I am negotiating to buy a new truck. I have reluctantly settled on a Toyota Tundra, double cab,V-8, long bed 4X4. I am reluctant because this truck is black and a double cab. I wanted any color but black or white and I wanted a regular cab. I turns out that it would be easier to find square wheels than a regular cab. Any one out there driving one of these? How is reliability, fuel economy, overall performance. Happy or unhappy? Would you have rather bought something else?
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we have that same truck, it loves fuel, about 14 mpg
.
my spelling is not bad, my keyboard is covered with dirt and I cant see the keys.
Try a Ford F150, you can get a good deal right now and the truck itself is a lot better built than the tundra. I have a 2005 F150 SuperCab and it is jurt the right vehicle for me. I traded a 2003 chevy express van and have a hard tonneau cover. I absolutley love the leather and power everything. Plus I can use it for other things than business, it looks that good. Just another thing to consider, its a US vehicle.
Just another thing to consider, its a US vehicle.
Thanks, too many don't think about that. The $ stays in the U.S.
MikeInsert initially amusing but ultimately annoying catch phrase here.
Just another thing to consider, its a US vehicle.Thanks, too many don't think about that. The $ stays in the U.S.The Toyota is built in Texas. As for higher fuel economy, the new Chevy/GMC boasts having the highest gas mileage for any V-8 trucks.
Edited 2/23/2008 10:26 am ET by bmovies
The profit still goes ultimaately to Japan.
MikeInsert initially amusing but ultimately annoying catch phrase here.
The profit still goes ultimaately to Japan
Does that matter? I think the important thing is that the labor force is American, as are the first and second tier suppliers, and the propertyy taxes, etc. The "profit" for General Motors goes to detroit. Has that helped detroit? "Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Does that matter?
yes.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
The profit goes to the investor class who, generally, have no nationality.What I am looking for is the best value, which isn't always the best price or country of origin.
The truck I have now is a '99 GMC which has been way too costly to maintain(too many repairs ) and it was made in Canada. While I would like to see American workers make some money on me, the fat cats are going to get paid whatever truck I buy and wherever it is made. Thus the question remains the same; which is the better truck?
the one we have is a hoss, it built tought, we pulled a load of concrete yesterday about 8000 lbs with it not being back there. but the bed is real little. its tough everywhere but likes gas. it even has a engine brake to help with braking.my spelling is not bad, my keyboard is covered with dirt and I cant see the keys.
I have a '00 toyota, not double cab, but access cab, V-8.
I think the bed is a LOT shorter on the double cab, no?
I wouldn't for that reason.
Bed is 4' wide between the wheelwells which is really nice tho.
I think the access cab tundras are pretty common so I'd look into finding one of those first.
Hwy mileage is up to 18, but city sucks, literally--13, or less with my trailer.
Most dependable truck/motor I've ever had.
I had an SR5 v-6 bfore this. I sold it for 5 grand with 245,000 on it. Saw the kid driving it around still, yesterday.
"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing..."
I think the bed is a LOT shorter on the double cab, no?
No.
Bed length and cab sizes are completely seperate issues.
You can get a short bed on a two door, just as you can get a long bed with a full size cab.
Beware the bikini clad female.
She may be interpreted as offensive.
On an older Toyota tundra? Double cab looks like it has a 5' bed but I dunno.
I think longbed - 8' only on 2 door.
Domestic trucks, sure.
"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing..."
Well whatta ya know?
Yer right. Just tried to "build my own" at their website.
Wouldn't let me combine a longbed with the Crewcab.
No wonder I don't see any Toyotas with contractor tags.
Whodda thunk.
Beware the bikini clad female.
She may be interpreted as offensive.
I have had a couple of Fords -- they were up and down -- am not in the business of needing a truck to make a living. When it came time to buy one, I know I paid more than a Ford costs, but I bought it for the life cycle costs -- it was really hard to find a buyer that had complaints of buying a truck like you are looking at. I wanted a larger truck like the Tundra but could not get it in a 6 -- I settled for the Tacoma double cab and a 5 foot bed. I really wanted the at least the 6 food bed but my wife wanted something that a couple could ride in if we are going out to dinner -- as her car is a sports car that holds 2 and 3rd in a pinch for a short distance.
Looking back -- what I have bought is right for us. I can load the Tacoma with everything that I need to haul - am some what surprized that I have not been pulled over -- the loads stay put and it can haul anything that I can get on the bed area. If I have to, I make two trips to the dump. I like the composite box (I have a very heavy 3/4" rubber mat in the back is used for horse stalls or cow barn walkways -probably weight close to 90 pounds) - I like the ability to plug a drill or saw into the back if I am out and need power where there is none.
You have to decide what you want - the Ford is nice and the price is competitive -- I just like the long term value of the Tacoma -- look in the paper an see which one sells for more at the end of 5-6 years and then decide.
Wait until the big three get off their collective fat asses and build a small diesel work truck that gets low 20's towing a job trailer, and 25+ rolling down the highway.
The HP wars are a bunch of BS, just self promotional pufferey for the auto companies and bragging rights for the "I" drive a big truck to work crowd.
The technology is used everywhere else in the world. Bring it here.
Garett
Edwin, go to ford.com. Research the f150 against all the imposters. They have a link to a ford sponsored comparison against other makers. Chose for yourself. Thats what I did. Every time I pull up to a new Chevy, I just laugh. And the toyota, the same thing.It might look good on the outside to some people, but, its just a POS on the inside. Buy a real truck, the ford will NOT let you down.
Man I would love to buy American---
However the 4 new fords I had in a row needed brakes every 20,000 miles. (yeah..I drive em). They had cronic issues with oil seals, calipers and even battery guts falling apart--ohh and transmissions.
Recently I've been told that if you dump tranny fluid every 20 thousand miles... all the domestics will not use up a tranny.
Here I am at 126,000 k's on my Tacoma, It needed a tail light so far. (that's about 80,000 miles). No brake jobs, no other repairs whatsoever. (lost a wheel cap--decoration in a hard corner).
I get a pretty steady 27 mpg (I'm all highway), and it is the fastest pickup I've ever had.
That said... I'm going back to a 4 cyl since I don't haul much anymore... hoping chev or ford or even dodge get off their butts and build something reliable that gets more than 35 mpg.
I also want the money to stay here.
LGardenStructure.com~Build for the Art of it! Decks Blog
I agree Lawrence. I come from an auto worker family and have supported the UAW for many years by buying their junk. I finally have had enough and bought a KIA. It is a sweet car and has not given me any serious problems. The Dodge has been very, very expensive on brakes and oil seals and transmission sensors. The dealer made a fortune on repairs and still tried to send me out with a door that they damaged by rubbing against one of their columns in the shop. It was a miracle that I noticed it before I drove out of the yard and they tied up the truck for another week! One time, they had to redo my brakes under their repair warranty because the repair job didn't last a month. After tying up the truck for more than a week as the replaced their faulty repair job, they actually billed me for $4.97 when I picked up the truck. Evidently they found a $5 part that wasn't under warranty! The American auto dealers and car companies have worked hard to lose business. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Blue,
I can take you past a dozen import dealers who are as bad or worse.. Profit at a dealership comes not from the sale of the car.. usually those are subsidised to a degree by the dealership. Profit comes from parts and service.. The sure way to get parts and service business is to sell the car in the first place.
If you doubt me go stand by service some morning while all those KIA's, Honda's, Toyota's etc. get hauled in..
Or listen to the service deptartment expain why they are replacing the subframe bushings on that Mazad and no those are normal wear and tear items.. etc..
The real rip offs are the Mercedes dealerships.. try to get your car serviced for under a grand some day.. just try!
"The American auto dealers and car companies have worked hard to lose business."
In high school I was going through an Automotive Apprenticeship working part time. We'd build old chevys over the weekend to go fast. It was then I started to see what exactly would last...and what didn't. What the auto companies would cover and what they refused.
If they had to make their money up front like the Jap Manufacturers do, they would have gone broke. Who would pay 60k for a standard pickup? But rest assured...over the next 12 years they would make that money one way or another.
Parts and Service.
After 4 mediocre trucks I went into the dealership and the salesman took me aside to advise me not to buy one of their vehicles.
"You don't want to buy it" he said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because after the second year you own it, you will be paying between 4 and 5 k per year to maintain it--you should lease instead".
"I thanked him... and went out to buy a mid 80's ford heavy half".
I had the body done on a 40,000 mile truck, changed all the rubber parts, gave it heavy springs and a flat bed... and proceeded to use it for about 8 years. Average maintainence cost... $500 per year--brakes included. Used to get it serviced at a wrecking yard.
Never used a tranny in 200,000 miles... used to dump the fluid every 50 or so.
It's only out of fear that I have bought imports of late-with rediculously low maintainence costs... pretty much just oil changes.
That said...even if it cost me 3k more a year...I'd still rather buy american. The numbers aren't adding up that way yet... I still live in hope.
L
GardenStructure.com~Build for the Art of it! Decks Blog
I think I spent about 3k in a two year span on my Dodge brakes. In between that, I routinely broght the pig in to get every seal redone. I probably spent another 3k on that in total. I just had my tranny redone for another 3k. I've dumped the tranny oil on a regular basis for the last 8 years. I've never taken that good of care on any vehichle I've owned. Compare that to a 79 dodge I had. I never changed the oil: only added it. I never did brake jobs. It ran and ran and ran and ran on very low oil pressure. I think it dropped under 5 pounds at light and never got over 15. The same company owns the rights to that motor (360) and has buried the engineering. Anyways, all the parts are coming from foreign sources. There aren't any true american cars anymore. Toyota builds cars in America....to me, it's american! Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Anyone that expects a truck or a van to get good gas mileage is delusional. Maybe the little trucks may get 20 tops. I had a Nissan a long time ago that got 18 highway. I couldn't drive it more than 2 hours without getting leg cramps. My 2003 Chevy gets 16 HW. (at 60 mph)It has a V-6. My old Ford van got 11 HW. I used an 89 Honda to go estimate jobs in. It was a rust bucket but it ran cheap.Edited 2/23/2008 3:15 pm ET by larryscabnuts
Edited 2/23/2008 3:17 pm ET by larryscabnuts
I hear some folks are getting around 25 mpg with diesel Sprinter vans...that's what I want.
2006 and earlier Sprinter... a definite possibilty.
2007 and later... nope (but still better than a regular van).
Yeah, they cost a pretty penny, but a Sprinter with 300k will be worth a lot more than a Chevy or Dodge with 100k....
What changed that dropped the milage?
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
I think they changed the formula for the diesel fuel or something.
Rumored to increase engine wear?
Someone enlighten us![email protected]
07 and newer Sprinters have a V6 instead of an inline 5 engine.
The 07's and newer also have more pollution controls that don't exist on 02 to 06 models.
The ULSD also has a slight mileage penalty due to reduced BTU content of the fuel, but that change effects all diesel engines.
Thanks, any real advantage that you know of to the V-6 over the straight 5?
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
Other than more power, no.
The 06 and earlier Sprinters are a proven design that has been sold outside of the USA for a long time. There are well known electrical issues (bad main ground connection) in early models here and the turbo resonator self destructs- primarily in loaded RV conversions. That problem is also well known and there is an aftermarket aluminum version.
The paint needs to be maintained well because it is not a base/clear finish. The roof is difficult to wash/wax and the rest of the van is just big. Metal particles from rail transport can become embedded in the finish (removed with a clay bar or light compound) and provide a starting point for rust if the finish is not taken care of.
I really like the styling of the 07 and newer Sprinters, though... but not enough to give mine up.
Unless you drive *a lot* of miles, or are seriously considering a Ford or GM diesel van, it is difficult to realistically justify one. I do not know what the resale is on the Ford or GM diesel vans, but at that price point, the extra $$$ spent on a Sprinter is worth it just for the extra cargo capacity.
Cargo vans that sold new for around $36k sell for around $26k with 300k miles on them. Check eBay. There is a demand for the older vans (06 and older) because of better MPG and no DPF (diesel particulate filter).
The Sprinter also drives and parks a whole lot better... but don't buy a Sprinter if you need to do any serious towing.
Diagnostic tools for the DIY mechanic are serious $$$.
There is *a lot* of reading at the Yahoo sprintervan group.
Thanks for the info. I have toyed with the idea, but that is part of a thought process of just packing up and leaving here to tour the country. Rig would be part home, part rolling tool shed. I have owned a 78 chevy 12' cube or box van for years. I love it , best style of work rig I have ever had.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
Thats the story of my life. I get old and retire and they make a van that gets 25 MPG. Mine was 11 on the road and 8 in town.
larryscabnuts,
My 4x4 pickup with a big V8 and all the bells and whistles. gets 17 MPG normally. Oh and it has 280,000 miles.
But I know how to properly maintain vehicles.. proper maintinance adds several miles per gallon..
Go out now with a tire guage and check your tire pressures.. then compare the maximum pressure for that tire on the side wall.. For optimum mileage that's where yours should be.. Check your air filter is it clean? which one are you using? There is a differance in brands..
How fresh are your plugs and wires? What heat range do you use? What brand?
look at your fan belt and your fan clutch what temp does it engage at? does it actaully engage at the temp or is it on all of the time?
When you drive what techniques do you use to increase mileage? I'm fast and accerate hard but still get 17 MPG (I can get 19 on steady highway use under good conditions) Your driving technique makes a differance..
Frenchy,I didn't catch what brand of truck you have.I have an 02 sierra 2500hd 260k on it. I have probably spent about $3500 in repairs but I dont think that is unreasonable for that many miles and the lack there of of proper maintenance. I do try to find good components such as air, oil filters and proper plugs. I want to say I get about 15 hwy and 12-13 city.
Jebadia,
1997 Chev 1/2 ton. correct maintinance is critical to good mileage and long low expense life.. That and not falling for all the stuff they try to sell you. You have to know and understand vehicals in order to avoid buying snake oil or unneeded repairs.
I'll bet I told mechanics 30 times over the years no to a brake job they wanted to do or some other unneeded repair.
That plus not buying more truck than you need.. I got a kick out of those guys who drove the diesels. The vast majority of them never recovered the added premium for a diesel. Let alone the added cost of fuel. By my calculation that break even point was around 270,000 miles..
I'll bet I saw a thousand 3/4 ton pickups that not one in their life had they been loaded past what you can carry in a 1/2 ton pickup.. and I know 3/4 of the crew cabs/ extended cabs never had a back seat passenger past the let's go for a ride in my new truck stage..
Gee Frenchy.... I do all the things you say. I did fudge a little on my Mileage. Its runs about 16.4 to 16.8 MPG. I also have my tires inflated with nitrogen. Works better than just plain air. Less leakdown. Ya ought to try it. I check my tires very frequently. Keep them at 35 psi. I also do HE MAN tuneups. Thats plug wires et all.
Edited 2/24/2008 12:42 am ET by larryscabnuts
larryscabnuts,
We're getting closer, did you mention if you had a crew cab? That's a couple of MPG right there as is a 3/4 over a 1/2 (closer to one MPG)
Yes I looked at nitrogen carefully but in the end couldn't justify the added expense.
That's one of those deals which is valid but still not affordable like diesels..
My PU is just a reg cab 1/2 ton. I do have a lid on the bed.
larryscabnuts,
If you saw myth busters they proved that those bed covers don't yeld increased mileage.. (I've got one) Turns out that old myth about tailgate down or off hurt mileage.
Anyway which engine do you have? The 4.3, 5.3, or the 6.0? Mines the old 5.7
I got the 4.3.
Blue,
My pickup has 280,000 miles on it.. I haven't spent $1000 in repairs over it's whole life (10 years)
It still starts instantly, gets 17 MPG with a V8 & 4x4 and all the bells and whistles.
I get an average of 85,000 miles per set of tires. 110,000 miles out of a set of front brake pads and replaced the rear brake shoes at 275,000 miles because heavily overloading the truck all those years caused a rear seal to leak and soak the linings..
When I say heavily over loading We're talking about going across scales weighing north of 10,000 in a 1/2 ton pickup..
IT hauled the lions share of wood from the sawmill. that's 50,000 bd.ft. or just south of 1/2 million pounds. Not to mention hauling my race car around the country and over the mountains few times..
On the other hand I have maintained it well..
They have a link to a ford sponsored comparison against other makers
Well, I'm sure we can rest assured that they are not biased in favor of Ford products. "Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Go test drive the chevy and toyota and dodge and nissan, Make your own comparison. Consumer reports sux as an unbiased opinion. Thats what I did.
If you don't want black keep looking, don't settle. I've had two black trucks and have vowed never again. They look sharp when they are clean. But I feel they show dirt more easily that other colors and they seem to be key magnets in parking lots. Black vehicles down here in Texas get really hot in the summer, too.
As far as regular cab vs. extended. I think you will enjoy the extra space. Good for the occasional extra passengers and more secure then the bed of the truck if something will fit. Also, that first black truck I had was a regular cab. Got rear ended and smacked my head on the rear glass, vowed to never have a regular cab after that too.
The folks I know that have the Toyota are happy with 'em. Might be subconscious validation of their purchase. Which I think is a lot, not all but a lot, of the Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge vs. Toyota debate.
edwin
You'll be hard pressed to get unbiased opinions on vehicles here.. I'd check a better broader source such as Consumer Reports.. If you don't subscribe stop at a library and ask for their back copies..
In the for what it's worth I like your idea of a regular cab. The extended cab adds about $4000 to the price and get's about 2MPG less.. if you don't absolutely need that extended cab don't take one.. Ask your dealer to go on line and dealer trade (it's done all of the time) I bought my truck locally but he had to go nearly 200 miles away to get it for me.. it was there the next day and I still had a right of refusal if it wasn't what I wanted..
In additon parking that extrended cab will be a real beast! Wrong color,, wrong style? You are setting yourself up to be extremely unhappy!
Comments I've overheard about Toyota. they don't have anywhere near the reliability their cars do,, worse typically than Ford/Chevy/Or Dodge. Serious issues like transmissions and starters.. and the engine is an extremely unproven item.. built in relatively low numbers for a small market. Other engines have been produced in the millions and they still are working at a tiny fraction of that.. .
Plus their real world fuel mileage seems to be towards the bottom of the pack..
When you buy you should do your shopping on line.. that way you have the best possible leverage.. the dealer knows that he has to have a rock bottom price along with a fair trade in amount or you won't come in..
It's pleasant going in to see your new truck when all the dealing is done and now the fun stuff begins.. You can relax knowing you got the best possible deal on line..
i have the 02 tundra limited etc. etc. after 02 they added about another foot to the rear passenger area making it really comfortable. mine drives like a car, parks like one too. drives great under some load, but with a 12' trailer loaded with tools, you will definitely feel it. i don't worry about mileage, it's too depressing. i go where and when i need ot go. no more no less. this is my second toyota and i love them. no major mechanicals on either. knock on wood.
something to keep in mind, the great stat e of washington is considering a bill to charge yearly vehicle licensing based on enginge size. up to $650 for the bigger engines. part of their program to steal i mean fight global warming. carbon foot prints and all.
Edited 2/23/2008 2:05 pm ET by deafbob
One thing I will tell you is it's a beauty of a truck, smooth, powerful, all the features that make for a comfortable ride. O.k. You don't get on-star, I've already replaced it with a magnetic key holder under my bumper. As far as supporting your country's economy, I'd say this. G.M and Ford employ many North Americans, they don't however have staying power. Working for a big three automaker, isn't job security, all of the constant lay offs are terrible for your economy. The product by comparison is garbage, the resale is garbage, the fuel economy is better on the Chev, not so for Dodge or Ford. If you buy the Toyota, money is well spent. Toyota hires employees for life, they pride themselves on how they treat employees. They won't be laying people off by the thousand either. Two big reasons, the product in the end is better, the company you buy it from doesn't kick you in the pants every two years with a newer version of your truck, at a lower price. When you go to sell a Dodge or Ford, if you've had the truck for two years, it already looks old. Look at how many model changes these guys make in 10 years. Look how much a 2 year old truck sells for used, figure on that being the case for you 2 years from now. I'm not biased or any thing........buy the Toyota. Out of curiosity, in all of the buy Americanism, how many people have a T.V made in the U.S, Or a computer, phone, T-Shirt, Even Our tools for a large part are manufactured somewhere else. SO don't feel obligated to buy a crappy truck either.
My advice would be for you to borrow the truck for a weekend. Then you can see what you are getting without the dealer looking at you all the time.
You'll find out what mpg, how it stops, how it goes, how nice are the seats, heating systems etc.
At todays prices and time I want it to last, I want to be sure!!!
By the way my 1997 F150 supercab 8 foot bed has 150,000 miles and has used brakes and plugs and oil. Nothing major in that time. It still looks good too. My mpg has been 13 since day one. My son is running it now, I changed to a 2005 long wheel base Chevy 3500 van with 6.0 V8 and I get better mpg!!
Edwin,
i was in your situation last august
please excuse me if i get huffy--but i am still kind of steamed about it
I was looking to buy a full sized truck
8 ft. bed
standard cab
color green
capable of towing 10,000 lbs.
i had heard good things about the tundra-- and was fully prepared to pay the price
however-- 2 seperate toyota dealerships essentially told me to pound sand-- they had zero intention of selling me a green truck with a standard cab and a full size bed--ZERO intention----want a white or black truck with a short bed and a supersized crew cab--well then they would talk--but they had Zero interst in selling me what i wanted
dodge-- zero interest( claimed they didn't even make green trucks since 2004-2005
chevy- told me essentially to pound sand
only ford had any interest- i ended up buying a F250. gas milage of course sucks- but so what-- my average commute to work is like 6 blocks--and I only bought it so i could tow a dump trailer and my existing F150 with a 6 cylinder engine-wasn't up to the task
Still smokes me------- I have zero concern for ANY of the automakers----- here ya are ready willing and able to buy a product--and they won't produce it.
stephen
I just looked at the Toyota website, they have a feature where you can put together a truck/option package. It appears the standard cab isn't even available with a long bed, and the only colors available are white and silver. If you choose an extended cab, then there are a lot of colors available including green. It makes you wonder if they limit the features on the regular cab because they aren't popular, or if they aren't popular because they don't offer many options on them.
It's called steering. They are steering you into a higher priced vehicle. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
It's called steering. They are steering you into a higher priced vehicle.
I suppose you're right...yet another reason why I don't want to buy new vehicles. My newest car is a 1988, my pickup is a 1966. :)
Edwin,
I'm probably adding to what others have said on this subject but I'm not going to take the time to read all the posts.
First, having owned a Toyota pickup for sixteen years and 250,000 carefree miles, I'd stick with them too. Damned fine vehicle from one of the companies which helped wake up the Big Three about reliability and other quality issues, going back twenty-five or more years now.
Next, where are you located? And why don't you have more model choices? Not enough local dealers? If I were in your shoes and wanted a specific model at a competitive price I'd use one of the Internet find-and-negotiate services like http://www.carsdirect.com .
You can also use http://www.autotrader.com to find your model, then negotiate for yourself. Some of the dealers who list on autotrader have web sales managers who make better deals than are usually offered to the showroom floor.
That's because companies like carsdirect have them at a disadvantage, knowing too much about their pricing, so they're willing to cut better deals for quick sales to people who shop the net.
All in all, I'd use carsdirect or a similar service. They're mercenaries, just like car sales managers, only they work for the consumer rather than the dealer.
"Hire your own thug, cause it feels so good to get even"---this message brought to you by the BBB.
Edit: You may have to travel out of area, to pick up your new truck...after all the paperwork has been done for you by a find-and-negotiate service...but so what? They're going to save you enough to pay for the trip and you'll get a chance to drive you new truck for a few hundred miles of vacation travel before putting it to work. Good way to get acquainted.
Edited 2/23/2008 6:51 pm by Hudson Valley Carpenter
I am near Albany and have been to all of the local Toyota dealers only one of whom proved to be worth a damn. I don't know how far down the valley you are so I won't bother mentioning who they are but would be happy to if you like.
I am leaning heavily toward a new Tacoma. The dealer wants to sell me a black extended cab w/ 8' box. At first I felt that I need the 8' box but not the extended cab, but as a think about it the extra space in the cab could be useful for certain tools, groceries etc. On the down side the thing is about 246" long , has huge tow mirrors and is heat absorbing black. But i think I can get a good deal. I am however going to take you advice and check out those websites.
I appreciate your input and advice. It is always good to hear about the experiences of others.
By the way, my wife just traded her '94 Camery with 199400 mi on it for a new Camery at the same dealership
I have a 06 tacoma extra cab with 72 k miles on it, 26 mpg. I luv that sucker. 4 cly. five speed. really cannot think of anything bad, except the body style is ugly, the ride is great..my spelling is not bad, my keyboard is covered with dirt and I cant see the keys.
Should be a nice truck. 8' bed is good so is the extra-cab. My old pick up is dark red and it sucks up the heat in summer, takes a long time to cool down with the AC. But the color did'nt help in the winter, it was still cold in the cab for a long time. I ended up adding heat to the seats. Never had much problem finding parking but then I can wiggly the truck into a tight space.
I wouldn't be so set on the Tundra ..........I think to some extent Toyota is coasting on their past reputation. There have been some first year issues such as snapping camshafts, torque convertor, cracking tailgates, drive shafts, bed bounce; enough issues to where a Toyota exec said he "felt shame". http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/05/toyota-tundra-woes-shame-automaker/ I owned an '84 Toyota 4x4 pickup and it was one of the best trucks I've owned so when I was shopping for a compact truck in the fall of 2002 , a Tacoma was high on my list. The Tacoma was a letdown- it screamed cheap. Sheeet metal bumper, orange peel paint. Add to that Toyota dealers seem to be an arrogant lot. Bought a Ford Ranger which I still drive- going on 95,000 miles and still on the original tires and brakes. I've been thinking about going back to a full size truck and have test driven the Tundra, F-150, and Silverado........ I think GM and Ford still do full size trucks better.
you've a Ranger at 95,000 miles with original tires and brakes?
now, i was ready to brag about my ford ranger, but that stat takes the cake...
i really like my 98 ranger- just a tune-up and tires so far. i'd have gotten the F150 if i lived in the burbs or beyond, but in the city the ranger is easy to park.toyotas and jap trucks are close to tin foil bodywork gettin' more like tanks...american trucks are more like tanks gettin closer to tin foil. but the u.s. trucks are quite good, though mileage could be better.Expert since 10 am.
jackplane
The smaller American trucks with V6's don't really get that much better mileage than small full sized trucks do (maybe 1 MPG)
Note small full sized.. that's not an oxymoran.. Regular cab not crew or extended cab and regular bed not extended or 8 foot bed. if you use either one your mileage drops by a significant amount.. roughly 2 MPG Get a fullsized regular cab shortbed and you get near small truck mileage and big truck durability.. (not to mention comfort)
my Ranger is 4 cylinder not 6. I like it. But yes a good high school track star could outrun it in a 40 yd dash.
I want to shellac it to increase the gloss...what do you think? spray or french polish?
Expert since 10 am.
The newer four bangers Ford uses have a little more oomph- they changed midway throught he 2001 model year. All aluminum DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder. MPG is good - 26mpg the last tankful I checked. The ethanol blend (E10) fuels they sell around here knock off a couple of mpgs vs MTBE blends. The mpg is a good thing; the jobsites have been pretty far away........ 130+ mile daily round trip. I'd looked at 4.0 V6 Ranger SuperCab but passed. Nice truck but an F-150 with a 5.4 V8 gets the same mileage. My one real complaint is space. My 6' 260lb+ frame fits fine in the regular cab but the 6' box w/cap or topper as they say around here is space challenged when I try to carry my miter saw and stand and jobsite saw and stand. It can be done but it's a bit like figuring out a Rubik's cube.
i'm pretty sure my '98 4 cyl. is cast iron not aluminum. and 2.5 litres. okay but i thought i'd get better mileage in the city, it's about 18 or so.but no complaints on reliability, and i've often hauled more weight than the leaf springs should allow...next truck will hopefully have front wheel drive, not sure if that's available.Expert since 10 am.