Work truck choice?

[Sarge 3,463]

I sold my beloved Land Cruiser, the old thing was really starting to rot and my physical condition just won't allow me to drive something like that for long distances to work anymore. Sad day, but it had to go.

 

Anyhow, time to find another "work truck". I've used Toyota's in the past due to their reliability and just plain well-built platform that lasts. I love my '14 Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab, but in all honesty, it's too nice to go to work. Using it the last year or so has really taken a toll on its paint and interior - looking pretty rough already and it only has 50k on it. Don't want to destroy it taking the thing to the crazy job sites I work on, just too much money tied up in the thing do that.

 

So, looking for something else. Considered going as low as a Rav4, but they are built more like a car than a truck and doubt it would last very long with that sort of beating. I like the Tacoma and had a sweet '08 but their V6 is a bit anemic and used prices on them are staggering considering what they are - a midsize gone too far. For the money, first generation Tundra pickups are pretty cheap and quietly one of the most reliable pickups built, a lot of other Tradesman I work with use them and beat 'em pretty hard with little regard to keeping them even decent, but they just keep going anyway. Sounds pretty decent to me as a low-slung car is out of the question for sure.

 

So, looking at local market '03-'05 Tundra extra cab pickups, a short box is fine at 6.5' for what I need. Prefer the 4.7L V8, mileage isn't bad and the extra towing torque is necessary.

Anyone own one and can report more on quirks or things to watch out for besides the basic visual stuff?

 

Sarge

[peter lena 8,580]

coming from Connecticut, with its brutal roads and penchant for road salt, I  would look for something that will allow you to regularly treat the enclosed rust areas. especially wheel arches and door  bottoms and back of cab enclosed areas. I use lubriplate chain and cable heavy spray , with terrific results. I also spray down underside as needed, NOT POWER WASH , that just overdoes the problem. has it had a recent electronic upgrade? typically a flash over to brings things up to date, todays trucks need that refresh. pete   

[clueless 2,976]

Sarge, I've got a 04 limited, with the 4.7, had it for 12 years, love this truck. My only complaint is gas mileage, 13 around town, 17 hwy, and if your towing anything over 2500 lbs forget about it, probably has a lot to do with the 3.93 rear. The 05 and 06 had more horses, and a 5 speed auto, and a little better gas mileage. I see many around here with over 300,000 miles on them still running fine. Mine is the extended cab, still haven't gotten use to the turning radius, still can't seen to park it square it a parking spot. Find one that has been maintained, you will be happy, happy. I believe they were rated as a 3/4 ton truck.

[wh500special 2,160]

If I ever buy a full size again, it will likely be a Toyota.  The resale value and reputation must be rooted in something.  Toyota has been slow to update and innovate on the Tundra but they have a consequent reputation as being very solid.  

 

You wont have problems with your local brothers if you buy a Toyota and drive it to a jobsite, will you?

 

My cousin, an ironworker, had to give up his toyota since it kept getting vandalized and having nasty notes left on it by his union mates who thought it being non-union built was a problem and conflict of philosophy.    He went to a Ford then a Chevy to keep the peace.  

 

I dont know how widespread this is or if it was just a localized thing, but the bulk of his work is with laborers and other ironworkers and we’re not that far away from you.     

 

Just something to consider...

 

Steve

[Sarge 3,463]

I've never had that problem with driving a "foreign" truck on job sites, especially after I point out all the imported parts on my fellow worker's vehicles. The old 40 series just automatically got respect - flat fenders, straight six and an iconic legend that goes with it, no one ever said anything that wasn't good about it. Toyota has been widely accepted by most of the Union folks with an earned reputation for quality and reliability, that goes a long way. Besides, some of the legendary bad decisions by the US Big 3 has left most of us with a bad taste. Showing up in "the wife's car" happens often enough they rarely ever say little about owning something Japanese. Up around the City, it's a bit different as there are more of the hardcore crowd, but even those have come to understand build quality really means something, especially when their stuff starts falling apart. I did catch a bit of flak about the Taco for a while on a job due to it being a "cute midsize", but it more than proved itself by pulling out 3/4 ton trucks that got stuck on the job due to the electric rear locker and one GM that exploded the Gov-loc trying to do the same task.

 

One reason Toyota is always slow to update is their approach to engineering - they don't like re-tooling constantly and value their reputation for reliability more than anything else. If it isn't broke, they don't fix it nor do they think constant upgrades are the path to winning sales, either. To this day - interiors still look outdated, boring and pretty spartan, but the fit and finish are there and it is rare when things fail. One place they have failed in my opinion is to bring the modern diesel to the US market - that is a really serious mistake. The current Land Cruiser tray back pickup is one of the best built on the planet and gets some truly staggering fuel economy numbers while being able to easily pull a house. Still true to its heritage, the modern Land Cruiser is built like an industrial truck and meant to be serviced rather than replaced for a minimum of 500,000 miles. Durability is the reason Toyota hasn't entered the horsepower race until recently - to them it's a sacrifice that could damage their reputation. The one place they have lagged behind is in fuel mileage on their truck line and that has always been pretty sub-par. SUV's are even worse. You can get nice used Land Cruisers and Sequoias really cheap in near perfect condition but the mileage is going to hurt, a lot.

 

Going to call today on a 2003 Tundra extra cab 4x4, 187k on the clock and a price that is worth looking into - a small dealer in Villa Park has it. Hoping it didn't come out of the Auction, I'll find out when researching the history on it. Met a guy a while back that drove a pilot car for oversized loads with an '02 Tundra - had a little over 600,000 miles on the 4.7L and no major repairs to date. I look more at the mechanical build of a vehicle and the platform more than anything else, the Tundra has a heavy ladder frame and still uses the same basic HD rear axle - you could as an option easily swap in the Land Cruiser's locking differential, lol. I want something that is pretty bulletproof, the dog can ride around in and take the abuse of going to construction sites day after day while tolerating the daily mad dash to and from work during the season. Hoping this Tundra is as good as it looks, taking my creeper as I always do if I go look at it - salesman really hate that, lol.

 

Sarge