Thinking of getting a tundra

Hello all! I have been in the market for a Tacoma after my first was totaled, and I'm having the worst time getting a decent deal. So, I've expanded my search to Tundras as well! I love the bigger bed, although the giantness is a bit concerning for my small driveway.

Anyhow, I saw a ' 11 tundra XSP with 55k miles that seemed good, but I've again never had experience with Tundras. Is there anything I should be concerned with? Is cost of ownership decent? Compared with a Tacoma that is. Any known reliability issues worth mentioning? I'd love advice and experience! Thanks!

 

Welcome from SoCal!

Just as a personal experience, I've stayed a Toyota owner for a simple reason...Reliability. With that said, I upgraded from a Tacoma, which currently own for almost 18 years. It's safe to say that most guys on here would consider their Tundras reliable and very happy with Tundra ownership.

Once you decide to purchase a Tundra, post up a picture.

 

Go with a Tundra.....you'll thank us later!

 

Welcome

 

Welcome from Texas!

 

Welcome from Ohio!

 

Welcome! The big thing to look out for is the cam tower leak. A quick search will tell you all you need to know.

 

Personally, yes I want you to do it because I think you will love it.
Objectively, do what you think is best for your money. In terms of reliability, I know people who owned tundras since I met them and they never did anything to it other than an oil change. On the other hand, I know some people here have had engine camshaft leak. This forum has a topic for it. Pop the hood and take a good look at the engine where the block meets the head gasket. In my research, it seems to be more common with 4.6L engine. I have never met anyone who had that issue or any issue at all but they all have 5.7L one. That is why I switched to a Tundra. Loving it so far.

 

Ibt

Interesting you say you've found it's more common on the 4.6L. I don't think I've heard of anyone have the issue on that engine vs the 5.7...

 

Tundra all the way. Think safety too. If you get hit they will go under your truck. The power is worth the upgrade too.

 

Thanks for the advice and welcome, everyone! How easy are tundras to work on? I own an Audi, and to be able to own said Audi, I do like alllll my own maintenance and repair. The problem is that my little A4 is a ... little A4; I'm worried a tundra may not even fit into my garage in comparison (also, I'm 5'5", so short people problems)! This cam tower thing happening so early in the Tundra's life sounds scary, but eh, Audis have turbos that like to become useless fairly regularly... and bad rear diffs... and cam followers that need to be inspected every 15k miles... and... ugh.

I guess here's another question: What advantage does the Tundra have over a Tacoma aside from the obvious towing capacity and somewhat significant increase in payload. I do mainly use the truck to haul things (I own a few properties and am looking to start flipping), and I literally wanted to jump in and lay in the massive bed for a while when I first saw a Tundra up close.

 

Do you have kids? Tons of room in the cab compared to a Tacoma. I would say the only two downsides you would be looking at is it the MPG, and it probably won't fit in your garage. Other than that it really is an awesome truck.

 

Nope, no kids, and it would be a second vehicle/work truck.

 

Welcome. The Tundra has considerably more power, room and payload. It's designed to fit in a standard size garage but w/o much to spare. They're a very reliable truck and I think the cam tower leak predates '11. I had an '07 and a '10 and never had any problems.

 

Hey y'all. I just had this truck inspected before buying it, and both can towers apparently did have small leaks. The owner brought this truck to the dealership, but they said it was too minor for them to fix. My mechanic did show me the leaks, and they were indeed pretty small. He said he wouldn't have noticed if I didn't make it a point to ask him to look for it.

How quickly does this leak become a real problem? Should I pass on it?

 

I have seen some people say they have not seen it get any worse then a small leak but for my comfort I wouldn’t get it unless they get it fixed before you bought it. It a pretty costly repair to have to worry about down the line.

 

DEW IT !!!!!!! I am on my 3rd Tundra. Before I bought my first I was only interested in Tacoma's as well but I couldn't get 0% financing on a Taco and the Taco's are so popular that they never work with you on price. The gas mileage on Tacoma's are only marginally better than Tundras. SO GLAD I BOUGHT THE TUNDRA! You will get used to the larger size in no time....and honestly the Tundra drives WAY better than the Taco! I recently had a brand new Taco for a loaner and I couldn't wait to get my Tundra back! The Taco is WAY under powered, Steers like SHIT, Drives like SHIT.... I had the TRD package on my loaner which are stiffer shocks and the body role on the Tacoma was horrible. All I could think whilst driving the Taco was "WHAT THE HELL WAS TOYOTA THINKING?!" My Tundras have been crazy reliable. If you don't have kids you could get the double cab.....if you think you may want kids in the future or want any adult to have ANY leg room in the back then I would get the full size 4 door CREW CAB!! My ONLY gripe on the Tundra is the fucking oil filter!!!! The thing is a pain in the ass to get on and off if you want to change your own oil!!!! It is located underneath the truck in a very annoying place/ you have to have a special tool to get it off and on. Other than that it is THE best truck you can buy!P.S. My second Tundra and 3rd Tundra were both purchased used! NO REGRETS!!!

 

So, the owner took it to Toyota, and they said they wouldn't fix it because the leak was so minor (I guess what they really meant was "we'll fix anything you pay us to fix, but this is not something that needs to be fixed"). My mechanic said that it may have been at a year before I had even noticed it, let alone had to fix it. He recommended buying it because it was a good deal even knowing that this fix is going to have to happen in the next few years. The tundra also has a LEER bed cap, and I'm just going to sell that, so at least that'll help the repair funds balance

 

I have an 08, and haven’t ever had the cam tower issue. I had the AIP issue fixed on a recall two years ago, I took it in and it was fixed 3 hours later. She’s run great ever since.

 

If you get a newer Tundra, get the 5.7L V8.

Because the vehicle is so much larger than your Tacoma, I also recommend you take an extended test drive that follows your daily routine including parking, drive though (banking, fast food), etc. Make sure it fits your lifestyle.

 

Look for a low mileage Gen2 Tacoma since you are a small man. Maybe drive a Gen3. Some love some hate. I think the kinks are pretty much worked out on the Gen3s. I would still have my 2013 Tacoma if I did not have a 5000lb bay boat. The Gen2s are bullet proof. I owned 2 with no issues at all after 90k on odo. Only issues is weak leafs which is an easy fix. The 4.0 is great running motor and has plenty of oomph. I pulled the bay boat at 75 mph 300 miles on interstate. Problem I had with Tacoma was 21 gallon tank which getting 10 MPGs while towing just did not cut it. After filling up twice on that 300 mile drive I decided I needed a bigger tank. If you need more more room for materials for houses just buy a small utility trailer.

 

Or just get that 46 gal fuel tank for what, $1500?

 

I like the Tundra better. $1500 will buy a lot of gas for Tundra. Hope it carries me to retirement in 4 or 5 years. It better because I have dumped a fair amount of $s in to it. Stereo upgrade is next. Nothing drastic.

 

As others have said, the cam tower leak and AIP can be very costly repairs. I’ve also read about steering rack leak repairs and broken lugs with big heavy tire/rim combos of all things. I’d steer away from that one with the minor cam tower leak. It’s possible it may get worse after it’s past the 60K drivetrain warranty and you may get stuck with a costly repair. But that’s just me.

Mine is a ‘15 with 54K miles and has not had any problems (knock on wood).

Gas will likely be more expensive than you’re used to. I knew that when I bought mine and don’t mind paying extra for it.

As far as cost of ownership goes, I’ve found maintenance and aftermarket modification costs to be exponentially much more than with a smaller 1st gen Taco, a fullsize Bronco and an old jeep I used to own. That was a wake up call for me and has kept me from modifying it more than I had anticipated. Parts are just at a much more expensive scale than what I was used to with the other vehicles I’ve owned, maintained and modified in the past.

Despite my experience driving a fullsize Bronco, it also took some time getting used to with the much longer wheelbase of the Tundra. If you like to go off-road, especially in tight, wooded trails, the Tundra poses a much bigger challenge. It’s not so much the width as it is the long wheelbase. Just something to consider if you off-road a lot in wooded trails.

All in all I’ve found the Tundra to be an enjoyable truck and would recommend it as long as you’re aware of the above.

Good luck and post pics if you end up getting one!

 

1rst time tundra owner, have 2 older 94 4x4 toys I got for my 16 yr old sons ,1rst cars. 200,00 on each still pop off. really wondering about this cam tower leak, where do I look, how hard a fix is it? Only 37000 on truck, love it. Oh ya didn't buy for gas mileage, ha ha. Working on leveling kit and front bumper.

 

Go new, the LED lights are sick!

 

I have a 12 and have had the cam box seals replaced under warranty about a year ago. It took 3 days to get it back. The truck has sick power. I have had people want to hook them up and I wouldn't do that to my truck. I tell them to look at youtube videos and that will tell the story. The only downfall is mileage. That being said For 1 it is a truck and 2 the acceleration is nuts and I have a very heavy foot. I do love the truck

 

The tundra was absolutely the only truck I considered buying used. Helped my BIL get a used one a few weeks ago and just got mine. Working on getting the sis one.