So I'll be shopping for a used truck and new trailer in the next few months. The likely candidate is a Tundra 5.7L 4x4, which has a GCVWR of 16000#, biggest among half-tons as far as I can tell. To avoid drifting into a discussion of towing capacities, please assume that it's enough. If it isn't, then I'll look at 3/4's.
But regardless of truck choice, my biggest question, being basically a car guy, is what's the "sweet spot" for buying used trucks? What's the mileage where they're the best bargain? Budget-wise, it looks like I'll have to look at trucks in the 60K-100K miles range, but I'm thinking those should have a lot of life left in them. I assume I should be less concerned about age than mileage.
BTW, my estimated usage is 10K-12K miles/year towing, 15K unhitched.
I'm pretty set on having 4x4, not for towing but for unhitched use.
Any general used truck shopping tips are appreciated.
BiggarView said
08:34 AM Oct 7, 2015
Any vehicle, if properly maintained will have plenty of life in it. How you plan to use the truck "unhitched" as you say will determine it's useful life. How the previous owner(s) used & maintained the truck before you got it will also factor into that useful life. Going on your comment that 16K GCVWR is enough, if it isn't you'll look at a 3/4 ton suggests that you truck will be close to its tow limit and thus significant wear and tear will result in higher maintainance costs added to whatever types of driving you do "unhitched".
That being said, our daughter has a Tundra 5.7 4x4 and loves it, but she doesn't tow with it much except ocasional ATVs.
-- Edited by biggaRView on Wednesday 7th of October 2015 08:34:33 AM
The Bear II said
08:51 AM Oct 7, 2015
I've bought several used trucks over the years. Most ended up being trouble free but a couple developed problems soon after I bought them. I try to get a truck that has an average of 10,000 miles or less of use per year.
To tow my 15,000lb 5th wheel I bought a 10 year old dually crewcab with 98,000 miles on it. Supposedly, the folks used it only to pull a 24ft TT, on cross country trips; it looked and drove like it was brand new. it was always serviced at a local chevy dealer.
We immediately took it on a 7000 mile round trip across the US with no problems other than a blowout on a rear tire due to a rock. I used it for many years as a daily driver plus towing the 5th wheel at least once per month on trips. I put another 50,000 miles on it before I felt it was time to replace it because things started breaking. These failures I would attribute to towing a 5th wheel that was way beyond the capacity of the truck. It wore out the truck.
The way I look at it... 1/2 tons are designed for 100K to 200K miles like cars are.
2500, 3500, 4500 (250,350,450) plus other medium duty trucks are built for 200K to 500K miles since many are used as fleet/commercial vehicles.
HDT (heavy duty trucks, "Semis") are designed to go 1 million miles.
All of this depends on maintenance and conservative drivers.
-- Edited by The Bear II on Wednesday 7th of October 2015 08:58:53 AM
The Restless Youngs said
09:09 AM Oct 7, 2015
We had a Tundra and sold it when we went full time; and the good news from an owner's standpoint is they hold their value pretty good...bummer from a buying standpoint. And as a matter of fact, when we were originally looking, with all of the incentives at the time, it was just a thousand or two difference to buy new versus a couple years old. We sold our 2012 Tundra to Carmax (a reseller) for $30K with about 48K miles..... Felt like we just got it broken in.
bobk3d said
01:10 PM Oct 7, 2015
The Bear II wrote:
I've bought several used trucks over the years. Most ended up being trouble free but a couple developed problems soon after I bought them. I try to get a truck that has an average of 10,000 miles or less of use per year.
....
2500, 3500, 4500 (250,350,450) plus other medium duty trucks are built for 200K to 500K miles since many are used as fleet/commercial vehicles.
HDT (heavy duty trucks, "Semis") are designed to go 1 million miles.
-- Edited by The Bear II on Wednesday 7th of October 2015 08:58:53 AM
Thanks, that's a useful way of looking at it. So perhaps an F-250 with 125K miles compares to a Tundra with 70K? Without repeating my searches, I think they might average about the same price.
Besides major failures like engine/transmission, are there any other high-cost repairs that I might run into with trucks in general? Brakes? Axles? Bearings? With the exception of a gypsy-cursed Jeep Liberty, all my cars/suv's have been so trouble-free over the last 25 years, I don't even know what to anticipate.
bobk3d said
01:16 PM Oct 7, 2015
biggaRView wrote:
Going on your comment that 16K GCVWR is enough, if it isn't you'll look at a 3/4 ton suggests that you truck will be close to its tow limit and thus significant wear and tear will result in higher maintainance costs
I plan to leave some headroom. My working estimates are trailer GVW 7000#, truck GVW 7000#, so that fits. Unloaded they'd probably total about 11,000#, so if I keep my load under 2500#, I should be ~15% under GCVWR. I can see that most half-tons would be at or over the GCVWR limit, though. And maybe I should have even headroom than that, so I'll be looking at 3/4's, too.
Anyway I'm still in the planning stages, making sure I can stay within the projected budget. Things will get serious over the winter.
BiggarView said
01:41 PM Oct 7, 2015
Your numbers suggest you are being prudent in the configuration you're talking about. Having ridden in the Tundra, I'll attest that it has plenty of get up and go, "unhitched". Can't say the same for towing. If you continue the prudent theme into your towing driving habits, as in keep the speed down to 65 or less, your tranny and engine will thank you, not mention your wallet when you fill up less often. More important will be the speed rating of your trailer tires. Driving at freeway speeds (70MPH and up in many cases) with trailer tires only rated to go 65 or perhaps less, is a recipe for disaster. Smaller trailers, such as what you appear to be considering, will more than likely have such tires on them. All evidence says that trailer tire failures at speed cause serious damage to the trailer from shredding and flinging disintegrating tire treads and sidewalls into the body of the trailer, so bear that in mind. Proper tire inflation will help but that by itself is not enough.
Food for thought, Brian
-- Edited by biggaRView on Wednesday 7th of October 2015 01:44:51 PM
bobk3d said
03:39 PM Oct 7, 2015
Nothing like a couple of YouTube accident videos to set one straight. And I find the physics interesting.
Interesting most of the F-250's and Chevy 2500's have only another 2000#-3000# capacity, maybe the Tundra is really a 5/8 ton. The engine is bigger than some 3/4.
The other thing I'm noticing is that 4x4 anything is expensive in Florida, and the used selection here is notably thin. SUV's on dealer lots are 95% 2WD, I remember having to hunt for a 4WD Liberty. Going just a little north, the cost of comparable trucks drops $5K. I might have to visit friends in Atlanta and shop there.
kb0zke said
03:15 PM Nov 14, 2015
Bob, you really need to use a site such as cargurus.com or autotrader.com. Use the advanced search and you can pretty much spec your used truck. That will also give you a pretty good idea of what is a reasonable price. If a vehicle is priced much lower than expected you can bet that there is a good reason for it.
NWescapee said
07:05 PM Nov 14, 2015
Prior to FT, we had a Toyota Tundra with a TT. LOVED the Toyota, much more comfortable ride than our current truck, however, really check your weight capabilities and be realistic with what you think you will pack in the truck and TT.
We went to the 2012 RV Dreams Rally in OR at the tail end of our one month road trip, and were shocked to learn we were 1000 LBs overweight, we had a 8K TT, but with all the work tools, materials, finished products and our art show booth set up, needed for the art shows we had just completed on our trip, plus we had our bikes and hiking gear, etc. We did have one scary incident, crossing through Yosemite and coming down Tioga pass, we had brakes that were smoking and had to pull over and stop for a while. It made us really conscious when we went full time on weights and one of the primary reasons we now have a F450.
So I'll be shopping for a used truck and new trailer in the next few months. The likely candidate is a Tundra 5.7L 4x4, which has a GCVWR of 16000#, biggest among half-tons as far as I can tell. To avoid drifting into a discussion of towing capacities, please assume that it's enough. If it isn't, then I'll look at 3/4's.
But regardless of truck choice, my biggest question, being basically a car guy, is what's the "sweet spot" for buying used trucks? What's the mileage where they're the best bargain? Budget-wise, it looks like I'll have to look at trucks in the 60K-100K miles range, but I'm thinking those should have a lot of life left in them. I assume I should be less concerned about age than mileage.
BTW, my estimated usage is 10K-12K miles/year towing, 15K unhitched.
I'm pretty set on having 4x4, not for towing but for unhitched use.
Any general used truck shopping tips are appreciated.
Any vehicle, if properly maintained will have plenty of life in it. How you plan to use the truck "unhitched" as you say will determine it's useful life. How the previous owner(s) used & maintained the truck before you got it will also factor into that useful life. Going on your comment that 16K GCVWR is enough, if it isn't you'll look at a 3/4 ton suggests that you truck will be close to its tow limit and thus significant wear and tear will result in higher maintainance costs added to whatever types of driving you do "unhitched".
That being said, our daughter has a Tundra 5.7 4x4 and loves it, but she doesn't tow with it much except ocasional ATVs.
-- Edited by biggaRView on Wednesday 7th of October 2015 08:34:33 AM
I've bought several used trucks over the years. Most ended up being trouble free but a couple developed problems soon after I bought them. I try to get a truck that has an average of 10,000 miles or less of use per year.
To tow my 15,000lb 5th wheel I bought a 10 year old dually crewcab with 98,000 miles on it. Supposedly, the folks used it only to pull a 24ft TT, on cross country trips; it looked and drove like it was brand new. it was always serviced at a local chevy dealer.
We immediately took it on a 7000 mile round trip across the US with no problems other than a blowout on a rear tire due to a rock.
I used it for many years as a daily driver plus towing the 5th wheel at least once per month on trips. I put another 50,000 miles on it before I felt it was time to replace it because things started breaking. These failures I would attribute to towing a 5th wheel that was way beyond the capacity of the truck. It wore out the truck.
The way I look at it... 1/2 tons are designed for 100K to 200K miles like cars are.
2500, 3500, 4500 (250,350,450) plus other medium duty trucks are built for 200K to 500K miles since many are used as fleet/commercial vehicles.
HDT (heavy duty trucks, "Semis") are designed to go 1 million miles.
All of this depends on maintenance and conservative drivers.
-- Edited by The Bear II on Wednesday 7th of October 2015 08:58:53 AM
Thanks, that's a useful way of looking at it. So perhaps an F-250 with 125K miles compares to a Tundra with 70K? Without repeating my searches, I think they might average about the same price.
Besides major failures like engine/transmission, are there any other high-cost repairs that I might run into with trucks in general? Brakes? Axles? Bearings? With the exception of a gypsy-cursed Jeep Liberty, all my cars/suv's have been so trouble-free over the last 25 years, I don't even know what to anticipate.
I plan to leave some headroom. My working estimates are trailer GVW 7000#, truck GVW 7000#, so that fits. Unloaded they'd probably total about 11,000#, so if I keep my load under 2500#, I should be ~15% under GCVWR. I can see that most half-tons would be at or over the GCVWR limit, though. And maybe I should have even headroom than that, so I'll be looking at 3/4's, too.
Anyway I'm still in the planning stages, making sure I can stay within the projected budget. Things will get serious over the winter.
Your numbers suggest you are being prudent in the configuration you're talking about. Having ridden in the Tundra, I'll attest that it has plenty of get up and go, "unhitched". Can't say the same for towing. If you continue the prudent theme into your towing driving habits, as in keep the speed down to 65 or less, your tranny and engine will thank you, not mention your wallet when you fill up less often. More important will be the speed rating of your trailer tires. Driving at freeway speeds (70MPH and up in many cases) with trailer tires only rated to go 65 or perhaps less, is a recipe for disaster. Smaller trailers, such as what you appear to be considering, will more than likely have such tires on them. All evidence says that trailer tire failures at speed cause serious damage to the trailer from shredding and flinging disintegrating tire treads and sidewalls into the body of the trailer, so bear that in mind. Proper tire inflation will help but that by itself is not enough.
Food for thought, Brian
-- Edited by biggaRView on Wednesday 7th of October 2015 01:44:51 PM
Nothing like a couple of YouTube accident videos to set one straight. And I find the physics interesting.
Interesting most of the F-250's and Chevy 2500's have only another 2000#-3000# capacity, maybe the Tundra is really a 5/8 ton. The engine is bigger than some 3/4.
The other thing I'm noticing is that 4x4 anything is expensive in Florida, and the used selection here is notably thin. SUV's on dealer lots are 95% 2WD, I remember having to hunt for a 4WD Liberty. Going just a little north, the cost of comparable trucks drops $5K. I might have to visit friends in Atlanta and shop there.
We went to the 2012 RV Dreams Rally in OR at the tail end of our one month road trip, and were shocked to learn we were 1000 LBs overweight, we had a 8K TT, but with all the work tools, materials, finished products and our art show booth set up, needed for the art shows we had just completed on our trip, plus we had our bikes and hiking gear, etc. We did have one scary incident, crossing through Yosemite and coming down Tioga pass, we had brakes that were smoking and had to pull over and stop for a while. It made us really conscious when we went full time on weights and one of the primary reasons we now have a F450.