07 Tundra Owner - Why I Didnt Buy the 2015 Silverado

[John Ferguson]

Thought I would throw in my two cents worth. I spent a considerable amount of time making my truck decision. In fact, I probably spent about two months just looking at the trucks that I pass on my 30 mile drive to work. Two things jumped out at me, one I saw mostly Ford and Chevy/GMC. Secondly, I rarely saw any Dodge, Nissan, or Toyota full size trucks more than four or five years old. That told me a lot about what trucks to look at.

 

My house is about 10 miles from the plant where the Tundra motors are built and I pass it twice daily. Yes, there are a couple hundreds people employed by Toyota, yet it appears that they are choosing to not use their employee discount for a Tundra.

 

Combine that with the horrible mpg's that the "imports" get (I was leaving a 50mpg hybrid for a truck so that mattered) and all of the first year technology in the f-150, made the K2 a easy choice for this guy.

[Isriam]

quick internet search puts tundra at the top for pickup resale value and quality. Not sure how you can say for a fact people aren't buying them, and you don't see any over 4-5 years old. That is just your opinion and not based on any true numbers.

[Ron.s]

Well, I'll take a turn. My previous truck was a 2007 Tundra before that, Chevs and now a Denali. The Toyota Tundra has a lot going for it but it's a foreign brand no matter how you dice it. Here's some key points as I see it. Quality is far better with Tundra, 6+ years no problems. But if you tow the Tundra is just a POS. No usable torque, high revs and poor fuel economy, big plus GM. Lots of horsepower but.... Tundra reminds me of Arnold Scwartzenegger talking about Girlie Men, the Tundra is more carlike than truck, but fun to drive if you aren't towing.

Another negative on Toyota is the lack of running changes. There were a number of things that needed tweaked but Toyota does nothing unless safety related or maybe some sheet metal at 3 years. Same with the Lexus brand!

GM has always seemed to continually make needed improvements and any GM I've owned has had updates during my ownership. Resale on my Tundra was good, a buyer drove 500 miles for mine on a Craigs list ad.

But after my recent experience with GM issues the quality factor is right on top of my list of priorities. GM & Ford sell a ton more vehicles and supplier quality might be harder to manage on redesigned trucks. More likely GM still has a culture problem that will take a long time to fix. Marketing and sales trump quality unless it's a safety problem.

Even with a GM buyback in process I doubt I will go back to Tundra, it's still a 2007 model with a minor facelift.

[Habs]

Well, I'll take a turn. My previous truck was a 2007 Tundra before that, Chevs and now a Denali. The Toyota Tundra has a lot going for it but it's a foreign brand no matter how you dice it. Here's some key points as I see it. Quality is far better with Tundra, 6+ years no problems. But if you tow the Tundra is just a POS. No usable torque, high revs and poor fuel economy, big plus GM. Lots of horsepower but.... Tundra reminds me of Arnold Scwartzenegger talking about Girlie Men, the Tundra is more carlike than truck, but fun to drive if you aren't towing.

Another negative on Toyota is the lack of running changes. There were a number of things that needed tweaked but Toyota does nothing unless safety related or maybe some sheet metal at 3 years. Same with the Lexus brand!

GM has always seemed to continually make needed improvements and any GM I've owned has had updates during my ownership. Resale on my Tundra was good, a buyer drove 500 miles for mine on a Craigs list ad.

But after my recent experience with GM issues the quality factor is right on top of my list of priorities. GM & Ford sell a ton more vehicles and supplier quality might be harder to manage on redesigned trucks. More likely GM still has a culture problem that will take a long time to fix. Marketing and sales trump quality unless it's a safety problem.

Even with a GM buyback in process I doubt I will go back to Tundra, it's still a 2007 model with a minor facelift.

 

Finally someone with some sense.

 

That's why Toyota has such good reliability. They keep the exact same design, mechanical components, drive-train, motors, etc. for years and years until they are forced to re-design. The only thing that changes is the appearance. GM, Ford, and Chrysler are continually, year after year, trying new things and making changes.

 

The big 3 sell the most trucks and vehicles in general. OF COURSE there will be more problems, when GM may sell 1 million trucks and Toyota only 400k.

[Isriam]

What amazes me is the bluetooth and general electronics in the 4runner i drove (2014) blew away my Denali. I was surprised at how terrible the GM infotainment center is compared to other manufacturers. Again, they all suck, but I was expecting more from GM given they are competing with a lot of decent system like Sync and whatnot.

[Justin MacGillivray]

What amazes me is the bluetooth and general electronics in the 4runner i drove (2014) blew away my Denali. I was surprised at how terrible the GM infotainment center is compared to other manufacturers. Again, they all suck, but I was expecting more from GM given they are competing with a lot of decent system like Sync and whatnot.

Did the 4runner drive like crap on the highway? I rented a 2014 4runner for a week. Around town it was great, except the high step in and low roof. 10 degrees outside, hood up, smashed the side of my head into the roof cause I couldn't see it with my hood up. But on the highway at anything over 65, I thought I was gonna lose control. The thing got pushed around so badly from any type of wind. I also didn't think the radio was all that impressive. I didn't bother with Bluetooth since it was a rental, but the sound quality wasn't/isn't better than the Bose in my truck.

[HondaHawkGT]

MyLink isn't the greatest but it's good enough for a truck. A Denali should probably have a better system. Thankfully, GM seems to have recognized this as they recently made the announcement that starting with 2016 models, they will be using an Android based system on Harman hardware. Harman is definitely capable of providing a solid system.

 

http://www.autonews.com/article/20141104/OEM06/141109954/gm-to-roll-out-android-cars-in-2016-supplier-says

[HondaHawkGT]

Since I double posted I'll add to this idiotic post too.

 

The Tundra is outdated, uncompetitive in its class, and sells simply thanks to Toyota's ability to fool consumers into thinking it's the same Toyota they fondly remember 20 years ago. The body panel gaps on the Tundra are hideous and if a Chevy, Ford, or Dodge had gaps like that, they'd be hammered for it by critics. The Tundra's flimsy, C-channel frame is guaranteed to rot out in a couple years of Northern winters. The engine is decent but all the power is at the top end and one look at the axle ratios Toyota matches it with demonstrates that perfectly. The interior is straight out of a 90's Camry. One look at a popular Tundra forum shows just how subpar build quality is. Leaking rear main seals at 2k miles? 2011 with rattles and squeaks inside the dash? (good luck finding that). Driveline vibrations? Oil leaking from valve covers? 2015's with electrical glitches?

 

Not saying the Tundra is a bad truck. But trying to argue it's the best half-ton or that you'll never have an issue because it's a Toyota is delusional.

[crushNchowda]

I will bet nobody owned a jap car in the U.S. after December of 1941.How people forget what the Japs did to the U.S. at Pearl Harbor.Who stepped up the Big 3 and converted their factories to the war effort so we could win the war if it wasn't for G.M.,Ford and Chrysler you wouldn't have a free country right now.They step up back then and Americans turn their back on them that is crazy.There will never be any jap car or truck in my driveway I show my loyalty to the people and company that made the U.S. great.Also the reason they have to build in mexico is to compete with the japs on wages to keep the cost down because people here are buying there product.

well, yeah, pearl harbor and all that...not like we didn't make them "pay" for it (you know, that time we dropped a nuke on them....twice....yet still we don't have the balls to do it to a place that actually deserves it bigtime is another story) - also, "jap" wages are not really low, you're getting that confused w/ "chinese" (I'm sure you'd prefer chink) wages - and actually those have been going up lately as well.

 

You are correct, right now Mexico has the cheapest skilled labor all things considered.

 

I prefer to buy American too - when it means American jobs.

 

I just bought my wife an Acura MDX - nice jap rig, built in Loxley, AL buy good 'ol American rednecks!

[RobZ71LM7]

For the record the term "jap" is considered offensive to many Japanese today.

[MikeNH]

I think this thread has run it's course.