OT and long, 2007 Tundra

[Leon]

I did not see the thread at all until Swingman brought it to my attention. Using Google I saw parts of it but not all of it.

Yeah, I bought one of those too. It is more powerful than the Domino.

I am not sure what has been said exactly but here is how my past week has been which included the shopping and purchase of the 07 Tundra.

My wife took a weeks worth of vacation off and we went to Corpus Christi for 3 days. I had been considering the purchase of a new truck to replace my 97 Silverado. I always start off doing the research online through Edmunds and KBB to learn the dealer invoice. 90% of the time the dealer deals off of that pricing. I requested both to contact a dealer for price quotes and to e-mail me with their current pricing programs. I am an old GM guy and am slightly partial to GM over any other make but I am not hell bent on buying GM. For reasons that I will not mention I have very favorable reasons to buy GMC and a better reason to buy Chevrolet in addition to the rebates and deals being offered.

Because of how Dodge and Ford have been reviewed lately I did not seriously consider either. In the last year I have seen a new Ford F150 get torn a new one by a Chevy S10 PU and the S10 had minor damage. The Ford was missing the front wheel and brake rotor. Another F150 had severe quarter panel flex as I watched it going down the street. That said, the new Fords are purdy.

I narrowed down my serious contenders to the Honda Ridgeline, the New Chevrolet LT1, the new GMC SLE1. and the new Tundra.

For my needs big and powerful is not needed. The Honda with a 247 hp V6, LOADED was my over all favorite but that darn bed is 18" too short and about

12" too narrow. You cannot haul a piece of 60"x60" BBirch in it. Normal sized plywood hangs past the dropped tailgate about 18". The truck handled great. Price offered over the internet was $3000 off from Honda plus an additional $3400 off from the dealer. All dealer add-on's if equipped are free. We got a similar deal on our 2004 Accord 3 years ago.

The GMC was next and I can honestly say that the new suspension on the new GMC and Chevy trucks makes them feel and handle like the 1997 models. For me that is not good, I want that modern feeling. The truck feels enormous and it is. The extended cabs seats were uncomfortable and could not be adjusted to suite my wife. The back seats can be used as a 90 degree reference. Not comfortable for any period of time. The back doors flex and have considerable movement while going down the freeway on all models including the Chevrolet. The local dealer offered $26,500 + TTL. Not even in the ball park as far as I was concerned.

A Chevy dealer held my wife and I captive. The truck was basically the same price and equal to the GMC. I actually ran the thought in my mind to strangle the salesman when he would not return my key and license. I did however follow him to the "TOWER" where he was getting his figures and offers from the GSM. I walked in and explained that they were going to have to do much better in the next 5 minutes. I really did not want the truck but if the price was right I would buy. They shot me another figure and I fired back with $20000 drive out. They came down $6K to $20500. Whew, I walked.

After all this I did not want to drive the bigger Toyota. The GM trucks felt huge and cumbersome. the new Tundra would surely be worse. I really was not even fond of the Tundra's looks having seen one at the Auto show earlier this year and had not paid much attention to them. I did decide to honor the test drive appointment and was pleasantly surprised. On Thursday I ordered the V6 which had a couple more horses than my more than adequate

97 Silverado with 5.0 engine.

Saturday noon I get a call from the GMC GSM where I test drove the GMC. He wanted to know what it would take to sell me a truck. I told him that we had already ordered the Toyota and that it was very comfortable by comparison. He asked me again what price it would take for me to cancel the Tundra order and buy a GMC. I said make me your best offer and keep in mind that it would take a lot to overcome the lack of comfort that we would be settling for. His price dropped and including my trade in sight unseen I could have the GMC SLE1 with the Texas option package for $18000 drive out and he would extend this same type discount to any model GMC he had on the lot. I told him that I would come take another test drive.

The Toyota dealer is literally next door to the GMC dealer. I stopped there first and told them about the GMC offer and asked them for their best deal. We had previously only partially negotiated price and would finish that process after the ordered vehicle had been built with no obligation to buy. Because they had did not have a V6 in the configuration that I wanted I had to step up to the V8. The drive out price with more options than the one I had on order was $6400 under the "sticker drive out price" less my trade in. Fortunately the big V8 and the smaller V6 EPA mileage rating differ by 1 mpg in town and no difference on the highway. The v6 is rated at 236 hp and the big V8 is rated at 381 hp with 401 #ft of torque.

We went to the GMC dealer and drove 4 more trucks and sadly never even started talking price. Comfort and handling was first and foremost important.

We picked the Tundra up on Monday. As Charlie commented the big V8 has more hp than 99 percent of the owners will ever need. Give the throttle a quick

1/2" push and the rear tires chirp. I suspect that full throttle would smoke the tires. From the EPA mileage estimates the fuel savings is slight to none over the V6 but the big V8 certainly is much more fun. Insurance with the big V8 increased less than $100 per year for the 07 Tundra over the 97 Silverado. The Tundra is wonderfully comfortable "for a truck" over anything that we test drove. With the SR5 trim package and 6 or 7 other options we ended up with more truck and more creature comforts.

I'll be glad to answer any questions from my 4 days experience with the truck. ;~) I LIKE IT.

[Frank Boettcher]

Glad you finally checked in, although, I think Swingman has hauled in his lines and gone to the house.

Glad you like the truck. Bought an '07 Tacoma which exactly fit my current needs and I am quite happy with it. I'm particularly knocked out by the city driving mpg.

Frank

[Swingman]

Make that "shop". :)

And just what I suspected. His ISP treated that shiny lure and perfect cast like _spam_ ... go figure! But hey, I got to ride in it Monday night and Leon didn't even charge me!

[B A R R Y]

Welcome to the cult.

I have a current-version Tacoma which suits my needs. Out of curiosity, I took an '07 Tundra for a ride, and what a truck!

Enjoy it, and good luck!

[Leon]

I have missed the group.

You have one too! AND you like the in town gas mileage..... COOOOOOL. I assume you also have the big V8. Strange that the smaller V8 gets less mpg.

I just unloaded 15 sheets of plywood out of it and, well, it was like removing 15 sheets of plywood. ;~)

[Leon]

I actually liked the looks of the 06 more than the 07 in the beginning. The car show in Houston did no justice to the truck. So far I am impressed and perhaps the blaaa American branded trucks will sit up and take notice.

Thank you sir.

[Frank Boettcher]

Read again. Tacoma. 4.0 V6. All you can get and all you need.

But I have seen that before, that is, smaller engine, worse mileage. I think that was the case with the GM 4.8 vs 5.3 iron block when I was truck shopping. There doing some tricks with valve timing and cylinder management these days, that may cause that to be the case.

Frank

[Leon]

That and more of the engines are all aluminum vs having an iron block and or heads.

>

[Patriarch]

"Leon" wrote in news:gzPni.28990$ [e-mail]:

I got a new GMC 1500 longbed in 1996. It was a really good buy, and has been a pretty good truck for the boys, after I got done with my day to day use of it in 1999. Its well over 200k miles now.

But it has a Vortec 5000 V8 in it, with (at least) aluminum heads, IIRC. And this baby doesn't like heat very much. I think I've done head gaskets twice now.

Once, though, was after the boys brought home a very full load of freshly cut oak over the mountain from Lake County one July afternoon. That 'free firewood' that they brought home for a friend of theirs must have cost me $1400. ;-) The other truck, my then and now daily driver, is a 1999 GMC Silverado extended cab. They had that one loaded down really heavy, too, but managed not to burn up that motor. Only ripped open one of the tires backing up in my dad's yard.

Ain't kids wunnerful?

Patriarch

[Lee Michaels]

"Leon" wrote

And that is a sad commentary on trucks in America today. That having a sheet of plywood fit into the bed is a rarity. If you haul anything around in a truck and if performs any real function , you need an eight foot bed. A lot of people don't know this.

I have baffled many people by commenting on the limited utility of the short beds on the purty, city boy trucks. They think I am some kind of knuckle dragging neanderthal. I just tell them I am your average PRAGMATIC farmboy.

[Leon]

I started with a long bed in 1978 and got the first 6.5 short bed in 1997. That is now the regular bed and the 5.5 is the new short bed. I have been perfectly fine with the 6.5. If 8' is protected by the bed and tail gate I have no problem. I could have bought the 8' this time as all offer it but it tends to be a PIA to maneuver on the 4 door models. IMHO the width is more important and that discounts the smaller trucks and step sides for me.

[Swingman]

Seems I always needed some kind of tool box in the 8' beds because there was no room behind the front seat for keeping tools out of the elements. This effectively cut back on usable bed space, so I was glad to give some up to get an extended cab. I also have no problem with a 6.5 as long as the tailgate is beefy.

The trend towards "high" is what gets me. It's getting harder and harder to lift anything over the side of one of these monsters, and getting into one is getting tougher and tougher each passing year as they get higher, and I get older.

Hmmm ... Judging from the blizzard of Viagra commercials there must be a hell of a lot of useless tools in this culture. Could this current trend toward pickup "macho" size be rooted in the fact that Viagra sells so well?

:)

[Dave in Houston]

You have only to look at all the "executive" gray-beards on Harleys for your answer.

:o)

- NuWave Dave in Houston

[Lew Hodgett]

Read Leon's litany of his negotiation process and smiled.

Here in SoCal, there are 48 Toyota dealers within 20 miles, so obviously wasn't going to visit all of them so to be fair wouldn't visit any of them.

Wanted a small Toyota pick up.

Went to a dealer lot after hours and identified all the options I wanted using the labels on the trucks as my source.

Sent a fax to all 48 dealers requesting a bid to my spec, which was NBD since it was a process automated by software.

Within minutes, the fax started receiving bids.

24 hours later, placed order.

Neat, clean and no hassle.

And yes, got a fair price, more than I wanted to pay, but still fair.

Lew

[Mike in Arkansas]

Next car or truck I buy, I'm taking Leon with me.

[nailshooter41]

lift anything over the side of one of >these monsters, and getting into one is getting tougher >and tougher each passing year as they get higher, and I

Man alive, you and me both. Since I do all manner of repairs, I have all manner of equipment and materials in and out of the truck. I had a job out of town last year that required about an hour's trip to get there, and an hour back. I paid one of my guys (who loves to drive his new truck) his wage, gas, and a little more if he drove us. That way I could work in the truck for an hour both ways.

I HATED loading the compressor and materials in his F150. That slab sided sombitch is probably 8 - 10" higher than mine at the bed since it is the style, but he also had those huge rims and tires on it from the dealer. What a surprise that makes at the end of the day when you have to keep the gate up to take away the day's wasted and you put your tools on top of it. At that time after a long work day, that dual tank compressor and 12" miter saw seem like they weight a ton each.

Now the trucks are even higher than his. I don't have a clue what I will do when I get another truck.

Robert

[B A R R Y]

I use a Haulmark cargo trailer, with a floor ~ 14" off the ground.

My TRD 4x4 Tacoma has a high bed, but it's shallower than a full-size. One side benefit is that I spent all last week cutting hardwood flooring on the lowered tailgate, and the height works out great for my 6' body.

I added full length cab steps ( real steps, not the currently in-style "tube type") that allow me to easily get to the front overhead rack to tie things up. I can put one hand in the roof channel and pop right up there.

BTW, to the other Toyota owners:

If you want genuine accessories, there's a dealer in Brookfield, WI that advertises low accessory prices on the web. My local dealer matched the web prices without much effort, well after the sale, saving me a ton of money off MSRP on the steps, a rubber bed mat, and a wind deflector.

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[Leon]

That is absolutely what turned me off on many of the new trucks. The new Tundra tail gate with extended cab and 6.5' bed has a load height of approximately 35". Fortunately this is not much higher than the older trucks IIRC. At least it did not feel much higher when loading sheets of plywood. GONE are the days of reaching over the bed sides though.

[Mike Marlow]

Hmmmmm... I really like my '94 Silverado extended cab, short box. I've never troubled over carrying 8 foot sheet goods, and I can still maneuver the thing while plowing snow. Never saw the need for the longer bed which only makes the truck longer than it needs to be. The reason that a lot of people "don't know" that you need an 8 foot bed for a truck to perform any real function is that they are fooled by their 6.5 foot beds doing such a functional job.

[Eigenvector]

My personal experiences with my 2000 Ranger is that a 6 1/2 foot bed is perfectly fine carrying 8 foot plywood, drywall, and 2x4's. The stuff does stick out the back, but then Ford also designed the bed so that if you need to carry plywood or drywall you can make a platform that straddles the wheel wells with 2x4's. I frequently carry 10 sheets of 1/2" sheetrock in the bed with zero problems. There are also a small mod you can do with the tailgate bolts to use the lip of the tailgate to act as a platform for plywood. Ford and I would imagine Chevy put quite a lot of thinking in their light duty trucks - too bad they didn't advertise those features.

Not saying a larger truck helps with REAL farm labor, a light pickup has its limitations that I'm well aware of, just that for someone who only does occasional projects and work my Ranger is perfectly suited - and I can parallel park it in the city.