New Tundra?

We are going to the toyota dealership tonight to possibly buy a new crewmax tundra 4x4. The local dealership is offering not only 0% financing (part of the toyotathon dealeo) but also no payments for the first year. Supposedly they write you a check for the first year payments or some such...I dont know the details yet.

This was a big part of our decision, as I got an online quote for a 4x4 tundra 4 door for 29 and change...so if you figure another 4K off the price (around what I figured a years worth of payments would be)...I really like that price. I plan to hang onto whatever I buy for a very long time. It will be replacing my 97 4runner with 220K miles on it (so you can see I tend to hang onto cars) as the primary people/baby mover.

Some thoughts running through my head beforehand were

1. Gas mileage aint the greatest. Figure around 16 combined. However, if you compare this to something else, like a tacoma or sports car that gets, say 20 combined, the difference in cost over a year is only about 5 or 600 (we wont put more than 10K per year on this truck)...so maybe mpg isnt as important.

2. Thought about buying slightly used. I usually do this, but with toyota's they just dont depreciate like other makes, and the difference between a two year old truck with 30K miles on it and brand new is only about 4 or 5K...and it would take us 3 years of driving to put 30K on the truck.

3. Tacoma's are a little cheaper and get a little better mpg's. The one big mark against them is they cant two an enclosed trailer (6000lbs with tow package). I dont have an enclosed, and may never get one. Just figured I can forsee what I'll do 5 yrs down the road, and a tundra can handle most anything.

Sorry for the long post.

Thoughts?

I can't offer Tundra advice, but I'll add this:

I have a 2005 Tacoma Double Cab, Long Bed 4x4. I doubt that I'm getting 20 mpg unloaded.

It will tow my aluminum tandem axle trailer with a vehicle (Miata, 911, Wrangler) on it adequately. It would be better with a V8 or supercharger. I may add the SC because, otherwise I love the truck.

My dad has a 2008 double cab with the 5.7L and it's awesome. He's had pretty good luck with it so far. The only thing that has gone wrong was that some variable valve timing actuator went, but it was covered under warranty.

It is really comfortable to drive, has lots of power (the stupid thing is FAST, way faster than it should be) and can haul tons of stuff without the truck feeling like it's hauling anything. It's actually quieter going down the road than my WRX, which surprised me.

He gets 16-17MPG out of it on average with mixed driving. The only other gripe I have is that he's due for some tires now and there's not much out there in his size except for crossover tires. He wants some decent truck tires (like a BFG All Terrain T/A or something like that) and they just don't offer them.

mattbatson wrote: 2. Thought about buying slightly used. I usually do this, but with toyota's they just dont depreciate like other makes, and the difference between a two year old truck with 30K miles on it and brand new is only about 4 or 5K...and it would take us 3 years of driving to put 30K on the truck.

My thoughts are that this statement isn't even remotely true anymore. Toyota's QC took a huge dive, especially on the Tundra (cam sprockets falling off, engine issues, plus the pedal/software/floor mat recalls).

Why not the EcoBoost F150 and get better mileage, bette resale, and better comfort (the backseats in the Tundra are horrendous for full-size adults)?

I don't know much about Tundras but my friends father had 2002ish one. It towed well and had decent power. It ate the motor around 130k then they put in a junkyard motor.

A short time late he had some unintended acceleration on some ice and rolled it a couple times. Walked away with some stitches but it must have been the trucks fault. I saw news about the runaway Prius so it has to be true.

Javelin wrote:

mattbatson wrote: 2. Thought about buying slightly used. I usually do this, but with toyota's they just dont depreciate like other makes, and the difference between a two year old truck with 30K miles on it and brand new is only about 4 or 5K...and it would take us 3 years of driving to put 30K on the truck.

My thoughts are that this statement isn't even remotely true anymore. Toyota's QC took a huge dive, especially on the Tundra (cam sprockets falling off, engine issues, plus the pedal/software/floor mat recalls). Why not the EcoBoost F150 and get better mileage, bette resale, and better comfort ()?

I'm a big dude, and I actually fit ok in the back of my dad's Double Cab. The Crew Max has full size doors and more space, so people should fit fine back there.

I'm not a big fan of Toyota, but their trucks are still good. The early 07-08 Tundras did have their issues, but it seems they have ironed them out. My dad's truck was cheaper than a comparable F150 or Silverado (he wouldn't look at Dodges after the last one he had, which was a total turd) by almost $10,000.

Nice truck. Big bucks. I had the previous version and no complaints except replacement parts out of warranty are sttep. The domestic trucks are right there in performance and have better economy. If economy is less concern - they can scale on the option sheet to whatever you need.

The new Chevy 2500HD is vehicle of the year.

IMO, when it comes to trucks you can't beat Ford or Chevy (except on ergonomics and interior quality) and I have tried with both big and small Toyotas and a medium Nissan.

I'd also look at the new Ecoboost or 5.0 F150. They look pretty nice. back when my dad was shopping, the Tundra outclassed a lot of the other trucks. the Big Three have since gotten a lot more competitive, and Ford especially has really upped the ante with their new engine lineup.

I bet that Toyota will be cheaper though.

SilverFleet wrote:

Javelin wrote:

mattbatson wrote: 2. Thought about buying slightly used. I usually do this, but with toyota's they just dont depreciate like other makes, and the difference between a two year old truck with 30K miles on it and brand new is only about 4 or 5K...and it would take us 3 years of driving to put 30K on the truck.

My thoughts are that this statement isn't even remotely true anymore. Toyota's QC took a huge dive, especially on the Tundra (cam sprockets falling off, engine issues, plus the pedal/software/floor mat recalls). Why not the EcoBoost F150 and get better mileage, bette resale, and better comfort ()?

I'm a big dude, and I actually fit ok in the back of my dad's Double Cab. The Crew Max has full size doors and more space, so people should fit fine back there. I'm not a big fan of Toyota, but their trucks are still good. The early 07-08 Tundras did have their issues, but it seems they have ironed them out. My dad's truck was cheaper than a comparable F150 or Silverado (he wouldn't look at Dodges after the last one he had, which was a total turd) by almost $10,000.

Not space, ergonomics. The seats are thin, cheap, and designed very poorly. I literally had to see a doctor after 4 hours in one because I was in so much pain.

Javelin wrote:

SilverFleet wrote:

Javelin wrote:

mattbatson wrote: 2. Thought about buying slightly used. I usually do this, but with toyota's they just dont depreciate like other makes, and the difference between a two year old truck with 30K miles on it and brand new is only about 4 or 5K...and it would take us 3 years of driving to put 30K on the truck.

My thoughts are that this statement isn't even remotely true anymore. Toyota's QC took a huge dive, especially on the Tundra (cam sprockets falling off, engine issues, plus the pedal/software/floor mat recalls). Why not the EcoBoost F150 and get better mileage, bette resale, and better comfort ()?

I'm a big dude, and I actually fit ok in the back of my dad's Double Cab. The Crew Max has full size doors and more space, so people should fit fine back there. I'm not a big fan of Toyota, but their trucks are still good. The early 07-08 Tundras did have their issues, but it seems they have ironed them out. My dad's truck was cheaper than a comparable F150 or Silverado (he wouldn't look at Dodges after the last one he had, which was a total turd) by almost $10,000.

Not space, ergonomics. The seats are thin, cheap, and designed very poorly. I literally had to see a doctor after 4 hours in one because I was in so much pain.

Really? That sucks! I thought they were pretty decent. The only complaint was that they were a little too upright for me.

The Tundras are SO BIG. Seriously. Damn.

I would like to see a company, say, Ford, get out of this whole 1/2 ton arms race and build a useful F-150. I even came up with an ad campaign or two:

The new, more reasonable, more affordable F-150. If you need a bigger truck, we sell those too.
OR
The new, smaller F-150: Because your penis is huge.

Osterkraut wrote: The Tundras are SO BIG. Seriously. Damn. .

Agreed. That's another downside to all of the new trucks. I feel like I'm piloting a feakin' 747 when I'm driving my dad's truck. I've been in newer Chevys and Fords, and they are similar.

I must be doing something wrong with my other cars. I like Tundra seats better than any of the others i've got, possibly exluding the MX6.

I don't think i've spent 4 hours in one, though. I have spent 2.5, though, and my back is effed up enough that if i'm going to have a problem, it'll present itself within 30 minutes. (Which is why i try to limit the trips in the Escort to 29 minutes or shorter.)

Plenty of power. They are fast. We ended up in a stop light drag to 60 against a buddy in an MR2 who had also just left the event. We won. While towing a Civic.

They are sprung kinda soft for big loads. That would be my concern with the enclosed. For the occasional tow - yeah, it will do fine. If you see yourself pulling around a heavy enclosed a lot, I'd want something 3/4 or 1-ton.

they are fast, like high 12s-low 13s fast.

not sure on the suspension setup for payloads, but on the tacomas, there was a "regular" leaf pack for comfort, and another one that came with the tow/haul package.

that said, all fullsize trucks today are just huge. i can't fit a regular cab f150 in my garage without re-arranging some things first. the new tundras were closer in size to the 3/4 ton heavy duty trucks than the 1/2 tons, but the others have caught up.

Strizzo wrote: they are fast, like high 12s-low 13s fast. not sure on the suspension setup for payloads, but on the tacomas, there was a "regular" leaf pack for comfort, and another one that came with the tow/haul package. that said, all fullsize trucks today are just huge. i can't fit a regular cab f150 in my garage without re-arranging some things first. the new tundras were closer in size to the 3/4 ton heavy duty trucks than the 1/2 tons, but the others have caught up.

The TRD Tundra is that fast. The non-TRD, not quite as fast, but they're still solid 14s trucks. Which, is damn fast for something that big and heavy.

Osterkraut wrote: The Tundras are SO BIG. Seriously. Damn. I would like to see a company, say, Ford, get out of this whole 1/2 ton arms race and build a useful F-150. I even came up with an ad campaign or two: The new, more reasonable, more affordable F-150. If you need a bigger truck, we sell those too. OR The new, smaller F-150: Because your penis is huge.

they do offer the tacoma. I've thought about these, but the mpg isnt much better and the cost is pretty much the same. so why not just buy the bigger truck and have all that towing capacity? For a truck to have the towing capacity to haul an enclosed trailer it needs to have sufficient mass, or it will get yanked all over the place by the load it is towing. Hence the big trucks for big loads.

93celicaGT2 wrote: I must be doing something wrong with my other cars. I like Tundra seats better than any of the others i've got, possibly exluding the MX6. I don't think i've spent 4 hours in one, though. I have spent 2.5, though, and my back is effed up enough that if i'm going to have a problem, it'll present itself within 30 minutes. (Which is why i try to limit the trips in the Escort to 29 minutes or shorter.)

Back seats, not fronts.

DILYSI Dave wrote: Plenty of power. They are fast. We ended up in a stop light drag to 60 against a buddy in an MR2 who had also just left the event. We won. While towing a Civic. They are sprung kinda soft for big loads. That would be my concern with the enclosed. For the occasional tow - yeah, it will do fine. If you see yourself pulling around a heavy enclosed a lot, I'd want something 3/4 or 1-ton.

how much is your tow load?

I cant see myself ever towing over 9K. I would hope that with an equalizing hitch it would tow this fine?

If not, and the tundra isnt that great for towing an enclosed, then I will begin to seriously consider a tacoma again...

Osterkraut wrote: The new, smaller F-150: Because your penis is huge.

This won't fly with women and you can't just say:

The new, smaller F-150: Because your vagina is huge.

It isn't as complimentary even though it can be useful as a pocket.

Javelin wrote:

93celicaGT2 wrote: I must be doing something wrong with my other cars. I like Tundra seats better than any of the others i've got, possibly exluding the MX6. I don't think i've spent 4 hours in one, though. I have spent 2.5, though, and my back is effed up enough that if i'm going to have a problem, it'll present itself within 30 minutes. (Which is why i try to limit the trips in the Escort to 29 minutes or shorter.)

Back seats, not fronts.

Ooooooohhhhhh!!! Never rode in the back. My bad. Personally, i don't understand trucks with more than two seats or a bench seat anyways, but hey. But if there's room in the back for an adult, it better be comfy, i agree.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

Osterkraut wrote: The new, smaller F-150: Because your penis is huge.

This won't fly with women and you can't just say: The new, smaller F-150: Because your vagina is huge. It isn't as complimentary even though it can be useful as a pocket.

Vagina can be interpreted as being derived from a Latin word for pocket (sheath, but hey, it's close)!

mattbatson wrote:

Osterkraut wrote: The Tundras are SO BIG. Seriously. Damn. I would like to see a company, say, Ford, get out of this whole 1/2 ton arms race and build a useful F-150. I even came up with an ad campaign or two: The new, more reasonable, more affordable F-150. If you need a bigger truck, we sell those too. OR The new, smaller F-150: Because your penis is huge.

they do offer the tacoma. I've thought about these, but the mpg isnt much better and the cost is pretty much the same. so why not just buy the bigger truck and have all that towing capacity? For a truck to have the towing capacity to haul an enclosed trailer it needs to have sufficient mass, or it will get yanked all over the place by the load it is towing. Hence the big trucks for big loads.

I almost traded down my 02 Tundra for a Tacoma. Then I saw that the towing capacity was cut in half and only about 2 mpgs better. I loved my Tundra. New ones seem to be even better.

How can a modern full size get such horrible mileage? I have a 96 Chevy with the 5.7 that gets better than that.

Datsun1500 wrote: I bet the 1st year of payments is off of MSRP, not the internet price. The money has to come from somewhere either a straight discount, or a gimmick like this. That being said if you are quoted $29,500 and that zero percent is for 60 months the payment will be 491. You guessed a year worth of payments would be $4,000 or $333 per month. If you are thinking it will be $333 a month, it won't be.

hey, no it was an estimate on how much it would be... If I got an internet price of 29, then the gimmick is to take a year payments off of that, then that is a REALLY good price for a brand new tundra.

REALLY good.