need advice on finding specs for a new truck

Hi all!

This is my first post on the forum. I've been researching which truck to get to haul a couple horses and a donkey (~3-4000 lbs + trailer), and I've decided on a second gen Tundra. I'd love the capabilities of a 3/4 ton, but it's worth it to me to give up a little of that to get the reliability of the Tundra. I know I want the double cab, 6.5' bed, 4WD, 5.7L engine, and 4.3 rear end for towing. I've been using the VIN lookup, which has been useful, but I've run into one confusing issue. The 2007s I've looked up list the 4.3 ratio if they have it, but 2008 and up always list the base towing capacity and rear end (~5000lbs and 4.1 rear end). However, from what I've been able to glean, that rear end and other towing upgrades all came included in the towing package, SR5 package/trim, or TRD or other offroad package. Is it safe to assume that if the VIN lookup lists one of those packages, I'm good to go?

Secondly, I'm trying to keep my budget pretty low, so I'm looking at higher mileage vehicles. I know it's a Toyota, but is there any rough mileage range that I should start to be wary of, where the more expensive repairs start to be more common?

Edit: I'm staying away from 2010's I think, because that one year shows up poorly on Consumer Reports for reliability. And 2009 shows up as fine for reliability, but with poor customer satisfaction. Not sure what's going on there.

Thanks for any advice! I've done quite a bit of research, but there is so much I still don't know.

 

I bought my 07 tundra DC limited for just 12.4k last year with about 140k on the dash. It had the tow package so I got the 4.30 gears and the 5.7 motor. You can definitely find what you’re searching for, I just stumbled upon mine by chance. Something you’ll have to keep in mind with higher mileage tundras with the 5.7 motor is the starter can give out around 150k mile mark and when mine did it cost around $850 for the repair because of where it’s located (PITA)

 

Tow rating depends on the engine, and the 5000lb number you cited sounds more like the 4.0L V6 than a 5.7L V8. I would have expected the tow rating for the 5.7L to be more than 8000lb. The site linked below has Tundra tow ratings by year, trim level/cab/bed, and engine size: https://axleadvisor.com/toyota-tundra-towing-capacity/

Using Toyota.com to look up specifications by VIN should certainly be accurate. When found to be inaccurate, it is by omission of equipment; i.e. the site seems to default to generality (no tow package), but the actual truck could still have the tow package. The tow package includes a list of items that varies from one gen to another; on Gen 3 Tundras, 4.3 axle and auxiliary transmission warmer/cooler usually confirms presence of the tow package.

Others that actually own or have owned 2nd Gens can probably offer more information.