Another Tundra or Jump Ship

This is the real world, not a fairyland with blue skies and gumdrops every where. If you want to think about another truck, rent 1 for a couple weeks and then re-think your choice. I have heard good things about the new Rams but I don't trust Chrysler after 60,000 miles with any of their vehicles. Buy a Ford or GM and then come back here after a couple years and tell us how you made a huge mistake.[/QUOTE]


Steakbomb appreciate your feedback very informative!!

 

I have a ‘14 crewmax with 73K on it. My first non GM truck as my father is a retired engineer from GM who now vows to never own another GM vehicle. My issue coming from a ‘12 GMC Sierra was towing. We pull a 23’ wakeboard boat a few times a year 3hrs away to Lake Powell and multiple times per week to our local lake. The gearing that GM uses to get “better” mileage is horrible for towing. Tranny constantly ran hot, would constantly search for gears. Torsion bars constantly creaked and rear end was starting to leak at 48K when I sold it. GM puts softer springs in the rear to improve ride quality which is why they all squat when loaded.

My Tundra has been used to tow literally a few times a week for the past 5 yrs, no cam tower leaks and my only real complaint is the crappy sound levels from the JBL system while on a phone call. Resale value is still higher 5 yrs later than any other domestic truck.

Every manufacturer has its share of quality issues so it’s a trade off. Ford/GM/Dodge/Nissan and Toyota aren’t infallible. Buy the truck you love and drive the crap out of it. My theory is if you love it the small things that go wrong won’t bother you. If you’re not in love with the Tundra then try something else. My wife’s 2020 Kia Telluride has been in the shop for a month due to a mis-manufactured cylinder head. She loves the car and can’t wait to get it back cause she loves it! Make your next purchase the same.

 

Our local dealer(where all the GM trucks come from) is pretty good about getting us in for service quickly). They have opened a spot within an hour when the governor's Yukon had an issue the day before she had to go south. We can usually drop stuff off, they schedule it for a week out and 3 days later it's done. I have found that if you buy the truck from the dealer, they are very accommodating, if you buy it elsewhere then good luck. The 1500's are definitely worse when it comes to the transmission and wheel bearing issues no doubt. Most of our 2500+ are in Warden Service and Forest Protection and they get ridden hard so they aren't saints by any means. Our 1500's are everywhere and spend about a month every year in the shop getting fixed. The GM shut down made us work a lot harder than it should have. Trucks were down for multiple weeks for radiator issues.

All of our trucks stay on stock wheels, tires, suspension. We don't alter the trucks in any way(other than adding lights, radios, racks, etc. for the law enforcement vehicles). We always fix all issues as soon as we are made aware of them as we need every truck up and running. When we have 4-5 Warden trucks down for service, it takes the entire agency to come together to find spare trucks all over the state that they can use to perform their jobs. We always keep a couple trucks at our office with equipment in them so they can be used in an emergency.

 

Not that I haven't had the same issues internet people complain about (hello Tacoma frame a d 2008 Acadia transmission), but I do try to keep in mind that most people with no problems arent talking about it on the internet.

I say get a tundra. You loved it already. You'll love it again.

And as for TSS cruise control, the only thing I would suggest is flicking the cruise off if there's a car tailgating you in the left lane and you decide to drop in close behind a car in the right lane when youre getting out of the way. TSS will lay on the brakes halfway into your lane change and the car behind you will be very upset.

 

And FYI, a buddy of mine with a 17 F250 just traded for a Ram 2500 because the Ford's front end is falling apar . He doesn't tow, doesn't go offroad, and the miles are low and mostly interstate.. He literally only buys big trucks because he wants to.

 

That's insane. $60k+ for something that cant even outlast the B2B warranty.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write this up and tell us about your experience with Ford/GM! It was very informative.

 

I love raw data, especially when its a steakbomb.

 

I've considered moving back to a 3/4 ton, but they won't fit in my garage. I'm building a new house next year, so I might wait to get a replacement truck until then. Perhaps Toyota will finally release a new generation Tundra in 2021 too. It's weird to have so many options.

 

I have 34k on my 2018 and have had no issues with the items mentioned or any others, but this info below sealed the deal for me when I was trading in my 2012 Ram. Apples to apples comparison that I recently did at Edmunds site.

 

Forgot to include the important line at the bottom

 

Here is what was originally paid on my 2002 (omg high compared to others back in the day!). Its been well maintained for the most part. Lots of beach and assorted other 4WD in the early years. Tows and hauls frequently. 166k miles on the clock. Only thing outside of basic maintenance that was close to her breaking down was when a coil pack failed and she had to limp home.

Never been stranded on the roadside in nearly 20 years. Overall net cost has been very cheap. No payments and knowing she has 200-300k miles left on her is pretty sweet.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/the...vestment-‘build’-a-chronological-story.46816/

 

The beauty of America, you don’t have to read it you don’t want to. So leave.

 

I cannot comment on what the Manufacturers have now when I purchased my Tundra back in May of 18. My truck is an 18 and so far I have had no real major issues with my truck. My truck was worked hard and at 13.5k miles I would say about 35%-40% of that mileage my truck had a trailer behind it with weights averaging 5-7k with the most recent being 9200 pounds helping a friend with equipment. I am very pleased with this truck it handles the trailers very well compared to my trucks of the past and it just feels solid. I never really grow attached to my vehicles but this one is different I really enjoy it and glad I have it. Just had the oil change done on it since the time beat the miles and no problems found even the original air filter is still ok. My recommendation would be to get another Tundra unless you need a 2500 series truck. It is just a great truck no complaints from me at all.

 

I would've BOUGHT a F-150 until after test driving it,convinced me otherwise.

 

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Thank you for sharing this! One question: If you have so many problems with the GMs and Fords, why won't Maine try buying Toyotas?

 

A few things. First and foremost, GM and Ford give crazy low Fleet deals. Like 10-15k below MSRP. Toyota doesn't even bid. They could care less. We JUST started buying Rogues and Frontiers as the small SUV/Truck. Although the Ranger was purchased this year instead of new Frontiers. As said in my first post, GM gives government fleet 5/100 instead of 5/60 so that's a bonus.

If you ask anybody in our department, we buy GM/Ford because of the low price. Out of 16 people in my department, I am the person that drives a Toyota. Everyone else drives a GM truck and our director who makes the real decision drives a GMC 1500.

We do have a few Prius' and we still have a 2009 Camry with 197k on it that refuses to die. Now the push is to go Electric so it will be interesting to see what happens in the next few years. We just got 4 Nissan Leafs in a couple weeks ago. It's weird to drive one. Thankfully I was able to build back up the lost testosterone by driving my truck home

 

I take it there's been a cost comparison done for cost to own the GM and Ford vs the price for the Toyotas? I guess with 10-15k off MSRP that leaves plenty of room for repair costs.

 

May not be as true these days but in years past, the Fleet Buyers would stick with an American Badged vehicle, no matter what foreign country it was built in.

 

Pretty sure that sums it up. If I had to list all of the things I have added it would put me well above the average purchase price of the F-150. With that said, I have had 0 issues with my 2019 Platinum. I have owned it for exactly 1 year on the 20th & I have 25,600 miles on it. I can honestly say, I like it more now then when I purchased it. Of course that is because I have personalized & upgraded a lot of things. Truth is, NONE of it was necessary. Anyone that sees the truck can appreciate the changes even if it's not their style.

 

Our department is full of a bunch of people that are all RA RA RA MURICA! So I would say that's one reason why we stay with GM/Ford. All of our trucks are still made in USA even though most of the ones sold to the general public come from Canada/Mexico.

We have started to move away from Ford/GM in the cars/SUV areas. Used to have Focus/Fusion/Impalas everywhere. We are now buying Sentra/Altima/Rogues for the most part and the last 3 years the Frontier was the choice in the compact truck market. 2019 changed that with the Ranger.

But as stated, the massive discount that GM/Ford/Nissan give us off MSRP is what gets it. Toyota doesn't even bid so when we are talking paying 20k for a GMC 1500 and spending 8k on repairs still comes out to less than a base model Tundra at 35k.

 

It’s depends. If you tow a lot then I would move on to a f250.

The new tundra lacks the external trans cooler ( look at the other posts about increased trans temps) and the low GVWR.

I bought my tundra for the reliability, but if I had to tow more weight then 8,500lbs on the regular it would have been a no brained to get a higher GVWR truck.

 

My dad has 17 5.0 F 150 and the thing is gnarly to drive, but all around very cheap. He needs new rotors after 40k miles(and my dad does not drive hard) and the bed stretches out when you load it full of wood.

Growing up he had an 06 Tundra that was just absolutely flawless for the 150k miles he had it and it's what convinced me I want a Tundra over the others.

 

Another great thing about this forum, not too many posts like this...somebody forgot to take their meds.

My last string of vehicles went like this -GMC 2500- Raptor - Power Wagon - Tundra - Tundra. All bought brand new. I am not a gadget person and could care less about all the tech out there...I just appreciate things that work. Loving the Tundra, enjoy the simplicity of the interior but the overall quality/fit finish is noticeably better that any of the others. Trips back to the dealer for problems and recalls appear to be a thing of the past for me. I see myself hanging on to this truck for several years...depending on what the next Tundra turns out to be of course.

 

I didn’t think @Racingjohndeere55 was being mean anyway. The dude took it wrong.

 

That's exactly what I was thinking and agree with @Racingjohndeere55 . I still look at the Raptor and Wrangler forums and there are so many threads devoted to problems. Ours can be rather boring sometimes and are usually something like - will these tires fit? what color is fastest? (white). do these wheels make my ass look fat? etc....