Advice on first truck purchase

Hey everyone,

I've been on these forums a lot in the past month trying to figure out what I want to do about getting a truck. There's a lot of really helpful info on here so I have to say thank you for that. First off I'll just give a basic idea of what I think I want and my situation. Sorry for the long first post.

This will be my first truck, other than a 76 Dodge that was meant to be a temporary firewood truck but needed more work than I thought. I really want (need?) a long bed in whatever I get, which I've basically decided will be a 2021 Tundra SR5 LB. I have been looking off an on for about a year for something used, but the long beds are pretty rare. I live in rural BC Canada and there's not often a lot for sale. I did some budgeting and figure a new truck is a realistic purchase. The reason for a long bed is mainly for camping and firewood. I'm almost 6'5" so the regular bed just won't really work for sleeping in, and I don't have a lot of interest in putting in or towing a camper. There are a lot of projects I'll be doing in the next ten years as well after buying a house, so fitting 8 foot lumber in the bed would also be nice.

It took me forever to decide on a 2021 vs waiting to see what happens with the 2022 Tundra, although my main concern of it losing the V8 seems more likely to be a non-issue. The few dealers I've talked with are all but sure it will still be available in the 2022. They did say if Toyota gets rid of it, it will happen in the US before Canada (that didn't make a lot of sense to me but what do I know).

My main issues are, the truck would be a factory order that would arrive in about 6 months, and the 2022 will be announced by then I'm sure, but I'll already be locked in for the 2021 purchase. I'm not too concerned about this, because the 2022 will undoubtedly cost more than the 2021 and I'm a bit wary about buying the first model in a new generation of truck. And if the 2022 does in fact lose the V8, well I'm just not into a turbo V6 in a truck (says the guy who has never owned a truck). My only reason to possibly wait for the 2022 would be the better gas mileage.

The other thing that I don't know if I should concern myself with is the ride quality of the Tundra. I know it's outdated, and other than the "reduced" ride quality it doesn't bother me. I've read a lot of people on here saying they think the ride is just fine, but I see elsewhere on the internet people are whining that it's rough and that "bumps cause the body to shimmy and jiggle". I've been driving a Nissan Altima for 10 years so probably any truck would feel rough. I don't expect it to handle anything like my car. The only other truck I've driven in that time was my Dad's beat up mid-90s Silverado. Even driving that I didn't think much about the rough ride, or maybe the suspension was so bagged that it was softer.

Anyways, that's the story. Is the ride of the 2021 Tundra really that bouncy and harsh? Is risking the wait for a 2022 with potentially no V8 and a higher price tag (and no decade of proven reliability) worth it? I'm 100% set on a Tundra, so basically it comes down to getting a 2021, taking a chance on a 2022, or getting something cheap that I don't want just to last me 3-4 years and get a 2024-2025 Tundra.

Also, there's no Tundras of any kind on the lots around here, so I can't even drive it before I buy it. That's the only terrifying part.

Thank you in advance to anyone who has any input.

 

Can't comment on the long bed specifically, but I don't find the Tundra ride to be harsh in the slightest. Have a 4th Gen v8 4Runner that is smoother but not really noticeable with the wheelbase difference. I was going to suggest driving one, and still think you should, even if its a used private party sale so you can get an idea of the size and ride compared to the Altima, though you have experience driving the Silverado so the Tundra will ride better than that, but about the same size.

 

Same. I encourage people who think the ride in the Tundra 'jiggly' to go ride in an F150 SuperCab (especially 2011-2014 year). THAT drove me nuts.

 

My previous vehicles have all been cars (though I had experience driving trucks) and I don't find the ride rough.

 

Welcome from NY.

 

I personally wouldn’t buy a vehicle I haven’t driven. Hate to say it but what about a used one private party any around your area for
Sale maybe you can tire kick and test drive? Then at least you have an idea of what your getting into. 2014 to present is all basically the same minor changes.

 

I just don't get all the "outdated" bullshit. I have a 2018 Chevy 1500 I drive for work. I don't find that it's any different in the interior other than my 2008 doesn't have Apple Carplay. The ride in my Tundra is better than the Chevy by far, it'll go more places, and has far fewer mechanical issues.

I guess it's all in what you're looking for. I kept reading about the "tired and stale" Tundra, and then drove a couple. I'm thinking "WTF are these people talking about?", but that's just me.

 

I would say that it depends on what model you’re interested in . If you’re looking for a truck to last 3-4 years until the new Tundra has had a chance to prove itself to you then any truck would do in the interim . The Ram classics are selling for 25% off the MSRP , however if you can find a used Tundra since you stated that is what you want you could look for a DC and at least have the 6’4” bed plus you’d get used to the truck you want . Then again maybe when the 2022’s come out you might get a really good deal on a left over 2021 . You just won’t have your choice of what you want in it or colour .

 

I think Ford and Toyota are the only ones who offer a long bed in a DC/extended cab 1500.

 

I thought the long bed was the 8 foot ?

 

Yes?

 

X1000000

 

As far as the ride goes its very comfortable. It’s my family/ATV hauler vehicle. My wife’s just tells me we’re taking my Tundra and now her Highlander barely gets used. I have ridden in the new Ford F-150 and it rides great but the Tundra is a hair harsher. The Tundra ride is awesome and don’t let anyone fool you...for reference I have a DC TRD Offroad 6.5 bed.

 

You have a lot going on. The first thing you should consider is how soon will you be buying a house? If you are paying cash don't worry about it, but if you want to finance then you have to consider debt to income ratios for the lender. A truck payment tends to be a lot and lenders tend to penalize you pretty hard if you want to qualify for more of a loan. That is the first thing you need to consider is your financial situation. If your truck is for work then make sure it makes financial sense to get the truck first. I wanted to get a 2020, but getting a house was a bigger priority and the US housing market is BS right now, but not as BS as the rental market. Like you I will be waiting till later this year to place an order. I can see you are on the fence about hybrid or turbo v6. I bought a first year hybrid insight 2019 cause 10k over msrp on a trd pro was too much of a FU. I haven't had any issues with it. Don't worry about the first year thing. there is thing called warranty and recalls that will get you taken care of. What you might not know is the hybrid motors have to run the engine much more frequently in order to keep the air warm. I mention that cause you say you are in Canada which is in the cold-AF zone. I am putting seat warmers in my car and I got window shades so weather doesn't come in and the windows don't fog up but the air circulates and seat keeps your body warm. If you never had seat warmers its like sitting on a heating pad which is supper nice if you have a messed up back like mine or you have been doing a lot of wood cutting like work and want to have some comfort on the drive afterwards. That's something to consider with a hybrid setup plus hybrids do really well for fuel economy for low speeds since the engines don't have to get completely warmed up for off-road driving slow driving. Don't buy the hype about a turbo v6 getting better fuel economy. They will get better fuel economy than a v8 when not under boost. If you hooked up a vacuum gauge to your intake and notice it goes to 0psi that is load. Any boost is over load and the air fuel ratios go down using more fuel because extra fuel is required to cool the cylinders under boost due to the heat. That sounds all dandy till you realize that v6 has to run boost in order to make the same power the V8 made under load. We don't know what the next tundra will have for sure and we probably won't know till shortly before it's ready to go into production later this year. You mentioned ride quality. I have driven both stock suspension the off road suspension and the sport suspension. The off-road suspension is like diving a luxury truck. It is marketed as off-road, but the way to think of it is nicer on-road drive. There a rumors the new tundra will have a different rear suspension that may be a nicer ride. Also with that 8.1ft bed that will add some ride comfort as well.

 

I wasn’t aware anyone offered the 8’ bed with the DC , extended cab , quad cab or whatever they call it . I thought it was only available in the regular cab ..... learn something new everyday .

 

Welcome from Oregon!

I agree with a lot of what has already been stated.

I avidly consult Consumer Reports when making large purchases, and their year-over-year Tundra criticisms are almost nonsensical.

They seem to start each year calling the F150 the best truck to buy, and are harshly critical of the Tundra for being “outdated” and having a “harsh ride”.

Later in the same year, they’ll release pieces that hail the Tundra for it’s superior reliability, resale, and owner satisfaction. They’ll recommend used Tundras over the other brands’ used offerings. They’ll lower their rating for the Ford. Dodge seems to always be down in the swill for reliability while it gets high praise for gimmicky crap.

It seems like they have done this now for a few years.

I moved from a Camry to the truck in 2018. I have always liked driving the truck, and I think it rides, steers, and takes bumps and chatters very well. I don’t know what they’re talking about.

The truck doesn’t feel outdated to me either. The factory stereos are terrible, but I likely would have upgraded that anyway. It is STUPID that they didn’t start integrating CarPlay by 2018... my daughter’s damn ‘18 CRV has it!

I say get one now and take care of it. You won’t get hurt on resale if you decide to trade up in a couple years.

The Tundra (IMO) is THE truck to buy if you don’t need a heavy/super duty truck to really pull big stuff.

Good luck!

 

Like I said, only in the Tundra and F150 (and I think in most if not all 2500s as well). GM also offered it until 2013. Not sure about Dodge.

 

I really liked my 2017 Silverado Double Cab Std Bed. It was a nice driving truck but I do find that the 2016 Tundra I have now drives a lot smoother stock for stock.

 

Thank you to everyone for the input. I agree that from what I've been reading everywhere that the ride of the Tundra isn't actually bad. Maybe it's not the best or smoothest, but that's fine. I just wanted to ask people that have driven them and in general just driven more trucks than I have. As far as test driving anything, it doesn't look promising. The only private sale Toyotas I've seen in the last year within 200km of here were from the early 2000s, and I think maybe 2 were Tundras.

As far as the house thing goes, we already got it a year and a half ago. Not cash though, so we have the mortgage payments, but we've been doing it long enough now that we know what all the monthly expenses and liabilities are. We should be able to finance the truck and still put some away every month. Luckily we bought the house just a few months before all the Covid craziness. It was hard to find something even then, but from what I see now it's even harder to find a house.

From the sounds of it waiting for a 2022 wouldn't be much of risk when thinking of potential reliability issues. My only concern with that is if it does arrive with no V8 option, and by that point I'm sure the window for ordering a 2021 would be closed. The dealer's timeframes for ordering are in the first week of every month. The next order goes in tomorrow, but that's too soon and the next order in early April is the only other date they have guaranteed will happen. After that they can't say if 2021s will be available for order. That's fine with me though because I'll be making a decision in the next week or two.

Also thank you for the info about the turbo and hybrid gas mileage. I have been reading about turbos and how the MPG is always that much better. I wasn't aware of the issue with hybrids in the cold though.

And yeah the long bed is 8'2" I believe. A while back I measured it out in comparison to my old Dodge with sticks stuck in the snow around the Dodge. I was surprised that the Tundra was about the same width as that old truck, and it's always helpful to see measurements in that way, vs a tape measure on the floor. It was about as I had expected. Parking won't be enjoyable I'm sure, but these aren't high density big cities around here, so it shouldn't be too bad. We also have an 82 Cadillac Deville sedan and take that out in the summer, so I have a bit of experience with large vehicles in town. The Tundra is longer though, and the wheels actually are near the end of the body, whereas the Cadillac has about 60 feet of trunk and hood beyond the axles.

So far I'm pretty much decided on going forward with this order for a 2021, even without a test drive. My thoughts with that are, I really want a long bed, and even if I could test drive it and it wasn't as great as I thought it would be I'd probably still buy it. I can't get around the physical size of a double cab long bed, so that part doesn't matter. My only other concern was really just ride quality, and that also wasn't too much of a concern because I don't really have any other new trucks to compare it to. At this point all I'm expecting is the Tundra to drive like a truck, and having only driven old trucks I'm sure it will still be a step up from what I'm used to.

Thanks again to everyone for the info and input. If this all plays out as I hope, I'll be on here a lot more in the future. I'm sure I'll still be thinking and second guessing this for the next few weeks until I inevitably send the order in, so I'll be reading a bunch more threads on here.

 

If you're going to be hauling a bunch of lumber, you may want to compare payloads between manufacturers. The longbed Tundra payload is pretty good but the F150 equivalent is much higher. You can also add the "max payload package." A supercab, 4x2, longbed, 5.0 with max payload package is capable of just shy of 3,000lbs.
Just being objective here. Payload is a not a strong point of the Tundra and it sounds like you're going to need it

 

I'd rather have reliability if I was using my truck out in the woods.

 

Thank you for that heads up. That's something I didn't look much into as I figured any truck could handle the weight of a load of wood. This may come from growing up helping family load up trucks with as much firewood as humanly possible. I didn't plan on building up the sides of the truck bed, so any firewood load would only be mounded up in the center of the bed and strapped down. I looked up the weight of a cord of wood, and it averages around 2500 lbs, so I'm looking at around half a cord per load to safely carry. Depending on where I'm going and if I know the road well, a small trailer is possible to increase the load. With an 8 foot bed I definitely wouldn't attempt that on a back road I hadn't driven at least a few times already to know any turnaround spots.

As Cpl_Punishment said, I also am not into the reliability issues of so many of the other truck options. For the first years I wouldn't be concerned, but I plan on keeping this truck for many years and in a decade I don't want to be nervous every time I take it up a logging road. Also, the firewood part of wanting the 8 foot bed is only for a month of the year, with maybe 8 trips up the mountain if factoring in 1/2 cord per trip. Wanting the 8 foot bed is even more of the reason for wanting the reliability of the Tundra, and that's camping road trips. I want to decrease the chances of breaking down 1000km from home.

 

A half cord at that weight is well under the payload for an 8ft bed. I just wanted to throw it out there, some new owners are surprised when they read the door sticker. Its a bigger deal for those of us with 4 doors with a lot of options.

 

Thank you everyone for your input. After going over our budget more than a few times we've figured it's more realistic to pass on a new truck purchase for now. We've got a few projects we want to complete in the next 2 years (new wood shed, 2500 sq ft garden with heavy fencing to stop elk, water system, landscaping, etc I'm sure I could go on). Truck payments would leave us with not much extra on average every month. We'll probably buy a beater to last us around 3 years and plan to have a better down payment by then for a new Tundra. I'm still set on a Tundra (with the elusive 8ft bed, hopefully they don't scrap that in 2022) for when we make that new truck purchase. It might take time, but hopefully I'll be back on here in the future.

 

Not an easy call, nothing like a new truck but always go with your gut. Good luck

 

Totally understand and respect that - and unless you don't want to, stick around here in the meantime. I was here for a good 3-4 months prior to owning my truck simply because I wanted to research and get information straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. I've been on many forums, and am a forum/server administrator for a few, and this is one of the best forums I've been on.

 

Although it might pain me (the thought of what almost was), I'll still check these forums out from time to time, especially once the 2022 arrives. I'll likely never find a used current-gen 8-foot Tundra anywhere near me in my lifetime, so the new generation is my only option when I eventually make that purchase. I'll be very curious to see what owners of those trucks are saying in the next few years.

 

Look for a low mileage 2017, that's the best year. 2018 and on has the standard Toyota Safety Sense. I had a 2019 and traded older.