Time for a new used truck - Recommendations

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I think that it is time for a new used truck.  I am thinking about getting a Toyota Tundra.  I have had really good luck with Toyota products. 

 

Maybe a 2007 or newer.  Price, I don't know, depends on the deal. 

 

Adjustable pedals would be nice as I am tall and my wife is very petite. 

 

Any recommendations? 

 

A buddy is telling me to get a Chevy, but I owned several muscle cars in the past and have a Ford Ranger that I have babied and I can't get past the lack of quality in the older cars (sorry guys).  Things would have had to really change for me to get another American truck. 

[kevinmi]

I spent 24 years with General Motors, the last 13 building trucks. I bought a brand new 2014 GMC Sierra with a Sticker price of $41,500. I have had 7 recalls and 2 "recommended" issues to be resolved at my expense. At 30,000 miles, it decided to intermittently drain the battery. Dealership solution is to swap out parts until the problem goes away. 

  I can't conscientiously recommend buying a foreign truck while drawing a pension from GM, but..... 

[hanksjim1]

Toyota

[polizzio]

Toyota.

 

Met an older gentleman a few years back who had 450,000+ miles on his Toy truck. Was trading it in because he couldn't get the sparkplugs out of the cylinder head. 4 cylinder 22R.

Most people get tired of looking at their Toyota before it wears out, if properly maintained and serviced.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I have an almost mint condition 1996 Lexus LS 400.  

 

I was stuck in a traffic jam for over three hours a few years ago in July where the temps were 110+ degrees (closer to 120 in the asphalt).  The AC never stopped blowing cold.  The valve covers have never been off and the AC never services or recharged.  I like Toyotas. 

 

I just maintain it very well.  I took it in for a smog check and the mechanic went crazy.  he could not believe the car.  He said that he could not recommend any service and that has never happened.  All of the fluids looked like new and everything was clean.  I told him that he did not check the tranny or rear end but those fluids had also been flushed recently. 

[ClaudeJ1]

I worked with a GM electronics engineer for about a year in another company. He told me that GM uses Toyota Camry as their Quality benchmark vehicle. Right behind Ford, Chevy, and Dodge pickups, it's the 4th best selling vehicle in America, so I suspect their TRUCKS have the same quality!!

 

I sold my 2011 Toyota Camry that I got from my daughter (her company car) at 126,000 miles, put another 100,000 on it and sold it to a local Mechanic that obviously knew what he was doing.

 

It got replaced by a 2013 model with the same number of miles (she didn't drive as much, but they get rid of cars after 5 year depreciation). Stiffer ride, more plastic BS under the body, but otherwise same quality class. It's a 4 banger and I can haul my 5x8 trailer with it whenever I need to pick up or deliver big Klipsch speakers!!

 

Her new company vehicle is an Audi, which I may not buy because it's not a Toyota!! (She works for a German company).

[tigerwoodKhorns]

 

I was dragged to a Carmax once (against my will, I only do private party sales) and they told me that they can only issue a warranty on a vehicle with 75k miles if it is a Toyota or a Honda product.  The warranty underwriters know better than anyone. 

 

I guess a Toyota Tundra it is.  Any particular model or ear that I should be seeking?

[polizzio]

For the record, I purchased a new 2012 Camaro V-6 auto after my 2011 Toyota Camry was drowned in Hurricane Isaac 8/29/12 @ 1100 sitting in my garage (I have pics). I don't put many miles on my vehicle @ this juncture of my life, it currently has approx 66,000 miles and other than tires and a battery it hasn't given me one single reason to return to the dealership. I still do oil and filter replacements myself and a local tire shop does the periodic tire rotations. Shoot, I still wash my car by hand in the driveway, and clay it/wax it once a year.

 

But I have owned 2 Toyota trucks (1986 and 1989 models) in the past and a couple of their cars. The Camry has been the number one selling sedan in America for 5 or 6 years. Toyota has a reputation for building quality vehicles, data and customer satisfaction that cannot be disputed.

 

This wasn't always the case tho. When I first met my soon to be wife in 1978, she was driving a 1972 Toyota 4 door Corrolla and the dealership used to do valve jobs on her car with the frequency I replace the tires on my Camaro. There clearly was a learning curve with the early Toyotas, but they did refine and re-engineer their products quite quickly. 

 

And my 1989 Toyota Extra cab 2 wheel drive pickup I also purchased new had marginal brakes, was noted for this in reviews on line years later by other owners, and reliability data. I had a pretty light boat and trailer I pulled behind it every now and then and that truck struggled to stop when pulling my boat and trailer. I mean struggled. It was downright dangerous at times. When I towed the boat, I drove slowly and left plenty of room. It was an accident just waiting to happen really.

[polizzio]

2 hours ago, tigerwoodKhorns said:

I guess a Toyota Tundra it is. 

 

Get this, on FB just a few days ago we were having a discussion on the Toyota Tundra because a couple guys I used to work with have Tundras. Some other guy was saying they should be buying American......so I quickly searched and the Tundra is designed in Cali, engineered in MI, and manufactured/assembled in AL and TX. He shut up pronto

 

Here is an article on the "American" Tundra: https://www.toyotawarsaw.com/blog/tundra-vs-ram-silverado-titan-sierra/?fbclid=IwAR257hcqsLcx9RblwWwEl1V4YwaCwd9JICC5h7qAyi3h9j41oDYvC99McYg

[JJkizak]

1 hour ago, ClaudeJ1 said:

I worked with a GM electronics engineer for about a year in another company. He told me that GM uses Toyota Camry as their Quality benchmark vehicle. Right behind Ford, Chevy, and Dodge pickups, it's the 4th best selling vehicle in America, so I suspect their TRUCKS have the same quality!!

 

I sold my 2011 Toyota Camry that I got from my daughter (her company car) at 126,000 miles, put another 100,000 on it and sold it to a local Mechanic that obviously knew what he was doing.

 

It got replaced by a 2013 model with the same number of miles (she didn't drive as much, but they get rid of cars after 5 year depreciation). Stiffer ride, more plastic BS under the body, but otherwise same quality class. It's a 4 banger and I can haul my 5x8 trailer with it whenever I need to pick up or deliver big Klipsch speakers!!

 

Her new company vehicle is an Audi, which I may not buy because it's not a Toyota!! (She works for a German company).

 

Too bad that GM didn't listen to Demming before he was forced to go to Japan and they listened and adapted his manufacturing procedures. Japan has now erected a Demming statue for his contributions.

JJK

[CECAA850]

If you get a Tacoma, be sure to get one prior to 2016.

[Tarheel]

45 minutes ago, CECAA850 said:

If you get a Tacoma, be sure to get one prior to 2016.

To late Carl it's already 2019.

[BigStewMan]

.

[ClaudeJ1]

2 hours ago, JJkizak said:

 

Too bad that GM didn't listen to Demming before he was forced to go to Japan and they listened and adapted his manufacturing procedures. Japan has now erected a Demming statue for his contributions.

JJK

Yes, and Dr. Genichi Taguchi, among others received the Deming award, which is the highest prize for Quality Engineering in Japan. The "Harvard 49ers" were the victims of their own opacity! They also didn't listen to Ross Perot.

[dirtmudd]

7 hours ago, tigerwoodKhorns said:

I think that it is time for a new used truck.  I am thinking about getting a Toyota Tundra.  I have had really good luck with Toyota products. 

 

Maybe a 2007 or newer.  Price, I don't know, depends on the deal. 

 

Adjustable pedals would be nice as I am tall and my wife is very petite. 

 

Any recommendations? 

 

A buddy is telling me to get a Chevy, but I owned several muscle cars in the past and have a Ford Ranger that I have babied and I can't get past the lack of quality in the older cars (sorry guys).  Things would have had to really change for me to get another American truck. 

 

[CECAA850]

1 hour ago, Tarheel said:

To late Carl it's already 2019.

I should have said prior to year model 2016.

[Edgar]

1 hour ago, ClaudeJ1 said:

Yes, and Dr. Genichi Taguchi, among others received the Deming award, which is the highest prize for Quality Engineering in Japan.

 

Yeah, we tried TQM where I worked in the late 1980s. One of the basic tenets is that everybody has the authority and responsibility to call attention to any quality problems that arise. It degenerated into management blaming anything and everything that went wrong on their subordinates.

[babadono]

8 minutes ago, Edgar said:

is that everybody has the authority and responsibility to call attention to any quality problems

When "everybody" is in charge of quality, "nobody" is.

[Ceptorman]

There are certain model years of the Tundra that should be avoided, frame rust and alignment issues. I don't know what year or model. You can do a search for any vehicle and find enough complaints that it would keep you from ever considering purchasing one. It's all a crap shoot. 

[tigerwoodKhorns]

1 hour ago, CECAA850 said:

I should have said prior to year model 2016.

 

Is this because of the direct port injection and soot issues?