1st gen vs. 3rd gen

Hello Ya’ll, this is my first post. I currently have a 3rd gen Tundra, 3rd gen Tacoma (wife) and 1st gen Tundra (daughters). I have been drooling over the newly purchased 1 gen Tundra I bought for my daughter and am feeling nostalgic to the 2003 I owned as a kid. I am considering selling my 2014 Tundra in to get a 2006 Tundra like hers. Am I crazy..? My wife said I should see if anyone can talk me down or confirm my wants.. lol. Feel free to be honest and let me know. Thanks. Glad to finally join the forum.

 

Your 2014 isn’t a 3rd gen.
But yea you should get another best gen

 

Thought the 2014 was 3rd gen..?

 

I'd skip the '06 & hunt down a nice '00-'02. But i might be biased, & enjoy things like a transmission dipstick, simple cam timing & no air pumps.

 

Looked and see I was wrong about the 2014 being 3rd gen. Thanks for tightening me up. Can you expand on why the 00-02, vs the remaining years? I am no expert so learning is my main goal being here. Thanks

 

With that logic, skip the '00-'02 because shitty 13WE brakes, and go '03-'04 with the better 13WL brakes. More modern features, no sealed transmission (but still the same lackluster 4spd transmission vs. '05-'06 5spd transmission), no planetary gear grenading from earlier trucks, better airbags, no secondary air injection like the VVTi-equipped '05-'06. Did I get everything?

But the absolute most important thing to do is read this thread: https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

Because there's a lot of ways to fuck yourself buying a 1st gen. Even if you don't live near the rust belt.

 

I'd stick with that '14 unless it is something greater than nostalgia pushing you. But I may be partial.

 

Just to confirm, you are saying the 03-04 is the best bet..? Anything else I should stray away from? Looking at a 2005 as well with 225K. Lots of TRD upgrades. $10K

 

After being back in the 2006, the 2014 feels so modern and not necessary, but I think I’m just feeling nostalgic as mentioned before. But yet, I can’t stop thinking about making the switch.

 

Look, I'm partial, I drive an '06. But I feel like, by the time they got to the 2005-2006, they'd perfected the platform. With the '05-'06, you get the best mix of technology, power and economny the generation has to offer. Just enough modern conveniences to make it worthwhile, but not all the extra nanny crap they started adding with the 2nd generation. You get more horsepower, an extra gear on the transmission, standard keyless entry, steering wheel radio controls in, like, it seems like half the trucks for those two years which is a nice modern (and safety) add-on. You also ditch the bullshit big ass EVAP system box by the brake master cylinder earlier years had, which means less cracked hoses to worry about and less engine bay clutter. The gauge cluster is waaaaay easier to read, and you get the added benefit of on-board LEDs, so no gauge cluster lights to service.

Would I prefer to not have a sealed transmission? Hell yeah.
Is it a deal killer for me? No. I'd rather have the extra gear, and really, with some knowledge, it's really not hard to service, and doesn't cost a ton to get a drain/fill. Service is every 60k miles. NBD.

Would I prefer to not have the secondary air injection system under the manifold? Hell yeah.
Is it a deal killer for me? No. They usually don't go out until 15+ years in, and when they do, it may cost 30% less to refresh everything in there than you're spending on timing belt change every 9yr/90k miles (along with the water pump, tensioner, pulleys).

I personally would go '05-'06, and my next choice would be the '04, right behind that the '03.

And that's no slight on the '00-'02 guys. They definitely have the cooler front bumper choice and tail lights. And two dipsticks. And if someone offered me the choice between an identically equipped '07+ or a '00 tomorrow, I'd take the '00 in a heartbeat.

 

i was just being a smart alec. All first gen AC's are the perfect truck, larger than a tacoma, but not as huge as a 2nd gen. I'm down to 16.5 mpg, but i was doing tanks up to 20 downhill, wind at my back kinda trip. A 2nd gen still has parts availability, but if you & yours can be gentle with 20+ year old plastic, it'll be fine. Someone here will get access to a 3d printer eventually.

 

put the daughter in the '14 or the taco for a few weeks & wear some of that nostalgia off. Do some maintenance, cause a 20+ year old truck isnt a truck for someone who uses a mechanic.

 

Very helpful replies guys. I would agree with the 05-06, just for preference. Not knowing all the mechanical guru, I still feel like going back from my 2014 to the 1st gen is where I’m heading. Can anyone speak to why I should stick with my 14? Other than it is newer, less miles and more cabin room..? I feel like the 4.7 runs jut as hard in the 06 vs. the 5.7 in the 14. I also don’t love that I see 10 trucks just like my 14 (white with black wheels) 2 blocks free laving my house…

 

@Mr.bee you make a valid point. Maybe I should just run her 06 until she turns 16 in September and see how I feel

 

• It's paid for
• It's a known quantity/known entity/known expenses
• You have all maintenance history and should know what to expect
• You're familiar with it
• It's easy to get boned buying an earlier-model vehicle if you aren't mechanically inclined and haven't studied what to look out for
• Trying to find one in the 125k-175k mile range (which is the sweet spot) that've been taken care of, don't have a salvage title, and have no rust on the frame can be daunting

Just a few that come to mind.

That's the ticket. It'll give you the chance to wean off a bit of that emotion.

 

while driving it feel free to ask about noises or anything you feel that might be wrong. Shiftys super thread is a great place to start, but so is a couple hours of inspection & testing. Make sure the suspension bits, brakes, etc is up to snuff. Has your daughter driven things with old brakes & the (less computery)transmission. great chance to listen as a passenger while she gets used to not having lane departure or auto lights. No backup cameras or beepers...old tech doesnt like to be halfassed, unless you're really good at halfassery.

 

I'm with @shifty` on this one. If something happened to mine, I'd get an 05-06. More power (yes it's noticable), better transmission, steering wheel audio controls, possible sunroof(on DC's). Improved lower ball joints too.

I don't like the sealed transmission but that's a small inconvenience for all the other benefits.

 

And you'll forever be on the wrong side of history. Simple stuff can be fixed. Complex stuff can be replaced. Big difference.

the '02 also doesnt have screens. All the buttons are tactile, and you can keep your eyes on the road. I can lay my phone on the wireless charger base on the carpeted area in front of the center console & it wont slip off unless i have to use my brakes and i'm not listening, i'm just glancing at roadname, direction, & distance. Map zoomed out a mile or 2 so i can glance for shortcuts. Not as handy as the pipboy setup for the bike, but easier to ignore than an a-pillar mount. Especially at night. Where light is poisonous. And you're scanning for deer & hogs.

 

The amount of complexity added is almost none in the grand scheme of things. To that point, if you look at the 1st 10 pages of threads for the problem stuff, I'd argue there are more people coming in here with issues on '00-'03 than '05-'06. Seems like the most common problem is "no start". I feel like that's about 75% of the 1-time-posters problem, but it doesn't seem to favor any specific year, and it's no less easy to diagnose on the pre-VVTi than it is on the VVTi trucks.

You want to talk simple, the pre-'80s GM C10 had all of about 10 wires between the cab and engine bay. Pre-'73 was, like, 6 wires and only 3 wires on my '68 were required to get the truck running. Compare that to anything in the 1st Gen Tundra lineup, and ... yeah.

I will admit, I look forward to the day when we have enough input from no-start threads to really give people a tiered list of things to check.

 

Did you replace your air pump? I know several people have bypassed em, the cool kids.

Both first gears on the 5 speed are cool, but not worth the shift-L button. The double actuator front axle is a little worrying, but it electric, not air & if you exercise it, it keeps working.

theres not as much 'fat' on the early trucks. & the average DC is at least 400lbs more. But theres a couple inches of height along the whole truck.

 

You’re less likely to grenade your engine if the timing belt goes on an 00-04. Also, plastic bumpers suck.

 

Enjoy your nostalgic feelings and leave it be. First gens are old, and no matter how well they were built, time and previous owner neglect cannot be avoided. I just spent my saturday afternoon replacing all the brake lines from th ABS controller to the caliper, and before that, another afternoon replacing rear shoes, and before that thousands of $$ replacing a power steering rack that was dumping fluid on the ground, then repairing worn out seats, replacing a catalytic convertor for $2k, and befor that, spending afternoons replacing fluids, filters, and doing tune ups, and on and on and on and on. I do most of my own repairs to keep cost down, but that's not realistic for most people (and getting to be too much for myself). God help you if you expect to keep one of these as a reliable daily driver while paying someone to repair it for you - the cost will far outweigh owning a newer truck.

Enjoy your positive memories and move on with a modern truck that isn't so time-worn, and runs and drives with much more reliability and comfort.

 

Hey hey hey! Let's stop the generation in-fighting. We're all first gen here. We're all best gen here. They're trying to divide us. Let's get back to our roots, sticking together and shitting on the other gens.

 

You're going to want to post your question here if you want a real, heart felt answer. We're all shills for 1st gens. It's the best gen!

 

I owned a 2006 AC (bought new) for 12 years and 225,000 trouble-free miles. My daughter has it now with well over 320,000 miles. As others have mentioned, the 05-06 years had many advantages over previous years and are definitely worth looking for a good used one. One thing not mentioned (that I didn't see) is these last two years have an oil spray bar that sprays oil on the underside of the pistons to cool them. This is especially valuable when under heavy loads such as towing but is still an advantage none the less. The computer controlled 5-speed auto transmission is far better than the previous 4-speed transmissions. Best transmission I ever owned except for the 6-speed in my 2018.

I only sold it to my daughter so I could get my 2018.

Dan

 

Understanding the OP mistook his ‘14 for a 3rd Gen (which is a disservice to his ‘14), I still would like to take this opportunity to take a giant shit on the the 3rd Gens.

I’ve personally owned a ‘94 Toyota pickup, ‘02 Tacoma, ‘02 Tundra, ‘09 Tacoma, ‘05 Tundra, ‘21 Tundra, and just grabbed a super low mileage ‘05 Tundy. On top of that our ranch operates about a dozen Tundras ranging from ‘08 to a 2020 TRD Pro. Last year I picked up a ‘22 for my dad (company truck). That POS is the worst Toyota we’ve ever owned.

$72,000 out the door, and the damn thing doesn’t even have power seats. It rides like absolute ass. It’s a wobbly harsh bouncy side to side rocking chair on the highway. The windows whistle over 60. The mileage is horrific, almost lawsuit-bad compared to the window sticker claim. All of the “smart” components suck ass. You can’t get out to back up a trailer without shutting the door and putting it in park (vs hanging your foot out the door to go the last few inches like we’ve done for decades. The door armrest is sharp as a knife and uncomfortable as hell. The touch display sucks and the knob is tiny and useless. Oh and it almost blew up when he experienced the fuel line failure and gas was spraying everywhere under the bed (would have been a saving grace actually). You LITERALLY can’t get onto the tailgate when it’s down. The stupid bumper corners are vertical and slippery. No step. Unless you pay another $20k for a better trim (ours is an SR5 TRD off road, non premium package), or pay like $1500 for the motorized step. Yes, it looks cool and is scary fast. That’s it. That’s literally all it has going for it. I could have got one for myself on the company dime and bought a 19 year old 2005 instead. Gobble up those 1st and 2nd Gens while you can, the newest one ain’t it.