Buy or fix - the eternal question

History: I have a 2000 Tundra - small block V8, 210K miles. She is the love of my life and she's never let me down. All maintenance has been done by the dealer I bought her from. But, like me, she's getting long in the tooth and shows the inevitable wear on the outside, but the engine and drive train are in excellent shape. Things that needed replacing along the way have been replaced with OEM parts.

The dilemma: buy new or restore. Here's the problem - I don't need or want a full size truck. But, I do need a truck that can handle a full sheet of plywood between the wheel wells and has enough muscle to tow a 20 foot bass boat or a pop-up without too much strain. For me, the 7/8 size Tundra was (and still is) the perfect size - fits in the garage, has sufficient towing power and a 6 1/2 foot bed. That pretty much rules out the usual compact pickups from the usual suspects.

Before I say goodbye to my Trusty Tundra I'm trying to get a handle on what it would take to get 10-15 more good years out her.

She'll need paint up front, most likely tranny and rear end work and maybe some other big ticket items. She is sporting things like a new radiator and water pump, steering rack and tie rod ends, shocks and struts and a few things I don't remember right now. And she had the front rotor upgrade back at about 130K.

That's a book - appreciate any thoughts/experience you guys might have. Budget wise I want to stay under 20K.

 

Sit on her for now with the way vehicle prices are crazy high with little to no selection. That’s what I’m doing anyway.

 

I would keep it considering the truck you’ll find for 20k.

if you spend 20k on a new truck, you’ll be fixing it in a few years. Why not just spend 5-7k on your current truck

 

Check out my build page as our trucks were in similar positions except unlike you I’m still young and have really good looking Hands.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/the...vestment-‘build’-a-chronological-story.46816/

 

210k? You've just gotten your Tundie worn in, don't give up on it! Now that you're past the honeymoon stage you probably just need to put a few mods on it get the ol' excitement back!

 

Haha. Thanks. Pics are great. Point of clarification - I can afford a new truck, I just have a really hard time paying 50K for what will inevitably be a compromise. I drove the Honda Ridgeline. Nice ride. But from the truck perspective, that's about it.

So, I'm trying to figure out how much to restore to (close to) factory new condition?

 

At 460,000km I’m just fixing stuff as it breaks now. Had a look at a new Sierra last year and couldn’t stomach the price of a brand new truck. Sure the new trucks have great tech and better fuel economy but I’d hate to repair something out of warranty. 1st gen tundras are so easy to work on so I’ll just keep using it until the frame cracks in half. Then I’ll look at a new used 2nd gen.

Stick with your truck OP

 

OP, you have a great truck that's still fairly young. Maintained, these routinely go to 500,000 miles. At your current driving pace, putting 210k miles in 20 years, that's ~10-11k per year. At this pace, another 290k miles / 11k per year is another ~26 years of ownership. By then it'll likely be retired.

The services it will need are going to be measured in a few hundred here, a couple thousand dollars there. Some suspension, a transmission service, some paint, regular timing belts and water pumps, etc. EVERY vehicle is going to need these at some point. If you put $10k into this truck for the next 25 years, you're far ahead of the spendy coin for anything current and comparable. New used trucks are in the $50k to $80k range and bloated with technology, and often lesser quality trucks.

As you said, it's powerful nimble truck that fits where you need it without too much "truck." You have an emotional investment into a GREAT platform. Put the investment into it and keep it.

I have two, one with 155k and one with 245k miles. I plan to keep them indefinitely and maintain them. They are excellent trucks, better than most of what's available and far better value than most available.

 

Not gonna be a popular comment but we're in a transition right now. Electric vehicles are the future like it or not and the change is gonna happen a LOT faster than people think. Jaguar, just as an example, will only manufacture electric vehicles by 2025. Just food for thought.

 

Don't agree, and don't like it.

And economically a new EV truck that probably won't last a decade or two, is minimum $50,000. And IIRC a EV battery lasts 10 years and is several thousand dollars to replace. For 1/10th the new "EV truck" price the OP can get his Tundra current on maintenance and have a reliable truck for 2 decades. Probably about the cost of 1 replacement EV battery.

 

I sold a 2001 Sequoia with ~250k due to an electrical issue impacting the VSC because I was done chasing the problem and still regret it 3 years later….the repairs you are doing are cheap compared to the alternative and you know the history of the truck.

 

Agree fully with ToyotaJim.

 

Yeah. I agree with your ‘it will happen faster than we think‘ and have likewise mentioned it before here and with friends. I don’t agree with the way the battery power was sold to us as earth friendly etc, but thats another discussion. If it was sold as High Torque Supreme and Speed that’ll blow your mind, then I’d be cool with it.

I just redid my truck over the last 3 years and glad I did and think the OP could do the same. Future is always uncertain. If we don’t get hit with additional Special Gas Taxes on top of increasing fuel prices, then reinvesting is a good idea.

 

I would keep what you have. You mentioned it might need trans or rear end work, to me either it does (as in it is broken) or doesn't (it drives). Paint at least is just cosmetic as long as your truck isn't rusting from lack of paint. You're relatively low on miles for the model, these clear 400k easy and often.

I'm keeping my truck as long as possible.

 

I bought my '07 used 3 - 4 years ago with 130k-ish on the clock. In the last 2 years, I've installed the SAIS bypass, Bilstein 5100s, new wheels and tires, new radio, speakers, amp, subwoofer, dash cam rear view mirror, front and rear bumpers, trailer electrical connector, TRD rear sway bar, RCI skid plate, front grill, horns, head and tail lights, 3rd brake light, spark plugs, CAI, battery, remote start, and a fresh paint job. I did all the work myself except the paint job and all for less than a new truck. At this point it's practically new. No car payment, low property tax, and does everything I need it to including towing a 24' boat.
The next time the Tundra needs a paint job, I'm gonna spray it completely with Voodoo Blue tinted Raptor Liner. My friend sprayed his old Ridgeline and it looks great and for a 5th of what my OEM paint cost.
I say keep yours and put in the time and money to rejuvenate it. It'll be less expensive in the long run.

 

Yeah, not convinced that batteries are "green." I think my point is that, for me, spending 50k+ on a technology that's on it's way out is less than appealing. I've dumped way too much money into my truck and keeping it 'til the end is my only foreseeable option. I feel fairly certain that any future vehicle I buy will be electric. The idea doesn't really blow my skirt up, I just think it's the inevitable and unavoidable future.

 

I was about the same position as you a few years back. Except I wanted the full sheet of Plywood to fit in. So had regular cabs. Had a 2000 V6 for years and wanted V8 & 4x4. Could not find anything I like better. So found a used one and made it into what I wanted. Up to you how new you want it to feel and look.
I wanted mine to look about as new as possible. Did just about everything I could. Paint, wheels, bed liner & Retrax. All OEM exterior lights, Seats reupholstered, new OEM door panels, Carpet, Sony head unit with backup cam, all new springs front & back, Shocks, Rack & Pinion.
First time I really did not care that much about cost. Decided to splurge a little to get exactly what I wanted. And the very best truck for me. Had the last Tundra for about 15 years so I was due. But that one never did much to it except timing belt, brakes and tires.

Wish they still sold new 1 gen Tundra's. But I dont regret anything. I would not have been happy with any other truck. I would just have spent more money and at the most found one acceptable.

 

Imo, the 1st gen is a sweet spot in trucks, and it is a shame it is no longer made. My vote is fix up, and renew the truck to have as long as possible. My truck has 125k miles on it and I am hoping for many years of reliable service.

 

@831Tun its kind of hard to consider a 2021 truck "on its way out". The electric are on the way in, but you know as well as I do that California's not capable of converting to electric. We can hardly keep our AC on during peak of Summer. Gas vehicles have plenty of life left. Plus consider how many people do not drive a new truck, the guys in the first gen forum are hitting 20 year old trucks, so it is reasonable to think that buying a 2021 is by no means paying for something that would be outdated tomorrow. It just won't appeal to the kind of people who have to buy the newest iPhone even though their iPhone 10 is working fine.

My biggest gripe, and this doesn't apply to you, is people who believe that electric cars are greener. If they really want to save the planet, stop buying new cars and keep the ones they have.

 

Our 2000 is part of the family. While her clear coat is falling off her Jade Mica paint and probably a gallon of spilled coffee in/under the carpet I cannot see finding a better truck.
I am with everyone else, save your money and clean this one up.

 

Agree, I have rural property and during the summer for fire they shut down power to entire regions. So to trap people in a fire zone with possibly a dead electric car I don't see happening. Way to many things to consider.

 

Not the "truck on it's way out." The technology, like the steam engine, I believe is on it's way out. Though it will still be around for many years to come, as the demand for fossil fuels decreases, production will decrease and because there will still be (albeit more limited) a demand, price will increase significantly....I'm guessing, don't have a crystal ball and am by no means an authority on the subject.
I 100% agree that restoring a 1st gen Tundra is "greener" than buying a new EV. In large part because it is a Toyota.

 

Agreed, 100%. A well-maintained 150,000 mile Gen 1 Tundra can generally be had, sometimes including 'catch up' maintenance, for $10-15k. It's almost the perfect truck for medium duty truck needs. It's powerful, reliable, comfortable, and drives very well, attractive looking, and fairly easy to maintain. It's not bloated with technology. And it's got a big powerful V8. I really do think it's the sweet spot for size, power, reliability, comfort, and good looks. It does have some weaknesses, like paint and location of the starter. But these are minor.

Agreed. Americans demands for electricity ALREADY outpace supply ability. Rolling blackouts in CA, we saw TX lose power a few months ago. What are people going to do when millions are plugging in their cars, or your car is dead when there's a blackout? How are people in apartments going to charge their cars? How are people going to make long-distance trips in electric cars, assuming it takes 30 minutes to charge it? How are you going to charge your truck in the back-country? Solar panels or solar panel paint is perhaps the solution?? I don't see that near term though. People are really going to have less freedoms tied to a cord on their EVs.

Just wait until terrorists hit the power grids and shut down major cities and strand every driver...

And yes, EVs and solar panels are NOT more environmentally friendly. The destructive mining operations to harvest these heavy metals and the chemicals used in these massive batteries and in solar panels are extremely bad for the environment.

And good luck finding someone that can repair a Ford EV truck or Tesla S car. Probably not 5 people in your zip code knows how to fix it.

I have many vehicles, mostly V8s. I like combustion engines. I understand them. In my zip code there's probably 10,000 mechanics who can fix anything wrong with any of them. Most parts can be found new, or used, locally in 24 hours or less. In the 5 junk yards locally there's probably a spare part for anything on my vehicles. Not so with these new EVs.

That doesn't even address the $50k + price tags.

I'll keep my reliable older cars and trucks, thanks.

 

Solar and wind are a joke. The technology just isn't there yet to provide any kind of meaningful power generation in relation to our demand. Then, even if we actually pull our heads out of our asses and start building nuclear plants again, that only covers supply, transmission is another story. Last I looked into it the US's electrical grid was running at near capacity with the absolute bare minimum in infrastructure maintenance.

 

Exactly. You see the lines at gas stations during crises? Imagine that at car charging stations that take at least 30 minutes to charge a vehicle. It'll be a bigger nightmare.
Elon Musk and EV vehicle manufactures have the infrastructure (or lack thereof) to support those vehicles all wrong. I've been drafting up my own EV vehicle design, infrastructure, and business plan for a few years. I need to take it to Shark Tank or KickStarter and get backing.

 

It seems to me that anyone thinking that we are in any position to switch or transition to plugging cars in overnight has little awareness of the actual life on the streets?

I sure dont know the numbers but I am willing to bet that more than half of drivers do not have a garage or place to even plug a car in as needed much less the time it will require for charging or the money to build charging stations everywhere we will need them.

This is just a fantasy at this point.

I have both a 1st gen and a 3rd gen and have been thinking about this same question a lot recently as I can sell the 3rd gen right now and pocket a chunk of cash and go back to the 1st gen and not be all that sad I am sure.

On the other hand though the 3rd gen are for sure bigger overall and maybe bigger than I need there is little doubt to me that I will be happier in a practical sense with the newer truck though I will also be happier probably with the money and the older truck in the end?

The 3rd gen is so much more comfortable on long trips which I make several times a year and have so much more effortless power to tow which I also do often that I am trying not to kid myself about the reason that I bought the newer one in the first place.

Of course I have made all of the trips both towing and not already in the 1st gen for years so......

It is just not a simple thing to decide.

I am lucky for sure because I will not need to replace either one if I get rid of one.

 

When people try to argue for only electric vehicles, just show them a picture of rare earth metal mining. Electric vehicles are infinitely more harmful to the environment than any fossil fuel car.

 

@ToyotaJim and everyone else lined up behind him - Thanks! I just needed a nudge in the right direction. I'm going to keep her and start on the "restore" this summer. Kind of exciting to think about, actually. I'll put some pics up once I get something to show. Honestly, she's in pretty good shape overall and I get a lot of compliments on a 20 year old truck. BTW - I drove a new Ridgeline Black Edition. Sweet ride. But when I reflected on the 50k price tag and the compromises it represented I just got up and walked away.