Hi, new to the forum- excited to be here! This is just my ramblings about the 100 series I just purchased- if it needs to be an another forum, mods please move.
I've been wanting a 100 series for a few years. Covid caused me to have some career uncertainty and put off vehicle purchasing until 2022 to be on the safe side.
I had one of those heart vs head debates with myself over the past several months. It would be pretty practical to get the 2016 tundra, the 2017 GX460, or even the 2013 LX570. More practical than the 100 series at least IMO. I drove the tundra and the gx and thought they were nice but I wasn't excited about them. I'm in the camp that thinks the 200 series looks like a big highlander, and I didn't want to drop the $$ for (no offense to anyone) mom car styling. I drove a 100 series last year that left me smiling ear to ear. It was modern enough to have some of the safety stuff I wanted, but still old enough to not see 10 of them on the road every time I drive and be somewhat uncommon in my area.
I'm happy to say the heart won out and I spent a good amount less than what I initially budgeted. A side effect to buying under budget is that when the pre-purchase inspection alerted me to the heavily worn tires, I said great! Sounds like a good excuse to get some all-terrains ordered. And while I'm at it... I don't exactly love chrome, so why not throw some icon six speed wheels in titanium as well? I'm waiting until Black Friday to order tires to see if I can get a deal at discount tire.
This isn't the best pic I know- I'll update with some more pics soon. But, I picked this thing up from Yota Ranch in Manchaca, TX (a few minutes south of Austin). The owner, Alex, was a Toyota mechanic for 25 years and now sells Toyota trucks and SUV's from the 90's to early 2000's. Seems like a great guy- I wouldn't be surprised if he's here on the forum. I was pleased with the buying experience and we were able to negotiate some of the deferred maintenance into the deal that the previous owner had neglected. I would recommend working with Yota Ranch if you are in the Central Texas area or don't mind traveling to the area.
Specifics on the car are:
-Mileage- 216,XXX
-AHC replaced with LC suspension
-Tires are going to be 285/70/17 wild peaks...
-Timing Belt, water pump, windshield wiper motor, door lock tumbler, all being replaced next week. I need to ask them to do the heater T's as well after reading the forum.
I'm hoping to daily this thing although I will keep my 08 GS350 for a while just in case the LX needs some more maintenance items baselined. I only drive 8-9k miles a year so I don't need a Prius to get around... thankfully (jk).
Other "improvements" I'm considering:
-Grom Vline
-Roof rack
-Replacing the broken antenna with a stubby size
-adding all of the rubberized floor/cargo area mats
Basically just making it a more comfortable and useable daily- nothing too crazy, but a little cool/fun stuff too. I am hoping to avoid doing things like rebuilding amps/speakers, brake boosters, etc. which is why I'm thrilled to have found a "newer" 100 series in terms of years. We'll see how hard the second owner was on it after a few months I'd assume.
I would like to update this thread from time to time with what's going on with the truck. Like when wheels and tires get mounted post a pic, or when it has some annoying/expensive repair that I want to document.
One thing a few friends and I joke about is, "what would a cool guy do?" The smart, practical guy would've bought a 3 year old f150 with the ability to haul, modern conveniences, cheap insurance, 24mpg... but what would a cool guy do? IMO he'd say screw all that- I want what I want and he'd get the 100 series! So here we are. Not claiming to be a cool guy, but I feel like this truck is putting me on the right track!
I've been wanting a 100 series for a few years. Covid caused me to have some career uncertainty and put off vehicle purchasing until 2022 to be on the safe side.
I had one of those heart vs head debates with myself over the past several months. It would be pretty practical to get the 2016 tundra, the 2017 GX460, or even the 2013 LX570. More practical than the 100 series at least IMO. I drove the tundra and the gx and thought they were nice but I wasn't excited about them. I'm in the camp that thinks the 200 series looks like a big highlander, and I didn't want to drop the $$ for (no offense to anyone) mom car styling. I drove a 100 series last year that left me smiling ear to ear. It was modern enough to have some of the safety stuff I wanted, but still old enough to not see 10 of them on the road every time I drive and be somewhat uncommon in my area.
I'm happy to say the heart won out and I spent a good amount less than what I initially budgeted. A side effect to buying under budget is that when the pre-purchase inspection alerted me to the heavily worn tires, I said great! Sounds like a good excuse to get some all-terrains ordered. And while I'm at it... I don't exactly love chrome, so why not throw some icon six speed wheels in titanium as well? I'm waiting until Black Friday to order tires to see if I can get a deal at discount tire.
This isn't the best pic I know- I'll update with some more pics soon. But, I picked this thing up from Yota Ranch in Manchaca, TX (a few minutes south of Austin). The owner, Alex, was a Toyota mechanic for 25 years and now sells Toyota trucks and SUV's from the 90's to early 2000's. Seems like a great guy- I wouldn't be surprised if he's here on the forum. I was pleased with the buying experience and we were able to negotiate some of the deferred maintenance into the deal that the previous owner had neglected. I would recommend working with Yota Ranch if you are in the Central Texas area or don't mind traveling to the area.
Specifics on the car are:
-Mileage- 216,XXX
-AHC replaced with LC suspension
-Tires are going to be 285/70/17 wild peaks...
-Timing Belt, water pump, windshield wiper motor, door lock tumbler, all being replaced next week. I need to ask them to do the heater T's as well after reading the forum.
I'm hoping to daily this thing although I will keep my 08 GS350 for a while just in case the LX needs some more maintenance items baselined. I only drive 8-9k miles a year so I don't need a Prius to get around... thankfully (jk).
Other "improvements" I'm considering:
-Grom Vline
-Roof rack
-Replacing the broken antenna with a stubby size
-adding all of the rubberized floor/cargo area mats
Basically just making it a more comfortable and useable daily- nothing too crazy, but a little cool/fun stuff too. I am hoping to avoid doing things like rebuilding amps/speakers, brake boosters, etc. which is why I'm thrilled to have found a "newer" 100 series in terms of years. We'll see how hard the second owner was on it after a few months I'd assume.
I would like to update this thread from time to time with what's going on with the truck. Like when wheels and tires get mounted post a pic, or when it has some annoying/expensive repair that I want to document.
One thing a few friends and I joke about is, "what would a cool guy do?" The smart, practical guy would've bought a 3 year old f150 with the ability to haul, modern conveniences, cheap insurance, 24mpg... but what would a cool guy do? IMO he'd say screw all that- I want what I want and he'd get the 100 series! So here we are. Not claiming to be a cool guy, but I feel like this truck is putting me on the right track!
