2000 Tundra build....or not to build

[trouthead]

So here's a question nobody can answer but me, but I wanted to hear some opinions or experiences...

I'm the original owner of a 2000 4x4 Tundra 4.7 with 235k miles on it. After beating my head on a wall by owning a Ford and Dodge diesel, I'm now considering sinking money into the Tundra. It's been the most dependable car I've owned. I've done all the known maintenance services (replaced water pump, timing belt, etc.) and it runs great today.

So is it worth it to put money into a truck with 235k miles? Or, do I just go buy another one with less miles on it?

Thanks.

 

[HighPlains]

Other than the high mileage does the truck in question have any issues that havent already been addressed?

 

[AaronK]

Is it strictly an adventure rig or does it need to serve DD duty too?

Sent from my OnePlus One using Tapatalk.

 

[wrenchMonkey_]

Whats the end goal? DD? Expo?

I love my 06 DC Tundra. Great shape. Bulletproof and reliable, but with a 6000lb max towing capacity, which will go down with the more Expo stuff I put on it, part of me wants to not sink anymore money into it. I want to put about $5000 it. ARB rear locker, armor, underhood air compressor, Fox shocks front and rear and a new spring pack. Thats just vehicle specific stuff.

But part of me thinks I should keep it for a winter beater, buy a old LC or 4Runner and turn it into a dedicated Expo and then get older Diesel for towing duty if and when I need it. As much as I love the pickup with a bed and cap for a Expo / DD rig, as I get older part of me thinks having a SUV to fit my dogs in the back and inside accesable storage would work best for me.

Life is a game of ballances. And as much as I'd rather dump all my money into my toys, I do want to retire early so I enjoy having my money invested more.

 

[trouthead]

No other issues. Everything else is in great shape.

 

[trouthead]

It needs to serve DD as well.

 

[dman93]

Everyone's got an opinion so I'll toss mine in. I am in a similar situation, with a T100 with 185K miles that was needing some deferred work. In many ways it feels like an old truck ... worn seats, rough ride, mediocre brakes, and no modern luxury gadgets or safety features. But the motor and trans and 4wd bits seem strong, body is straight. So I decided to get new balljoints and replaced shocks, brakes, and a few suspension bits. Now it rides, steers and stops so much better. Next step is to re-upholster the seats or replace with better buckets, as the all-day comfort is pretty poor for those long road miles to get out of the Bay Area. But overall, for less than a few farkles on a newer truck, i feel like i have something that will last a long time and work well. I've never driven a Gen 1 Tundra, but I think it has the same inherent values as the T100 - a good size and great quality. Unless you need more inside space or more towing capacity, or are building a desert racer or rock crawler. Although I'm sometimes tempted by more civilized vehicles (the new Honda Ridgeline is appealing), if I had to buy a new real truck to replace my T100 I'd seriously consider a Gen 1 Tundra. A slightly larger T100 with a V8 and Access Cab with rear doors - what's not to like?

 

[HighPlains]

If there is nothing wrong with it I would be inclined to build the one you have/the one you know the history of than trade it out for one with an unknown history just because it has fewer miles to do the exact same thing with.

 

[Arclight]

Everyone's got an opinion so I'll toss mine in. I am in a similar situation, with a T100 with 185K miles that was needing some deferred work. In many ways it feels like an old truck ... worn seats, rough ride, mediocre brakes, and no modern luxury gadgets or safety features. But the motor and trans and 4wd bits seem strong, body is straight. So I decided to get new balljoints and replaced shocks, brakes, and a few suspension bits. Now it rides, steers and stops so much better. Next step is to re-upholster the seats or replace with better buckets, as the all-day comfort is pretty poor for those long road miles to get out of the Bay Area. But overall, for less than a few farkles on a newer truck, i feel like i have something that will last a long time and work well. I've never driven a Gen 1 Tundra, but I think it has the same inherent values as the T100 - a good size and great quality. Unless you need more inside space or more towing capacity, or are building a desert racer or rock crawler. Although I'm sometimes tempted by more civilized vehicles (the new Honda Ridgeline is appealing), if I had to buy a new real truck to replace my T100 I'd seriously consider a Gen 1 Tundra. A slightly larger T100 with a V8 and Access Cab with rear doors - what's not to like?

I'm with Dman on this one as well. I have a '97 T100 in very good shape. I paid about $6,500 for it, and spent about $2K rebuilding the motor. For what you save in interest and depreciation compared to a new truck, you can afford a lot of reupholstered door panels, ball joints, etc. Plus it's cheap to register and insure. For me, it's at the bottom-end of "modern comfort and safety," but worlds ahead of slightly older rigs and "good enough" for the long trips I take it on.

If it's to remain a daily driver, I would suggest going easy on suspension mods and crazy tires.

Arclight

 

[dyogim]

The money you put into the current rig, is it for upgrades or maintenance? If upgrades, you'd be spending the same money on the newer vehicle as well. I say, keep your current rig.

My better half asked me if I wanted to trade my 2000 tundra for a 2nd gen and I refused. I told her that the 2nd Gen has more sheet metal to damage.

 

[mbrewer]

It depends how much more milage you think you can get out of it. Old tundra's are surprisingly cheap.
In your shoes I would start by calculating how many more miles you think you can get out of the truck. Compare that to other options based on long-term cost.

Just do out the math. Lets say your current truck is salable for 5k, you want 5k of mods. That's 10k. Say it lasts 50k more miles (just as an example). That's 20 cents per mile.
Lets say you can buy a tundra with 100k on it for 10k, add 5k of mods. 15k. Say that'll last for 200k more miles. That's 7.5 cents per mile. That assumes no loans etc. of course, nor expected cost to fix up a used vehicle, which is always a few thousand. You should include any and all costs involved in the two vehicles. Maintenance, etc. to get a fair comparison, but I bet if you run the numbers out you'll get a very clear answer.

But... In general you want to put your mods on as early in a trucks life as you can. I understand why you are asking, and I'd be pretty hesitant myself. I wanted an old tacoma for my truck, and I spent a lot and worked hard to find a low milage one, because I realized buying higher milage truck and sinking money into building it was a false economy.

 

[trouthead]

It depends how much more milage you think you can get out of it. Old tundra's are surprisingly cheap.
In your shoes I would start by calculating how many more miles you think you can get out of the truck. Compare that to other options based on long-term cost.

Just do out the math. Lets say your current truck is salable for 5k, you want 5k of mods. That's 10k. Say it lasts 50k more miles (just as an example). That's 20 cents per mile.
Lets say you can buy a tundra with 100k on it for 10k, add 5k of mods. 15k. Say that'll last for 200k more miles. That's 7.5 cents per mile. That assumes no loans etc. of course, nor expected cost to fix up a used vehicle, which is always a few thousand. You should include any and all costs involved in the two vehicles. Maintenance, etc. to get a fair comparison, but I bet if you run the numbers out you'll get a very clear answer.

But... In general you want to put your mods on as early in a trucks life as you can. I understand why you are asking, and I'd be pretty hesitant myself. I wanted an old tacoma for my truck, and I spent a lot and worked hard to find a low milage one, because I realized buying higher milage truck and sinking money into building it was a false economy.

Yeah, that's a totally rational way of thinking about it.

Maybe it's time for another Tundra.

Thanks for the insights.

 

[Chainslap]

I'm in the same boat with an 01 with 233k miles on it. Upper and lower a-arm bushings are toast, inner tie rods are worn, P/S pump is going out, and the ABS actuator makes some kind of weird clicking when its sub freezing. I can't get it aligned at this point and even doing the work myself parts will be close to $1k assuming I don't roast the seals in the P/S rack trying to do the inner tie rods (rack is actually good). Plus the large amount of labor of dismantling the entire suspension...It was used as a hunting truck so its pretty rough on the outside and has the notorious faded green paint.

On the plus side I just did lower balljoints, outer tie rods, has a new exhaust manifold on one side (no tick!), and timing belt was recently done.

I would like to find an 05 or 06 access cab but my god those are like unicorns these days and are still fetching close to $15k it seems. Also contemplating a F150 even though I've been a die hard Toyota fan. I'm also keeping an eye out for a similar year Tundra with low miles.

 

[Mrknowitall]

I'd say keep the current truck- hands down. If kept properly lubed, the drivetrain can go much longer. For size and capability, they're great. I miss mine.

 

[dman93]

The money you put into the current rig, is it for upgrades or maintenance? If upgrades, you'd be spending the same money on the newer vehicle as well. I say, keep your current rig.

The previous poster who did the cost per mile analysis was spot on. But at least where I live, Toyota resale value is so high, and owners/sellers often don't seem to do regular maintenance and/or lie about it (I suspect), so replacing a 15 year old truck with 200K miles, with a 10 year old truck with 100K may also mean needing to do maintenance as well as upgrades. So the math doesn't always work in practice the same as in theory. Unless you have significant body or interior wear that's hard to repair, or want the VVT or 5 speed, there's some value to keeping a vehicle whose history you know. I just need to keep telling myself that, so I don't get too tempted scrolling through Craigslist myself ....