Greg and Pattis Tundra

[greg mgm]

My wife and I pulled the trigger on a 2010 Toyota Tundra 4x4 today.
It's a base model extended cab, standard bed, a 4.6 V8, auto, cold weather package,and a tow package. The tow package ups the tow rating to 8300 lbs, and includes a hitch, wiring plug, 4:10 gears, 130 amp alt, trans temp gauge, etc. I didn't realize until I got home that it also has the cold weather package, including a HD battery HD starter and wiper de-icer (great for us at 6400')

One thing that is very cool for me is the bluetooth hands free phone option. Never had that before and found it very cool and useful. Also cool for us is that the base Tundra comes with a heck of a lot of features- ps, pw, pdl, tilt wheel, tow/ haul mode, limited slip rear diff, dual zone AC, 2 power points, tons of storage, flip down front console, blah, blah, blah. Doesn't seem like a base model to me!

The first thing I did after leaving the dealer was to stop by the local ARE dealer, Snap on Campers in Hemet CA. The owner of Snap On was super easy to deal with, and helped me figure out which shell to order, which was the CX model. I ordered it with the lining, dome light, ARE clamp and seal kit, Yakima Rack tracks, and the Bed Rug kit. The rug kit is super cool. It has a foam bottom section with contours to fit the truck bed floor, bonded to a poly carpet top. I'll get the shell and Rug Kit in a few weeks. I also ordered a truck cover while I was there.

We found the whole process of negotiation on the truck pretty easy and painless. I did my homework on costs and was happy with the deal. We bought it from Gosch Toyota in Hemet CA, and thought highly of everyone we dealt with. We did walk out once during negotiations, but the sales manager came running out and did better on the price. Then we did the deal.

Someone's bound to ask...so OTD was $29,900.
The shell with options, labor and tax was $1825.

My first new vehicle purchase and I'm :wings::wings::wings::wings::wings:

My wife and I at the dealership...after writing the check-

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0752.jpg

In front of the house-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0765.jpg

New truck- Old truck-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0769.jpg

Oh so clean-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0770.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0772.jpg

[CYi5]

I didn't know they came sub 30k, great deal! What are you planning on towing with it?

[mountainpete]

Congratulations on a beatiful truck! Looking forward to the build up!

Idea: windoors are a superb option on an ARE canopy. Really increases the usability of the truck at camp. If it's not to late, I would suggest considering adding them.

Pete

[greg mgm]

The walk out was to get it below 30k and it worked. But then again, we had an advantage by already having the $. If this truck had any more options it definitely would have been over $30k.

I'll be towing either a baja bug or manx type buggy on a 14' Carson car hauler, plus camping gear. With the 8300 lb tow rating, that shouldn't be tough at all for this truck.

The windoors sounded pretty good, but to be honest the rear door will be fine for us. Also, we still have several other things we want for the truck, like an alarm, fog lights, seat covers....you know, the never ending list!

Thanks for the comments!
I'll definitely update with pics as upgrades go along.

[shawkins]

Idea: windoors are a superb option on an ARE canopy. Really increases the usability of the truck at camp. If it's not to late, I would suggest considering adding them.
X2! My dad loves his! The ability to get to stuff at the front of the bed when its packed full on a trip is awesome.

[lowenbrau]

That 1UR engine should be pretty sweet in that truck. I had no idea they were going to replace the 2UZ until a couple weeks ago. I wonder if they are assembling it in the US like its big brother?

[keezer36]

Ah the dealership photo. I got mine snapped outside Poway Toyota. What memories.
Nice truck I'm sure you'll get many years out of it. My '05 still feels like a new truck to me. Here's one more plug for the windoor. I got one on the passenger side and a slider on the other, perfect setup for ease of access and airflow while driving.


Nice digs too by the way.

[greg mgm]

Thanks!

As for the engine, I have to read more about it. It's more high tech than anything I've owned! Coming home and up the mountain, it zipped up the grade with no sweat. I had to make an effort to keep my foot off the pedal to keep the speeds reasonable. :)

My old GMC has more power with it's a built 454. But it's a completely different experience in the Tundra. Smooth, very quiet, comfy... Yup, that works!

[bjowett]

Awesome! You'll get many years from it....

Hate to tell you, but you don't have a LSD. Toyota thinks it's OK to call the traction control a LSD.... it's only an open differential.

The 9.5" LSD from a 100 series Land Cruiser might fit, this needs to be verified.

[abeaudin1971]

Dang. Pricing in the US is very attractive. My Tacoma SR5 Access Cab 4x4 was about the same when you take the currency exchange into account.

Nice wheels!

[greg mgm]

Awesome! You'll get many years from it....

Hate to tell you, but you don't have a LSD. Toyota thinks it's OK to call the traction control a LSD.... it's only an open differential.

The 9.5" LSD from a 100 series Land Cruiser might fit, this needs to be verified.

Yup, auto limited slip. Not a real limited slip. DOH!
We plan to try it this winter the way it is, and go from there. Obviously the tires will be upgraded first, then I'll consider a true limited slip....or ARB.

Ya, the wheels aren't bad at all. Thanks for the comment.
Before we bought it, I thought I HAD to have alloys, but these wheels are nice enough.

I haven't found high quality seat covers yet. Any recommendations on where to buy?

[ryguy]

Congrats, they're really nice trucks.

[suntinez]

I haven't found high quality seat covers yet. Any recommendations on where to buy?

Congrats on the new ride, it's a beauty! :sombrero: Be interested to hear your impressions of the 4.6L engine.

There's a discussion of seat cover options here (http://www.toyotatundraforum.com/interior/3203-seat-covers-for-tundra.html). I like that forum for the 2nd gen Tundras, some real characters, and helpful and talented mod-crazy maniacs too boot.

[targa88]

Greg,
You might want to check out this Tundra forum (http://www.tundratalk.net/) (no affiliation). Could help with Tundra specific stuff (ref.seat covers)

[greg mgm]

Congrats on the new ride, it's a beauty! :sombrero: Be interested to hear your impressions of the 4.6L engine.

OK, I can do that...(sorry I may ramble a bit!)
Today we got a chance to drive the Tundra for a few hours. On starting the engine, it revs up to about 1200- 1300 rpm for a couple seconds then settles down to a normal idle. The gas pedal is slightly touchy, but I'm getting used to it. The main thing that impresses me with the engine is how zippy it is. Give it half throttle and the truck hauls arss. I have yet to put the pedal to the floor considering it only having 99 miles on it, but I look forward to it. Driving around town is a pleasure. The trans seems totally dialed in and feels in the right gear all the time. It downshifts nice and smooth, and doesn't do anything weird. Coming back home for us is an increase in elevation of 5000'. I use the "tow/ haul" mode for a bit more rpms which works well. Climbing the grade is nothing for this truck....easy.

EDIT- I've been trying out "sequential shifting" and it works bitchen. There's a selector on the steering column with a + and - for going up and down the gears. Perfect for our area with all the hills.

I should mention that I'm used to driving a 78 GMC 4x4 454 manual trans, and a 91 4Runner 3.0 V6 4x4. So the difference is night and day. The GMC was very powerful, and rode like a real truck. I felt that the 4Runner didn't have enough power and needed more ooomph....but it rode nice. The Tundra has it all- power, a nice shifting trans, a car like ride, very comfy seating, and a very quiet ride.

I crawled around under the Tundra the other day....What a beautiful underside. :) I'm used to seeing oil leaks and grease on the trans and frame (on my old vehicles) ...I'll have to wait a while for that on the Tundra!

[QUOTE=targa88;474147]Greg,
You might want to check out this Tundra forum (http://www.tundratalk.net/) (no affiliation). Could help with Tundra specific stuff (ref.seat covers)

Cool. Thanks for the link.

[01tundra]

Congrats - we love our '08 (and our '01). Nice house too, wish I could pick ours up and drop it out there :)!

[greg mgm]

Thanks! Our neighbors house has been on the market for 2 years...You could get a great deal !!! Or just ship your house to our area....

We love the truck and house. Our location is pretty much awesome and much better than where we used to live. The last place we lived was downtown Los Angeles in a converted bank office building....pretty cool for a while, but I'll take the mountains any time.


Today I installed this bed rail system purchased from Toyota. Here's what's in the box-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0814.jpg

The inside of the bed has threaded holes just waiting for a rail system-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0812.jpg

On the front rail, you do a tab A slot B thing-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0815.jpg

The sides have 2 plastic locating tabs that go into 2 holes-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0816.jpg

Then the torx bolts get installed-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0818.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0817.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0820.jpg

It's a very easy install. Even a Toyota tech could do it...(lol)

The adjustable cleats aren't super HD, but for cargo they should work fine-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0811.jpg

To install the cleats, remove the rail end caps and slide the cleat tabs into the rail-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0821.jpg

Installed-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0822.jpg

The Tundra comes with tie down hooks at each corner of the bed, but the bed rail system gives you much more versatility for securing cargo. For me it was a good investment.

I have an ARE camper on order and should have it in a couple weeks. I'll post pics of the install when it happens.

[SupraTuRD]

Congrats on the purchase! Could you take close-up pics of the wipers? Aorta curious about the de-icing wiper option that came on your truck.

Thanks!

[bjowett]

The windshield deicer system consists of defroster wires at the bottom of the windshield. The system unsticks frozen wipers from the windshield. It turns on with the mirror defrost switch.

[Borrego60]

Very nice I remember when I purchased my 03 limited 4x4 tundra. I was so proud. I have less that 60,000 on it and not one problem to date. I have changed it a bit see the listing below. Nice ride you will love em.

[jeepmedic46]

Great truck, Congratulations.:sombrero:

[SupraTuRD]

The windshield deicer system consists of defroster wires at the bottom of the windshield. The system unsticks frozen wipers from the windshield. It turns on with the mirror defrost switch.

Bummer... I was hoping it was a heated blade instead since that would have been easier to retrofit onto my rig. =)

thanks.

[greg mgm]

Yesterday I got the new ARE camper shell and Bed Rug installed....They are really nice!
They were purchased from Snap in Campers in Hemet CA, and the owner, Jody did a great job on the install.
The Bed Rug makes the truck bed look plush.....perfect for camping.

The Bed Rug going in-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0834Custom.jpg

The shell going on-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0835Custom.jpg

The finished install-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0839Custom.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0842Custom.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0843Custom.jpg

The Toyota tie down system is pretty cool-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0845Custom.jpg

Trick camper shell mounting brackets-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0847Custom.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0853Custom.jpg

LED brake lights-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0854Custom.jpg

Yakima tracks run the full length of the shell-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0857Custom.jpg

I have to put a plug in for Jody- Nice guy and easy to deal with.
He's a one person operation and does the installs himself.

Snap In Campers
1501 West Acacia Ave Ste 109
Hemet CA 92543
951 766 9425

[ryguy]

Nice set up, I like it

[suntinez]

The ARE shell looks really nice on your Tundra.



Trick camper shell mounting brackets-
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gregmgm/IMG_0847Custom.jpg


Are these brackets from ARE or somewhere else? I like how this works, wouldn't mind doing that myself.

[greg mgm]

The brackets came from ARE and the rails are Toyota.

I couldn't stand the idea of drilling holes and using bolts through the bed rails, so the brackets fit the bill nicely. They also have brackets (similar to mine sorta) that clamp to the truck bed without rails. They look good also.

The area on the shell where the bracket is sitting is beefed up and a bit thicker than the area around it.

[BlueBomber]

That shell looks really good on the tundra! I think the clamps are pretty cool to.

[zidaro]

got any other exciting mods on your Tundra yet? inquiring minds need to know.

BedRug looks plush for camping.

[greg mgm]

Thanks guys!

Actually the Tundra was never intended for expo or off roading, so the mods are pretty much done for now. Sometime in the future I'll be upgrading the shocks F+R since the stock Toyota shocks aren't anything to brag about. The only other modifications were seat covers and floor protection. Considering how much this truck cost...and the fact that I may never be able to buy another new truck again, I'd like to keep it in nice shape for a long time...:sombrero:

I tow a baja bug or manx buggy when I camp/ off road, so any abuse goes to the VW's:bike_rider: