Were you looking for a Tundra?

When I got my Tundra I wasn't specifically looking for a Tundra. We were looking to upgrade our camper from a pop-up to a travel trailer so needed a larger tow vehicle than the wife's CRV. It was over wintertime so was in no huge hurry when the wife texted me pics of a 2000 SR5 that a guy she worked with was looking to sell. I test drove it the next day and fell in love with it before the test drive was over. He told me the frame had been replaced and timing belt/water pump recently done. At the time I wasn't even aware of the frame rust problems. After a day or two of research we pulled the trigger and bought it. That was four years ago and I have never regretted it. So in short I lucked out and accidentally bought the best gen of the best truck

 

It was a Tundra, 4Runner or Sequoia to me. I had just taken a bath to get out from under a 2013 F150 which was killing me and had a hard ceiling of $15K. I had planned to buy something decent, run it for a year or two then buy a new truck. Ended up scoring a very low mileage '05 Tundra and just sort of kept it. 4 or 5 years later I'm still driving it. Not sure how much longer I'll hang onto it, but it's good for now.

 

Official welcome.. Any pics of bestest gen truck?

 

I was actually looking at Jeep Wranglers back in 2012. My wife and I had test driven several and I was narrowing down my search. One day she handed me a flyer from the local Toyota dealer and pointed at the Tundra and said why don't you take one of these for a test drive. So we did, I never thought about the Wrangler again. We bought that 2012 and since then two more Tundra's. I was able to find and buy a '21 1794 last August. Now we have a total of three Toyota's a 2017 Rav4 SE with the Tech Package and a '20 4Runner Nightshade and my '21 1794. We've been very happy and satisfied with all of them.

 

2 Funny stories, I'll try to make 'em brief but gotta tell the stories w/some detail.

I was finishing up a restoration on a Boston Whaler . . . my truck at the time was a tacoma 2WD reg cab stick shift 4-banger. I knew I wanted at least a V6 auto & preferably an extra/ crew-cab to pull the whaler with.
A Silver 2003 Tundra AC showed up at the neighbors and sat there for 2-weeks. I asked them what was up, and they said it was their sons father-in-laws who had passed away & they were going to sell it for them, since it was from Utah & 2WD trucks don't sell well there. I Blue-Booked it at $7.500.00 walked over and offered them $6,500.00 and they said 'SOLD'. Only had 65K miles on it. Score. Had that truck for 6-7 years and sold it for $7K to my friends son last year.

A few years ago I pulled up to a liquor store near my house. There was a killer 2006 Blue Steel Metallic DC Tundra with a Snug Top shell parked out front. I really wanted a clean 2006 2WD in this exact color and exact shell, and this one was Pristine. I walked in and yelled, "OK, who's Blue Tundra is that out there"?!?!?!?! . . . . A dude looks up at me like I was going to rob him . . . He says, 'Mine, whats up"? . . . Before I could finish saying, "If you ever wanna sell . . . . " . . . He quickly barked-back, "I'm never selling that truck" . . . . turns out he had just moved into my tract, and we quickly became became good friends, wink-wink.
About this time last year he called me and said, "hey are you still interested . . . ".... 'YESSS"!!! Before he could finish HIS sentence ! LOL . . . He was buying a giant boat and needed a 3/4 or 1-ton to pull it.
I walked over with $15K and it was mine. Total score with under 60K miles . . . had new tires, brakes, timing belt, floor mats, BU camera, killer head-unit with all nice speakers, dealer service records etc. etc.
He stored it his garage and had a company car, so he only drove it to the beach on weekends, hence the low mileage.
Happy Camper with that score.

 

I specifically sought mine out, but not right away. I zeroed in on Toyota vehicles later in life, bought my 1st Toyota when all the stuck pedal nonsense was going on and pricing dropped on their stuff. Turned out I loved Toyota and didn't know it. Bought a couple more, and when I finally got tired of my last truck, decided the next one would be Toyota.

I wanted something in the sizing of a T100, but with more power. The newer Tundras were obnoxious sized and looked goofy as hell to me. So I looked at every generation of Tacoma, but if it wasn't the plastic beds that seemed stupid, the dash configurations were even worse. While looking for T100s, I stumbled across a 1st gen Tundra on Craigslist and dunno how I missed them initially, but I was sold.

Took me about 8 months searching for just the right features before I found mine about 2 hours away in central AL. Exterior was in rough shape and little bits and pieces were missing here and there but I was sold. Had to deal with some drama @ the dealership with getting the title, then the alternator burned up within 3-4 weeks of me buying the truck, but otherwise I don't regret a thing.

I'd eventually love to find a '01-'04 Tacoma 2WD access cab 4cyl (MT or AT, don't care) with power windows with under 150k miles as a backup for longer light-haul treks.

 

Yes and Hell Yes!

 

I was absolutely looking for a 1st Gen long bed Tundra with the V8 engine about a year ago. I needed the V-8 to pull a trailer occasionally, the long bed is more useful around the farm and I liked the more compact size of the 1st Generation. After about 6 months of looking, I found one and grabbed it immediately. It's done everything I have wanted it to do, and with just over 60K miles on the clock, I expect that it will last pretty far into the future.

 

Over the course of a couple of years, I evaluated GMC, Chevy, Ford, Nissan, and Toyota (Dodge will NEVER get another penny from me). I had a Nissan Titan that had done me very well for 14 years. The more I test drove, and the more I researched, the more I kept seeing the reliability of the Tundra. I didn't understand the criticisms that the Tundra was lacking technology - it had all the tech I wanted. So I then decided to get a Tundra and started the games with dealers to get the best price. At that time, it was Tundra, and ONLY Tundra that I would be buying.

 

Sure was. I wanted something bigger than my 1998 T4R but didn't want a newer Tundra because of how big they are. An old neighbor/friend decided to sell his 2003 AC 4x4 with 200k miles. He was the original owner and let his son drive it for 2 years, which added a lot of mileage and a couple dings/scratches from him driving between Denver and Idaho. He just wanted it gone fast, and gave it away at $2,500 with a color-matched topper and full set of records of service done by dealer. I plan to run it into the ground; if possible.

 

Mine was a total impulse buy and didn't need a truck.

I happened to be at Scottsdale Harley-Davidson one afternoon last May and saw it sitting on the lot of a Chevy dealer next door all dirty with an obviously sacked-out suspension but an arrow-straight body. I thought it belonged to a customer who was inside the dealer because of where it was parked and it was dirty. I walked over to assess it closer and asked an employeee if he knew if it was for sale and he said it was but was literally just traded-in and hadnt been gone over yet. I called sales and asked what they wanted for it and they stumbled since it literally just got there. Gave me a price of 6k. I said "Sold" and bought it on the spot. Had to wait 3 days for them to do their thing for legal purposes and all but glad I bought it. Spent a few years in inland Texas and been here in Az ever since, so it has zero rust anywhere.

 

I bought it new, so I guess I was.

 

Had a 4Runner with the 4.7 and loved the v8. Needed more room and wanted a truck. Decision was very easy.

 

In 2000 I bought a brand new Tacoma. On the same dealership lot were a dozen Tundras. I wanted one but could only afford the Taco. A year later I traded my Taco for a lightly used Tundra limited with 5000 miles on the clock. I took a small beating on the deal but it was exactly what I wanted. I went on to put half a million miles on that truck. So yeah, was looking for a Tundra.

 

Tundra was the only truck I was considering in 05 when I found a 2000 AC Limited TRD 4X4 with 99k miles on it. Paid $16k for it and traded in a 1997 Toyota Camry with 165k miles on it. Just put a deposit on a 2019 Crewmax Limited 4X4 TRD in Cement with 43k miles and a color matched camper. Tundra was the only truck I was looking for. Again. Keeping the 2000 with 265k miles on it. Can't bear to part with it, I know I would regret it.

 

99% impulse buy for me.

I knew, in the the back of my mind, that I wanted to replace my Tacoma with something with a back seat. But I figured that was probably a year or two out.
I was just killing time, browsing Facebook marketplace like I do at least once or twice a week. If anything, I was pricing out old Nissan Frontiers, (looking to avoid the Taco tax)

Then I happened across a non running, but NO rust 01 extended cab Tundra, 4.7, for $1500.

Picked it up the next day.

 

Ive been driving Toyota trucks for over 10 years. Started with a 2009 6-lug 2wd single cab 5-speed 4-banger Tacoma. After that I wanted a bigger cab but still wanted a 4cyl. Found a 97 Tacoma 5-lug 5-speed local that I bought on CL for $5K. Had that truck about 7 years and was getting over having to put chains on when I would go up to the snow. So there I was, looking at 4wd Tacomas and Tundras from 2005-2015. After deciding the prices of each, I thought I was better off with the Tundra. More room, more power, just a wee bit less MPG and usually close in prices.

So, I started looking when the beer flu invaded... Being in Los Angles and having a few drinks I randomly started looking what my options where down there since I was already in the area. Lone behold, a 2010 CM Platinum 4wd one owner appears AND it was on my way back home the following day. Called the dealer that morning and told them I would be there in the afternoon to test drive. Instantly fell in love and within 2 hours I was headed home in my first ever automatic, power windows/doors, and cruise control vehicle. Took the train back down to the dealer the following day to get my 5 lug that I left in the parking lot overnight.

So to answer the question... YES i was looking. Did I expect it to happen that quick? Absolutely not

Here is how it looked when I drove it home (little different looking now lol). The Tacoma I was driving home is to the left.

 

I had just sold my 2005 Silverado 1500 and my 2003 Tahoe. I picked up a 2016 2500HD Duramax and happened to be browsing FB market place the same day. Looking around, I saw a 2000 Tundra 4x4 with 171K for $2900. I didn’t know a damn thing about them other than it seemed like a good deal for any Toyota 4x4 for less than $5k, especially in CO. I sent the owner a few messages and agreed to look at the next day. The rest is history. I wasn’t in the market for another vehicle, let alone a FGT. The priced seemed right and after a quick Google search, I jumped on it.

Back then, I would have preferred a Tacoma but now that I have the FGT, I’m happy I picked it up. So the short answer is no, I was not specifically looking for one but I’m glad I gambled on it and took the plunge.

 

Same here.

 

im a tacoma guy.. wont lie.. i have 3 of them. this tundra found me. year prior to the owner rolling it over we did about 7-8k worth of work to the old girl (new used trans, new transfer case, new wheels and tires, new master cylinder and booster, along with a bunch of other little things) he called my dealer when he rolled the truck asking if anyone was interested in a tundra that's totaled. he had liability on it, just wanted the price of the tow for the truck and it was whoever wanted it, their truck. me being me, i bought it sight unseen for parts because i knew it ran. according to him it wasn't fix-able its ruined. i got to the yard it was at, had the truck towed to my buddies storage unit, took the wheels off, got them to work and re beaded then (3 popped off the beads) balanced them tossed them back on the truck and it drove. got it to work and aligned it.. fell in love with the sucker as i drove it with a really banged up body.. and well here we are now 2 years later. getting close to a complete truck sans my hodgepodge interior

 

Always been a Toyota/Lexus fan so when I started getting serious about a truck 2 years ago, I first looked at a Tacoma, thinking it would suffice, but realized it was just too small for what I needed. So, I started looking for a T-100, but most of those that were local to me were rusty/worn out. Eventually, I found my Limited for sale on CL in northern Illinois and got it cheap ($2000.00), drove it home and rebuilt it.

 

I was searching for a Toyota pickup around $10K. Where I live, no one, I mean no one sells their Toyota pickups. Best I could find were old beaters from the '80s rusted to death or 1 year old Tacomas @$35K. Until my Tundra popped up, local family dealer $8500, 2000 SR5 4X4. Joined this group before even looking at it to learn what to look for. It checked all the boxes. NO rust, recent front suspension freshening. T belt is the only unknown, but was inspected and found to be in new conditon. One test drive and that's all it took. LOVE my Tundra. So glad I got it. I wanted a reliable, long living truck and it's not let me down after a year and a half, only repair was the original radiator in that time.

 

Nope. I needed a vehicle and my dad offered me his tundra for $2500. So I flew down to dfw and drove back. I sold it back to him 3 years later then he drove it 2 and let it sit a year. I finally convinced him to let me have it back 3 years ago. He just gave it to me that time. So basically I got the truck for free.

 

Congrats, good story of a " Unicorn " score.. Noice!

 

Here my story..

Will try to make it brief but probably wont be. I never thought i would be in a toyota truck again but i was in the process of buying a house and decide to buy 2010 Tacoma and had a 1999 manual camry. I sold the camry to redo the kitchen hate myself for it and well with the tacoma and loved it but felt it was so under powered so i traded it for a 2007 regular cab tundra to lower my car payment so we wife could finish nursing school.

Boy was this truck fun unfortunately it was rwd and well i said to myself i can live with it who need 4x4 in jersey well one bad snow storm i could not get out of my drive way so i decided to find a 4x4. Along came a 2007 crewmax! I love the thing but i had to sell it to pay bills while my wife went through nursing school and we found out we could not afford any car payment or at least what i was paying. So with what little equity left over from truck sale i ended up buying a manual 2006 Acura TL it was a fun car but did not last long engine had so many problem that i could not afford find out what was wrong and how to fix it. Sold it took a lost on it and spend 3-6 months riding my bike to work trying to save up for a good down payment on a new truck.

I decide to look for 2nd gen 4runner as i use to own one as my 1st car and found a 4runner and 2012 tundra price right at a dealership i will not name. Drove up test drove the truck and well they did the whole bait and switch and could not tell me what a 3k fee was for and all discourage i was on my way home with my father. On the way home i called a buddy of mines and he told me to go to a toyota dealer near by that he had a friend that worked there. What do i have to lose i said i walk through ask them if they had any 4runner or newer tundras and he told me the only tundra i have is 1st gen 2006 tundra.

I decide to look at the truck and the rest is history. Truck had under 60k on the clock i and i told myself i would be stupid if i didnt try to buy this truck. They were asking 20k and somehow i talked them down to 14k and it was because for some reason i guess they could not sell the truck and they buyer right there. Honestly it all worked out for the best. The wife finsihed nursing school am driving a truck i love and through all those struggles thank god today we find ourselves financially stable.

 

Nice thread.

No, I wasn't. Around 2007 I had a 93 pickup for a short while (best friend was in jail so I took care of it) and always liked Toyota trucks. Soon I wanted an 03 or 04 Tacoma with the extra cab, manual trans, V6, and maybe 4wd. Couldn't find one for less than 28k. It was the start of 2008 at this point, people were afraid of unnecessary expenses like driving a V8. I spotted my Tundra on the used side of a Saturn lot. They wanted 16k, I needed to get my taxes done so I left to do that and came back 2 days later. They dropped it to $13,8995 because it had been on the lot a few weeks (Toyota dealer was directly across the street).

I drove it, crawled all over it, under it, sniffed all the fluids, and after a few hours I bought it. That was February 2008, never gonna sell it.

 

Had a 2017 Tacoma, hated it, just poor quality in a truck when I expected better considering the way people rave about Tacomas.
I was looking for older trucks that were "tougher" and had a manual transmission, so I didn't even look at the 1st gen Tundras.
Almost bought a T100, dealer wanted 16k so I walked.
Almost bought a manual F250 with the 16V Triton 5.4, excited for finding it. The day I was going to pick it up someone else grabbed it off the seller first...

Heard about the Tundras legendary transmissions and legendary engines, and I gave up wanting a manual. Test drove a few, found an 04 with 178k mi, bought it for 12k after research on this forum.

 

I was not.
Was always a Nissan guy, had a 90 hardbody, 90 240sx, 99 altima and an 06 frontier, but we had just got a 2015 Rav4 for the wife and I was very impressed with how they are built. Was looking for a full size truck (baby was on the way), never impressed with american manufactures, when my co-worker who was the original owner of my tundra casually talked about maybe selling his truck. I did some research and realized it was exactly what I was looking for. 2 months of pestering and 10k later it was mine. Its been a great truck and I would never not have a toyota at this point.

 

Cool stories. I was at the dealership and let the sales guy talk me into buying a brand new 2000 fGt instead of another Toyota Corrola. I sold it a couple years back. Wish I kept it. You guys are making me want to buy a fGt again.

 

Do it. 1st gen best gen.