Is it really this crazy?

It’s actually the wife pushing me to get the higher trim. I came out of a nice car that had all the creature comforts I liked that some kid totaled out and she tells me to do the same if I get a Tundra. Unfortunately the older car was 9 years old and recently started taking a dip in valuation when it was totaled, but I was going to keep that thing forever. I would consider us both realist, and she’s been part of the process with me to keep me sane. Everyone is giving pretty solid input but I think the reality is that I should just put the truck search to bed and periodically entertain the market, as I’ve been doing. I’ll obviously just have to keep leveraging cash on hand along the way so if I have to pay a higher price for a solid truck with everything I want, I can offset some pain. We’ve just been strapped dealing with trying to renovate our old house to sell it, keeping emergency cash on hand, maintaining retirement contributions, training/racing triathlons, and raising two kids.

 

Agreed, curious what the scam is haha.

 

For your age it's hard to imagine this being the last vehicle you purchase. The same thing just happened to another person I know locally, someone T Boned and totaled his Tundra at an intersection. He was planning to keep it forever as well but now is in a bind because it was an older truck so didn't get nearly enough to replace it.

Having cash could be an advantage. I did see some better deals on Facebook from real people and they were higher trim. Just make sure it's not stolen and have the dealership check the vin with the plug under the dash.

You will be able to get it down some but I would be more concerned with the condition. Mine only had 11k miles and looked brand new even under the truck. It was so clean. It was worth just paying what it was worth.

If the one you want is 45k-50k that's still not bad and probably isn't coming down that much. I'm glad I got into a really clean like new one.

I also had a really tough time going from a 2019 F150, that I sold for a great price, then drove a 12 year old Honda waiting for a Gen 3 Tundra when they were all backordered, bought a 2021 Tundra I returned to CarMax, ordered a 2023 Taco that got totaled on the way to the dealership, and finally got the Tundra I'm in now. Glad to be done with all that. Sheesh. My advice would be to find one you want thats in great condition, low miles, and just get it for fair price and move on with your life with reliable transportation.

Me I would save 10k with lower trim and whatever else I might not need. I have family who also say it's the last car they will get each time they get a new one.

ETA: I'm just trying to give a different perspective and going against the grain. I'd rather just get a very low milage SR5 with zero risk of being stolen, odometer rolled back, etc. I was going to get a Gen 3 but very happy saving 10k and my 21 with convenience package has exactly what I want. As it turns out having it ceramic coated makes the biggest difference IMO.

 

Thanks for your take on this. It is true it might not be my forever-forever truck, but I would be content with it lasting me as long as possible. I really liked the 1794 I looked at with the second dealer and I even told them someone would probably pay the price they’re asking, but it won’t be me. It has super low miles, which is really holding up its valuation, but I’m sure if it had 60-80k miles the ball would be in my court a little more. I guess I just don’t need the truck and just need to take my time with my search like everyone recommends.