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First gen Tundra

glockman

glockman

I hate Jeep trucks
Location
Pleasant Grove
School me on these. I'm in the market for one for my son. What should I look for other than rusty frame?


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Spork

Spork

Tin Foil Hat Equipped
Location
Saratoga Springs, UT
I don't think the first gen had a lot of variation, basically access cab vs the later 4 door, bench seat in front vs 2 buckets with a console. There are some 3.4L with a 5 speed and a standard cab but they are rare. I'd love to pick up an access cab with the front bench, but I've got too many vehicles and can't bring myself to sell the Tacoma yet.

I've heard the front diff is weak if you're attempting to pull someone out in reverse, it's better to turn it around and pull from the back. You can swap in an ARB which is supposed to be a lot stronger than stock front diff. It's basically similar axles to the Tacoma I think it's the 8.4 in the rear. I used to work with a guy that had one and we'd pile in it and go to lunch. Some people complain the rear seats are too vertical and don't recline, I didn't think it was that bad but I was never in it for more than the lunch run.
 
T

Toad

Well-Known Member
Location
Millville(logan)
Rust issues in the frame is the biggest one. I think this problem is worst on the east coast. I have seen one front diff grenade. He had the front end chained up with a trailer hooked to him buried in snow. They have the same front diff as a Tacoma/4runner. My buddy just sold that truck with almost 300k on it.
 
johngottfredson

johngottfredson

Threat Level Midnight
Location
Alpine
Awesome trucks, I absolutely love mine. Best years are 04-06, stronger front end, upgraded transmission, and better brakes. That said, mine is a 2001, but I bought it last year with 50k miles, so I'm not complaining. I put over 30k miles on it last year and I like it more every day. Rust issues are definitely a concern, make sure you don't get one that has a history of living in the rust best or northeast. I personally like the access cabs - they are more narrow, cab is not as tall, full 6 foot bed, 4 feet between wheel wells. Same dimensions as the 2nd gen access cab tacoma, but more room inside, nicer finish, better seats, better motor, easier to see out the windows, etc. TRD off road package is basically just a sticker, although some came with rear LSD. Double cab trucks have the roll down back window which is the cats meow.

These are very reliable trucks. They do need the belt etc done at 90k, so make sure that work has been done if you are going to buy one, or factor that in to the price.
 
Spork

Spork

Tin Foil Hat Equipped
Location
Saratoga Springs, UT
glockman said:
So knowing the timing belt history is critical, dang I hate that.

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Click to expand...
My wife's Sequoia uses the 4.7, I had timing belt/water pump done at the Carl Malone Dealership with a new chipped key for under $500. At that price I didn't want to mess with it.
 
Gravy

Gravy

Ant Anstead of Dirtbikes
Supporting Member
Location
The Land Northward (Bountiful), Utah
The back seats are terrible. That was a big turn off for Jon when we looked at them. Like can't ride 15 minutes in the back seat bad, and I'm not a huge individual.
That being said my friend's dad drove his 200k and he's terrible at maintenance, so they're either pretty reliable, or he's lucky.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Great rigs. The true 4 door (not the one with suicide doors) is a lot bigger, but it has great legroom in the back. It's almost an entirely different body. I heard that not even the front fenders were the same between those models.

That 4.7 is one of toyotas best motors. If I were in the market for a pickup, I'd snag a 05-06 access cab (since I don't haul people often).
 
johngottfredson

johngottfredson

Threat Level Midnight
Location
Alpine
sixstringsteve said:
Great rigs. The true 4 door (not the one with suicide doors) is a lot bigger, but it has great legroom in the back. It's almost an entirely different body. I heard that not even the front fenders were the same between those models.

That 4.7 is one of toyotas best motors. If I were in the market for a pickup, I'd snag a 05-06 access cab (since I don't haul people often).
Click to expand...

This. As stated above, I think the AC Tundra is the perfect size truck. Size of the Tacoma, but with the capability of a bigger truck, plus it just looks better than the 4 door ones IMO. As for the 05-06 years, those have the VVTI 4.7 motor, which gives a bump of 35 extra hp, plus 10 extra lb of torque. Plus they had worked out all the kinks by then, updated grill, etc. And being the last years of the 1st gen, they will be more likely to have lower miles/use.

As for the rust, I researched this heavily. Same issues as the 1st gen tacomas, both frames were made by Dana with crappy metal if you live in a rust heavy area. Utah statistically puts out way, way less rust than the rust belt/new england states, and Toyota didn't even include utah in the frame recall. I have yet to hear of catastrophic failures of utah trucks due to rust like happens elsewhere.

I would buy another one of these again in a heartbeat, best truck I've ever owned (For reference, I've owned a gen 1 tacoma, a nissan hardbody, chev half and 3/4 tons, F150, (3) F350's, Dodge 1500...probably a few others I can't remember. This one wins.)

Also, I've pushed 20 mpg on the highway, regularly get 17.5 mixed driving.
 
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glockman

glockman

I hate Jeep trucks
Location
Pleasant Grove
Great info here guys. Thanks. My son wants an access cab since it will be him and his girlfriend occupying the vehicle. We have narrowed it down to a few 03-04 trucks with 90-140k miles. I did the timing belt on my 4 runner and these look really similar so we will plan on replacing one that hasn't been done and using the cost as leverage on purchase price.

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johngottfredson

johngottfredson

Threat Level Midnight
Location
Alpine
for what its worth, if I didn't pick mine up at 50k old man miles, I would look for 05-06 with higher mileage. The brakes on these for the first few years have an inherent tendency to eat through brake pads/rotors, and even get vibrations with new pads, rotors. The fix is upgrading the the later versions, which is not cheap. If I remember right, its like $1,500 for parts. It is something I will have to do in the future. Transmission is weaker on the first three or four years - fine if it hasn't been towed heavy, but its been used as a tow vehicle at all, that is a weak point. As Spork pointed out, front diff is weak on the first 3 years as well. Also, there was a lower ball joint recall, make sure that has been addressed.

Again, these are all growing pains with Toyota venturing into its biggest truck to that point, and were worked through after a few years. The parts themselves aren't bad typically, just lots of carry over from the tacoma platform where it should have been upgraded. Guys get hundreds of thousands of miles on the early years, it just requires a little more awareness of some of the likely fail points. Final point to be aware - these seem to get exhaust leaks around 100k miles. People often take the opportunity to put on headers or whatever, as it seems to be an issue that doesn't just stay fixed if you just try to weld or repair.

So, if I were to buy again, I think I would stick with 05-06 AC with good maintenance records and ownership history, not so much concern on the mileage as these will go forever. That extra pump in torque/hp of the VVTI engine would just be icing on the cake.

Good luck
 
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nnnnnate

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
For pricing insight my brother bought a 2000 AC Tundra with 84,000 miles 18 months ago for $10,500 from a guy in Cedar City. He's been really happy with it and is about to drop a fistful of money on a suspension for it if the state would ever give him his tax refund.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
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