Second vehicle (truck) what should I buy?

Hey All,

I'm in the market for a 2nd vehicle since I turned my tacoma into more of a toy that I take off road and would like another vehicle so that i'm covered if I break it and can work on it while still having transportation. I've practically cut the utility of my current tacoma's bed in half due to having a bed rack. I would like another truck because I see myself buying a dirtbike in the future and possibly towing a flatbed trailer.

My initial thought was to get a 1st gen tundra with a 2uz-fe, but I am hesitant to own another engine with a timing belt especially since this one is an interference belt.

I am ok with buying something rough with like 150-250k miles and my budget is like $8k-$10k. I'm ok with 2wd.

Any suggestions?

 

In my opinion 1st gen Tundra is the best option, that’s what I did. If I get another truck to backup the Tacoma it will probably be a 2500 Chevy gasser.

 

do you have an opinion on obs chevy 1500 96'-99' fuel injected?

 

I wouldn't be afraid of a 1st gen Tundra because of the timing belt, I've seen those survive a belt failure several times.
2nd gen Tundras are great trucks as well although fuel milage isn't great and the starter isn't fun to replace when it goes out.

Pretty solid trucks although most of them are well used by now, very easy to work on.

If it's an automatic expect the transmission to need a rebuild around 200-300k, same thing with the front end.

Intake gaskets are relatively common to leak coolant externally and/or into the oil if they have never been done (OE gasket is rubber/plastic, updated gasket is rubber/metal), fuel pressure regulator also likes to leak and cause a rich condition and cyl 5 misfire. Both are relatively easy fixes though.

 

@Dm93 good information, thank you

 

Not sure, I’ve had 7 for work trucks from 2012-2024 and they are the shit. Horrible gas mileage but I beat the brakes off of them and have never had a check engine light.

 

F-150 is the best selling truck of all time for a reason. You could take a chance; it could make you a good mechanic out of necessity.

 

The 10th gen (97-03) F150s aren't terrible trucks either but they aren't nearly as easy to work on as GM trucks of the same vintage.

 

I’ll be the bad guy here tell you why a second vehicle to use mostly just in case your current vehicle breaks is a Financially poor idea. A big expense for something that gets little use and isn’t really needed. You have the initial cost, insurance, registration, maintenance expenses and other expenses etc. all for a vehicle that mostly sits. Then you are looking for an older vehicle probably high mileage which means lots of potential for mechanical breakdowns and failure. You may end up dumping lots of $$$ into it just to keep it functioning. No matter what anyone says mileage and age is what kills vehicles even Toyotas.
I note the truck you have, your only vehicle is 23 years old. As much as you may like that truck I assume you aren’t exactly rolling in money. Thus buying a second vehicle you don’t “need” and mostly sits= bad idea. You’d be better off to wait to buy a second vehicle until you can afford to buy a newer vehicle as a daily driver and keep your truck as a weekend off road fun machine.

A first gen Tundra was mentioned. I had one and liked it a lot but I had a lot of problems with it. Bought new , sold at 90,000 miles. A few of the problems - all oxygen sensors failed and replaced, tranny blew up at 50000 had to be replaced, electric windows stopped working, A/C problems and several other problems. And lastly the mpg was shit. I don’t expect mpg in trucks to be good but the Tundra mpg was really shit. Just saying Tundras and Tacomas break and fail just like other vehicles.

 

@Sprig Solid advice. I do plan to spread the miles evenly across both vehicles, so one won't just be sitting. I thought about it more and might just buy a car instead of the truck and only get a truck when I actually need one for towing etc. A car won't have the same price tag and it won't be a second gas guzzler. If my truck breaks on the trail I won't be able to do the work myself since I need to get back on the road asap for work. My Tacoma will eventually need its shocks sent out rebuilt and will be down for a week or more. I could buy a low budget set of shocks for this which is obviously less than another vehicle. My truck is paid off so I do feel okay paying the second insurance. Not fighting your advice just explaining my situation and comfort level more.

 

Where you located? I'm getting ready to sell my 4Runner. I know you can't throw a dirt bike in the back but you can pull a small trailer. 2010 w/190k, all service records, never ever went over 5k before changing oil,full synthetic (all documented). Truck drives awesome! I bought it w/72k on the clock.

Pics taken on 3/28/25. Picked up my Tacoma on 3/29/25

 

Depending on what you tow, a RAV or similar might be a good option.

Comfy daily, decent MPG, can tote more inside than you might guess.

A modest open trailer with a dirt bike or Home Depot local run should be no problem

Our 13 Limited has 86k, trouble free, 22 in regular city traffic, 28 hwy.