My 2021 1794 turns 1 Year old today!

Hi All,

I would not expect anyone to remember, but last April I was posting updates about my shopping saga and when it eventually ended, I was so exhausted from the experience I never got around to posting about it then got busy with life and kept forgetting. I was actually so tired from all of the back and forth drama of the market I signed the papers on Friday and told the dealer to park it in the back lot and didn't come back until Monday. I vowed I would remember to post an update for the 1 year anniversary though.

Anyway on May 7, 2021 I found a 1794 in Smoked Mesquite Pearl with all of 7 miles on the odometer. I had been looking all over, but ironically it was on the lot of my local dealership, Conicelli Toyota in Springfield PA (Paul Cincotta is a great sales guy). I was also surprised at the time that the dealer said they would accept sticker price with no upcharge. At the time, the market was getting tense and my intuition was telling me that I should buy sooner (like right then) or be locked out of the market for a year or so. Being that 2021 was the last year of the old model was hugely important to me. I buy cars for the long haul. I bought a Honda Van new in 2006 with 14 miles on the clock and today that same car has 336,000+ miles on it and I still get asked if it is new. I am also not thrilled with some of the latest car trends and I liked that this model Tundra has roots reaching back to the mid-2000s so it has things like a real shift lever (not push button or rotary dial) and an actual parking brake (not an automatic switch). I also like how it isn't completely loaded full of screens and tech that may or may not be problematic later. I don't trust the auto-start/stop many car makers are putting in either.

Back on the topic though....In the spring of 2021, I had been going back and forth on colors and even tried to place a custom order, but Toyota had stopped taking them in preparation of the final buildout. I was torn about the Smoked Mesquite color, but I have to admit it is growing on me. People are blown away by the 1794 interior so much that many seem to forget about what the outside looks like.

Yesterday, my Tundra rolled over 16,000 miles and I have to say I am confident this was the right choice for me. I have taken in it to southern Virginia (600 miles) and to northern Maine (2,000 miles) and I will say the van is nicer when cruising around on pavement, but the Truck shines in a way many cars never could touch when the pavement gets rough. I have also purchased a bedrack and a rooftop tent that I hope to try out sometime this summer. Because of the delays in ordering they arrived in the winter, so they went into storage and never got used. I also bought a rear snow plow that I sadly only got to try once as Pennsylvania didn't get much snow this year.

I do have a few questions though.....

1) Does anybody know why the side mirrors seem to have a mind of their own when they automatically tilt down when in reverse? I cannot figure out what the trick is, but sometimes one side or the other goes down or neither go down. I have tried to play with the L&R switch, but still can't figure it out. Is this there some special trick I am missing?

2) This isn't something all that important, but I have spent a year wondering if the spare tire has a matching rim with the 4 main ones or is it just a plain black steel wheel? I tried to look, but it seems as though I'd have to drop it down from the frame and I'm not doing that just for curiosity.

3) There was a Platinum and a 1794 (now mine) on the lot at the time and I test drove both. The Platinum with no off road package drove noticably nicer. Is that just because of the tires or is the suspension actually different? I am just thinking about when tire replacement comes due I might consider the smoother ride. I had one guy say I'm better off with the off road package because it will be more durable.

4) Is it likely I will get the cam tower issue or something similar to deal with? Or did they take steps to minimize that towards the end of the generation's run? I will deal with it if it comes up, just wondering if I should be prepared.

Overall, I have to say that I consider getting OTD under $60,000 (barely) on a new Luxury truck in 2021 a big win. I hope to be asked in 2037 if my truck is "new" the way I get asked about the van now. haha

I would also like to thank all on here for helping me through the shopping process. Especially @TomyTun and @Dallas007 and @eagleguy for nudging me along to pull the trigger in other threads.

I will try and be more active on here

Below are some photos from my Tundra's first trip around the sun. Enjoy......


^^Northern End of Baxter State Park in Northern Maine taken in October 2021^^


^^New Rooftop Tent (hoping it lives up to the hype)^^


^^Rear Hitch Plow (I was pleasantly surprised how well it works, but sad to only get 1 storm =( February 2022^^


^^Snowy night in Downtown Media, PA taken in February 2022^^


^^Picking Up Food For the Needy (works SO MUCH better than the van)^^


^^Baxter Again in Northern Maine in October 2021^^

 

They grow up so quickly!