If you were to buy a tundra right now... to replace a Honda Ridgeline;)

So my dad just wrecked his '08 Ridgeline. RIP. He has always wanted of a tundra and thought the Tacoma was a bit too small for him. He doesn't need all of the bells and whistles of the TRD PRO. It would just be a commuter car. Other than that, no real budget concerns, but he doesn't want to break the bank. He would like a quad cab too. Besides that, what package would everyone recommend. I myself know little about tundra trim levels. Thanks

 

He's in trouble if he doesn't want to break the bank, tundra gas mileage will do that alone.

 

I think he understands that, his wife has the lx570 with the same v8 hahah.

 

My tundra gets 14-16 mpg, my tacoma for 15-17. Not much different

 

If he doesn't want to break the bank, maybe used would be in order. However, I also don't know a ton about them, and whether their resale holds like Tacomas. I do know they are absolutely awful on gas, especially compared to other full size options.

I honestly really only like the look of them in limited trim.

 

My Tacoma can get up to 25 if driven at 55, usually average 22-23 on interstates

 

yes, because it isn't a 2nd gen lol. I average about 18 MPG, mostly highway

 

Go big or go home. Besides, you need a nice Tundra to borrow, don't you?

 

You don't like your stepmom do you?

 

Sorry, mommy has a big white lexus

 

So your mother and step mom both have a Lexus? Then Tundra probably wouldn't be an issue with fuel for your dad.

 

Ditto. Not enough difference to get worked up about.

I report same numbers.

 

Concur. The Sr5 seats scream corolla cheap ... I'd go Platinum with some Limited 18' rims. A better base full size truck imo would be 17 Nissan Titan with the 5.6L if looking for more for the $$ ... no smaller entry level V-8, and better materials/seats/mpg/nochrome

 

Sounds like an SR5 with down the road mods is the best route. If he wants leather he could go with a limited though guys claim the limited leather isn't as good as platinum or king ranch. Heck, you can get the platinum or king ranch for the price of the pro. A guy on another forum claimed he scooped a king ranch for 47k OTD.

 

Other than trim levels does he want a 2017 or 2018. Toyota just did what I knew they would. They brought back the rebates and even have one on the 2018s. The 2017 special editions are now $4k but that is all cash. They left the 0% finance option at a $2k rebate. The break even point on the 0% versus rebate was 1.79% when the rebate was $1500. I have not recalculated with the new rebates.

 

My son got a 2017 a couple months ago. Limited 4x4, quad cab. Needed bigger than his 09 Tacoma TRD. He owns a few 30 ft parasail boats that he pulls around. He choose Limited over TRD “cause I’m not a kid, I need a grown up truck”, as he put it. Seems to work for him. Too big for me, I’ll stick with my 03 Tacoma double cab Trd.

 

The Tundra packages work like this:

SR (basic work truck model)
SR5 (Basic model)
SR5 with the "Upgrade package" (Basic with some extras)
Limited (Leather, with a lot of features)
TRD Pro (Probably don't need to explain)
Platinum (only available in crewmax) (The plush luxury model)
1794 (only available in crewmax) (Toyota's equivalent to the Ford "King Ranch")

If I were your dad I would be looking at an SR5 with the upgrade package or a Limited Crewmax with the 5.7L. The 4.6L would serve him well, but fuel mileage savings are negligible so why not go big? That being said I would encourage him to drive both before he decides.

The limited is the best bang for your buck trim level in my opinion. Leather, front buck seats (as opposed to a bench), BSM, dual climate controls and a lot of other features come standard on the Limited. You can easily find a limited for cheaper than a Pro and not a whole lot more than an SR5. With the 2018 he would get LED headlights and Toyota Safety Sense, but if that doesn't matter then I would be looking for a 17'. You can still find then new on the lot with a pretty decent mark down this time of the year. If he doesn't want/need leather I would go with the "SR5 Upgrade package." This adds the front bucket seats, and it used to add the 38 gallon gas tank but I think that is standard for 2017 and newer with the 5.7L.

You can also pick add on packages like with the Tacoma. New for 2018 is the TRD sport package, which is very similar to the sport package on the Tacoma. Basically adds a hood scoop and an extra sway bar for better on road handling. If he doesn't plan to mod the truck it can be worth it to pay the extra cost to get an add on package. The TRD offroad package adds Bilstein shocks, different 18in wheels with Michelin AT tires and some "skid plates." This one is pretty popular so it shouldn't be hard to find. Home this helps, feel free to PM me if you need more info. I did a shitton of research before I bought my Tundra.

 

I chose the limited crew max with TRD option. As mentioned, you get Bilstien shocks and more off road tires. It was a $70 option.

So far I love my cement Tundra, a big improvement over my old 99 F150 XLT SC. My wife mentioned “why didn’t we get it sooner?”

 

Very niiiiiice! Post it up in the TW Active tundra BS thread
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tw-active-tundra-build-and-bs-thread.536991/
@WAtaco4x4