Toyota Tundra

[picksbigwagon]

I am looking at getting a 4 door truck. I would like a F-150 but we are getting a wrecked truck and having it fixed up, and I have been waiting for quite a while to have one come in. I have found a 2005 Toyota Tundra crew cab, wrecked and was wondering if anyone here has owned a Tundra before....I am 6'7" and need the room so that rules out a dodge and chevy.....gas mileage is not that important since it is the same and my mountaineer right now. Any help here would be great.

Thanks

[Gus]

I sat in the tundra at the auto show and I was surprised that I had to have the seat all the way back to be comfortable at the pedals. I'm only 5'10". I would make sure you check your leg room if you are 6'7"!

[picksbigwagon]

yep, I am trying one out tonight in Burnsville.....My friend has a tacoma and It is a bit tight in there for me too, but I tend to be claustrophobic as well. Not good things to combine (big guy/claustrophobic) when looking at vehicles, but that is my own personal problem

[78cj5]

A friend of mine has a Tundra, so I am in one quite often. The thing I do not like about the seating is that your legs do not drop down much in relation to the seat height. In other-words, when I sit in a F-150, my legs frop drop like I am sitting on a chair. In the Tundra, I feel like I am sitting on the floor with a back support.

The Tundra has plenty of leg room otherwise.

This might not be very clear, but hopefully you will get the point.

[picksbigwagon]

just got back from test driving, yes I don't feel like I am sitting up high like I did in the F150, but in overall cab space, it is number two next to the f150....I am going to see what I can get the one I found fixed up for, and I might have myself a "new" truck

thanks for the help guys

[ricqik]

Yeah the tundra's seating height is lower compared to the other 1/2ton's, kinda in between a car and a truck's seat. I have an '00 accesscab and love it since day 1 I bought it. I've got plenty of room, leg, shoulder and head room, I believe there's probably about 12" left above my head to the roofline. But then I'm only 5'2", hehe. Rear passenger comfort and room isn't my concern, I bought it for me not them.

It is a very nice truck and the engine is silky smooth.

Or if money isn't a prob, you could wait for the 07 tundra, bigger, badder and more power.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Another FM'r coming to there senses, congratulations!

I'm 6'4" and fit comfortably in my '06 tundra. My only regret is that I didn't get the power seats (I'm not a fan of options, they cost more and there are more things to break). I have driven plenty of them with the power seats and have found adjustments that are comfortably and support the legs a little more.

Other than that you really can't go wrong. This truck will out tow, out haul, and outlast any other "domestic" half ton pickup! I would make sure that it is a '05 for sure. '05 was the first year for the VVTI 4.7 litre I-Force V-8 which boosted horsepower from 240hp to 282 hp.

[Early Riser]

I have an 2002 4wd tundra, and like most others who have owned this truck, really like it. I have not had any difficulties with it in any situation. I am 6'1" 225lbs and find the tundra more comfortable for long thrips than my 2004 suburban. The 4.7 V8 in the tundra is a very responsive and reliable engine that is known to easily go over 200,000 miles with no problems. I don't think the tundra downshifts as much as the suburban while towing comparable loads. The sub may have a higher rated tow capacity, but I feel I have more throttle response and control while towing moderate loads with the tundra. I would not hesitate to recommned a tundra! They are very smooth, comfortable and reliable trucks.

[picksbigwagon]

Thanks for the help airjer, I will double check on the engine, but I know it is a 2005. I just need my guy to call back on his estimate for fixing it up. Basically front end damage a little frame straitening, new hood and fenders, the rest of the truck is solid.

Before anyone says anything, this is not my first wrecked car, the last 3 I have bought have been wrecked and once that frame is straight, the rest bolting on the necessary parts. My frame guy knows what he is doing and will not encourage me to buy a car that can't be fixed easily and more importantly cheaply. If it happens, I will post before and after pictures and the name of my frame guy, he does great work and has been doing it for over 10 years now

[huntingislife]

I bought a wrecked truck too and couldn't be happier. Saved myself a bundle and got a nice truck as the finished product. As long as you know what you are getting you shouldn't have a problem.

[JohnMickish]

Airjer, you need to be careful when you use words that are all encompasing like "oultast". I have owned two Toyota's in my life, the first one siezed up within the first 200 miles and the second one warped the head and started using water like it was going out of style. I can't complain about my 1994 Dodge with 172,000 on the clock with nothing more than a fuel pump. I'm not saying Toyota's are bad, just that they are built by humans too.

[walleyeaddict]

BUY THE FORD!! It is the only real half ton truck on the market!!

[Fishin4Life]

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BUY THE FORD!! It is the only real half ton truck on the market!!

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Do you guys smell a Ford owner? I do!

[Jeremy airjer W]

Mnfishinguy, where these late 80's early 90's toyotas with v-6's? If so I recognize that toyota had problems with these engines but took care of there customers by recognizing the problem and fixing it. Unlike some automakers that hide behind there wall of make believe. Even when they had the sludging problem with the v-6's, they recognized that it was there fault and they replaced a lot of engines. Do you think GM will ever fess up and take care of the intake gasket problems with there 3.1 / 3.4 / 4.3 engines. Do you think ford will ever take care of the DPFE sensor problems or the brake issues with the suv's or the balljoint issues with the suv's and the pickups. How about the spark plugs firing out of the heads on the ford pickups? Do you think chrysler will every say we messed up on our front wheel drive transmissions. How about the wheel bearings on the dodge pickups. hmmm, seems like the passenger front is the one that seems to fall apart all the time. What about the evap cores on the caravans. Not to often you see late madel toyotas with a/c problems. How about the balljoints, oil cooler lines, front axle seals, fuel pump, pressure regulator, and EGR valve problems that we see with the S-10 blazer. You'll never see GM take care off any of those issues. I can name more but I'm pretty sure the internet itself isn't large enough to hold all of it!!

Has Toyota had issues in the past? Yes. Have they stepped up to the plate recognized and taken care of there problems? Yes. If you buy a Toyota is it gauranteed to be trouble free? No! If you buy a ford/dodge/chevy will you have problems with it? YES!

Ask around at the independant shops, what kind of vehicles have the least amount of problems. I gaurantee the asian cars will be at the top of the list. Personally I think that Hyundai, Toyota, and Honda are on the top of the list.

How long have you been turning wrenches Mnfishinguy? If you worked in a garage for any length of time you would see what we see!

I hate to go on these rants but your so good at pushing that botton!!!

[lots of luck]

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How about the spark plugs firing out of the heads on the ford pickups?

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I was a victim of a plug being shot out on my 5.4L in my 1999. Not fun when you're pulling your boat at highway speeds and all of a sudden kaboom! Thank god I bought the extended warranty, or I would still be paying on that fix. Yes, I know there is the Helicoil fix, but not under Ford warranty, they replaced the head. I love my truck, but it has left a very sour taste in my mouth.

[picksbigwagon]

I hate to put a bullet in this topic, but my guy just called. the truck wrecked was 10K, and he figures 8-9K to fix it up......about 3-4K more that I wanted to spend.....back to the waiting game....

[Fishin4Life]

I had my car throw a plug a while back. I have never seen that happen before. Bought a new plug screwed it in, been fine since. Bummer to hear about your truck man.

[Macgyver55]

Airjer, don't sugar coat it...tell us how you really feel!LOL

I don't think Mnfishinguy said anything derogatory about Toys, he just eluded to the fact that not everyone has the same good experiences with them as you do. I'm glad you like yours and hope you have good luck with it, but come on..."out tow, out haul, and outlast any other "domestic" half ton pickup"? Why not put up some numbers up to back your claims and make believers out of everyone.

[TSCTSC]

What do you mean by a plug being thrown? U mean that an engine can spit out a plug that has been screwed in???!!! That sounds quite amazing. So, does that mean that there is a dent in the underside of the bonnet and fuel everywhere?>?

[PierBridge]

Not sure how the new trucks are going to last.

It's a proven fact that Toyota's and Honda's have WAY less problems and last much longer then any GMC, Ford, Chrysler product it's not even close.

I drive a Chevy Tahoe, Ford Pickup and 84 Cutless Ciera.

I've owned 1 Toyota I blew the tranny and then the Engine within 2 months.

[Ralph Wiggum]

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I've owned 1 Toyota I blew the tranny and then the Engine within 2 months.

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Gary, you're nuckin' futs! I'm going to get me one of those whiskered beast tonight

[uffdapete]

I've bought 9 different used Toyotas with anywhere from 30,000 to 160,000 miles, driven a total of 33 years and approx 500,000 miles - a Previa ($8,000 damage/salvage title), Camry, Corolla, Landcruiser, 3 Tercels + the pickup and Camry I currently own. I blew a head gasket on the Corolla at 120,000 and had to grind the valves on the Landcruiser at 90,000 as a result of a previous owner's maintenance neglect. That's it for repairs other than regular maintenance stuff.

Also owned a Bonneville, Celebrity, Taurus, Sable and a Ford pickup during that same time frame and the Bonneville, Taurus and Sable each cost more to repair than the Toys in total.

[jltimm]

Airjer, it is great to see someone with the same exact opinion on Toyota's as me! I have owned Toyota's since the early 90's and wish I would have been smart enough to have owned them sooner because since I've owned them I have never even looked at going back to "the big three".Just change the oil and regular maintenance and drive!

[JohnMickish]

airjer, to be fair, they where older than that. Out of all the vehicles I have owned or been given to drive over the last 25 years ( I put on between 60,000-80,000 miles per year between my work and personal vehicles, and my work vehicles are very heavy service vans/trucks) I have had much better luck with domestics.

Now as far as the statement "outpull", I'd be willing to bet that one of our work Duramaxs or Cummins can haul around a rubber tire backhoe/24 ft gooseneck alot easier than a Tundra can.

Now don't get me wrong, I believe that Toyota does build a quality product, but in my experience they don't hold up to the way I (and other heavy duty users) use a vehicle. If they did you would see them as company vehicles on heavy construction sites but all you see is 2500/3500 Dodge, GM, Ford trucks.

[jltimm]

Just give it a few years, when Toyota does finally start stepping into the 3/4-1 ton pickups the "big 3" will have their work cut out for them. By the way I have a 1997 Toyota Tacoma, and it has done more work than alot of 1/2 ton pickups and has yet to need anything other than oil changes and gas!

[JohnMickish]

It will be VERY interesting indeed. Are they going to venture into that market for sure? That will be a tough one to break into but they might be able to if they can come up with enough motor. If you have never been in a turbo diesel pickup (Duramax or Cummins, I can't say for the Ford 6 liter because I haven't driven one) do yourself a favor and test drive one of these monsters. Then try to borrow one and put several thousand pounds on a trailer and drive it. They are totally unbelievable in the power that is there, stock.