Need a new truck, what’s good?

[Coveyleader]

FWIW: I have a brand new 2024 Tundra 1794 with factory 3” TRD lift. I thought that by 2024, they’d have the kinks worked out. WRONG! It’s a super nice POS! I sold a perfect running 2006 Dodge 2500 Cummins and a flawless 2017 4Runner TRD pro to buy this truck and I regret it every day!

The transmission overheats (according to the dash gauge, who knows what’s really happening) under low speed hill conditions. They all do it. It’s a design issue. They did away with the trans cooler.

There’s no tow hooks! Toyota literally just forgot them on all Tundras. It’s not an option on any trim level. A good aftermarket fix requires removal of the entire front grill and cutting and drilling. Inexcusable on any 4x4!

Annoying application of modern tech. Bells whistles and chimes for everything. Took me a month to figure out how to turn chit off. Took an aftermarket OBD dongle to hack some of the crap. Auto stop/restart is the worst I’ve seen. Put in park, motor dies, take seatbelt off to get out and it starts back up. Wtf! Why?

Wind noise is terrible. None of the gaskets on the windows fit tight to the glass. Drivers rear door doesn’t fit/close snug. Interior plastic and trim is flimsy. All kinds of squeaks and rattles at less than 5000 miles. CV joint pops in reverse with a hard wheel turn. Brakes squeal like holy hell in reverse every morning. Dual pane acoustic glass windshield gives a distorted view. Headaches on long drives.

Worst of all Toyota can’t figure out a fix for any issue. Not one. Been to two different dealers. Unless the “mechanic” can plug in and read a thrown code, or there’s a recall, they can’t fix a damn thing. I have had a case pending with Toyota customer care for 2 months now. Zero progress.

My take: Toyota realized they were getting beat in the tech race. They channelled all R and D into updating the tech, which they did, and over did, but at the expense of what makes Toyota desirable, reliability. They cheaped out on actually building a quality truck in order to build a high tech truck for city people who are impressed by needless tech nonsense and never actually use their trucks for truck things.

And now there’s hundreds of thousands of recalled boat anchors with blown or about to blow motors with metallic sand in them. All needing a major repair where the entire cab must be removed from the truck and the short block replaced. Getting those done will take years and all other needed repairs will just have to get in line. A long line.

Shame, shame, shame on Toyota!

For anyone shopping for a Tundra, I strongly suggest waiting until the mid cycle refresh in 2026 when hopefully many of the necessary design changes will be addressed. Sorry to be a downer. This just isn’t the Toyota we’ve all come to know and love.

Sorry to hear that, you must want to vomit.

 

[zacattack]

Holy moly!! After reading these posts maybe I’ll just keep cramming the kids into the backseat of my Taco.

 

[Weldor]

If you do any kind of towing, its hard to not go with a diesel 3/4 ton. No idea what your budget is, but the newer 3/4 tons have pretty impressive suspension. Still not a 1/2 with independent rear suspension, but its not bad even on mountain roads in my experience. If you want lots of back seat space the Ram megacap is legit.

I also know several guys that have really enjoyed the turbo v6 in the F150s as well.

At the end of the day it depends on what your needs are and how you plan on using your truck

I will second the megacab diesel 4x4, 20 mpg ave. and tows pretty much anything you would want to.

 

[Weldor]

The best new truck to me is finding a good older used truck IMO. The new trucks are way too expensive and are basically computers on wheels. Break something or get in a fender bender, that’ll be $10k+ on the repair.

very true.

 

[fatlander]

One that’s paid off, reliable, and easy enough to work on.

Everyone I know with a ‘20+ truck has had to have work done to it if they didn’t hock it for a newer one.

Knock on wood, I change the engine and diff oil, transmission fluid, tires, brakes and wiper blades on my 2011 taco. I do it all on my own with ease.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jtg88]

I’ve got a ‘16 f250 with a 6.7 powerstroke. So far, so good. It has enough power to drag whatever you put behind it 80 mph but longevity has yet to be determined.

 

[SloppyJ]

Here's the issue with trucks these days. They all have problems because of the mandated EPA BS. Unfortunately my 2018 5.7 Tundra got totaled because that was going to be one of the last of the reliable trucks. It was old and outdated but I knew it would run forever.

I switched to a 2019 Chevy 1500 LTZ with the 6.2 and 10speed transmission. I have serious doubts on the longevity of this rig. I have two buddies with the same truck and within a month of each other they both broke down. Both well under 100k miles. One threw a lifter because of the fuel management system that's a widely known issue, the other had transmission problems... yet again, another well known issue.

Just last month I was hauling my boat home from the lake and had 3 horrible down shifts in a row. I'm talking hard enough to think that something actually broke. I'm getting a bad feeling about it.

Here's the catch, no manufacturer has a current gen full size truck that isn't riddled with problems. The ecoboosts ruined my taste for turbos but if I had to trust one, I would like to think that Toyota would do a good job but they recently had a massive recall on them. It's a pretty bad spot to be in as a consumer honestly. I've seen plenty of issues with the Ford 5.0s too. Dodge, well don't even get me started.

If you go diesel, then you have to deal with even more emissions BS. If I HAD to buy a new one today, I'm really not sure what I would go with.

 

[HuntHarder]

I have one of these being built soon and delivered probably in August. Crew Cab, Standard Bed, AT4, 3.0 Diesel. Going to throw a Smartcap on it.

I'm fully aware there's a little bit of a crap shoot with diesels compared to more tried and true gas powertrains (although, there are plenty of issues with those too), but for a full size that can get ~25mpg on the highway and over 20 mpg combined, too hard to pass up. (Some of the 3.0's can get closer to 30, but I don't expect that with the AT4)

I'm hoping that with the 24, LZ0, they've worked some of the bugs out of the earlier ones. But, it'll have an extended warranty too, and will probably still have my old Grand Cherokee, a commuter car, or maybe a CJ7 as a backup just in case.

My AT4 is still stock at this point and If I drive like a B, it routinely gets 25-26 combined. Normal driving, I am hovering between 21-22mpg. Still really impressive when you fill up 24g tank and it gives you over 500 miles range. If you do get the warranty, make sure you do your research before you get into the finance room. Knapp Chevrolet offers them a lot cheaper than most and you can buy them anywhere. I was able to take numbers in there and they finally got down to a reasonable number for 72 month 100k bumper bumper 0 deductible. They NEED to sell the warranty, it is a huge part of their commission, remember that.

 

[Weldor]

Right on, most don't know you need to have that warranty start after the 3-36 bumper to bumper or your giving them 3 years for nothing.

 

[JFK]

I know you said that you prefer new, but I’d track down a very low mileage tundra with the 5.7L. They are better than any 1/2 ton currently being made.

 

[canyonhunter47]

I’m not in the market now, but probably will be in a few years. How are the 3/4 gas trucks these days?

I would think empty MPG couldn’t really be much worse than a v8 Tundra and would handle towing better — fully loaded my trailer is just about the top of my comfort range with my current v8 F150 on mountain roads

 

[180ls1]

I’m not in the market now, but probably will be in a few years. How are the 3/4 gas trucks these days?

I would think empty MPG couldn’t really be much worse than a v8 Tundra and would handle towing better — fully loaded my trailer is just about the top of my comfort range with my current v8 F150 on mountain roads

They are still in that low/mid teen mpg zone.

The f-150 with Max Tow may be your ticket, but even then they aren't built like the heavy-duty trucks. You're just going to have to sacrifice somewhere.

 

[manitou1]

So it has a built in preventative maintenance recommendation that cost what…like $5,000-8,000?

It's been changed to 200,000 miles.

 

[spur60]

Just last month I was hauling my boat home from the lake and had 3 horrible down shifts in a row. I'm talking hard enough to think that something actually broke. I'm getting a bad feeling about it.

Same junk 10 speed that ford uses. My F150 in tow/haul mode will THUNK from 4th to 3rd when I'm rolling slow up to a stop sign pulling my boat. First time it happened with my wife in the truck she jumped in her seat.

 

[Brendan]

Right on, most don't know you need to have that warranty start after the 3-36 bumper to bumper or your giving them 3 years for nothing.

I don't think that's true. Every warranty I've ever seen has been to a specified mileage or time since initial delivery. Not additive based on when you buy it.

 

[jimh406]

Yeah, I know ... you only buy New. Something to think about ... is your Tacoma trashed? If not, does it stand to reason that other used vehicles might not be.

On the other hand, if you'd rather by new and spend up to tens of thousands extra ... enjoy the new one.

I'd look at the new Rams while you are looking at Chevys and Fords. However, in the Ram line the V8s are gone for the new models, so it will have to be 2024.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I’m not in the market now, but probably will be in a few years. How are the 3/4 gas trucks these days?

I would think empty MPG couldn’t really be much worse than a v8 Tundra and would handle towing better — fully loaded my trailer is just about the top of my comfort range with my current v8 F150 on mountain roads

I got a 7.3 F250 Tremor in '21...MPG is gonna depend on your driving style...if I drive it like I stole it 11-13 empty. If I drive like grandpa and use crusie a lot 15-17 empty. I just rolled 56k and other than the POS transmission pan heat sheilds I have had zero issues. I also suggest plan on upgrading the factory gas tank to the Transferflow 58 gallon. The stock on is only like 38 gallons not good for off road trips in 4x4.

 

[WesternDawg]

FWIW: I have a brand new 2024 Tundra 1794 with factory 3” TRD lift. I thought that by 2024, they’d have the kinks worked out. WRONG! It’s a super nice POS! I sold a perfect running 2006 Dodge 2500 Cummins and a flawless 2017 4Runner TRD pro to buy this truck and I regret it every day!

The transmission overheats (according to the dash gauge, who knows what’s really happening) under low speed hill conditions. They all do it. It’s a design issue. They did away with the trans cooler.

There’s no tow hooks! Toyota literally just forgot them on all Tundras. It’s not an option on any trim level. A good aftermarket fix requires removal of the entire front grill and cutting and drilling. Inexcusable on any 4x4!

Annoying application of modern tech. Bells whistles and chimes for everything. Took me a month to figure out how to turn chit off. Took an aftermarket OBD dongle to hack some of the crap. Auto stop/restart is the worst I’ve seen. Put in park, motor dies, take seatbelt off to get out and it starts back up. Wtf! Why?

Wind noise is terrible. None of the gaskets on the windows fit tight to the glass. Drivers rear door doesn’t fit/close snug. Interior plastic and trim is flimsy. All kinds of squeaks and rattles at less than 5000 miles. CV joint pops in reverse with a hard wheel turn. Brakes squeal like holy hell in reverse every morning. Dual pane acoustic glass windshield gives a distorted view. Headaches on long drives.

Worst of all Toyota can’t figure out a fix for any issue. Not one. Been to two different dealers. Unless the “mechanic” can plug in and read a thrown code, or there’s a recall, they can’t fix a damn thing. I have had a case pending with Toyota customer care for 2 months now. Zero progress.

My take: Toyota realized they were getting beat in the tech race. They channelled all R and D into updating the tech, which they did, and over did, but at the expense of what makes Toyota desirable, reliability. They cheaped out on actually building a quality truck in order to build a high tech truck for city people who are impressed by needless tech nonsense and never actually use their trucks for truck things.

And now there’s hundreds of thousands of recalled boat anchors with blown or about to blow motors with metallic sand in them. All needing a major repair where the entire cab must be removed from the truck and the short block replaced. Getting those done will take years and all other needed repairs will just have to get in line. A long line.

Shame, shame, shame on Toyota!

For anyone shopping for a Tundra, I strongly suggest waiting until the mid cycle refresh in 2026 when hopefully many of the necessary design changes will be addressed. Sorry to be a downer. This just isn’t the Toyota we’ve all come to know and love.

Current owner of a 2024 TRD Pro. Don’t have any of the above complaints and really enjoy my truck. However, I would still advise potential buyers to wait until 2025 or 2026 depending on how this engine recall gets resolved or if it spreads. Not something I’d be willing to gamble on especially with other strong options like the 3.0 diesel from GM.

 

[bowhuntercoop]

Sold my 23 f150 and went back to a 3rd gen Cummins. Did minor upgrades. Apple car play, full leather interior, tonneau cover. Seat motor was broke when I bought it. 78 bucks and 30 mins later it’s good as new. I would rather have a payed off truck that I can work on and maintain compared to the new stuff. Seat motor for the newer ford was over 400 bucks brand new….i can’t stand all the newer tech and electronics. Plus the emessions is a nightmare on the new stuff.

 

[180ls1]

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Sold my 23 f150 and went back to a 3rd gen Cummins. Did minor upgrades. Apple car play, full leather interior, tonneau cover. Seat motor was broke when I bought it. 78 bucks and 30 mins later it’s good as new. I would rather have a payed off truck that I can work on and maintain compared to the new stuff. Seat motor for the newer ford was over 400 bucks brand new….i can’t stand all the newer tech and electronics. Plus the emessions is a nightmare on the new stuff.

Nice truck. Pops has 330K on his 06 before a distracted driver totaled it. I had 230k on my 04 then sold it. They were both the same color as yours. The seats in the 04 were vastly superior. Not sure why all new seats are stiff as a boner but its problematic IMO.