elnido

I never thought I would consider selling my T-100. It still looks perfect. It still drives perfect. The only thing I don't dig is the gas mileage compared to the 4.7L V8 of the Tundra. Less power (for mountain passes), and slightly worse gas mileage (17mpg no matter how hard I try). I wouldn't want to tow much with it either. And it has 184K on it which is nothing in the grand scheme of things. But...Now that Tundra's are a little older they have become affordable to me. I'm finding most of them in the 2000-2002 range to have 120k-160k. These are the model years I am most interested in (looks,price). I found one that looks great with 150k on it for under $9k Should I hold out for one with less miles and pay more? Would you make the switch? Anything about 2000-2002 tundra's I should be warned about? What may be a big repair at this mileage? Anyone over regret the switch? Is the 4.7L V8 as solid as the 3.4L V6 in the long run? Is the iForce engine the same thing as the 4.7L V8? I may even sell my small car and make this the DD to save on 2 insurance bills. I'm about to go drive one. Thoughts?

dibble9012

I have an 05 Tundra, great vehicle. Lots of power.

I have heard that the older Tundra's had brake problems (warped rotors). Other than that they are pretty solid, mileage should not matter too much. I have almost 85k miles on my truck and it's never been in the shop for repairs, and I do all my maintenance myself. Make sure the timing belt service was done, and if you don't know go ahead and replace it. The Tundra has an interference engine which means if your timing belt breaks, lots of $$$$.

What's your price range? Because of the economy you could probably get a newer 1st generation access or double cab for a rather cheap price. That is if you want or need the extra space. Spend a lot of time searching. I bought my truck for an AWESOME price while the economy was still good, you just have to take your time looking. I laugh when I drive by and see the exact same truck I have now for sale at the price or higher than I bought my truck at.

ozziesironmanoffroad

also, be sure the recall on it was done.

scuba

Nick...What recall ?

elnido

[QUOTE=dibble9012;50996094]I have an 05 Tundra, great vehicle. Lots of power.

"I have heard that the older Tundra's had brake problems (warped rotors). Other than that they are pretty solid, mileage should not matter too much. I have almost 85k miles on my truck and it's never been in the shop for repairs, and I do all my maintenance myself. Make sure the timing belt service was done, and if you don't know go ahead and replace it. The Tundra has an interference engine which means if your timing belt breaks, lots of $$$$.""



Thanks for the feedback. So the V8 is an interference engine? Knowing my 5VZFE wan non-interference gave me great peice of mind. Im thinking under 10k if I keep my Forester which gets great gas mileage. (In which case I should just keep the T100 too as parking space is not a problem.) I do fully insure both (Denver) and am considering getting back to one vehicle instead of servicing/insuring two. I am considering this while both vehicles I do own have somewhat of a resale value.
How big of a job is fixing the warping rotors. Is it a one time fix, other than regular wear and tear?
What recall should I ask about?

VSU_4runnin

My dad has an 04... dont get an 04... 05 and newer, except for the 1st year in the redesign.. like all toyota products are buggy. My dad and I broke the ring gear in the rear diff driving over a CURB. not a giant @$$ bump at full throttle, turning in a parking lot and curbing it on a small 5 in. curb... NOTCOVERED $1500 then 3 weeks later the overdrive sensor went out Not Covered $600 then 1 week later the transmission went out.... 45THOUSANDMILES... waaaay too much.. so we went in and complained every week cause none of this was covered by wurantee and got a $500 check from corperate as compensation..... This truck was never limited out, never hauled more than a dresser, never towed anything, never taken off road.. now when it is cold or we turn tight the rear diff makes a popping noise that can be heard and felt...... Aftewr all this.. we would STILL buy a tundra any day of the week

zlathim

From what I can gather, the calipers on the older tundras are not big enough. The fix is to replace them with 04 or newer calipers. This requires trimming the backing plates and new hard brake lines, but it seems pretty easy. I have a 2000 AC 4x4, but I have not done the upgrade yet.

fluvialmotion

BTW Far as I know the 4.7 doesn't get better fuel milage. As much as I would love a first gen Tundra (I'm looking for the right priced one as well)for more towing capability and a bit more luxury. I doubt I ever turn loose of my 95' extra cab t100. I'll probably drop another motor in her if mine ever does quit. To my knowledge the 4.7l Tundra's only got between 14-17 mpg. And I've heard that the 2uz(4.7) is nearly as bullet proof as the 5vz-fe(3.4). What kind of driving conditions do you only get 17mpg in your t100?

My 95' extracab sr5 4wd, AT, t100 gets 17 around town and usually around 20 mpg on a long trip. However that is on 04' tundra 17" wheels with
235x70r17 all terrain tires, elbow removed, resonator(intake silencer)removed, good plugs and wires, and at least 87 octane gas. Of course hopefully I can still improve on that milage this next trip in week or so (to the in-laws for christmas). I plan on a lightweight tonneau, drop in high flow filter, and a "ram air" cold air inlet I have dreamed up for long trips(similar to the deckplate mod on older toyota's. We'll see what happens.

I know trucks can be a bit different but this last tank of gas I ran through had probably 80 miles of aggresive passing and driving(spun the tires even), 100 miles in 4wd in various conditions, some stop and go and idle/warm up time(its like 18 degrees right now) and 40 miles of white out/blizzard 15 mph
4wd driving. plus the average driving and I got 18.6 mpg.

I think what helps the most is the taller light rims with a taller narrower tire. Over all If I remember right im running rubber that is about 3/4" taller and an inch narrower the stock size. Which translates to less rolling resistance and better traction and a slightly reduced(very slight) rpm at cruising speed. plus the Tundra 17" rims and tires lighten up the whole wheel/tire combined weight because rubber out-weighs the aluminum. So by going 2" over stock on the wheels we reduce that amount of rubber on the walls of the tire for the whole circumference inside and outside.

btw Sorry for the thread highjack back to your original question. I don't own one but I want to get a tundra and just like you I am seeing them come down to under $9K, I've even seen some with like 160k miles for under $7k! I'm going to try and hold out for a limited leather with 80k-100k because I figure i will get that much more value out of it for not much more money

Carl

fluvialmotion

I forgot to mention I'm running a 50 series flowmaster exhaust. I kept to stock 2.5" size except the tips are 3". It's not an ideal setup because flowmaster didn't have a single 2.5" inlet and 2.5" outlet muffler when I built my setup. They only had a 3" in and dual 2.5" out so I had to use a 2.5" to 3" adapter on the inlet so I could match up to my stock exhaust system. I forgot to mention this in my earlier post because I don't really attribute any milage gains the exhaust system. I just like the noise and when I need to get on the gas and go it does seem to gain rpms a bit faster than before.

Carl

nix4x4

I have an 02 with 125k miles. This truck runs very strong. However, I have never seen a 17 mpg average. More like 14-15. Not great, but hey you're buying a pickup so get off the fuel mileage thing. The brakes suck... I've always been able to stop, but I don't like feeling uncomfortable about it and I sometimes do in the Tundra.

150k for $9,000? Go for it if it's in good shape. I paid $11,500 last year for mine with 112k at the time. It was in immaculate shape. Don't wory about the 4.7, its a great engine. The trannys are tried and true, and so long as you understand the truck's limitations, you won't have a problem.

btw, the ride quality is amazing!

86tuning

The uz series engines are pretty bulletproof. Timing belt isn't a big deal. STARTER is a big deal though.

If I ever get my own, I'd build it up like 01Tundra's on pirate 4x4.