Looks like I might be retiring my 2007 Tundra EDIT: $7K for all needed repairs on the Tundra. Under 100k miles. Not all repairs must be done immediately, but all probably within a year.
I’m just starting the search. I want used, probably certified, good fuel economy, all weather handling ability, and decent cargo space. I like a lot of room in the cabin (I’ve been using Suburu station wagons recently, and they are very cramped). I also will not tolerate digital surveillance, or subscription-only access to physically installed hardware. And I too, come from the Tom Paris school of wanting physical buttons dials and switches for everything (the displays in the suburus are blinding at night, even the speedometer! (and I do NOT need to know my fuel economy from second to second, Suburu - How could you possibly thing flashing that in my face with a bright light is useful in any way?!)))
What repairs are needed on a Toyota with under 100k miles and who is performing the work? This sounds like a dealership service department trying to push you into buying a new car. I just rolled over 200k on my Camry and haven’t needed any repairs outside of normal maintenance with fluid changes, brakes, and the like.
A lot of that is inflated.
Spark plugs are nothing to replace and just like removing and replacing 8 bolts. I haven’t worked on stuff in 10 years but $16 for a plug sounds like twice what they should be.
A leaf spring is 6 bolts per spring. With a lift, that takes way less than 1 hour
The time estimates are way off IMO, like triple the real world time. I bet the parts are similarly double to triple what they can be found for on the open market.
Thank goodness for the Internet and the fact that this guy probably has no idea that it exists. Judging by his website, my statement would be accurate.
Some of those seem like insane repairs. Leaf spring replacement? Steering rack replacement? Do you live in the rust belt by chance? If not, I don’t see why these would need any work unless they’ve been physically damaged in a crash or something.
Is your engine a 4.7L V8? If not, you have a timing chain that shouldn’t ever need to be replaced. The 4.7L was the only engine that had a timing belt on the Tundra in 2007, which do need to be replaced since they can easily wear out.
A lot of the other parts seem like reasonable items to repair, but their prices are crazy high.
$15 per spark plug plus labor? I just did my spark plugs and think I paid $5 each for OEM quality iridium plugs from RockAuto.
Front struts only need to be replaced if you notice that they’re leaking.
An alignment is needed only if replacing suspension components or you notice uneven tire wear or the vehicle pulling to the left/right.
Exhaust - $700 to clamp (!) a small section of pipe seems incredibly steep
Wheel bearing and struts: prices for these parts are about double what you can buy OEM quality parts for on your own.
It’s the 4.7L V8. I lived in Anchorage for 3 years, he said the drivers side leaf spring was broken, and that if the saw it, it would not pass inspection, he said the strut was extremely corroded and would start to leak but who knows when, he was adamant that aftermarket plugs would be an utter disaster, he said the alignment would be not required, but highly recommended after replacing the leaf springs, The exhaust repair was gonna require a couple welds which I can’t do. I don’t know how to do that. Also, I don’t have a lift so some of this stuff is tough for me but I hear what you’re saying and I’m 100% with you.
If your underbody is all rusty then you very well may need all this stuff done, which is super unfortunate as these vehicles are otherwise some of the most reliable out there.
If you can take care of some of this on your own, you can find high quality OE or OE equivalent parts on RockAuto alongside the cheap stuff you’d find at Autozone (what they’re referring to). It’s nice as they break stuff out into “cheap” (economy) and “quality” (daily driver/premium) parts and all the prices are still excellent. I’ve bought numerous Motorcraft and Toyota branded parts for our vehicles from them.
I appreciate the recommendation! (I am assuming you are not receiving kickbacks 😂 )
Here’s the estimate. I asked about selling, and he offered me a grand, because there’s some dents on the drivers side rear door and bed.
Was the exhaust pipe/parking brake/other stuff that sounds like it is part of the undercarriage damage from weathering/rust possibly from salty winter roads or rough treatment like bottoming out?
Curious because of the low mileage and type of repairs suggest rough weather conditions. There are some cars to avoid in areas with a lot of salt in the air or with a lot of snow and roads being salted.
Three years in Anchorage, although they don’t salt the roads there, two years in Massachusetts (Massachusetts loves to salt the roads), eight years in Rhode Island I don’t think Rhode Island salts the roads either honestly. There’s an old repair on the exhaust right next to where it broke that must have been done by the original owner (I am the second owner).
Honestly, this one is as good a place as any other. I think new communities make the most sense when their subject matter becomes so prevalent that it starts to annoy the people who are in a community for other reasons. We sort of tried to run before walking when APIpocalypse happened, and I think we’re still structurally cleaning up the mess.
So that being said, what are you looking for? Another truck? Something smaller?
I updated the post with relevant info!
LOL, I have been driving Outbacks for the last 11+ years, and I love ‘em. For brightness, the scroller to the left of the steering wheel will reduce brightness on both the screen and gauges, and the little thumb buttons will shift away from the real time fuel economy, at least on the drivers’ console. I can’t help you with the cabin, but I don’t mind it, and the cargo volume with the back seats down is generally better than the Forresters. I will say that the Outbacks already have so-so fuel economy; I’ll be surprised if anything significantly roomier does much better.
For buttons, Hyundai and Nissan seem to be fighting a rear-guard action to keep them around. Get the Santa Cruz! Get a “Ute”!!! Do it!
As someone who’s also needing to replace a 2007 Toyota soon, I am also curious about this. Cars built after about 2015 seem like nightmares of cost cutting (especially in their lack of physical controls) and surveillance.
I’d be interested in this too. I’m a bit away from the next vehicle but I was already considering going vintage for physical controls, an honest to god non-electronic mirror, and no surveillance.
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But seriously, I haven’t seen an active car community. [email protected] has the most users but is pretty quiet.
I have owned multiple used cars over the years and could probably give some general advice, depending on whether you are asking about specific models or the process itself.
I’m just starting the search. I want used, probably certified, good fuel economy, all weather handling ability, and decent cargo space. I like a lot of room in the cabin (I’ve been using Suburu station wagons recently, and they are very cramped). I also will not tolerate digital surveillance, or subscription-only access to physically installed hardware. And I too, come from the Tom Paris school of wanting physical buttons dials and switches for everything (the displays in the suburus are blinding at night, even the speedometer! (and I do NOT need to know my fuel economy from second to second, Suburu - How could you possibly thing flashing that in my face with a bright light is useful in any way?!)))
Subarus have sucked at cabin space and the console since the mid 2000s. They used to be a favorite but I don’t like them anymore.
Honda is currently my favorite brand, with a 1992 Civic Si that I purchased used in 2001 and drive till 2017 being my first. Loved that car. My wife currently drives a Honda Pilot and I drive a newer Ridgeline. Every Honda has physical controls as far as I can tell, they ride nice, and all perform well in our midwestern weather including when it is icy even with just FWD on the Civic.
Toyota is my second favorite. Had a new 2005 Camry and drove it till I traded it in for the Ridgline a year or two ago. Simple, but roomy and handled great in crummy weather, and was still perfectly fine when I traded it in after almost 20 years. Just wanted to switch to a truck.
During that time we also had a Mazda crossover and I got to drive my in laws rotating selection of vehicles. Mazda was fine, just had some accident damage so we didn’t keep it long. Hondas had some electrical issues with the audio early, but got sorted out right away and were solid since. The i. Maw’s Subaru Ascent was the most annoying car I have ever driven and it kept killing the battery when parked. Killing, not just draining.
I don’t have experienc with Hyundais or US cars sfter the early 2000s, but they are also ridiculously large on the outside and not that roomy inside. They also often have the satellite stuff like OnStar which isna privacy nightmare.
So while I drifted into new car territory, the context was the period you are likely to look into, which is early 2000s for most brands, although Honda and Toyota can be even newer since they didn’t tend to go down the obnoxious routes that most other brands did with the center console for climate control.
To start the used car process, yhere are a few things to decide first. What kind of car do you need, and what kind can you accept? Do you need cargo space, more seats, and how often do you really have bad weather?
Then decide on your deal breakers, like touchpad climate controls, fuel mileage minimums, and size. Write these down! You don’t want to waste time looking at a used car with a dealbreaker. Do you want to be able to work on it yourself?
Then figure out what you want to spend and if you are going to trust the person or company that sells it to you. If you want it certified by a dealership or used car lot, make sure that the certification is backed by something like a money back guarantee or a larger company backing. I trust Honda certified over Bob’s car lot certified even though the used Civic came from a crummy lot that went under 6 months later. If you are willing to spend a little more, you can always pay to have a car from a cheaper independent lot looked over by another garage or possibly a dealership if it saves you overall.
So from here it sounds like you have a wide range of years and brands to choose from. Unlike the 80s and 90s, there are tons of sutes you can go to for reviews of mid 2000s to current models available. Check some out and look for nest model lists from the time period you are looking at. You might to look by category, and get a list of the models that generally fit what you are looking for.
Then check for reliability lists. Sometimes models have bad years for manufacturing. Itbisn’t a guarantee, butnitnwill explain why one year is consistently cheaper than the rest.
Then keep in mind that all of this stuff is about the overall quality and that might be affected by who drove it. But it is a good starting point. This all sounds like a lot of work, but is about the same work as a new car except you are looking at model years with history so you know whether they are lemons or not!
Then you can search for images of the interiors of the ones you are looking at, so you can know if there are any dealbreakers there. After that trim your list down to like 5 models with the years you want and then start looking for any being sold. Just focus on that to get some practice on looking, and keep in mind you might need to look a bit further than you expect to get a good deal. If you don’t find what younare looking for, move down the list and eventually you will get a feel for how to look. I was a lot better at it back when I had more practice!
You also can find a reputable used car lot in your area, tell them what you want and let them show you things. They will cost more than doing the searching yourself but if they are a good lot they will be extremely useful in getting your butt in the actual csr itself to see how it feels if that is necessary. A lot of them are also networked and if they know what you want they can often get cars from other lots onc le they know what you are really after.
They will be incentivised by profit and selling what they have first though, but they are also selling their time and effort so they will be more than buying from a private individual.
One last thing is that used car prices are not a lot lower than new anymore like they were 20+ years ago.
Please buy a “new to you” car. Everyone drives a used car. ;)
How does the second statement relate to the first? Lots of people drive new cars
Once you drive it, it’s no longer a new car.
Sure, now, and then. Past, present. Time it’s a flat circle.
A “new car” can be commonly / casually defined as:
- You are the first owner.
- It is the current, or nearly current year model.
Source: my dog
Try selling it back to a dealer, you aren’t getting a new car price.
Source: Reality.
No one expects that. It’s not new, it’s already had an owner.
Correct. Because everyone drives a used car. :)
At the time of transaction, the car then fails my “authoritative” (lol) definition.
Before then, if you’re the first owner, only the manufacturer date is in play. Your car is “new” for a year or two.
The dealership cannot acquire a “new” car from you because it would not be the “first” owner, if we assume cars with no miles on them, straight from the factory, haven’t had an “owner”
