I have a 2001 Toyota Tundra, V6. Access Cab.
I love this truck. Only 52k miles. Haven’t had really much in repair. Brakes, tires, & recently replaced the ignition cylinder. Use it primarily for short commutes, errands, and the occasional load of compost or mulch. We typically replace our vehicles after 10 years. I’m thinking of just hanging on to it till it reaches at least 100k miles (maybe more), and adding/replacing with some accessories, such as side view mirrors with signal lights, in dash mp3 & gps.
Besides gas mileage, would I be foolish? Are there safety features on the newer vehicles that I shouldn’t live without?
Is there something else I should be aware of?
The older Tundra was excellent and is closer to the newer Tacoma. IMO, you just have a beefed up version of a compact truck and the best of both words. My 04 4Runner uses many of the same suspension components of the pre larger Tundra models according to the parts man. It’s still a “modern” vehicle. You have to decide if you miss any other features…I vote to keep it.
I think the truck will go for a while, but you are approaching a repair vs depreciation crosspoint. I would skip the upgrades till it is time to buy new, and suffer the loss of toys. Sure there are side airbags but I can’t think of much else as far as safety features, and I looked at replacing a ranger and the mileage was actually worse, for the same engine.
Newer PU’s have more features, but most of them are for gadget lovers. In dash GPS, backup cameras, DVD for the kids. For your described uses I don’t see anything you need in newer PU’s.
Saftey features like side airbags etc. have made big progress in cars and crossovers, but not so much in PU’s. Newer PU’s have stonger motors, and greater load capacities and more comfort features.
Stick with you older truck until repair bills start of be a problem.
You don’t want to get a new truck for a while yet. The new safety features are just so complex as to be worrisome. Can you say “what’s going to go wrong next?” I wouldn’t be surprised if those electronic wonders started malfunctioning all over the planet soon.
Some day the government and car manufacturers might realize that all risks can’t be eliminated by computers and explosive seat belt pretensioners. Your 01 may have the pretensioners but maybe not.
I hope all the new junk works out but I have no faith in the extra weight.
If you really want to get rid of your truck, I’m sure there is someone out there who will be pleased to pay chicken feed for a solid vehicle that will provide 20 years and 200,000 miles of inexpensive transportation.
If you were talking about a 20 year old truck with 200,000 miles that needed some expensive repairs, I agree it would be wiser to use the money for a down payment on a new one. But yours is just nicely broken in and seems to be in good condition. Except for the ignition cylinder, your expenses have been routine and minor. Ask your mechanic what your truck is likely to need over the next few years and compare the cost with depreciation, taxes, insurance and loan payments on a new vehicle.
If you want a new truck and can afford one, just go and buy it. Given how poor sales have been, you should be able to make a good deal. But don’t kid yourself that it will be cheaper than keeping your old one for another 10 or 15 years.
Huh? You’re actually considering getting rid of it? Jeeze, my Toyota pickup was still running well at 338,000 miles with no major repairs. At your rate I figure you have over 20 years left!
I just traded in my 1990 Toyota 4WD pickup under the “cash for clunkers” for a new Tacoma. My old one had about 180,000 miles, engine seemed to be in great shape (too bad it had to be destroyed) but the manual transmission was getting difficult to shift and hard to get into reverse without grinding. My guess was that a transmission rebuild/replacement was coming up and I thought the old reliable wasn’t worth the $. The cruise control had failed about a year ago and would cost ~4800 to fix. At 19 years I was also concerned that lots of stuff was just getting too old. I didn’t need the 4WD either anymore. So time for a new one.
So a new Tacoma with auto transmission, etc. was just too attractive.
So your decision. But if you are confortable with your old one, I would keep it.
Returning back to this discussion after some months. My current plan is to hang on to it, till well, it becomes a problem. I don’t anticipate it becoming a problems for a another 200k miles. I like the idea of toys, and will pursue that, but will probably wait until 2011 when the vehicle is 10 years old till I get anything that will actually be installed on or in the vehicle. Why? Because that would be the typical time that I would buy a new vehicle. Thanks for the all replies. Truly appreciated.
At the rate you are driving it, expect significant problems to be developing about 12-14 years from now!!! You have a very good vehicle, and with proper maintenance, adjusted for the very low miles you drive, it will last another 20 years easily.
Happy motoring!
P.S. There is no TYPICAL time to buy a new vehicle; it differs with each vehicle, owner, tax benefits, miles driven, price of gas etc.
I couldn’t agree more. Thanks for your response.
though it might not hurt to look around now, while your truck is still running good. Never know when something might happen and you’re needing a new vehicle the next day. 
IMHO you’ve made a very wise decision. If my experiencees with Toyota trucks are any indicator, you have a great many happy miles left with that truck.