Upgrading from a 2nd Gen, Threading the 3rd Gen Needle

Looking for some advice...

I currently have a 2005 4x4 TRD Sport double cab with 220k miles. The truck needs a laundry list of repairs. Quoted around $13k to have a shop do all of it. I could shave that down by doing some of it myself but I dont have the time nor the experience to do all of it. No matter how I slice it, I'm likely looking at, at least, $7k in repairs.

Looking at a 2021 TRD Off-road with 30k miles but trying to thread the needle of enhanced features but not being beholden to subscriptions, all functions being run through an MMI and losing the ability to do some of the work on my own in the driveway.

 

Unless it’s in pieces on the side of the road, I highly doubt it needs 7k or 13k in repairs

post here what you think it needs and let’s get a real number, and start there

 

Well, that could have been realistic if no preventative maintenance had been done during that mileage.

I have done all my maintenance and upgrades on my 2017 in my garage, except for alignments and tire mount/dismount/balancing.
Don't worry about the "subscriptions" since the truck lives on without them.
Depending on how you drive your 4.0, you may not like how the 3.5 builds its hp and torque at higher rpms. Do not low rpm lug this 3.5 as it is designed and loves to rev.

 

Im looking at the following:

I do realize some of these are very simple and inexpensive ie the cabin air filter for example but its the totality of the time and cost into a truck w close to 250k miles. It also feels like all of this happened at once... I take the truck for regular service and it feels like a year or two ago it just started $500-ering me to death.

Exhaust manifolds - drivers side is leaking, figured I'd do both.
UCAs - both sides
LCAs - both sides
inner/outer tie rods - both sides
Service rear differential
Head light lens came apart inside housing
Various dash lights out
Cabin air filter
Transmission pan leaking - 2 different shops for a total of 3 tries have attempted to fix the leak
Transfer case leaking
Power steering pump leaking - figure replace pressure hose and pump
new tires
Tow hitch is rusted out, needs to be replaced - truck had the frame replaced as part of the recall but they didnt do the tow hitch
new pads and rotors
valve cover is leaking
drive belt tensioner and idler pullys need replaced
carrier bearing is bad but was told my drive shaft is bent so figured id upgrade to a one-piece

 

^That's probably a timing cover oil leak and not a power steering pump leak. You may still be losing power steering fluid through the rack seals, so add $2-3k to the repair estimate...

Being a '05 I'm surprised you don't have a blown head gasket or collapsed engine mounts.

What 3rd gen features are you concerned about? The app-based stuff like remote unlock and remote start by phone?

 

The idea of apps, software, MMIs, etc running our vehicles is a turn-off for me. Maybe there's no way around it but I'd like to minimize how much those things are a part of my vehicle.

 

^You can simply elect not to use the Toyota phone app and app-controlled functions, and then the truck will have the same functionality as 2016-2019 models.

 

IMO buy another truck.

 

Yeah man... Thats the direction Im headed I think.