Unsure what to purchase

Hello from Tennessee.
I have been looking at the Tundra's for a little while now. Looking to upgrade from my Tacoma.
I joined this group and started browsing through posts.
Wasn't even aware of the fuel line issue or engine failure issue until I started reading.
Obviously I am concerned now. Has there been any chatter from Toyota on confirmation that the issues have been addressed,root cause found and corrective actions in place for current builds?
Should I even consider a new Tundra now? Or go with used?
I'm not opposed to purchasing used if that is the better route.
What's the consensus in this forum?
Is a particular year more solid for reliability? Don't really want to go older than 2020.

 

Low mile 20 or 21 with trans cooler from genuine cooling systems and you’ll never be happier.

there is no communication on the countermeasures for this engine issue.

 

If you get a ‘21 or older, you are getting a proven truck. It will probably be very reliable. If you get a newer one, there are a few things going on, and a buyer should be aware of them. Most of which has not been experienced by most owners. But it also will most likely be very reliable. You should go drive them, list your needs, run your numbers and make your own decision. I have 44k on a ‘22 and I would go get another one today if I had to. I wouldn’t even test drive anything else, I really enjoy this truck. The power, size, capability, economy, and design all check my boxes.

 

Man go get you a nice new tundra a 24 model Tundra. Probably score a decent discount. The odds are in your favor. All nice features of the modern era. And a ridiculously low chance that you will have an issue.

 

What features are you looking for? -21 Tundras are truck-like trucks. 22- are car-like trucks[*]. Need it road-worthy all the time or can afford a few weeks every so often in the shop? Wheeling far away from help? Value large flat screen TV over everything else? Would spend a few grands on extended warranty or on a heck load of beer?

[*] Yeah, I know, it has more torque than V8, but I take a more suitable car for horizontal G's any day over a brick on the springs. Truck can have a solid fuel booster and pass you out every time you step on a pedal, but it still handles like truck, not like sports car.

 

Welcome from Tennessee! I love my 3rd Gen and just got done and will be wrapping up a 1200 mile round trip by the end of the week. I would do an extended test drive on one to make sure you like it. A lot of people buy them and complain about poor visibility, cheap plastics, etc. you will see a lot of stuff if you cruise the forums a lot. I haven’t experienced any issues on my 24 yet. The power is crazy compared to my 3rd gen Tacoma and my wife’s 4runner. If you are looking in Tennessee and depending where you are I would highly recommend Peppers Toyota in Paris, TN or Fox Toyota in Clinton. My go to is Peppers and bought my last two vehicles there.

Also the fuel line recall isn’t affecting newly produced trucks. They just haven’t released the fix for trucks that are affected yet. As for the engine recall it is still up in the air on how many trucks could be affected. I’m guessing the majority of trucks will be fine and have no issues but it is still a concern and Toyota is working on a fix. There are a few 3rd gen members on this forum already over 100k miles. But it is something to think about before buying.

I am happy with my purchase and enjoy the power and space compared to my Tacoma and at this point in time I’m not going to be concerned with the recall as I’m not affected yet and if it gets extended to my model year I’ll continue to drive it and hope for the best. But if you are really concerned and don’t want to live with the thought of engine failure find a used 2.5 gen with low miles and send it on that. You won’t get the fancy tech but you will have a proven motor and no concerns of it blowing randomly.

 

What year models fall into the 2.5 gen?
And I'm not too far from Paris. May just make a fishing trip/truck shopping trip.

 

2014 thru 2021

 

I'd suggest a 2020-2021 over a new one.
If you get a Gen 3 purchase the best and longest extended warranty you can afford..

Welcome to the forum..

 

If you do stop by peppers Toyota work with Amy, she has been awesome with the two vehicles I’ve purchased from them. I’d definitely recommend test driving a 3rd Gen just to see what you think. Power is crazy and they cruise so nicely.

 

OP needs to define -

Does he/she want a NEW truck
or
A new to OP truck.

Big difference. I can appreciate the gen 2.5 as I looked at them last year. It came down to I wanted a new vehicle, not one that someone else has run with questionable maintenance. It also had to be less than 36Kmiles as I'm tired of fixing, a Toyota VSC would be purchased. In the end, I could not justify a 5-7K price difference from a used '21 for a new '23. The ride is better, towing capacity increased and almost current technology.

My primary use is a towing Boat and car, otherwise it's a paved comfy road driven, smooth driving/riding daily driver.

 

Personally I wouldn’t do anything right now but watch the market closely, be prepared to act, and see what Toyota is going to do with the 3rd gen motor buffoonery. Kinda like that Carvana Hooold commercial.

The 2.5 is a great truck quality/reliability wise, but if you use it for a daily driver MPG is ridiculously bad.

3rd gen is the future … perhaps wait for ’25 or snag an exceptional deal right now and chance it?

 

I did my homework across all brands. I bought a 2024 Tundra last week. YMMV.

 

2024 w10k off msrp. Do it.

 

Stronger boxes steel frame built off same design platform of Land Cruiser (thanks to TNGA-F), advertised as the strongest frame ever made at the Texas plant.

Higher towing capacity and payload despite being heavier. I agree it rides more like a car (again getting the trickle down from Land Cruiser dropping rear springs for coils finally catching up to other 1/2 ton manufacturers. Yet it is just as capable off the factory if not more than a 2.5 gen, likely more so thanks to continued improvement in crawl control and factory locking differential.

I loved my 2nd gen, but I like my 3rd gen so much more. The power is amazing.

Only have 7500 miles on mine, but it has been great. My FIL has a 22 with 75k miles and just drove from Utah to Montana to visit us at our lakehouse.

And more torque feels like a bit of an understatement. With 583 ft lbs of torque vs 401, I struggle to not burn rubber when in sport mode. Not to mention the max torque is in a much more usable range.

Granted the engine failures are a huge black eye, but it appears the problem trucks have tapered down substantially.

 

I think people panic selling their 3rd gens because of the recall are ridiculous. But I also feel extremely underwhelmed by the 3rd gen personally. It is the first Toyota I’ve sat in that just does not inspire the confidence of reaching 300k+ miles on simple maintenance. The interior feels cheap like a new Forest River camper. Toyota went backward with it in several key areas that are important to me: worse visibility, smaller cabin size, less articulation, larger turn radius, larger overall size, lower rear axle rating.

Motor Trend reported severe axle hop and felt their 10k lb trailer bullied the rear end of the 3rd gen. People complain about the payload and fuel economy of the 3rd gen. Some things never change I guess. I don’t think there is a single thing that I would tow with the 3rd gen that I would not tow with the 2nd or 2.5 gen.

I don’t want my truck to ride like a car, I don’t want a Toyota ecoboost drivetrain (engine failures aside), and I don’t care about tech. I bought a proven truck in late 2020 that was largely designed in 2006. I have beaten on it pretty hard, and I have full confidence that I will continue to never return to my dealer for anything and that I’m out of the truck market for as long as I care to be.

My truck’s MPG average is about 3mpg less than the average 3rd gens if you look at real world usage on Fuelly. That 3mpg isn’t changing anyone’s life.

That said, if you decide on a 3rd gen, get the extended warranty. If you get a 19-21, add a transmission cooler if you plan on doing any work with it.

 

Untamed, is that you?

 

Buy a low mileage, unmolested, grandpa owned 2021 and don't look back.

 

Doesn’t that guy keep his vehicles for 10 minutes before trading?

 

Brother all those comments are filled with hater-aid! That is the advice you would give someone? Brother I had a 2.5 generation. Over 8 years. It was a great truck. Loved the truck. But the features on the 3rd generation go beyond a flat screen tv. Believe it or not most of us traded in our 2.5 generation Tundra, and love the new one. Contrary to a few blogs, podcasts, and outlets like Car and Driver who had the 2.5 generation ranked behind a Nissan Titan for a couple of years.

 

Buy a 3rd generation Tundra. It is really a no brainer here if you ask me. I had a 2.5 generation for 8 years. I loved the truck, it was a Platinum 4X4. It has was fully loaded for a 2.5 generation. I held off on the 3rd generation for a few reasons. One, it did not give me any issues really. Secondly, I wanted to wait on the 3rd generation, because the body style needed to grow on me. Thirdly, I was under the impression that I had all you could get on a truck on the already. I had everything I needed.
I was wrong! Is the big flat screen great? Yes! The technology is insane. The cameras, the app, the new leather. The engine, coil springs makes the ride smooth. I have to say, it is really not a comparison. I am giving an honest commentary based on a guy who had a 2.5 generation and loved the truck. The 3rd generation just runs circles around it with all the above. This idea that a truck needs to be a truck and not ride like a car. I don't understand the logic. Every manufacturer is trying to make a truck more comfortable with a number of features. Don't be the guy that still gets up to to turn the TV, because he believes that is the way Archie Bunker turned his TV. Why use that damn remote control!

 

I think anyone who buys a gas truck and expects good mileage is a fool. I lost 2 mpg going to 34 inch tires and 17 inch wheels and they aren’t much heavier than the stocks. I just did a road trip and best I got was 18.5 on highways that were 65 mpg. I hit the 75 mph highways and it dropped to 17 and when I hit some mountains it dropped to mid 16s. But I will say that my 3rd Gen feels less cheap than my 3rd Gen Tacoma. Anytime I went to close the door or rest my knee on the door the window control portion with the handle with flex like crazy, like if I really tried i could have pulled it off with little effort. And my Tacoma was built in Texas. Plus overall ride comfort in the tundra is better than the Tacoma by a long shot. Everyone has different preferences on what they deem most valuable when purchasing a vehicle and I’d argue 95% of tundra owners are mall crawlers/grocery getters so I could see the desire for more tech and a comfier ride. But I definitely agree with you that trading now is foolish.

 

Pepper’s is my home town dealer, I’m pretty sure I scoped out your truck for like a month. I really liked the color and wanted it for my 1794LE. I ended up with white but I like it….I had a women from the free speech forum come to Paris to get a coon dog. Crazy how my little town gets around

 

i smashed “like” so hard my phone shut off.

 

Just get a good deal and you will be happy…lots of people paid the “Toyota tax” on their 2.5 gen and don’t want the price to fall…people paid the tax on the 3rd gen and complain about every squeak and rattle.

I paid 62k drive out for a lightly used loaded 1794 and I have been very happy. (Sticker was like 74k or something crazy like that, originally owner probably paid close to 80 for it)

I wanted a 18-21 tundra but the prices were too high for a 2007 era interior….i was one of the “I don’t need all these bells and whistles” people but…they are actually really nice to have.

 

Small world! Yea I constantly checked their website hoping the truck I got didn’t sell. I didn’t know the 1794 limited edition was dropping till after I bought mine or I probably would have waited. I do love the long bed though and the color gets a lot of compliments. My last two trucks were black and grey so I figured I’d try something different. Ever since discovering peppers they are the only dealer I will go to in Tennessee since they didn’t charge over msrp during the craziness in 2021 and 2022. Great small town dealer to deal with! Plus getting to see the Eiffel Tower really makes it worth the drive! Hahaha

 

You got a great deal .. enjoy !

 

The dealer ship is on my way home and I’d drive threw to check it out in different light. I really like that color. I new about the 1794 immediately when it dropped, I’m the one that turned Jeff the sales manger on to it. I took the white because that’s what they got allocated to them….Rodney the service manger is great to work with also

 

you wont have an issue on the 24 and above tundras if you decide to get the 3rd gen. I tried looking for a 2.5 in my area, and theyre shy of 5-7k from just getting a brand new one. theres so many 3rd gens in my area, I got massive discounts to get one off their lot because nobody really wanted a double cab. Its just me and my wife so it just worked out in the end.

 

I traded a problem plagued 22 F150 for a 24 Tundra in September 23. I got my Tundra at Fox and I have almost 18,000 miles on it now. Although it is not as plush as the King Ranch and the technology is not as mature, the Tundra is a much better truck. We took a 5,400-mile trip earlier this year (Tombstone, AZ - Lone Pine, CA - Lake Tahoe - Moab, UT) and the Tundra performed flawlessly. I have to admit that the thought of an engine failure was in the back of my mind on that trip. Time will tell whether the engine issues were resolved before my truck was built, but I love it and I have no intention of trading it anytime soon.

I don't have experience with earlier generation Tundras, but I don't think I would even consider a used 3rd GEN. I suspect Toyota has the engine problem isolated and resolved by now and there are some very good deals available. If I were looking, I would look for the latest build dates available.