited tundras ? Thanks again for the info.

 

Best chance of getting one with lowest miles I guess. Any difference between an 2005 and a 2006? Thanks again for your help.

 

I've got 317k on mine and after I fix my axle seals I'm gonna drive it up to the mountains to go skiing. 5 hr trip one way.

 

What I’m finding it hard for some reason here in the San Francisco Bay Area to find a 4x4 tundra 05-06. Yeah the look of 4 doors isn’t the best but I guess it will come in handy for putting baby seats in the back. I am open to a non 4 door as long as I can still install baby seats. Yeah I would love to own the original Marty McFly Toyota 85-87 4x4 pickup but those are really hard to find clean. Always looking tho. How was replacing the front end ? Was it it expensive or difficult? Yeah I won’t use it for towing and or 4 wheeling just a cool truck to ride around in. Thanks for your help.

 

Limited are the same shape (Ivan Stewart or T3 edition are exceptions) but have all color matched trim where regular models have chrome or plastic. The mirrors, door trim, bumpers and grille are all paint matched for limited models.

One shape difference worth noting is the 4wd models have the fender flares, 2wd have a thin rubber strip along the fender edge. Both things are removable but the 4wd flares do leave holes in the fender.

 

Wow rusted frame , didn’t know about that. I’m hoping that I find one here locally in the San Francisco Bay Area or possibly as far out as Sacramento area. Maybe because of our weather they were less likely to get rusted frames. I’m open to an acces cab as long as I can fit baby car seats in. Looks for accurate for a back to the future Toyota truck. Thanks for your help and information.

 

Those are nice trucks, I’m hoping to find one here in the San Francisco Bay Area or somewhere here in California. I’m finding that a 4x4 tundra is hard to find. I’m ok with mileage maybe something under 170k . I have confidence in Toyota’s quality. Thanks again for your help.

 

Thanks for the tips . Yeah really don’t need one with low mileage since I don’t plan on putting to many miles on it anyways. Yeah I would like to find one that was well taken care of. Glad to hear that they last a longtime tho! Thanks again for your help!

 

Yes Toyota had a recall on these trucks for frame rot. They ended up putting new frames in a lot of older Tundras. You'll want to completely crawl under any truck you look at and check for rust. Be thorough on this part. If you're in CA chances are that you should be able to find one that hasn't rusted out.

 

My 06 w/164k has been a Cali truck all it’s life and has absolutely no rust. I’ve noticed a few 05-06 DC’s at lots around Auburn lately but they don’t seem to stay very long.

If you find one you’re interested in around the Auburn area, let me know and I can inspect it before you drive up, work schedule permitting.

 

Not all 4x4s have the flares. I’ve seen many 4x4s with the rubber trim as well.

 

You are welcome. Had a shop do it for me as suspension work is not appealing to me. Cost was about $3500 (50/50 parts and labor for 2 days work). A good deal in my opinion as it got done quickly with warranty by pros. They did a great job and the ride is better than new.

I also did some engine work myself plus other stuff. You can look over in the What Did You Do to Your Tundra thread to see it all along with everyone elses cool stuff.

You’ll definitely need a DC for the baby seat. Make sure the seat fits before buying the DC. Was just reading this morning a thread where the guy bought a truck only to find the baby seat didn’t fit. Doh!

 

I will 2nd this. I've had both AC and DC first gen Tundras. AC first gen Tundras can take one forward facing car seat in the middle seat of the back three...but it's tight...forget rear facing at all or any baby seats directly behind the two front seats. DCs have no issues with car seats in the back in any of the 3 seats, forward or rear facing. Good luck with your search...

 

Traded my '06 DC for the current '17 CM with 150k miles on it. That '06 had a good nother 100k miles left on it with routine maintenance, and no wrecks. The only real complaints I have on the '06 was the turning radius on it sucked, due to the long wheel base. That, and the front steering rack started leaking at roughly 65k miles, and needed to be replaced. I continued driving it until well past 100k miles before I had it replaced.

As far as rust, I would worry about it as much unless you are in a (northern) state where they treat roads with salt in winter and during snow storms. That is the cause of much of the rust concerns.

3rd for a DC for baby seat.

Plenty of well maintained Gen 1 trucks out there that would be good bargins, or great for modding for off-road use.

 

Years ago, people would have thought you to be crazy to take a truck with that many miles on a long trip to the mountains!

 

Awesome man thanks.

 

This is definitely good info thanks . Both of my kids are forward facing now. I guess I will just see what I end up finding out there. Thanks again.

 

Thanks for the info , I’m hoping to find a black one soon in my area.

 

Thanks for all of the good info!