Really discouraged buying a Tundra (Trading my Tacoma)

I have bought vehicles in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Texas over the past 10 years; all the while living in New Hampshire.

There is no sales tax in NH. No out of state dealer even attempted to get me to pay a tax to their state. Taxes are due to the state the vehicle will be registered, not where purchased.

 

It took me more than 4 months to find exactly the Sequoia I wanted. I came close to settling several times. I’m glad I stuck it out, hang in there man. You can get what you want.

 

You can private sell your tacoma and treat it as an "In-and-Out" at the dealership. They will take the tax credit and use it against a tundra, you just have to pay whatever the fee the dealership will charge, usually under $600 for all the paperwork to be done. It makes everyone quite easy. Thats what i did with my tacoma. dealerships only wanted to give me 16 for it, when kbb was 19.5. I listed it on facebook marketplace for 20.5 and it sold within a few days.

 

Interesting, can you explain what an "in-and-out" is? I'm a little confused what I would be paying for here, but sounds like it would help. thanks for the information.

 

I will stick it out thanks!

 

To be honest I'm kind of looking at 1st gen at this point. If I could pocket $10k and go to a 1st gen tundra with a little more cab space and towing power then I could save that $10k and upgrade to a newer tundra later.

 

Save buying a first Gen? You’ll spend money in maintenance. Plus you will likely make another post later on about how difficult it is to budget and transition into a newer tundra. Same story all over again

Either sell your taco privately and mark it up an additional 10-20 percent due to the market….or keep it and just deal with things

you’re going to cost yourself money either way you look at it,except for waiting and finding a good deal that fits your parameters

Otherwise just keep the Tacoma and suck it up

sorry to bust your bubble just being realistic

being in a hurry costs $$$$$

 

I'm currently looking at a first gen with 150k miles for $13k which I could sell my Tacoma and pocket $13k-$15k and then just wait until I'm really sure what I want to do. I would get 6" more in the backseat which is a huge difference as well as a better towing capacity and that's really what matters to me. I've kind of realized I should just be patient and see how things are when the baby comes so I'll probably keep my Tacoma and wait until I've made up my mind. I totally understand and I appreciate that you're keeping it real.

Posting and looking at everyone's suggestions makes me think more about my goals in doing so and I realized I really just want more cab space and a 1st gen Tundra with saving some money could achieve that. I also understand it can be really difficult to find and have a lot higher miles and maintenance. For now I'm going to hold onto my Tacoma and think about the situation and options longer.

 

I had an extended cab f150. Then a baby. Then a 1st Gen double cab. Then another baby. And now I have a 2nd Gen 07 CrewMAX

i totally understand about the back space. I looked at Tacoma’s as well. The DC beats them in that department.

For the right price,a 1st Gen isn’t that bad of an idea but in the end you’ll probably still want the newer tundra CrewMAX

It’s good you’re flexible and not in a hurry.

Check out the Atlanta area they have some CrewMAX listed

 

Yeah I just feel like why pay so much more when I'm just trying to solve a cab space problem. Idk the whole process stresses me out and I just honestly hate dealing with vehicles, wants, needs, dealerships etc... I think I probably would end up wanting a crewmax, but my wife's vehicle is the main car and is a newer highlander so it's extremely comfortable and spacious.

 

I’m gonna add a dose of reality. While you may get a little more in trade at another dealer, KBB and other valuation providers have adjusted for this market. Dealers aren’t going to give you high side of the trade-in range or above unless they’re making up for it by sticking it to you on the car you’re buying. They’re car dealers and their goal is to make as much profit per sale as possible. Although this market is difficult from an inventory perspective, it has also brought about a paradigm shift towards a more efficient industry model. While you may find a marginally cheaper used Tundra if you wait it out, you’ll likely realize equivalently less on your Tacoma trade. A general rule of thumb is that if your state has >6% sales tax, it neutralizes the benefit of selling your Tacoma yourself due to the trade-in tax benefit. Just visit a few other dealers for trade-in value comparisons. If a dealer is selling a Tundra at middle of the KBB retail range, ask for at least middle of KBB range on your trade.

I’ve done a fair amount of horse trading. I wanted a new 21 Tundra Crewmax this year that was Limited or higher trim. I’m not picky on color. Just cared about the deal. I traded in my wife’s ‘11 C300 that needs about $4k in repairs and gave her my car. They only knocked $500 off the new Tundra MSRP at my small local dealer but all the big dealers nearby were selling above MSRP. We had a brief, friendly negotiation and they gave me middle of the trade-in range on the C300 because they were making plenty on the Tundra. Just glad I found one and that it was a fair deal.

 

I appreciate when people keep it real, and I agree dealerships need to make as much as they can on deals right now rather than amount of deals. I think I'm going to hold onto my Tacoma and see how I feel once I am actually using it with baby. Even if the truck goes down -$5k in 6 months I'm sure Tundra's will also go down the same amount. I guess what I'm trying to say is it will all be relative.

 

Great to hear you were able to get a great deal on a truck! I personally NEED 4WD and a Crewmax, but I understand the principal is the same. Thanks for the advice!

 

Have you tried selling the Tacoma to Vroom or Carvana? They will give you an honest immediate offer online and it takes seconds. I think the offer is good for 7 days and they'll come to your house and get the truck, handle the paperwork, and write you a check.

7 months ago I paid $52k for a Jeep Gladiator that had a sticker of $56k. I just sold it for $52k before Christmas, made every penny back, and then bought this used Tundra for $15k less. 7 months, 11,000 miles, got exactly what I gave for it. This market is nuts. My ONLY goal was more cab space. The Jeep Gladiator was an amazing truck with amazing features inside and out and I was in love with it...but I just needed more interior space for my family.

 

Here’s another buying program

https://givemethevin.com/

 

Here’s a CrewMAX with 6k miles for $44k or best offer

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/wat/ctd/d/douglasville-2020-toyota-tundra-sr5/7425915693.html

 

In Louisiana, a dealership can take the credentials of you selling the truck privately through their dealership. I am curious if other states do this.
All you need to do is get a buyer lined up to buy the tacoma for $ xx,xxx with a cashiers check made out to the dealership for that. Then you buy the tundra through the same dealership and that check made out to the tacoma will be the same tax credit as if trading your truck in.
The dealership doesn't make any money off your tacoma private sell but they will charge you a fee for the paperwork and title transfer.

Hope i explained that well enough.

 

Looking at something like this now. If I can get $26k for trade-in on my truck I would pocket $8k and be able to do a few mods and get wheels/tires new grill just trying to decide if it's a fair price and if the mileage is any concern?

https://boise.craigslist.org/ctd/d/boise-2008-toyota-tundra-trdclean/7434205003.html

 

You can always ask to take it to be inspected by a certified toyota tech and pay for the inspection.

I'd also want to see how much rust is underneath the truck.

 

Yeah for sure, and I may do that if they want to give me a fair trade price for my Tacoma. I doubt really much rust considering Idaho doesn't really have rust issues, but it could've been from out of state. I'm not quite sure if 172k miles is too much or not. They also have this tundra, but It would probably end up being a straight across swap. https://www.bargainautosonline.com/details/used-2012-toyota-tundra/81823955

 

https://www.carvana.com/vehicle/2076439

This is a 1794 for decent price.

 

That is a super nice truck for sure, but I think I've kind of decided to go a different route. I realized I loved my Tacoma and paying more on top of trading it in for something isn't the way I want to go. I was trying to solve a space & comfort issue as well as get some added towing capacity. I realized I really don't want to pay anything out of pocket and getting a 1st or 2nd gen for cheaper or a nice one for an even swap would make sense to me. Either that or I'm going to keep the Tacoma and see how it is with the baby and then save and upgrade.

For that 2014 I would only be offered $25k by carvana and end up paying almost $11k-$12k and it's something I just realize isn't worth it to me.

 

I'm a sucker for a nice Rock Warrior. Looks great.

 

Can you explain 'rock warrior'? I am sorry I am not sure what exactly that means.

I uploaded the carfax for the 2008, but damn I must just really come off as an idiot! The dealership said they are looking at $21,000 for trade in without a 'proper evaluation' lol! I told them I don't want to be dicked around and they must think I'm dumb because the range is $24k-$26k trade in at the low end. I will stay in the KBB range, but I want the high end just like they do. I'm kind of appalled at their offer.

 

Rock warrior was a special edition trim that came color matched and with signature wheels. I believe also had a unique grille/bumper and probably some skids as well. Similar to a “trail team” FJ.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/rock-warrior.14686/

 

Oh... Yeah I got it now haha sorry. I would definitely want to swap the color matched grill/bumper on any truck I purchased looked way better. Thanks for that information!

 

I read through most of the posts op but I didn't catch it, why do you need to switch to a tundra from the tacoma? If it's just your wife not liking the ride and the space and not a need I wouldn't even bother right now. Tundra doesn't ride much if any better. Obviously there's more space but the seats are much firmer as well. Do you know she will like that? My wife hates the seats in my tundra. Imo just deal with it and hold off until a) prices come back to earth b) if they stay crazy wait til you jave more money.

I get your spot, I wanted to downsize to a tacoma because 90% of my truck use these days is dump trips, home depot and offroading all of which a tacoma would better fit the bill likely but it just doesn't make sense with the market. Also my tundras paid for so I will just live with the things it doesn't do well for me (size on trails) because at the end of the day I love the truck

 

Let me clarify and get you in on the loop! The biggest reason is space and comfort. My wife has gone on a few test drives in a 2014 and 2016 tundra in the past and honestly loved it. I also really enjoyed the amount of space and mostly the v8. We have a baby on the way and a couple of dogs and just feel cramped in the Tacoma when going camping or really riding in the truck at all. Adding a baby seems like it will make that much worse. My wife didn't mind the ride until I installed an off-road suspension and of course it's stiff except when off-roading. I found that I don't go off-roading that much and honestly the suspension is just for looks at this point. I am now contemplating putting my stock suspension back on and making the ride more comfortable, and keeping the Tacoma until we see how things are with a baby and save more money for a Tundra in the future as I don't care for the 2022's and the used pricing is insane. Only issue is my Tacoma is at a high just like the Tundra's so when the used market calms down my Tacoma will also be worth less. My Tacoma is paid for and other than installing seat heaters it's completely modified and has all the upgrades we want. Wheels and Tires are brand new as well and I'm almost positive would fit without rubbing if we went back to stock suspension. My wife just hates riding in it and says that it feels claustrophobic and the ride is super uncomfortable and makes her sick. I get it I mean even I was surprised when I put the suspension on I was thinking "The ride sucks now, but it looks cool and it'll be awesome for off-roading" turns out I don't do a whole lot of off-roading and if I do the stock suspension and off-roading tires would handle it just fine.

I then was thinking of going to a 1st gen tundra or 2nd gen tundra and pocketing some cash, but also getting the cab space, engine, and towing capacity. I am still not sure if this is the way to go or not. I honestly don't know that I want to have a ton of money invested in a vehicle because at the end of the day they are a means of transportation and that's kind of why I was thinking I'd sell my Truck and buy an older, higher mileage Tundra. I am honestly super unsure what to do and right now It's pretty frustrating and of course the market conditions aren't helping.

I am really leaning towards enjoying the low miles, MX free, paid off, Tacoma and swapping the suspension with the stock for a less "stiff" and uncomfortable ride. In a few years I can decide to go to a Tundra or not depending on our needs. My wife's car is a highlander that has plenty of space, it just isn't a truck and I love being able to take a truck camping and in the mountains etc...

Sorry this was so unnecessarily long.

 

I think your last post is the way to go. Enjoy your tacoma , drive the highlander when she's with you. That's what we do with my wife's lexus and my tundra

 

Yeah, only issue is just camping and eventually we want a Tundra to tow a camper, but if we don't need or have the camper now then we don't need the Tundra and that's the way I ought to look at it. For now just need to make the ride a little more comfortable so when we do drive it she enjoys it.