First Gen Ownership Costs? (2WD)

Every time I see that phrase “it’s never fiscally sound to sell a First Gen”. I think of two different reasons. The first is “I’ve got a great forever vehicle that by now I know the ends and outs…. And for the most part, I should have many more miles of smooth sailing. The second, I like many of you, have by now so much more invested in my truck than it’s actually worth. lol I’d be hard pressed to find someone to give me $14K for my 2WD truck. The GREAT news is, I’m not looking to sell nor would I settle for that amount. My neighbor just bought a fairly new F150 and I look at and think to myself …. I’m much better off w/ my lil ole truck. No payments…. Etc…

For anyone wanting to see what it cost me (not mechanically inclined) to purchase and get to a place of smooth sailing…. I am attaching my chicken scratch ledger of expenses. I’ll also attach credit for the idea that started this thought it my head…. THX

 

It seems like rust is the big killer of the first generation Tundras. How's yours holding up?

 

Mine was owned locally and has very little rust. I was reading someone’s post yesterday and I sure hope they don’t settle for the one they had posted pics of. I know the 4WDs are much more in demand but I would rather pay more for one that has little to know rust. After seeing their post I checked EBay and found a 4WD in Florida that looked like it had a pretty sound frame. It was going for I think $15K-$16K. I’d ask for more pics before buying it though. There are telltale spots - like below the master cylinder and the truck bed, etc…. That kinda let you know what you are getting into.

 

In my experience you don't do proper maintenance with the intent of having a higher resale value. You do it so that you will have a more reliable vehicle. Although it does help when coming time to sell it, the extra selling price doesn't equal the amount you spent keeping it in good condition.

 

Agreed. I bought the truck 6 months ago and I’m absolutely sure I could be driving it today without having put a penny into it. Having OCD and being prior USAF is the reason I put an additional $7K into the truck. I would drive this truck anywhere at this point….it’s very solid and mechanically sound. I 100% agree about doing the maintenance not for resale purposes but for making sure I’m practicing basic mechanics. Although this truck was in good condition, I think the guy who had it would have used it as a work truck and driven into the ground had I not bought it from him. He probably could have gotten another 100K miles. Who knows.

 

You're still less than 1/4 of the cost of a new one. Those are about 48k for the cheapest one, plus taxes, fees, BS dealer addons that you don't want. Plus they are fugly.

BTW, this is excellent info. We do try to point out to folks that it's not just the purchase price and you've got some real world numbers there.

 

I’m on the same boat. I would drive my truck from LA to NY with peace of mind at 230k miles, because I have done all the maintenance and then some. I don’t even want to know how much money Iv put into it.

It just needs a fresh paint job and I will be happy but that’s another 4K. With fresh paint the truck gains no value hahahaha

I have a 2019 ram rebel that’s already had the heads resurfaced, pulleys and other parts replaced with 80k miles. The forum community for that truck is awful. Everyone just say ‘take it to the dealer’ I’m about 6.5k into that truck in repairs and I wouldn't drive it coast to coast.