2011 purchase advice

Hello, I am new to the site and looking for feedback before I close on a 2011 Taco. My reasons for finally being able to justify what will be my first truck are: 1) I am a Real Estate agent who does myself/yourself home repairs, 2) maintain three homes (mine,moms, and our rental), 3) my mother now needs a power wheelchair and a truck is the least expensive option for conversion, and finally this website!, finding this site during my research phase made the decision between a SUV/VAN or truck for me. The Taco fraternity's enthusiasm, love for their trucks, and more importantly the willingness of members to share information and give advice was impressive. That said here is where I stand, best price through INTERNET negotiations. 2011 SWB, DBL CAB, LB, TRD SPORT, w/ V6 TOW PACKAGE, DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS, AND 3M PAINT FILM PROTECTOR MSRP $28,864.00, my price $27,664.00 a $1.200.00 discount. Notice NO dealer prep, destination fees, admin/regional ad costs..."scams", or high margin items that so called " only come that way from GST...", such as window etching, carpets, paint or fabric protection, tint, door sill protection, etc. My truck has just the items in caps.

The most important question I have is where to install winch arm, in bed or on a hitch. I am so "virgin" that I just got a phone call from a sales person who informed me that even with the tow pack that I still had to purchase a ball mount separately so now I have to add $77.00 to the purchase price, now does that include the actual ball too? I forgot to ask.

Running boards from dealer (are they contoured to custom fit none on lot to see only had Nerf type on lot) or after market (I have heard not the easiest to install)? Do not want Nerf type because I think of the safety issues, the gap between bar and truck, where my Moms foot might get suck and twist or break.

Factory premium security system or after market I live in Texas and in talking to truck owners during my research phase found that lots of tailgates get stolen (why?) along with the fact that many trucks are in the top ten stolen vehicle list for Texas.

Tint dealer or after market?, what type? (I am leaning to pure metallic black as dark as the law allows, or mirror? I think it might look real good with the blue but never saw one yet.

Best paint-able? tri fold bed cover on the market? or what is the most versatile bed cover option.

I want the bed mat, have never seen one in a truck bed yet, I looked at all Taco's I seen parked during my research phase, is it not worth it? if it is then the rubber or carpet type.

First Mod as soon as I get the truck will be the "Satoshi Grill", how cool does that look. Seems like someone could make and sell them and start their own company.

Thank you for reading this and hope to hear everyones advice, recommendations, suggestions, feedback, etc., soon.

 

I'll answer what I can-

Is this a prerunner or 4x4? Seems like an okay price, but nothing fantastic. Might be alright with the factory shutdown due to the situation in Japan. I'd shop a little harder. I don't know what the invoice is on the sport, but on the regular DC V6 Prerunner I'm showing around 22,000. Even if the Sport package brings it up to 25,000 (which I'm sure it doesn't) that price isn't great. If it's a 4x4, then that's a solid price.

Tint, I'd try to get the dealer to throw in for free... I'd go with black also. If after some hard negotiating they won't throw it in, then just go with someone else. Most dealerships just take their cars to a local tint shop for tint anyway.

The bed mat kicks ass. Another one of those things I'd try to get the dealer to throw in.

I think a simple roll-up cover is the best option for easily covering the bed... Cheap, looks fine, and is a two minute job to roll up when you need to put something tall in the back.

Just my .02

 

Thank you for my only response. PreRunner invoice showed around $1,500.00 less than MSRP, so...? Black tint or Black Reflective (metal) tint? Rubber bed mat or Carpet?, I do not know the advantages or disadvantage for either. I like the roll up also (inexpensive) but was thinking of the security aspect of a hard lockable type bed cover that provides some flexability. Based on the new information if I could get the dealer to throiw in the tint and a bed mat would that now be considered a "good" deal?

 

I can't speak as to the carpet, as I have the rubber mat, which works great for me. The carpet looks awesome though, especially if you're getting a hard cover/topper... I'd have questions about its durability when hauling loads... Maybe someone will chime in about that. Personally if you considered SUVs and vans maybe getting a truck cap and carpeting the inside would be something you'd want? You probably aren't too interested in hauling loads and tools and the like... A.R.E. caps have great reviews, although they are pricey.

I pulled my invoice numbers off the internet. They could be wrong. I'm showing TRD prerunners priced at about 28K without negotiations here in Kentucky/Indiana so I really feel like you should be able to get a better deal. Lots of people on this site have gotten 4x4 2011 TRD packaged trucks for around 28k. However, 1000 under MSRP isn't a rip-off, just not a great deal. If they throw in some goodies (tint, bed mat/carpet) considering what all is going on with Japan, it's a fine deal really. Tint and the mat are able to be had pretty cheaply though. A decent tint shop will run 100-250 and the mats run around 100. Carpeting is more expensive...

I'm not a fan of reflective tints. Police often target people with those types of tint, and I think they look cheesy anyway. Just a nice dark black looks classy in my opinion.

 

jking and dhk,
thank you for your responses, great info provided by both, I will purchase bedmat, ball and mount after market. I do not know what a "host clamp around the release side hinge is but I will look for it after I get my truck and then hope to find something in the mods section to explain. One of the first jobs for my truck will be to haul 4 or 5 yards of filtered soil to my home and about 4 yards of Colorado river rock for my beds. Caps are not an option as far as I can see. Flexibility for the bed is my goal. Besides Landscaping and appliance hauling I need to be able to store the winch arm (3 pieces) in the bed along with the wheel chair when "hauling my Mother around" but want to be able to lock the bed so no one will take the arm when we are in the restaurant or running errands etc., so the tri fold cover seems to be the choice. As I stated before I have never owned a truck so I depend on Senior Members such as your selfs to provide the knowledge gain by daily use to give some insight. So, I have been thinking I need to purchase the cargo bed divider or cross bar, but until I get the truck I do not know if a divider will work with a tri fold, etc. So thanks again for your input.

 

Here's your solution for tailgate theft prevention and a how-to.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/technical-chat/27829-tailgate-theft-how-prevent.html

I purchased an item similar to this - essentially does the same as just a hose clamp but is "lockable" with a bit-key.

$17 McGard 76029 Tailgate Lock, Black

http://www.amazon.com/McGard-76029-..._1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1303153752&sr=8-1

 

Richard Cranium, most impressive vid...unbeleivable how easy it is to remove the tailgate, I am in shock, no wonder people steal them. Thank you for the heads up and links, excellent reply. This type of thing brings up the question...what are the first things I SHOULD do to my new truck after I actually pick it up? The first thing I was going to do was the Satoshi Grill Mod, but now I am wondering what other "mods" are more important for long term preventive maintenance, safety, and theft protection such as the tailgate mod. Any help in this area will be greatly appreciated.

 

You might try going to a site like zag.com and putting your desired options in...might help with the price. I got about $2k off MSRP by doing that when I bought my '11. Worth a shot at least.

 

Do not cut up ur 2011 grille ... It's a PITA buy a 05-10 grille to do your satoshi

For ur tailgate buy bully tailgate lock

 

X2^^^
you can buy a grill for 50$...satoshi that.
As for "first mods", most people replace the CAI (cold air intake) and the exhaust for better sound/performance. You will want to replace the rubber soon as well. Then a lift...then...etcetc

 

Here's a great place to start...
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/7174-2nd-gen-tips-mods-more.html

Past that, it's a matter of sifting through the forums for ideas. More often than not, someone on here has done something unique whether it truly for a purpose (tailgate lock mod, rear dif breather mod, extra bed-rail d-rings) or simple asthetics (Satoshi grill, blinker mod, painting emblems, Plasti-dip). If you like the purpose, outcome, look, feel whatever and it's within your range of capabilities, give it a shot!

Search the forums, don't be afraid to ask questions - someone will answer or point you to a thread where someone has asked the same thing before.

Also, keep an eye out in the Group Buy forum - you'll find great deals and good products. You just missed out on a group buy for them, but I would HIGHLY recommend buying a set of WeatherTech floor liners. Worth every penny!

 

x3 on the Satoshi - DO NOT cut your '11 grill. Look in the group buy section for the pre-cut satoshi pieces. Also partsgeek.com for low cost replacements. Another option, toyotaparts123.com for colormatched grills ready to cut up.

 

The best grille to get is oem .. I have a parts geek grille &
U get what u pay for

Also members sell their grilles on here for decent price ...

 

Go register on USAA if you not a member already since you have served or are serving in the Armed Forces. Then use the Auto Circle to find your truck and build it. Call said dealer and get the price that is roughly invoice if not less. Once your there haggle some more if not less then leave. Repeat until your paying what you want.

Any advice? Yeah get a 4x4, have tint done a tint shop, don't buy your "aftermarket" stuff at the dealer.

 

Thank you for everyones responses. I think I get it now...owning a truck is like a hobby for kids with big toys! Something to spend all your money on that actually brings joy and satisfaction into ones life, cool. TW has bitten me with the mods bug and I have not even received my truck yet! Bully tailgate lock...done, group buy section...excellent, thanks again to those who provided these posts. Why would I buy another grill to satoshi? My truck is color matched I just want to do the mesh part and want to know why I would not use the grill on the truck...why have 2?, am I supposed to sell it to some one with a chrome grill because they want color matched? USAA's price is only $888.00 below MSRP, but thanks for links, I used to confirm invoice pricing, all the same! Talked to a Taco owner last night, his tailgate was damaged and is now doing a tailgate mod taken from this site so it does not happen again. The kicker to this story is that instead of body shopping the damage he just bought another tailgate to replace the damaged one, how can that be cheaper?...I am guessing he "bought" it for FREE!, but I have not had body work done in 15yrs and have no idea how much it costs today so...

 

The designs between '05-'10 & '11 grills are fundamentally different. If you're doing the actual Satoshi with the mesh set from the back, you wont want to do it with an '11 grill. The connection points of the hex mesh create a lot of extra work, plus the recess in the grill is much thinner.

Here's a write-up of a Satoshi on the '11 grill with lots of pics.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/140061-2011-satoshi-mod-lots-pics.html

 

Ted,y ou are the Man, message received and understood. By the way do you have pics of your truck on this site? If the truck in your posts, is yours I would like to see more, being half Japanese I can appreciate a technically challenging (night), well composed photo ha ha. Mahalo

 

To make more room for passengers and cargo you could get a front mount receiver hitch then weld a hitch to your Moms wheelchair and give her a ride she'll never forget! Make sure she's wearing her seat belt. Safety first, you know.


Steve

 

Good to know. I found the one that I bought...

http://www.buyautotruckaccessories.com/product.cfm/cf-bin/pn.bully-tailgate-pad-lock/

When I bought mine it was on Amazon for $16 or so. I would recommend this one to anyone.