My Toyota cherry

"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti) 01/18/2020 at 00:40 • Filed to: None

10

13

Has been popped.

2001 Tundra SR5. Four door, 4wd, 200k miles. Been in CA and AZ its whole life, so shitty clear coat, cracked plastic, but no rust. Ugly wheels are ugly, but not as bad in person. 2-3” spacer lift. Cloth interior which is insanely clean. No rips, tears or stains anywhere and plenty of bolster in the seats. Bit of wear on the driver armrest, but that’s about it. Gonna make my kids ride in the bed.

Was originally looking at Tacos and 4runners, but beat to hell and 2wd  examples seemed to be going for the same price as cared for Tundras. Some of the nicer ones were going for Land Cruiser money. I figured if I was going to spend $5-6k, I might as well get a cared for V8.

HHFP described this transmission to a T. Shifts and gearing feel very similar to the TH350 in my ‘66 GMC. It’s an old school “I’m just here to shift gears” transmission. If you want fuel economy, don’t buy a V8. Engine is buttery smooth with a nice growl. The powertrain characteristics are actually very similar to my old GMC. Perfectly content just putting around at 1,200 RPM putting no effort in at all, and will downshift into hell when you need it to wake up, with the initial torque making it feel like it’s a lot more powerful than it is.

Timing belt was done 5k miles ago. Service records indicate the PO spent around $5k over the last two years replacing wear items and performing maintenance, so I should be good on the big ticket items. Came with two Toyota service manuals as well. As the owner of BMW and Chrysler products, I couldn’t believe there aren’t any leaks or even damp spots.

This is the most I’ve ever spent on a car this old with this many miles, but I think its well worth it based on how this thing has held up over the last two decades. Taking it camping tomorrow, for its baptism.

Pretty cool that it’s an American made truck with Japanese levels of quality.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > DipodomysDeserti 01/18/2020 at 00:47

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It seems odd to find Tu ndra in Arizona...

Can  we call it Rudolph?

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > DipodomysDeserti 01/18/2020 at 00:49

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Congrats!

DipodomysDeserti > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 01/18/2020 at 01:04

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Heeyyooohhhh!

Maybe Rudy?

How’s the weather holding up?

DipodomysDeserti > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 01/18/2020 at 01:09

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Thanks!

IJustWantMyZBack > DipodomysDeserti 01/18/2020 at 01:47

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Had a 01 SR5 Access Cab, bought with 166k sold with 198k. Only things that broke were the interior driver door handle and auto shifter bushing. Door handle came from rockauto or a mazon. Bushing from www.bushingfix.com . Solid trucks that functioned as trucks. 

wafflesnfalafel > DipodomysDeserti 01/18/2020 at 01:53

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nice - congrats. ( I’ve been trying to buy my dad’s for several years and he hasn’t given it up. :)

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > DipodomysDeserti 01/18/2020 at 02:10

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Rudy ! Might as well call it Donald...

As for the weather...the rain has...not happened. We’ve missed out [others fortunately have not] . On the upside, we are neither hot nor threatened with fire...

M.T. Blake > DipodomysDeserti 01/18/2020 at 03:24

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Congrats! Best to start with a cheap vehicle rather than jump into a payment if you’re not totally sure.

My cheap 4Runner was my jump in Toyota’s. I’ve ended up becoming a fan. Loving my 2020 Tacoma.

Hopefully you enjoy your truck, but if you don’t you won’t lose too much money launching it to the next owner.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > DipodomysDeserti 01/18/2020 at 03:32

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but thats a tundra

this a cherry

its not even a yota..... silly dipodomy

:p

shop-teacher > DipodomysDeserti 01/18/2020 at 08:10

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Solid purchase!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > DipodomysDeserti 01/18/2020 at 09:22

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Congratulations! It’s a good color and a V8, so it will last forever with maintenance. The cloth interior might be a plus, since the leatherette on this era does not hold up well. The back seat is passable for adults (but don’t road trip back there, from experience) too.

The TRD adds fender flares and a wider track width, but the SR5s are still much better than the lower spec ones.

Thing to be careful of: the knobs will break off the interior climate controls; you can order new ones easily if that happens.

DipodomysDeserti > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/18/2020 at 10:13

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Thanks. I prefer cloth on all my vehicles. Leather doesn’t hold up well in our climate, plus it makes me sweat a lot.

Thanks for the heads up on the knobs. The kiddos and dog will be the only ones in the back, and this will be a step up from a two door wrangler.

Nothing > DipodomysDeserti 01/18/2020 at 10:58

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I  really liked my ‘02 that I bought new. Only sold it because I got laid off from work. Congrats on the new ride!