Need help picking a new truck!

[FurthurOnTheFly]

Greetings all, long time no see. I'll cut to the chase.... I'm moving to the mountains, living off a dirt road with snow and mud in the winter, and looking to get back into a 4wd truck. Something that can get me from home to town, mtb trails, with some 3 hour trips back to the city when needed. Being a fiscally responsible person I'm trying to keep it $10k or less (basically selling my current car to exchange the money for what I need). Was hoping to get back into a 3rd Gen 4runner but people are treating them like gold these days, same with the Tacos. I'm not looking to do a full overland build for this, just some mild fun like a lift, tires, possibly bumper wrench combo.

I've come across a pretty clean 2001 Tundra, original owner, seems to be pretty well taken care of, totally stock 220k miles. They're asking $9k, I think I can get it down to $8k. Now I'll admit, I'm a toyota gal and a lot more comfortable with this truck, aside from the fact I've always wanted one.

Now an interesting wrench has come into the mix... A family member has a neighbor looking to sell their 2006 Nissan Titan SE crew cab off road package. Mechanically it's sound, original owner with all receipts... Visually it's not perfect thanks to their teenage daughter scraping the rear fender against something, along with some bad paint fade on the hood. 145k miles they will let it go for $7k. Remember the fiscally responsible thing (don't call me cheap!).... Well I'm intrigued. But, I know nothing about Nissans... Never owned one. I've done some research, overall opinion on these seem like good trucks, but it's new territory for me which makes me nervous. It's also a much larger truck.. Maybe more truck than I need?

So, what's your opinion expo? Stick with the devil I know, or venture off with the devil I don't? Or is there something else out there I'm not even looking at?

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Personally, I'd take the Titan. While the 1st gen Tundras are good trucks... They are more like a 3/8s instead of a 1/2 ton.

 

[FurthurOnTheFly]

Personally, I'd take the Titan. While the 1st gen Tundras are good trucks... They are more like a 3/8s instead of a 1/2 ton.

Interesting, I was not expecting the pro Titan post to be the first one! I figured the Toyota fan boys would be first to jump.

Any personal experience or knowledge with these Titans?

 

[Porkchopexpress]

I vote for the Tundra. I think the 1st generation is underrated and Tacomas are overrated. Also, it is my understanding the 1st generation Titan had the same rear differential as the frontier and was prone to failure. It's been a while since I cross shopped the Titan so I might be off on the details. I have also driven both and preferred the 1st generation Tundra.

 

[Porkchopexpress]

While the 1st gen Tundras are good trucks... They are more like a 3/8s instead of a 1/2 ton.

I agree with this statement but they also drive more like a midsized truck so if you don't need the extra capacity, this could be a positive.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Interesting, I was not expecting the pro Titan post to be the first one! I figured the Toyota fan boys would be first to jump.

Any personal experience or knowledge with these Titans?

My brother had a Titan back in 2007-2009. Got the same mpg as my 1st gen Tundra while being larger, had a more comfortable interior, more powerful motor, and towed/hauled better.

A 2001 Tundra has some pretty weak front brakes (cheap and easy to upgrade) and the tranny isn't very beefy (can be upgraded, but its costly). Doing the timing belt every 90k gets repetitive. The suspension on them when they were new was not very impressive...so by now I'm sure it's sag city when loaded. The old joke is they are a "Camry with a bed."

Also...the Toyota fan boys have a pretty powerful mafia on this site....haha.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I agree with this statement but they also drive more like a midsized truck so if you don't need the extra capacity, this could be a positive.

This is 100% spot on and the reason I bought mine.

 

[Antwon412]

I have had both a first gen Titan and a first gen Tundra.
2004 Titan crew cab LE
2006 Tundra crew cab SR5

The Tundra felt like I was driving a Camry. Just did not feel like a truck at all. It was fine.

The Titan had way more power, tons more interior room and felt like a proper truck when driving. You set up nice and high and upright and have a great view of the road.

if it was me I would probably buy the titan and then see about having the hood wrapped or repainted or something if it bothered you.

I will say though, make sure you sit in a titan for a bit. I heard the SE trim levels had some cheaper materials for sure then the LE that I had. Make sure the seats aren’t really worn out.

 

[phsycle]

Truck prices are insane right now in the used market. I’d skip that tundra and the titan.....never had heard good things about them. I had a cousin with one and it was one issue after another. But that’s anecdotal.

If you’re a Toyota fan, check out a 4th Gen 4Runner or GX470’s. Both can be had for under $10k with less than 200k miles. You may have to travel. Better than a 3rd Gen (I had 2).

Me personally, I’d probably get something like a WJ/WK for $5k and use the rest for mods/maintenance.

 

[FurthurOnTheFly]

Everything on the market is crazy right now, vehicles, boats, whatever! We just went through the home buying process and it was absolute hell.

I'm not a big fan of the 4th Gen 4runners,just never liked the way they look. But I'll keep my eye out and may have to consider.

We won't be fully moved up there until the end of March or April so maybe I'll bide my time and squeak through to the summer without much time needed in 4wd. After sleeping on it I'm just not in love with the Titan and reading more and more about the rear axle failures makes me very hesitant.

 

[phsycle]

Considering you’re on a dirt road, not on an off-road course, perhaps another point of consideration is if you need 4wd at all. Or if a good AWD will work. ie Subaru, Honda, etc.

It opens up more options, especially given the budget.

 

[FurthurOnTheFly]

Considering you’re on a dirt road, not on an off-road course, perhaps another point of consideration is if you need 4wd at all. Or if a good AWD will work. ie Subaru, Honda, etc.

It opens up more options, especially given the budget.

I've thought about getting back into a Subaru wagon and even briefly looked at an Element awd. But I need something with a bit of clearance and room for 4 dogs, 2 humans and gear, with the possibility of towing a small boat at times.

I'm now looking at 1st Gen Sequoias. I think this would fit the bill pretty closely and at the right price point. Not a ton for sale in my area in the 05-07 range but they are out there... Currently debating if I could live with a gold one

 

[phsycle]

I've thought about getting back into a Subaru wagon and even briefly looked at an Element awd. But I need something with a bit of clearance and room for 4 dogs, 2 humans and gear, with the possibility of towing a small boat at times.

I'm now looking at 1st Gen Sequoias. I think this would fit the bill pretty closely and at the right price point. Not a ton for sale in my area in the 05-07 range but they are out there... Currently debating if I could live with a gold one

4 dogs and 2 people + gear. Yeah, you’d want a Sequoia.

Although my personal choice would change from the WJ to a Suburban. Well within your budget, lots of room, and highly capable.

These guys have built some cool ones:

 

[Martinjmpr]

Well, as much as I liked my 1st gen Tacoma (04), 3rd gen 4runner (99) and 4th gen 4runner (07) I quit paying the Toyota Tax years ago and I don't miss it one bit.

The Big 3 from Detroit have been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism of their products over the last 50 years, and most of that was well deserved. But even people who aren't necessarily fans of Detroit will usually admit (albeit grudgingly) that if there's one thing the Big 3 do well, it's full sized trucks.

Given that you're on a budget, it would be smart to at least consider something newer, with lower mileage, from a domestic manufacturer. You might be surprised at how much truck you can get for your money when you're not paying for that T emblem on the grille.

 

[XJLI]

$10k or under? Don't want/need anything special? Go domestic. Pick anything on the GMT800 platform (Tahoe, Silverado, Burb, etc) put some decent tires under it and call it a day.

Titans are real cool, but early ones also had weak brakes, weak rear diffs, and all of them crack exhaust manifolds pretty handily.