Platinum vs SR5 Differences & Cost effectiveness

I have a short lived opportunity to get rid of my new SR5 and get into a 24 Platinum for $11k more.

What does that $11,000 get me? I’ve compiled the following:
Leather.
Digital display.
Bigger screen.
360 cameras.
Rear view camera.
Camera rear view mirror (makes me
Motion sick)
AC/Heated seats.
The little button on the side of the tail light for the tailgate.

Same engine.
Same suspension (I can still
lift it and get some 35s under it with room to spare for articulation - but no “benefits”)

Would a platinum with body damage and scratches hold more value as a % of purchase than an SR5 with equal damage? Or would it depreciate faster because platinum guys want their trucks to be clean?

The tone of this post shouldn’t be read as an unbiased “What benefits does a platinum have that you feel justifies $11,000?”

 

How bad are the scratches and damages?

 

Depends on the length of time in depreciation. After 3 years the platinum may be worth more. After 12 years i cant see a difference between the 2. Also with mileage. After 100k miles is any buyer going to care at all about the extra bells and whistles?

 

Dude, I am just happy you are back!!!!

 

I won't spend $ on items that only look nice. If
it is useful everytime you drive then okay.. if it is not then I would not waste the cash on its inflated cost. You will not recover the difference in cost when you sell it - yes you will get more but not the extra you paid.

BTW - more tech is more shit to fail and repair, and higher insurance premium.

If they would put in a stand alone transmission cooler I'd buy it. Just ask. Their answer will tell the truth.

 

For a truck that is going to be used closer to a work truck, I don't trust the sunroof. Too many plastic parts in an area that twists. I' stay away from the platinum although $11K seems fair to get all the stuff.

 

This stuff can also be had in SR5. Mine has it all. And you get used to the camera mirror pretty fast.
Bigger screen.
360 cameras.
Rear view camera.
Camera rear view mirror (makes me
Motion sick)
Softex 8-way power seats with lumbar

But you need a higher trim for other stuff like sunroof, seat memory, ventilated seats, and some other stuff. Up to you if you want it.

IMO since you seem to have a lower spec SR5 without the stuff in the first list I'd make the swap for the Plat, especially for just $11k.

 

Maybe this would give Toyota some data as to whether the sunroof is mud and manure proof. That is probably something they never tested for!

 

Look at a "loaded" Limited at all?
Everything on your Platinum list minus the leather and should be considerably less $$.
Just a thought.

Unless you have a specific Platinum that is in your crosshairs as a target of opportunity.

 

Wow your always getting into these situations.
I enjoy the extra comfort in my Platinum and do not have any Off road packages as I have no use for those. I would assume the sr5/platinum have the Offroad packages so despite how you use your truck come later on down the road the trade in will be based off of the Vin number and general conditions. My last experience was all by text and just pictures of the exterior , tires, milage. Didn't care about what packages the Ford had like the 360 cameras and tailgate step ect....didn't make a dam difference. Two dealers in person and one by text $1000 difference and by text was 200 miles away. I drove 200 miles one way.
Get the plat if you want the extras and in my opinion the wear and tear you'll still get more for the plat. This is why I was so upset trading in the f150 as the majority of add ons from the factory dont count for jack shit come trade in.

 

Thanks for the replies.

I have a good look on a brand new Platinum. My issues are that it’s in silver, which I don’t like, and that resale in the future if it is in any way damaged will be hurt way more. I also don’t see a huge list of upgrades for the price although it would be nice to see a Platinum rocking and rolling somewhere other than in magazines.

 

If you can go from a used SR5 to a new Platinum for $11k I would probably jump on it asap. Especially if you can get out of any chance of the engine recall time period.

As far as silver it is second to white for work truck duty (some of the champagne colors hide damage too).

I have had 15 work trucks in the last 20 years. I have owned several construction and construction trade companies. I am not scared to use them even the north of 100k price ones.

 

One of the excavating companies I work with buys their field superintendents GMC AT4 HD trucks.

Supposedly they get more money when they trade them in than the work truck trims they used to buy. They run them 2-3 years and do about 75k miles a year.

 

Leather- Can have done aftermarket for around $2000 for high quality leather.
Digital display- Looks kind of cool. No real added benefit. If it stops working, you are screwed.
Bigger screen- Zero benefit in my opinion. I’m not watching football on it.
360 cameras- Definitely wish I had this, but get along fine with the parking sensors.
Rear view camera- No real opinion
Camera rear view mirror (makes me
Motion sick)- Actual mirror has always been good enough for me.
AC/Heated seats- These can be added aftermarket when you get leather for maybe $500 more
The little button on the side of the tail light for the tailgate- ZERO benefit. Just pushing a button there instead of on the tailgate handle or key FOB.

Definitely not worth an additional $11,000. In my opinion.

 

Depends on your budget and length of ownership. In 10 years pretty much all of them will be within a few thousand of each other as a trade in. Old trucks condition and mileage set the value not so much the trim or options. Gadgets and electronics galore can be seen as as reliability detriments when buying at older truck by some.

I would not under estimate the future value impact of scratches and dents. Poor exterior condition is really obvious to any buyer whether a person or a used car manager

 

Tell me about it…

 

If the Platinum has the AVS I’d go for it. It is a huge difference in ride quality based on my experience with driving a Pro and a Limited. Our Platinum Sequoia doesn’t have AVS and rides much rougher than my Platinum Tundra does.

 

Second that!

 

I noticed the Tundra build/price site is down. Talking on the LX forums about this too. You may want to jump on it if it is a good bit outside the engine recall. My LX600 is 4/24 build date so I feel safe at the moment.

There are some “hacks” like this too. I know the base Dodge Laramie 2500 Cummins were dang near free to drive back when the third gens were fresh. Had 2 of them. One was a 6 speed manual which was slow and basic and no one wanted new; but totally different when resell came up. The base Laramie was just a painted bumper, cheap vinyl/leatherette seats (maybe leather on the front seating surface), and fake wood trim inside; you could option them up but no one would know unless they knew what they were looking for.


Now on the Toyotas, it could be different. I have a 95 Tacoma I looked long and hard for a low mile one (36k miles yay) and EVERYONE wants the poverty 4cyl 5 speed regular cab, which is what I have. So its best to know the market before buying.

 

I appreciate the welcome, but I've got some news...

If you guys are expecting shenanigans involving a brand new Platinum 3rd Gen ripping off body panels, getting scratched and dented with a cab full of water and 37s banging around the fender wells while dragging dead animals out of the woods at 2am you are barking up the correct tree.

 

Post pics!


These spin 37s ok? The Cooper AT3 is the lightest one I have found and run it on my Rubicon. Its a dog for sure.

 

I don't even have it yet, and I have had bad experiences with 37s previously.

 

The SR5 has the little perforated softex holes everywhere, I could see these being hard to keep clean.

On the other hand, the PVM could be pretty useful in parking lots, etc. But, PVM, how much would that be used on a trail, it would beep all the time and the cameras would all get dirty anyway.

Dark colors will be a pinstriping nightmare. Dark colors will be a pin striping badge of honor.

My vote is get the SR5 and wrap it in Camo.

 

Life’s too short for cloth, unheated seats. Buy the Platinum, bash the shit out of it As scheduled and dump it when you are done. Enjoy your life.

when you die, your beneficiaries won’t notice $11,000 missing.

 

Ive yet to see someone go from Platinum to SR5 because they felt it was a better option. Welcome to the pinky up club

 

@Eurodriver be like TWiCE!​

 

The digital rear view camera is disorienting at first, but you get used to that part. My only issue with it is the resolution - I can't see as much detail as you do in a regular mirror. I was going to get a loaded limited but went with the platinum & am quite happy with it

 

I had a 2018 Platinum that I traded away in 2021 and honestly wouldn't get any other trim in the Gen 2.5. Fast forward to 2023, I just "needed" a truck again and was comparing Tundra trims during the spring. Once I realized I could get 90% of what I wanted in the SR5 it was an easy decision. The price was not a factor for me, but saving about 10k wasn't bad either. I personally don't need a million different sensors screaming at me or 20 different camera angles. Initially, my only gripe was the Softex seats after getting used to the nicer leather in my 2018, but now having two young kids and a Lab, Softex really grew on us. I've also had to do ZERO dechroming which was a big +

 

Platinum has A/C seats. Worth it just for that. My only regret on my 2019 Limited purchase.

 

That was the only feature that made we contemplate my SR5 premium selection. But when I bought $5-10k for that one feature was poor value given the other features I had zero interest in.

Plus the cost of dechroming