Research Recommendations - New Tundra

Folks- the thing about owning a Tundra is you don't have to research new Trucks very often. I'm considering purchasing a new Tundra (25/24), and selling my 2017 to my son. What is your favorite resource for researching new vehicles (other that Tundras.com)!

TIA, this will be my third Tundra- I'm very brand loyal!

 

I like to test drive them for my research - it is what really matters - right?

 

I agree that I wouldn’t buy a vehicle without a test drive, but it seems the thing to do these days is to attempt to “wow” potential buyers on the test drive with how the truck looks and feels, and aren’t all these features neat?

But a test drive doesn’t tell us some very important info: how long can you predictably enjoy hassle-free ownership?

That is the single most important factor to me when buying a vehicle, as my time is extremely important to me. Repeated trips to the dealer to figure out even minor issues, to play the game of “we couldn’t reproduce the problem”, even if under an extended warranty, are the top priority of things to avoid for me. And I don’t get that on a test drive. For that, I look at long term ownership. Find the typical issues and how much they cost or how long they take to remedy.

Also, how much an extended warranty costs vs competing vehicles is a strong tell for how dependable a vehicle is for the first 100k miles.

 

I agree. I bought my 2016 Pro within a year of the 22's coming out. I do not buy a vehicle when they first make changes to them and considered waiting for Toyota to work out the bugs on the 22's. I just happened to walk the dealer while waiting for service and found a 2016 Pro that had just been traded. I spoke with a friends who is a sales guy for Toyota to get his opinion. In the end I decided to get the 2016 because of the reliable 5.7. I continue to research and read about others experience with the new trucks. I have had a lot of vehicles in my life and learned not everyone may experience the same things or the same issues, however while test driving is important of the buying process, it wont tell you everything. While everyone might experience different issues, researching other experiences and issues will give you and an idea of what you could experience.

 

I mainly used this forum and also there’s a guy on YouTube called “Car Care Nut” who’s a Toyota Master Diagnostic Technician and also owns a 2024 tundra hybrid. He posts a lot of informational videos and is a wealth of knowledge. I agree about the warranty part that was said. I almost bought a new F-150 but the warranty would have been nearly 3x more than my warranty on my tundra (10 year / 125k miles). When comparing all the new full size trucks, it’s really difficult to beat Toyota.

 

Warranty is one the reason my wife and I decide on her highlander.