T100 - reviews, thoughts, experience sought...

[Mike S]

A friend is considering the purchase of a T100 (3.4L) and uses his trucks hard on marginal roads, but still wants good highway manners and decent mileage.

Can he get these in a T100?

Thanks for your input.

M

 

[beaufort-fj60]

I can give you a tundra opinion, I've never sat in a t100 but I guess they are similar. I have owned a 2000 v8 limited 2wd access cab tundra and a 2002 regular cad v6 tundra. the two trucks are completely different. the access cab feels and drive like a car, the regular cab is more like a truck. both great on the road, like the regular cab better on washboard type roads.

 

[lunyou]

My dad owned a 96 T100 with the 3.4L and i drove it quite a bit until i wrecked it a few weeks after i graduated high school.

In my experience the motor is a little underpowered. You will not win any drag races in town because the T100 was a heavier truck. We also lived on forest service maintained gravel roads that were maintained maybe twice a year. They were not terrible but they weren't good by any means. The truck handled the dirt roads with not a lot of problems. Some times on washboards it was get a little squirelly but i think most will do this. On the highway it would run as fast as you want to go. I had it up to 90 at one time and felt perfectly safe and could have pushed it harder but i couldn't see over the hill to spot State Patrol officers so i had to slow down. It pulled a boat no problem to and from the river up and down unmaintained river hills. It also pulled an old John Deere tractor without any problem and an 89 camry on a trailer barely noticing that it was there. It also towed the 85 4runner when the tranny went bad in it. Towing was not a problem unless the load is something you might use a 3/4 ton or larger to pull.

The interior is very nice. It was comfortable to ride a distance in the front seats(back seats were a different story). Also in my experience they are very safe and stoutly built. I rear ended a car while i was running 50 MPH and the car was stopped and i drove it home. The headlights, turn signals, parking lights etc all worked and it didn't mess up the AC thingy on the front of the radiator nor did it mess up the radiator. It did blow the airbags but we just tucked it in the steering wheel and took it home.

There was a recall on some of the T100s and your friend should check to see if the recall applied to "his" vehicle and if it had been fixed. Secondly the oil pan on the 4wd allows for some of the suspension parts and that makes it have the back part where the plug is and also a front part that can hold the old oil if you aren't on a slight rearward incline. We blew a motor because of old oil staying in the motor and never getting changed. The tranny went out on it relatively quick too i think it was at around 130k miles but not exactly sure.

hope this helps

lunyou

 

[KLF]

A good friend has a '98 T100 and absolutely loves it. I actually bought my pickup from him, he had to upgrade to be able to tow his boat. I think the only problem he's ever has is a crank sensor quit, but it was an easy fix. I think it has around 150K on it now. He keeps it spotless, the damned thing looks brand new.

They are very similar underneath to the '89-95 pickups, just a little bigger. Probably the only downside to them is there are very few aftermarket upgrades available. He runs 33x10.50 BFG KOs on it now, he upgraded the t-bars to SwayAways, and put some 1" blocks on the rear axle, to give it a little bit of lift.

Very nice truck.

 

[KliersLC]

Same as above, I love mine, it handles great on road, and is faster than an 80 series, can speak for the auto, but the manual is bulletproof and easy to drive. I towed a pig up a big grade with it and it did fine, but anything bigger would need a v8. I can get 22 mpg on hwy running 70 in the hills, and I get about 16 around town(heavy foot) The front diff is not the strongest-I tore half the teeth of my ring gear, but I was beating it pretty hard. As stated, the rear seats aren't that comfy, but the front is spacious and has plenty of legroom. The TRD supercharger is supposed to be a bolt on, but it isn't stay away from that one unless you have deeeep pcokets. The recall was on the front tie rod ends, no biggie. also the clutch bracket sometimes has to be rewelded to the firewall, other than that they have zero problems. Outstanding truck, the only reason I wouldn't buy another is the fact that infant cariers will not fit in the back. Forward facing carseats and boosters fit fine though.
Good luck,
Dan

 

[lunyou]

^ i think that some kind of seal or gasket was put on wrong on a certain number of trucks causing it to over heat.

lunyou

 

[RWD]

I have a 93 but with a 3.0 . It has over 165K and still rides very smooth due to the IFS. No squeeks or rattles either . The 3.0 is underpowered (and a gas hog, about 15-16 combined city/highway) and some think the 3.4 is too. Soft suspension and will squat if loaded with more then 500-600 lbs. I don't tow anything so it's no big deal. I use it mainly as a DD work truck. Build quality is excellent IMO. Great truck for what I use it for.

 

[North40]

The T100s with the 3.0 were the problem, same head gasket recall that affected those. The 3.4 earned the recall also, more because it was at the time a new engine using a bigger head on the same block. The fit of the head to that block has proved better than the smaller engine. It also gives it noticeably more power than the 3.slow.

If you want a supercharger, they're plug and pray on the 97s up, but the computer on the older ones won't accomodate for the SC without some upgrades from URD.

I can't utter a complaint about mine (96), put 173k on it since new...well I can utter complaints but they're self-inflicted, so I won't.

 

[Mike S]

Thanks all for your advice. I think my friend has decided to stay with his Tundra, and beef up the suspension. I will be posting a question on that subject...

Thanks again!

M

 

[Dennis@Moab]

I own a 98" T-100 3.4 extended cab. like it alot!

 

[4LLC]

i had a 95 t100 loved it had 6" lift 35s limited slips front and rear wheeled with it moved people drove it daily and never a problem oh and got 16-18 mpg

 

[Gumby]

Loved my 97 2wd. never really noticed the lack of power.

Some day my 93 will be done. 350 with a D44 SAS and a 14 bolt.

 

[hodag]

My buddy (tin_fish here on Mud) owns a '98 4WD T100 and loves it. It was his first Toyota before he got his FJ40, now he says he will never drive anything else. I have driven it alot, and being 6'6" have no problem with leg/head room.

Like someone else said, you wont win any drag races with it, but it has more than enough power for everyday driving (unless your'e gonna tow a Bobcat or something). We towed a 40 on a trailer across Iowa with zero hassles.

He loves his and if I could find a good one, I'd probably own one too.

Hodag

 

[PolkLandbruiser]

My brother has wheeled a 93 T100 with the 3.0 for a couple of years now, fabricating the lift himself. All in all, it usually only gets stuck once more than my FJ62, and I'm on bigger tires. Good truck, used like hell!
3" Body lift, 2 1/2" Suspension lift, 35" Baja Claw Radials

What's awesome is the gearing options available for these trucks to turn them into offroad warriors and make up for the poor powerplant. (Marlin, Advance Adapters, Downey, etc.)

With one of my 37" swampers on the rear...fit, no rub! That is, no driving either!

He's taken the topper off since, added a bad ass roll bar with 5 lights up top.

 

[Martin White]

Ditto the above, I know 1 person who has owned a T100 and loves it. Very tough truck, underpowered, but acceptable if you can deal with a slower vehicle, and very tough. They are hard to find up here and not cheap, which tells you something for a truck that old. If a good deal presents itself I'd say go for it.