OK, I'm looking at used Tundra's.
Is one year better than others?
What is included with the tow package?
Is a linited slip included with the TRD package?

I didnt make myself clear about what My needs are. I want a V8, 4WD and auto trans. Trying to decide about extra cab or crew cab. I want to be able to tow more than my 4-Runner will.

 

i may be wrong but Ive heard that the early ones had engine trouble, and were underpowered, don't hold me to this, I'm sure other people will post with more knowledge

 

i purchased my 2004 tundra nov 03. Got a V6 and it is a little underpowered, BUT luckily i got a 5speed so its not as bad. However.. i wish i had gotten a 4wd. If you dont care about the size... i think it might be better to get a v6 4wd taco. For a Tundra.. either a V8 or a V6-5speed (V6 Auto IMO, is out of the question). If ur eventually gonna get bigger tires then a V8 will serve u best. i have a BFG A/T's 285/75/26 and its heavy for my v6 to pull- even with the 5speed. I believe with older years of the tundra, they would be easier to modify.. with my 04 its hard to find parts... anyway.. GOODLUCK!

 

my dads 2000 v8 has TONS of power!

 

Most Tundras are pretty similar unitl the double cab came out. There where some grill and interior changes. In the early Tundras a limited slip was not an option. The tow package is most likey extra cooling devices and maybe some wiring stuff. They will tow almost anything you want, just use trailer brakes or you will warp the rotors and you fuel mileage will be really low. If you need to haul more than two people for more than an hour get a double cab. If all you want is more interior room get the access cab. And the V8 has LOTS of power and the V6 will move the truck alright if asked nicely ( a super charger helps a lot from what I have read).

Andrew

 

. . . you received, not one of them was from someone who actually owns a Tundra. At least they tried to help. Here is some info. from firsthand experience.

I have an 04 Thundra, AccessCab, V8, TRD, TowPackage, LSD, SR5, factory plastic bedliner. I bought it last December and now have a little over 23,000 on it. It is a sweet, sweet truck. I use it primarily to tow snowmobiles in the winter and put the dirtbikes in the back. I usually get an average of 16-17mpg in a mix of city and highway driving, with the enclosed 10ft 2place snowmobile trailer it drops to 11 or 12. The truck is rated to tow 6,500 lbs and will take 1,500 in the bed. The tow package came with the hitch/receiver which is nice as you see nothing but the box/hole for the receiver and everything else is tucked behind the bumper, unlike other hitches where they stick way out underneath and could possibly hang up if you go offroad. A 7 way trailer plug is underneath too. There is also a transmission cooler and an oil cooler as part of the Pkg.

The Limited Slip was an option and I think it works pretty darned good, I get the truck sideways in the snow all the time and if I lay into it in the rain or even a dry road the truck will fishtail as both wheels will spin, in 4WD the truck just goes and it is just a pushbutton away, too easy.

My truck came with the TRD package which is just 16 alloy wheels and BFG Rugged Trail tires, foglights, wheel arches and mudguards and Bilstein shocks which ride nice offroad, I can fly down dirt roads and not even feel the bumps, rocks. I stuck 80/100 bulbs in my headlights and they work so much better, I adjusted my foglights to their max up position and they work great too without blinding anyone.

Brakes are antilock all the way around with drums in the back, the truck stops fast either with or without a load! I believe they are the only truck with twin piston disc brakes.

I heard that the 99-01 or 02 trucks had issues with their front rotors warping and they have definitely addressed it or I would have never bought my 04, I have not had one issue save for my engine light coming on and the dealer replacing the fuel filler neck and gas cap, other than that the truck has been flawless. I definitely didn't need a crew cab so the AccessCab works just fine for me. I do wish I held out for the 05 as the VVTi V8 now has 282 horse as opposed to my 245hp non-VVTi V8 but once my truck gets up on the cams it flies right up to the 5000rpm redline.

The V8 only comes in a 4 speed Automatic Transmission and depending on where you live or what you like to do I'd go with the 4WD and an AccessCab as I'm not a fan of 4 full-size doors on a pickup, yet. I could have lived without the TRD package as one can swap out shocks or add foglights but it is a nice thing to have straight from Toyota. My truck also came with an all weather package with a heavy duty battery, starter, heater and alternator. It is tough to find used Tundras as they last so long and when people buy them they keep them. I have heard that Toyota will be rolling out a new Tundra in 2007 and when they do I might get it or wait a year to get the 2008 but I will get a new one as they are just that good and the new one will be that much better, not unlike the 05 Tacoma. For reference, before my Thundra I had an 03 Tacoma with the V6, Auto, SR5, it was a nice truck but I didn't think it was what I needed to tow the sled trailer 200 miles north into the mountains, now with the 4.0L V6 in 05, I wouldn't hesitate to consider that truck.

 

Thanks Ben03 for the info. That's what I was looking for. I'm a bit surprised that the Tundra will only tow 1500 more pounds more that my 4-Runner. I'm pleased that the tow package includes oil coolers. I think on my 97 4-Runner it just included a hitch and wiring.

 

. . . I wish someone had written some good, unbiased reports about the truck when I was out shopping, I had to rely on so called "professional reviewers" who were not necessarily truck enthusiasts.

I too am a bit surprised that the 4.7L V8's towing rating is only 6,500 while the V6 3.4 or 4.0VVT-i is very close if not the same. I believe that Toyota is erring on the side of caution with their ratings as the majority of the buyers of the truck wouldn't be towing much more than a mobile home/trailerRV or a 24 foot boat or smaller at most. I know the 4.0 V6 in the 05 Tacoma has a tow rating equal to the V8 and the HP is rated at 245 vs 240 for the V8 however the torque is just a bit less. What the V8 will do is last longer and be less stressed in the long run and I like that.

Any other questions about the truck, just reply, I'd be happy to give up the 411.

 

Where'd you get 6500lbs for your access cab? Mines rated at 7100lbs.

6500lbs-DC 4wd
6800lbs-DC 2wd
00-04 models - 7100lbs-rc/ac 4wd
7200lbs-rc/ac 2wd
05 models dropped 100lbs for reg cabs and 200lbs for the 4wd access cab models but GWVR increased, a good thing.

Older tundra's are underpowered??? 00-02 has 245hp, 03-04 has 240hp. Only 05 have more at 282hp. But remember that the 05's still has the same 240-245hp that the older tundra's have at the same rpm, just that toyota increased the hp peak on the rpm band and plus the new 5spd auto has more effect in accelleration power than the 40hp increase. Moving numbers around makes it sound astoning but is very little in power per rpm.

IMO, get a 05, not because of the 282hp, but for the 5spd auto. For better towing it also has a lower 1st gear and plus the 5spd keeps the powerband closer so everytime it shifts it doesn't fall out of the powerband. But before my tundra I've towed with the other 3 domestics and it was no different. IMO the domestics are over rated, having a higher tow rating doesn't mean it'll move it any better. Take chevy for example, it has a higher tow rating than the tundra but equals the tundra in moving power with a 6000lbs trailor. The others bettered the tundra by only a few seconds in the 1/4mile with that weight. I think it was Trailer magazine that did the test, chevy(5.3), ford(5.4), dodge(5.7), titan(5.6), tundra(4.7), all 04 model years. I would imagine the 05 tundra would do alot better. With a larger motors, you would think the others would toast the tundra.

It's your choice, make it right.

 

. . . I don't know why I had 6,500 as the number in my head, I'm happy with the 7,100 rating. Not that a 240 hp rating is low, 282 just sounds like a lot more, closer to 300 and the 315 the Titan states. And a 5 speed Auto would have been really nice, if only I had waited but I couldn't. Still, 2007 is coming.

I did read that the supposed 375 hp Hemi was dynoed at 263 hp, I wonder what our 4.7 dyno's at? In any case, I don't need a monster truck or whopping hp and the Tundra does exactly what I need, a used one would/should do the job for ya.

 

If you consider 2000-2002 just make sure the brakes have been changed to the TSB spec or you'll likely be warping rotors. 2003 and up fixed the brake problem. So far I've got 32,000 on my original pads and rotors. The limited slip is an option. Selecting the TRD package doesn't necessarily mean you've got the LSD. Look for the external transmission cooler and 7-pin connector for the tow package. If you're hauling adults in the back get the double cab, with my kids growing as fast as they are I really wish I had the DC. All that said I think it is still the absolute best 1/2 ton on the market.

 

Warping brakes is a luck of draw, some have it some don't, lucky I don't.

tow package
00-02, hitch, and 4pin
03-05, adds 7pin, prewired trailer brakes plug under dash

LSD
00-01, didn't have it
02-05, optional
03-05, included w/offroad package
not too sure if lsd was included w/offroad package on the 03's but 04 & 05's is.

 

It was not included on the 03 off road package, had to specifically ask for it. At least that's the way it worked for mine.

 

Honestly, I would recommend the aftermarket TRD 3 clutch limited slip. At least for my year (2002), the two clutch limited slip from the factory is quite easy to break traction from. And yes I change my fluid every so often with the friction modifiers so that's not the issue. But whenever I can have access to a lift at school, the factory limited slip is coming out and the TRD is going in.

 

IMO, if you're pretty good with tools and a tinker-kind-a-guy, just get a V8 4wd/tow pkg and add you own offroad package.

I didn't buy mine with the offroad pkg because the only performance oriented item it had over a non offroad pkg was higher dampening shocks(bilsteins), the progressive fr coils was no different in ride quality or performance than the stock regular coils. Trust me, I've had both on my truck.

 

I think you'll like the Tundra regardless of which model you buy. I just bought a 2005 Double Cab 4wd with TRD. Two of my friends have the access cab and like someone said in the above post, don't buy the access cab if a lot of people ride in your truck. That back seat is uncomfortable after 30 seconds. The D-cab is more car like for passenger room. My Tundra has 282hp and it's plenty enough for me. I really don't know how the 240hp V8 feels. The TRD package is lovely, the suspension is tuned for offroad and it's a little stiffer. I just got rid of a 2003 Tacoma double cab 4wd.......I have now realized that a V8 is the only way to go!!!!!!!