I think I made my truck decision

"The Stig's Missourian Cousin" (zachelliott)
08/30/2017 at 21:45 • Filed to: None

Back in June, I wrote about my truck search and how I test drove a GMC Canyon as part of that. Well after this weekend, I’ve decided to go a new direction and I think i’m pretty happy with it. This last weekend I took a trip to Table Rock Lake and went camping. We rented a trailer that weighed 3k lbs and I towed it behind my Tahoe. The Tahoe did OK, but it certainly struggled, especially on hills. Sure I could nearly punch it and make the engine sing and maintain speed, but it certainly made it more difficult.

So I realized perhaps a full size truck is really the way to go. I don’t plan on towing a lot, but I want to be able to tow anything I want in case !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! decides to buy a Dodge Dakota convertible and a Corvair at the same time and needs help getting them home, to where he will inevitably live in them, because his girlfriend will kick him out.

I started looking on Autotrader.com/Oversteer. No. Damnit. Not oversteer. Curse you Doug. Just regular Autotrader. I decided to decrease my budget. If i’m not buying a new full size truck, there’s no point in paying new truck money. So I dropped my budget to $20k. I found some GM trucks, some Fords, etc. But then I also found some Tundras. Realizing I like the Tundra, I started looking harder. Turns out, you can get a Tundra from 2010-2012 with 70k miles or so for $20k. If i’m gonna buy a truck for $20k, i’m gonna buy a Toyota. I know mechanically a GM truck would do fine, but the interior would become a rattletrap very quickly from all the plastic appointments.

I test drove one today. It was a 2012 with 75k on it in CrewMax configuration. They wanted $25k for it, which is more than I want to pay obviously, but not needing 4x4 (Everyone in Kansas City thinks we live in Minnesota and thinks they need 4x4 so all the dealers have them) I think I can get a similar truck for the same price, just have to go to Oklahoma or Texas (just not Houston for a while). It was fantastic. The truck was tight, it drove amazing, and it didn’t feel like a truck with 75k on it.

Probably will still wait a few more months, need to get more of the Tahoe paid off first, but I am pretty sure this is the right decision. What do you guys think?

DISCUSSION (22)

vicali > The Stig's Missourian Cousin
08/30/2017 at 22:23

I would be in a Tundra except that I daily drive and park underground.. the Tacoma is perfect 90% of the time- only toeing our trailer makes me want a big v8.

The Stig's Missourian Cousin > vicali
08/30/2017 at 22:25

Yea this wouldn’t be my daily (I daily a Jetta 1.4T) so MPG isn’t a huge deal. My garage should be tight with the truck. I think i’m just gonna make it with the mirrors. Height wise I should be OK too. Providing the measurements online are right....

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > The Stig's Missourian Cousin
08/30/2017 at 22:25

If you can get one with a back up camera I 100% recommend that. My dad has a ‘14 Tundra(first year with the lines) but that truck would be impossible to park without it. It’s a fantastic truck, just big. Very, very big.

The Stig's Missourian Cousin > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars
08/30/2017 at 22:28

Backup cam will be the first modification made if it doesn’t come with one. The 2012 I drove today had one, but they’re easy enough to retrofit. I put one on my Tahoe and I don’t know how I lived without it. Hooking up a trailer is just so much easier.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > The Stig's Missourian Cousin
08/30/2017 at 22:34

Make sure you ghetto rig some lines. You could park a 1970s Cadillac ina dog house if you have lines to guide you in.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > The Stig's Missourian Cousin
08/30/2017 at 22:46

I had a 2010 Tundra and hated it. Made it just over a year before trading it on an F150. Still have the 2011 F150 and still love that truck.

The Stig's Missourian Cousin > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
08/30/2017 at 22:48

Why did you hate it?

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
08/31/2017 at 00:02

Really? I drove a 2007 Tundra 4x4 5.7 for 2 years for work and loved it.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > The Stig's Missourian Cousin
08/31/2017 at 00:09

Powerstroke. Wont even feel a trailer until it weights 10k

TheRealBicycleBuck > The Stig's Missourian Cousin
08/31/2017 at 05:45

My father-in-law had one which he loved. He lost it just a few weeks ago when a woman in a newer tundra blew a stop sign. He t-boned her, but her bed caught the front of his truck and put enough sideways force on it to bend the frame. She wasn’t going fast, so I was surprised there was enough damage to total it.

Overall, I wasn’t fond of it anyway. It felt like an oversized Camry instead of a truck.

adamftw > The Stig's Missourian Cousin
08/31/2017 at 07:05

Just watch for rust.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > The Stig's Missourian Cousin
08/31/2017 at 08:28

There were a ton of little things that added up, along with a few big things. I can’t even remember all the little annoyances, but it got to the point that every time I got in the truck something else just grated on my nerves. The big issues I have with I can list:

- Mileage was abysmal. Worse than my 2002 GMC.

- The ride was worse than the GMC.

- The throttle was ridiculously sensitive at low speeds. If you were accelerating from a stop on a bumpy section of road you would end up jerking back and forth just from your foot moving from road bumps causing you to get on and off the throttle.

- The nearest dealer was 2 hours away and had terrible service. The first oil change was free, so I scheduled it for a day that I was travelling through the area. It took them 3-4 hours to complete a simple oil change. This was 2 hours into an 8 hour drive.

- For the second oil change I took it to the local oil change that I’ve used for years. “Sorry, we can’t do that now. You need to schedule these ahead of time and we charge an extra $50 since we need to remove the skid plate.” That can’t be so bad to remove, I’ll do it myself and come back tomorrow. The skid plate has something like 10 bolts that are three different sizes. After one midwest winter 2 or 3 of the bolts stripped getting them out. That was the final straw and on my way home from the oil change I stopped at the local Ford dealer to see what I could get on trade for it.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
08/31/2017 at 08:31

There were a ton of little annoyances I had with it, but the major ones came down to terrible fuel economy and oil changes. Since you were driving it for work I’m assuming work was paying for fuel and oil changes which would have eliminated most of my major dislikes for the truck.

More details on my dislikes here: http://oppositelock.kinja.com/1798658703

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
08/31/2017 at 08:50

Hmm.

1) I got close to 17 often, but it dropped to 15 or lower over time...

2) Never had that problem on mine.

3) I won’t act like the ride quality was impressive.

4) wtf?

5) wtf?!?

That dealer sounds like butt-ass.

The Stig's Missourian Cousin > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
08/31/2017 at 09:45

Mileage isn’t a major concern. i’m not daily driving this, and i’m used to bad mileage in my Tahoe. If I can pull close to 17 on the highway i’m fine.

The ride seemed fine on the one I drove, but it’s a truck. Sure some trucks do have better rides than others, but my expectations are pretty low.

I have 4 or 5 dealers within 45 minutes of me, so service won’t be an issue.

The Stig's Missourian Cousin > adamftw
08/31/2017 at 09:46

I’m pretty sure that was only an issue on the Tacos and the older Tundras (checked. Yep. 2000-2003. I’m not going that old)

The Stig's Missourian Cousin > TheRealBicycleBuck
08/31/2017 at 09:48

I’ll admit the interior is a bit dated, but it still feels like a truck to me. I didn’t think I would like the floor shifter, but I actually really liked it. If I can, i’m gonna try to find a column shifter model, but I won’t hesitate to buy one with the floor shifter.

The Stig's Missourian Cousin > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time
08/31/2017 at 09:48

Can’t really afford a Powerstroke. I looked at HD trucks and for my budget I just can’t do it unless it has an absolute shit-ton of miles on it.

adamftw > The Stig's Missourian Cousin
08/31/2017 at 11:43

Nope. TSBs and recalls on 07-08 Tundras; frame, bumpers, bed, etc.

The Stig's Missourian Cousin > adamftw
08/31/2017 at 12:40

Oh i’m looking at 2010+ Tundras. Not looking at older ones simply for ease of getting financing and such.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > The Stig's Missourian Cousin
08/31/2017 at 16:42

ah well dang. i have a 99 that i love

The Stig's Missourian Cousin > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time
08/31/2017 at 16:57

If I was going to be towing all the time, i’d be looking for HD. But since i’m just doing occasional towing, having a truck that’s also a comfy daily driver and has some nice features is what i’m after.