is the 1st gen tundra one of the best platforms (2024)

The rear seats in an access cab are small and at a 90 degree angle. Other than that, I can't complain about anything that I left stock.

Sean

Negatives
-Lower ball joint issue that plagues other Toyotas
-4.7L V8 requires timing belt and water pump every 90k
-lack of storage on the interior
-lack of aftermarket support (getting better)
-towing capacity is kind of low

-4.7L V8 has decent power and torque. Not nearly as good as more modern, but not bad
-4.7L is ubiquitous so finding parts is very easy
-2005+ have 5 speed transmission w/overdrive
-4-door models have tons of space for the second row and the seats are very comfortable
-Much wider and roomier than Tacoma. My brother came from his 3rd gen Tacoma and took a ride in my '05 Tundra....his first comment was "holy cow, this has way more room than my Tacoma"
-Still small enough to fit on many trails. I'm running mine on Jeep trails....it's a tight fit but it makes it. Maybe not as graceful as other vehicles but it works.
-Full-size bed. Large enough for me to sleep comfortably and I'm over 6 feet.

The 1st Gen Tundra is a great platform and has a lot of potential. In my mind it isn't great at any one thing.....instead is okay/good at a lot of things. Towing, power, payload, off road, etc are all fine but not stellar. There are trucks out there that tow way more and have way more power. But they probably can't fit in places the Tundra can. Other trucks can do better off road than the Tundra, but can't tow what the Tundra does. It's a trade-off no matter which way you look at it. With the 1st Gen I found that I can get a little of everything, but not amazing at any one thing. Not a bad compromise.

The 1st Gen Sequoia is also a strong contender. Fully boxed frame, more storage, and more towing capacity. I'm really wanting one of those.

Don't let the timing belt or lower ball joint scare you off. The timing belt is easy to do yourself as are the lower ball joints. The 4.7 is a great motor and will last damn near forever with proper maintenance.

In ~255k my 1st gen never gave me any problems and always looked great. The only reasons I got rid of it was due to the back seat not being large enough to fit a baby seat and the towing performance being kinda meek (we are looking at campers in the 5,500-6,000lb dry weight range).

When I bought it my buddies joked that I stepped down to a 7/8 sized truck...or a "Camery on with a bed."

The nice thing is they are showing up in the "Pick-n-Pull" salvage yards, so parts are cheap. You can always "upgrade" the interior and use the Sequoia seats and large center console.

Kpack nailed it.

Would also add:

The frame is plagued with rust issues. I’m constantly worried about mine so find a clean one.

Lack of factory locker but can always go aftermarket.

I have on 06 Double Cab, SR5 trim. The turn radius is notably larger than you'd expect from a just-barely-half-ton. The interior and sound system (mine is the JBL version) also leaves a lot to be desired. The dash feels very outdated and doesn't have much interior storage. The center console has a weird shape that really limits its utility, and the rear carseat attachment point may be in the worst location ever.

In town fuel mileage isn't great (~12) and the gas tank is a little on the small side so it limits cruising range. Also, it doesn't like to shift into 4x4 on the fly which is a little annoying.

Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with it. The understated looks are really growing on me relative to some of the gawdy looking new trucks out there. I really like having the full size bed and the armrests up front are really comfortable. It's thus far been reliable and more than capable of hauling what I've needed. The 4.7 is really smooth.

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I forgot about the frame rust issues. Find a clean one, and then maintain the frame with cleaning and painting and you shouldn't have any issues. I'm experimenting with Fluid Film this winter to see how well that protects everything.

One other thing I remembered....these trucks are heavy. I just weighed mine yesterday and I'm at 6,100lbs. Yikes. That's myself, full tank, and a couple hundred pounds of sandbags in the back. Not loaded down at all for camping or exploring.

Kpack said:

One other thing I remembered....these trucks are heavy. I just weighed mine yesterday and I'm at 6,100lbs. Yikes. That's myself, full tank, and a couple hundred pounds of sandbags in the back. Not loaded down at all for camping or exploring.

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My 2002 access cab weighed damn near as much as my 2017 supercrew F150.

This is great thread so far.

I did not know it at the time but I owned the holy grail of 1st gen's for about 3 months.
5-6 yrs ago, I was driving through cody wy, on my way to CA. I saw a 1st gen tundra at this random used car lot. I got a wild idea and gave it look. Well they offered me decent money for 2001 tacoma and I drove off in 2006 AC trd 4x4 limited tundra. I thought it was the perfect size, 3 months later it was stolen. Welcome to CA

Over the years I will browse the web for a similar one and occasional I find one but it is usually around 18-20k +, I always pass. I do think they are a great size. Currently I am driving a 2016 power Wagon, which is a beast. Its great on the HWY or on a logging road, but I am not sure how I will get that thing around the mountain trails.
I might have to start looking the search again.

One question I have, is I remember the V8 being pretty quick. After you add a bumper, winch, new suspension, locker, tires how are they? I am not looking for a sports car but at the same time, when going over the passes, I dont want to be in the slow lane with the pedal to the floor.

jgallo1 said:

One question I have, is I remember the V8 being pretty quick. After you add a bumper, winch, new suspension, locker, tires how are they? I am not looking for a sports car but at the same time, when going over the passes, I dont want to be in the slow lane with the pedal to the floor.

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I'm running stock 3.91 gears with 285/75-16 tires, ~220lbs of excess weight up front (bumper, winch), 2.5" lift, etc. The 4.7 has plenty of power when driving normally. It feels a bit weak when towing a boat though.

I have no problem getting well over 80mph to pass when needed, which I never do. I cruise very comfortably at 70-75 with plenty of reserve power. RPMs at 70mph are below 2000 with stock 3.91's.

The 4.7 is a great little motor, but it needs to rev to make power. Its low end grunt leaves much to be desired.

The ultimate combo would be finding one with a TRD super charger.

Jnich77 said:

The 4.7 is a great little motor, but it needs to rev to make power. Its low end grunt leaves much to be desired.

The ultimate combo would be finding one with a TRD super charger.

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Maybe so, but you sacrifice mileage and get a lot of noise from a SC. For me upgrading to a 05+ with more power and a 5 speed was the ticket. I was pleasantly surprised with the performance of my 05 Sequoia compared to my 00 Tundra (with intake, full exhaust and tune). I was expecting it to be a total dog since it carries an additional 1,000lbs but that's not the case at all. It will soon be even better with the same mods that my Tundra has.