Buying used vs new? My situation....

Hello everyone,

I am in a weird situation and looking for some help or guidance. I am stuck between buying a new 2019 Tacoma or Tundra or buying a used certified Tundra at a dealership nearby. The used Tundra is a 2015 TRD off road with 53k miles, they are asking 29k for it. I have about 8k in equity to roll over. When I test drove the truck, i felt a "wobble" in the steering wheel when going over 50mph and the brakes were spongy, almost needing to be pushed 50%+ to the floor. I went back to the dealer and they claim the pads are at 60% and the rotors were "turned". It looks very clean but i'm not sure if these are issues i should be really concerned with or not or if this is even a "good deal". The dealer called me back and said they performed a "road stress balancing" on the tires and the wobble is gone. They refuse to change the rotors and brake pads due to the fact they can sell the truck as is to someone else. Do you think that the mileage and these issues will snowball into a money pit situation?

 

New all the way. 1.9% apr right now. You're probably not going to get anywhere near that pre owned. Plus tundras hold their price more than a pan handler hanging on the streets of Orange county.

Plus you get the warranty and two years free maintenance.

 

Hi! What’s happening?! WELCOME!

 

I accidentally posted before complete, i am currently editing lol sorry

 

Sounds like the fluid needs to be flushed in the 15.

When I was looking for a truck amd decided on Toyoya, trucks that were 3-5 years old with 80k were 28-32k. I decided 37k for brand new was a better choice.

 

I bought used, but found the best deal on the lowest mileage 2018 that I could find. Ended up with a Platinum with 15,000 miles for $40,700, had to drive 4 hours to get it though.

 

Go new if you have to wait to save more dough well worth it.

 

I bought a used 2017 with 18K miles, certified, sr5 upgrade and off road pkg for 32500. My plan is hopefully buy a redesigned one in a 2-4 years. This one will hold me over until then.

 

Welcome from SE PA!
Get the new one.......especially if it’s red. (Although any color will do because it’s a Tundra!)

 

Certified pre owned is they way I went with 25k on the truck. It’s perfect. No issues to speak of yet. I am done buying brand new. The last two trucks I had i bought were low miles trucks both a year old at the time of purchase. Both had factory warranty plus Toyota’s certified pre owned warranties rock

 

I test driove a used truck with the same wobble around 50-60k. Salesman told me not to worry that it just needed balancing. I asked him why they didn't balance it before letting people test drive. No answer. Ended up buying a different truck. 2015 40k SR5 with 40k miles for $23K.

 

^ this

If you can find a used deal like this with no issues I would go that route. I ended up going new as the used inventory around me was not good and when a good used tundra cm 4x4 hit the lot it was snapped up.

 

I purchased my '02 in '03 as a CPO... I purchased my '07 in '17 as a well used truck with no warranty.

Both trucks turned out to be great buys... I don't think I will ever buy new again.

 

I was in the same boat too, but I decided certifies used for myself. Got mine for 31

 

I would make a decision on Tacoma or Tundra first. Both are awsome but completely night and day difference between the two. Then shop for which one will better suit your needs.

 

Thank you all for your replies. I'm still up in the air at the moment waiting on numbers back from the dealership on the new ones. Getting a payment lower than 500$ on a new vehicle it proving difficult but might be possible with the good finance rates they are offering for Tundras right now. If all else fails it seems that the CPO Tundra won't be a bad option after all considering I can get it for around 400 a month. My stepfather has a tundra and says his brakes feel similar. He thinks it's because of the dual calipers and they require more fluid? Either way, if the brakes pads are only at 60% wear as they claim, should they feel spongy still or should I ask them to flush and replace brake fluid? Again, thank you all for your replies I'm surprised how active and helpful this community is.

 

Check cam towers for leaks on the tundy.

 

Brake pad wear should not make the pedal feel any different they should not have to travel further as they are always riding on the rotors. As long as the pads and rotors haven’t been cooked, it should still stop the same.

 

Yeah I'm not very mechanically inclined when it comes vehicles so buying a used truck is sketchy to begin with. I just don't want to take the leap and regret it later but also dont want to pay a ridiculous amount. Maybe the brakes just feel that way on the tundra, I can't say for sure because it's the first time I ever drove one but they did feel much different than a Tacoma or a Silverado 1500.

 

Depends on you're pocketbook. We just bought a 4 Runner and a Camry new. We tend to keep vehicles for a long time and our dealer has a lifetime powertrain warranty as long as we own them, but the vehicles have to be new. My Tundra was bought used with no warranty at 87k, in 2015. I'm fine with that as it fairly simple to do minor repairs and that's what we could afford then.

 

Personally and financially wise, it just makes more sense to me to buy used (certified) than new.
Aside from the fact that yota holds their value, every single vehicle loses their value in a big increment as soon as you leave the lot. That turns me off immediately.

Also, theres a lot to be said about interest, which is why I like to pay up front in cash. Not many people do (or CAN do) that, but it knocks off a good chunk of money you pay in interest and the vehicle’s yours outright. That option makes more sense to me logically. BUT, if you do the math before financing, I would opt for the one that costs you less over time. Yes, other variables come into play, but toyota is known for its reliability and I’ve seen different cases on both ends of the spectrum like new tundy’s having a couple problems after a month, used tundras never running into a single problem other than routine maintenance. It’s a crapshoot sometimes.

Not to say I would never buy new, but as it stands, as good as Toyota’s are, I believe you’d be fine either way.

As for the brakes, I would ask them to flush the lines as part of your deal. I bought mine two years old with 20k miles for 23k OTD, I haggled them to include new tires, 100 point inspection, the works and left a happy camper.

Good luck bud!

 

Just make sure you get it in white!

 

This Exactly ^^^^^^

 

Wont be long before @ARamirez73 chimes in on this!

ME

 

Yes.....yes it is. Wood grain has superiority!!

 

What's a 5 letter word for Kitty???

 

I wouldn't worry about the mileage, brake pad and rotor replacement is standard maintenance if they are worn just replace them its not that big of deal, more than likely the fluid needs to be flushed. Test drive it again after they 'fixed' the wobble. could be tire out of alignment, or maybe it threw a weight, or it could be more severe. Test drive it again before you decide.

At the end of the day which truck new or used is going to make you the happiest? Does the used one have all the features you want and save you money? Does the new one have anything the used doesn't? Are you comparing a 2015 SR5 to a 2018 SR5? Depending on the price difference and how much you can afford you need to decide if the extra cost of new is worth it to you. I wouldn't worry about the brake thing its not that expensive to put new brakes on the truck.

If the dealer is going to give you a hard sell or try to pressure you go to another dealer. You don't have to spend your money with them and if they are not willing to make you comfortable with your purchase screw um.