Please Help Tell Me Which Tundra Options Achieve the Functionality I Need?
Hi All,
Please help me, I am fundamentally clueless in several important areas. Maybe all of them.
This will be long, but I hope you will bear with me. If you're a "cut-to-the-chase" kind person, then jump down to the line below that says "SUMMARY".
After research, if I get a new truck, it will be a Tundra, or at least whichever Toyota you folks recommend, so, while I am wide open to what you suggest from this point on, please don't try and convince me to get a truck from some other company. We all have our biases, and that's mine. (From the fire storms I've read here, I'm sure this will be one of the areas people will tell me I am clueless about - BUT - I've spent the last two days, and about 30+ hours crawling all over the web, eg, reading 'tundrasolutions', and this forum, and every entry in Click and Clack's Car Talk web site for every 1/4 ton truck made by any manufacturer, for 1998-->2002, and comparing trucks with web-comparison-engines, and the American-made truck mechanical difficulty horror stories terrified me. I'm thrilled that there seems to be such a thing as a *reliable* pickup truck out there, ie, something by Toyota. I only desperately wish Honda made trucks.)
Ahem.
Okay, *please* help me.
I have never bought a new vehicle, period. My only two experiences with a dealer were with new-to-me vehicles, and both experiences were so excruciatingly painful, that I have gotten all other vehicles directly from individuals. I suppose I will have to suck it up, to buy a Tundra, but I will educate myself on how to duke it out with a Dealer, later on in this process.
If you don't mind some background on me, let me explain why reliability is such an issue with me...
I am *not* mechanically inclined at all, and, having moved to Texas recently, although I have always had good experiences with buying-from-individuals, I have been nothing-but-ripped off on the last three vehicles I've bought here, by both sellers and mechanics, in the last few months. These included
a) A used Chevy pickup - recommended by a mechanically-knowledgeable co-worker and their mechanically knowledgeable spouse, who would have bought the truck themselves if it had had A/C, as sold to them by their good friend, who actually *is* a mechanic. Sounds like something a mechanically clueless person could gamble on, right? Wrong. The "friend" would have scammed them, and certainly scammed *me*. Over $800 of repairs in the first *week*. And the truck was obviously tricked up to provide a smooth test ride. It bucked down the road every day thereafter. The second day I drove it, when it just plain quit for no apparent reason, after I finally had somebody jump it, as I drove up into the nearest mechanic's driveway, just as a treat, the radiator blew its little green brains out, just in front of the bay. I developed a close personal relationship with the tow-truck guy, whom I had to call 2-3 times *a week*, for *months* (until the bloody truck blew up for the final time just last week) to come and get me.
I've *dated* people I've seen less often. I was further wounded by the mechanic I thought I could trust, who had inexperienced trainees he was training do the work on my car, and then charged me, for example, $400 for a *simple tuneup*. This was an old, simple, truck. The tuneup should have cost half that.
b) a used Ford F-150 which is a situation still unresolved. I trusted someone *else's* mechanical knowledge on this one, met the seller, transferred the title, then went to "test-drive" the truck as a mere formality, after all, it had already been checked out by someone I trusted, right? The thing nearly caught fire under me during the test drive. I haven't paid for it, but the title is in my name. The thing belched out *clouds* of black smoke that covered the truck and the horizon. "The carburator's just running too rich" said the admittedly non-mechanic who had accompanied me on the 'test-drive'... I'm thinking "BILL GATES isn't THAT rich." The test-drive, by the way, was to the nearby mechanic's shop, with this flunky of the seller (who turned out to be a dealer - my *3rd* experience with one) to repair lights and fuses that were out - and who dropped and shattered the back light lense when he took it off to replace the bulbs. These folks have gotten the truck to a mechanic, and they swear it's all bett
er now. I figure I'm about to get ripped off again. I owe them another test drive as a courtesy, but then I expect to be declining this one. Yes, I was an idiot to buy the title, sight-unseen.
c) a car I test drove this last week (worked fine), and had Lemon Busters check out for me the next day. Enought of relying on mechanically expert friends, right? The car worked fine during the Lemon Busters examination, so we went right to the title place, and I bought it and drove it back to work. Finally, my problem of reliable transportation was solved. No more missed days at work, boss!.... and four hours later, when it came time to leave for the day, and go pick up the *celebration dinner* I'd ordered to share with a friend ("I have a new car!") the heap would barely move foreward.
All of which, after decades of buying used cars from individuals, has taught me that I'm not going to be able to do this successfully in Texas, and maybe it's time to stop giving my mother, father, and all my friends grey hairs, and buy a new vehicle, which won't break down on me all the time. Except, wow, it looks like even brand new *anythings* have lots of problems! Toyotas look like they have the least, though, so that's where I'm heading. So "Reliability" is number one on my list, but I realize that issue starts a holy war around here, so let's just move on:
======================
SUMMARY
======================
Why I Need Help:
--------------------------------
1) I'm mechanically clueless. Reliability is essential, I've decided on a Toyota, please don't try to modify this one, unless it's to tell me I need a T100 or a Tacoma instead of a Tundra.
2) I haven't ever bought a *new* car, and no car from a dealer in over a decade. Although I have crawled all over the Toyota/Tundra web site, for the life of me, I can't figure out what all the initials and letters stand for, and how they match up with the features I need ("S"? "L"? "SR5"? "4x2" versus "4x4", aren't those sizes of *boards*? "Access Cab"?). I don't even want to *think* about the nightmare of dickering about prices yet.
3) I also know I don't even *know* all the features I need. For example, I would have opted for a standard transmission, but I will be using this truck to tow and haul things, and I read that I should get an automatic for that, in order to make it easier on the transmission.
Anybody have any opinions for/against on this one?
The Functionality I Need:
--------------------------------------
1) must be able to tow (guesstimate) 3,000 pounds (2 horses in an old, small, no-frills trailer)
(T
Please help me, I am fundamentally clueless in several important areas. Maybe all of them.
This will be long, but I hope you will bear with me. If you're a "cut-to-the-chase" kind person, then jump down to the line below that says "SUMMARY".
After research, if I get a new truck, it will be a Tundra, or at least whichever Toyota you folks recommend, so, while I am wide open to what you suggest from this point on, please don't try and convince me to get a truck from some other company. We all have our biases, and that's mine. (From the fire storms I've read here, I'm sure this will be one of the areas people will tell me I am clueless about - BUT - I've spent the last two days, and about 30+ hours crawling all over the web, eg, reading 'tundrasolutions', and this forum, and every entry in Click and Clack's Car Talk web site for every 1/4 ton truck made by any manufacturer, for 1998-->2002, and comparing trucks with web-comparison-engines, and the American-made truck mechanical difficulty horror stories terrified me. I'm thrilled that there seems to be such a thing as a *reliable* pickup truck out there, ie, something by Toyota. I only desperately wish Honda made trucks.)
Ahem.
Okay, *please* help me.
I have never bought a new vehicle, period. My only two experiences with a dealer were with new-to-me vehicles, and both experiences were so excruciatingly painful, that I have gotten all other vehicles directly from individuals. I suppose I will have to suck it up, to buy a Tundra, but I will educate myself on how to duke it out with a Dealer, later on in this process.
If you don't mind some background on me, let me explain why reliability is such an issue with me...
I am *not* mechanically inclined at all, and, having moved to Texas recently, although I have always had good experiences with buying-from-individuals, I have been nothing-but-ripped off on the last three vehicles I've bought here, by both sellers and mechanics, in the last few months. These included
a) A used Chevy pickup - recommended by a mechanically-knowledgeable co-worker and their mechanically knowledgeable spouse, who would have bought the truck themselves if it had had A/C, as sold to them by their good friend, who actually *is* a mechanic. Sounds like something a mechanically clueless person could gamble on, right? Wrong. The "friend" would have scammed them, and certainly scammed *me*. Over $800 of repairs in the first *week*. And the truck was obviously tricked up to provide a smooth test ride. It bucked down the road every day thereafter. The second day I drove it, when it just plain quit for no apparent reason, after I finally had somebody jump it, as I drove up into the nearest mechanic's driveway, just as a treat, the radiator blew its little green brains out, just in front of the bay. I developed a close personal relationship with the tow-truck guy, whom I had to call 2-3 times *a week*, for *months* (until the bloody truck blew up for the final time just last week) to come and get me.
I've *dated* people I've seen less often. I was further wounded by the mechanic I thought I could trust, who had inexperienced trainees he was training do the work on my car, and then charged me, for example, $400 for a *simple tuneup*. This was an old, simple, truck. The tuneup should have cost half that.
b) a used Ford F-150 which is a situation still unresolved. I trusted someone *else's* mechanical knowledge on this one, met the seller, transferred the title, then went to "test-drive" the truck as a mere formality, after all, it had already been checked out by someone I trusted, right? The thing nearly caught fire under me during the test drive. I haven't paid for it, but the title is in my name. The thing belched out *clouds* of black smoke that covered the truck and the horizon. "The carburator's just running too rich" said the admittedly non-mechanic who had accompanied me on the 'test-drive'... I'm thinking "BILL GATES isn't THAT rich." The test-drive, by the way, was to the nearby mechanic's shop, with this flunky of the seller (who turned out to be a dealer - my *3rd* experience with one) to repair lights and fuses that were out - and who dropped and shattered the back light lense when he took it off to replace the bulbs. These folks have gotten the truck to a mechanic, and they swear it's all bett
er now. I figure I'm about to get ripped off again. I owe them another test drive as a courtesy, but then I expect to be declining this one. Yes, I was an idiot to buy the title, sight-unseen.
c) a car I test drove this last week (worked fine), and had Lemon Busters check out for me the next day. Enought of relying on mechanically expert friends, right? The car worked fine during the Lemon Busters examination, so we went right to the title place, and I bought it and drove it back to work. Finally, my problem of reliable transportation was solved. No more missed days at work, boss!.... and four hours later, when it came time to leave for the day, and go pick up the *celebration dinner* I'd ordered to share with a friend ("I have a new car!") the heap would barely move foreward.
All of which, after decades of buying used cars from individuals, has taught me that I'm not going to be able to do this successfully in Texas, and maybe it's time to stop giving my mother, father, and all my friends grey hairs, and buy a new vehicle, which won't break down on me all the time. Except, wow, it looks like even brand new *anythings* have lots of problems! Toyotas look like they have the least, though, so that's where I'm heading. So "Reliability" is number one on my list, but I realize that issue starts a holy war around here, so let's just move on:
======================
SUMMARY
======================
Why I Need Help:
--------------------------------
1) I'm mechanically clueless. Reliability is essential, I've decided on a Toyota, please don't try to modify this one, unless it's to tell me I need a T100 or a Tacoma instead of a Tundra.
2) I haven't ever bought a *new* car, and no car from a dealer in over a decade. Although I have crawled all over the Toyota/Tundra web site, for the life of me, I can't figure out what all the initials and letters stand for, and how they match up with the features I need ("S"? "L"? "SR5"? "4x2" versus "4x4", aren't those sizes of *boards*? "Access Cab"?). I don't even want to *think* about the nightmare of dickering about prices yet.
3) I also know I don't even *know* all the features I need. For example, I would have opted for a standard transmission, but I will be using this truck to tow and haul things, and I read that I should get an automatic for that, in order to make it easier on the transmission.
Anybody have any opinions for/against on this one?
The Functionality I Need:
--------------------------------------
1) must be able to tow (guesstimate) 3,000 pounds (2 horses in an old, small, no-frills trailer)
(T
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
2) 4x4 is referring to 4 wheel drive. 2x4 is two wheel drive. There's 3 trim levels for the Tundra: base, SR5, and Limited. The SR5 adds options to the base, and the Limiteds have additional options over the SR5. Access cab is the extended part of the cab. It has 4 doors instead of a regular cab with two. What are some of the options you need? Air conditioning? Auto dimming mirror? Tow hitch? Power windows and door locks? CD player? Captains chairs or split bench seat?
3) You'll want to go with the V-8 engine, since you will be towing stuff with it. By going with the V-8, the only option is an automatic transmission, which would be best for your situation also. The 5 speed is only available with the V-6 engine.
Here's what I've got on my Tundra if it helps you out:
I've got a '01 4x4 SR5 V-8 Accesscab Tundra with
Auto-dimming mirror
VIP security system
Tow hitch
All weather guard package
Aluminum alloy 5 spoke wheels
6 disc in dash CD changer
Front split bench seat
Bedliner
Spare tire and alloy wheel locks
Floor mats
Fog lamps
I'm sure there's more but I can't think of them now
holy cow -- 67k in 9 months -- you must deliver coast-to-coast...
Thanks for building my confidence in Toyota. I've only got 1000 miles on my Tundra!
You know...you express 3 pages of concerns, and your choices are *3* Toyota models?
And you know nothing about trucks, but took a chance on (2) used ones (including the previous owners reason for dumping them), which you use as a basis to rail against NEW ones?
And then you come here, with your mind made up on 3 models from 1 manufacturer, and ask for support in your decision? You get what you deserve!
I have a hard time believing (2) 1200 lb horses in a trailer, with tack only weighs 3000 lbs, but I digress. Wasting time...
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