Tundra or Titan?

[JMo]

I am looking at buying a bigger pickup and have been looking at the Tundra and Titan. It will be used to pull a 17 foot boat and the snowmobile trailer. Just wondering what everyone's experience has been with these vehicles,maintenance, gas mileage, towing etc. Thanks for your replies.

I have been looking at a used Tundra (2004-2006). I don't really like the body styling of the new Tundras. Also, I like the style of the Titan but don't really know much about their performance.

[Dave S]

I was seriously considering a Tundra until I did a little research and found that there have been some issues with valves knocking after about 5K miles and the transmissions are blowing out seals. From what I have read, Toyota has been replacing the entire motor in the trucks that develop the valve issue.

It may be target practice in the dark for saying this, but I would opt for the Titan. If you can wait until next year, Toyota should have the bugs worked out of this new design Tundra.

I know a guy with the crew cab Titan and has been getting between 15-17 mpg with it. He's been through a few different brands over the past few years (money is no object) and never seems to be happy with the mileage with any of them. Other than that, it's been a trouble free truck.

[hondavxr]

I work at a Nissan dealership and all I have to say to you is the Titan is a great truck. Its full of power and torque. These trucks are pretty much problem free. I have also driven a new Tundra and I can say I love the Tundra motor, but there are a few bugs Toyota has to work out. Most of those little bugs only happen to 1% of the new Tundras. If you need a hook up with a Titan truck let me know. Thanks

[Jim Almquist]

I have a 2007 Tundra and I was aware that there was some issues with the first one's off the line but I picked mine up in June and now have 10000 miles and have not had any problems other then I always want to drive somewhere far away. The truck is almost scary fast with 381 HP and when I am towing my boat or sled you really can't tell they are back there. Would I trade it for anything else NO. Would I buy the same truck again YES. If you have a specific ? about the truck let me know and I will try to help. I have the double cab with the standard bed.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Either one would be a good choice. The two reasons that I chose a Tundra over the Titan was ergonomics and the size of the bed. I really did not like the location of the power door locks. In general I don't like power anything, kind of strange that way. They did have a problem (from what I have heard) with rotors warping on the first model years. I know Jonny P had one and will let him know about this post and see if he can share his view. If they can survive red lake with him behind the wheel they must be pretty good.

The new Tundra has issues with the valve train, if memory serves me correctly I think there are issues with broken cams with the 5.7 liter. I have the 4.7 in my 2006 and it has all the power I need. There is also an issue with the tailgate. Again if memory serves me correctly they are glued together and crack when loads (four wheelers/snowmobiles) are repeatedly loaded and unloaded. I don't now if there is a fix for this yet. On a good note I here the power from the 5.7 is pretty impressive.

[Random guy]

Well the Titan was a great truck that was bad on fuel.

Best road truck I ever had, It should have stayed on the road. The Titan truly was a mini semi truck. Trainloads of power, lots of features and a whole bunch of cab/cargo room, but once that thing was off road it was worthless. Between the beeping, warnings and the limited slip control that caaused that whole in the crack sideways deal I truly lost all interest to replace the Titan with another.

When I was coming across the ice I seen the crack and attempted to change course without success so I floored it hoping to bounce across it. The worst would have been a good aligment job. Well the limited slip kept flashing and cutting the power. I couldn't stop because the ABS, I couldn't speed up because the slip control so I SLOWLY drove into the crack without enough steam to clear it.

If I was to live in the city I would buy another Titan, living in the rough and tough contry we like out Toyotas. They just take a beating better, thats why you see so many 3/4 and 1 ton Fords in this area, they just take the cold weather and beatings better then most makes.

One thing I didn't like about the Tundra when I was shoppng new trucks was the cab felt like I was sitting in a Yugo. I was in a new Toyota at the dealer lot when I leaned on the arm rest and it broke. That turned me off pretty fast. I also though the Tundra price was a bit steep for what it could do for me.

Best truck I ever owned

[Flatlander]

I'll begin by saying that I will NEVER purchase a Nissan vehicle again. I've owned 2 Pathfinders and an Altima(all 3 were great vehicles), and then I bought a Titan.

We'll begin with the repairs that Nissan paid for. I went through 4 sets of brakes, door seals and foam inside the doors to stop the rattling, assorted pieces of plastic inside and out(Nissan went very cheap on the plastic parts), new pinion seal(55k miles) and the rear axle seals. Unfortunately, replacing the seals didn't work, and now that I'm out of warranty, the rear axle assemblies need to be replaced. I would have thought that if the manufacturer's fix (while under warranty) for a problem didn't work, they would try their new idea of a fix. That's not the case with Nissan.

Apparantly, when you lose as much money as Nissan did, due to the break issues, you try to make those loses up with a complete lack of customer service. Just my opinion of course.

Back to the original post. Johnny P hit the nail on the head about the power, gas mileage and stupid 4x4 get stuck features. The only other thing I will add is the ride. If you think a Dodge rides like a Cadillac, you'll love the smooooooothness of that Titan ride.

[CJH]

Just curious as to why you aren't considering any of the domestics? I am not a buy american kind of guy, I am a buy what's best kind of guy. But everything I have read has said that all of the quality measurements are really good for the domestics. Plus with all of the size/drivetrain options you can pretty much get anything you want. I actually like the new interiors of Ford and Chevy the best. I looked at the Tundra at the Autoshow last year and the interior seemed really quirky. I won't tell you not to buy either, but if you think you are getting better quality or performance, I would rethink that.

Just my two cents. Buy what makes you happy!

Good Luck!

CJH

[rundrave]

when the domestics start holding the retail value that the Toyotas do I might consider buying one.

I just sold a Toyota truck a couple months ago. I only sold it because I wanted a crew cab instead of a ext cab. I sold it for 3k less than what I paid for it. And to top it off I had people lined up to buy it, it sold as soon as I put it up for sale.

[jltimm]

Excellent point on the resale value. I sold one a few years ago, and apparently I should have priced it higher because the first guy to look at it took it, and the phone kept ringing after that!

[CJH]

I hear ya, and that does apply as long as you aren't paying significantly more to start out with (especially if you are financing it).

[fivebucks]

I have a 2000 Tundra and it has been a good truck for me. I have just under 200,000 miles and minimal repairs, maybe excluding tires and oil changes I've spent $3000 in repairs. My plan is to buy another Tundra in another 100,000 miles so they should have all the bugs worked out by then. I think having the Tundras being manufactured in the US now is bringing the workmanship down to the US level a little bit.

[irvingdog]

Vexilar! For sure; Vexilar.

[SWMuskeye]

I recommend you skip both and get a Chevy. Better fuel economy, lowest operating costs, better off-road performance, and it is the residual leader in this market-incredibly higher than Nissan and suprisingly Toyota.

Trust me, I'm in the business of buying and selling lots of these for construction companies, nothing has lasted longer or brought the highest resale back to its owners more than Chevys.

[fishin58]

CrewMax 5.7L TUNDRA 4WD

24 months 36 months 48 months 60 months

MSRP $34,070 $34,070 $34,070 $34,070

ALG Residual % 63 53 45 39

ALG Residual Value $21,525 $18,200 $15,425 $13,250

Money Factor .002868 .002992 .003016 .003092

Payments Calculate Calculate Calculate Calculate

Here is a comparable Chevy Residual

2008 Chevrolet SILVERADO 1500 4WD

Crew Cab 1LT SILVERADO 1500 4WD

24 months 36 months 48 months 60 months

MSRP $34,075 $34,075 $34,075 $34,075

ALG Residual % 57 51 44 38

ALG Residual Value $20,175 $17,725 $15,375 $13,350

Money Factor .002868 .002992 .003016 .003092

Payments Calculate Calculate Calculate Calculate

[fishin58]

That is from cars dot com. Not skewed in any way, so as far as resale concerns for a Toyota being so much better,that is a myth.

[rundrave]

it is a myth, open up the paper and look at how many Chevy, Ford, Dodge, GMC's are for sale.

Now look how many Nissans and Toyota's there are. If im a guy selling any of the ones I mentioned above, look at who I have to compete with just to get the truck to sell. Now look at the Nissan and Toyota and look who your competing against. Im willing to bet I could sell a Toyota alot easier than a domestic and get my money out of it.

I know I cant sell a domestic for blue book value, but I know I can sell a toyota for what it books for.

[Duffman]

 Quote:

Not skewed in any way, so as far as resale concerns for a Toyota being so much better,that is a myth.

Numbers, shmumbers. Drive around the cities and check out the used car lots, let me know what the ratio of used chevy trucks vs. used toyota trucks is. 25 to 1? 50 to 1? 100 to 1?

Why is that? A used yoda truck is an easy sell. They don't last long on the lots or in the want ads.

[eyepatrol]

Do you suppose it's because there's a greater populatin of people that buy Chevy, Dodge and/or Ford more than a Toyota or a Nissan? I wonder what the percentage of Chevy owners is compared to Toyota, or any other comparison?

Just curious.

[Duffman]

You do have to take that into consideration with regards to my comment above, no doubt about it.

Another reason is because yoda dudes tend to hold onto thier trucks forever, if things are going good, why change? That's why used yodas are also hard to find.

[eyepatrol]

That is absolutely true....no reason to "fix it if it aint broken". Me personally, I was on a "trade-in binge" for a number of years trying to get into the truck I wanted. Now that I'm in it, unless there's a major problem, there's no reason to change or get rid of it.

I think it all boils down to a person's preference in the end. The original poster is interested in Toyota and/or Nissan and that is likely what this person would get. If they were interested in more than that, they would have asked about other makes & models.

[fishin58]

Because most truck buyers get a new truck every three years, that is the pattern, I do not know why, but that is the pattern. As for the new toyotas...sure the older models have had a good reputation but that was all put to the wayside when they upped there production numbers. Check out the past 2 years recalls and see what's what. I dare you!

[Duffman]

 Quote:

As for the new toyotas...sure the older models have had a good reputation but that was all put to the wayside when they upped there production numbers.

You mean about the time they started getting built in the USA?

LOL

[fishin58]

2007 Toyota sold 200,000 tundras half of which were recalled. Some how that slid under the national media radar. Silly camshafts, toque converters and brakes, who needs em?? The numbers game. hmmm Chevy by itself in 2007 sold 422,000 Silverados, Now throw in a few GMC's, and yeah they might outnumber the yoda's in the Lots in the cities.

[Duffman]

Chevy Guys, it's always Chevy Guys.

The Ford and Mopar Guys never get into it as much as the Chevy Guys. LOL

Oh boy, I woulda thunk the sales numbers would have favored the Silverados a ton more, guess not. So you're saying we will be seeing 2007 Silverados outnumbering 2007 Tundras at only a 2 to 1 ratio at the used lots in two years? I guess I'll wait and see. Because according to you, MOST truck owners buy a new truck every three years. (Where did you pull that stat from?)

/Tundra Guy

//Marcum Guy

///Strikemaster - Nils Guy

////Alumacraft-Suzuki-MinnKota-Lowrance Guy

/////Slashy McSlashy Guy

[DTro]

I think the quality of the domestics has really caught up.

However, I also was on a trading binge with the domestics for a while because either A I had issues, or B I was afraid of having issues. Finally went and bought a new Rav4 for the wife and a late model 4-runner for myself. Zero issues and one is just about paid off.

[fishin58]

Duff, I am GM salesmen, so yes I am a little biased, but that trade cycle is pretty much the norm, I think people love driving under warranty that are able to afford new vehicles. I myself am misfortunate enough to drive a MOPAR! But its paid for and that is what matters to me.

[Duffman]

Honestly dtro, any new truck these days is a nice truck. They all look sharp and I probably wouldn't mind driving any of them. Just giving the domestic truck guys who jump into a foreign truck thread a little ribbin.

Drive whatever you want people, just stay out of my way.

[fisherman-andy]

It's funny how quickly the new 07up 1st Gen Tundra platform problems have been overblowned. Give it some time to put out some mature models over the coming years and see how well it does stand up to the competition.

If your gonna recommend something you can't be biased towards others. Drive what you want, get what you want. The best truck for you will eventually surface.

My bro in law's cousin own's one of the new model Tundras. The power & torque is addicting and it's been about a year and have yet to have any problems.

[hondavxr]

If you are looking for trucks right now you will get a great deal. Since the high price of gas the full size truck sales has been down like crazy. I know that at my dealership the little cars are selling like hot cakes and the new full size trucks and SUV are sitting on the lot for months. Remember who posted the biggest lost ever, GM. You can't just rely on truck sales.

[JMo]

I have previously been a Chevrolet guy but after being told "that's a common problem with Chevys" everyime I had to bring the Blazer and Tahoe into the shop I am done with Chevys. I put over five grand in my 98 Blazer in a little over a year- fuel pump, intake manifold gasket, wheel bearings, and front differential. I bought a 2003 Tahoe new and have had the intermittent steering column replaced twice and now the gas, tach and oil gauges don't work properly. I have talked to Chevy about this but since it's past 75,000 miles they won't cover the fix. I'm ready to go to a company like Toyota where I know the truck will maintain its value better. I am just trying to weigh the pros and cons of the Tundra and Titan.