Trade up or fix taco lean?

My Tacoma is about to start needing some costly maintenance, and I am debating on trading up.

Currently in an 07 stock DCSB trd sport nearing 39,000 miles on the odo. The truck is in excellent condition inside and out. Maintenance I will have to do by spring:

Tires (still original Dunlops with good tread, but dry rotted sidewalls)
Suspension (leaf packs are pancaked)
Spark plugs and wires
Rear diff oil change

Likely a couple other maintenance items I am missing.

Other factor is my wife is due in March. My thinking is I can still get 20k plus on it and I only owe 17k. Why not trade up and be covered by warranty and avoid these maintenance expenses?

The reason I am hesitating on a trade is because I'm not sure it's a good idea to buy a 14 when the new models are right around the corner.

Please help a brother, maybe I am over looking something here...


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You will have to pay the sales tax on a new truck. I'd fix your truck and give it to your kid on their 16th birthday.

 

Warranty won't cover any of that stuff. That's all considered routine maintenance.

There are no spark plug wires...

Rear diff and spark plugs should have been done @ 30K miles

 

So you instead of the 17k you currently owe and a few hundred on maintenance, you would rather get a new vehicle and owe 30k-ish and still have to do routine maintenance at the same intervals?

 

If it's just a few hundred in maintenance then it would be no problem but it's going to be a few thousand I have a feeling. Tires alone are going to cost me around $750. Leaf packs an installation can't be less than a few hundred either. I know most of these items would not be covered by warranty but at least I would be years away from these fixes than months.

 

Uh oh, I need new tires... Time to trade in the truck. See how ridiculous that sounds? I think you're just looking for excuses to get a new truck.

 

Yes that would sound ridiculous

 

admit it..

 

Other than tires, things you need to do are routine maint. stuff. If you are worried about rear leafs, get Dakars. I've got 41k on my 2010 and im not getting rid of mine till i hit at least 150k. Screw new car payments.

 

That was plan, Dakars. But I would preferably 4 stack over the 2 that came factory, but then I have a feeling I'll have to raise the front. More $$$

Sounds like the consensus is keep the truck and fix it. Guess I will have to tap into some retirement funds.

 

i would say keep your 07. my 08 just hit 207,000 kms with no major mechanical issues. leafs would be something you could install in your driveway same with plugs. the rear diff fluid change isn't super expensive either. (did mine for the first time at around 170,000 kms.

I'm still rocking my stock rear leafs (non-tsb) and while they are pancaked aswell its not a requirement to change them right away.


plus the 12+ have an ugly ass front end so better to stick with what you have.

 

39k miles is just getting broken in.

lets see..... 500.00 a month for the next 60 months car payment on a stock truck?

or 5k for all your maint items, if you get all nuts with it and get a nice lift with rims and tires out of it while you are at it.... put it on a Credit Card if you need to. about 10 months of payments at 500 a month

 

One rule that applies more to GM cars is to never buy the first model year after a redesign. They fix everything in the 2nd year.

That said, I bought a 2008 Accord in the first year of a model and it has been fantastic.

Dollars wise, you will always be better off maintaining a used vehicle than buying new. One thing you want to make sure of is that this kind of vehicle works for you with car seats. I think the DBSB will work quite well for things like that, but you have to try it out to be sure it works for what you need to do.

 

You bought the truck in 07 and after 5years of payments you still owe $17 Thau? Something isn't computing wright.
The idea is to own a vehicle, have something of you-re own, and not make payments
all you-re life.

 

Guys my '98 needs an oil change soon so I'm gonna sell it cheap

OP you're gonna have to do all of this maintenance on any truck you ever own, unless you "trade up" every 30k and have a car payment every month for the rest of your life.

 

This is precisely the type of feedback I was looking for. I appreciate all your input. With my first baby due in March and with all the good input I'm getting here I suppose I'll keep my baby and get her lifted back up so she is not leaning back and to the left. I'd rather take some money out of investments than finance, but I may be able to find a zero percent interest card and pay it off in 12 mos. making some sense now

Thanks fellas

 

Why? Your worried about maintence, you need to be slapped. Fix what needs to be fixed and enjoy. Still driving my 2002 extended cab. I would love a double cab but don't want payments. My son is almost five and still fits in the back.

 

Leaf packs are easy to replace, floor jack and some jack stands... nothing to it. Tires are pricey, but there is no getting around that, and they cost a lot less than another x years in payments.

 

Just make sure you get a car seat that will fit in the back.... some don't fit very well.

 

'14 just started delivering a couple of weeks ago, and we don't know for a fact that we will see a redesign for '15.

Ignore the blogs and e-zines and fan sites. They don't know. 100% of the speculation about the '14 that was posted online early this summer was wrong.

And look at the '14 Tundra.... don't expect anything earth shattering from a Tacoma redesign.