Thoughts on what to focus on?! (1 Viewer)

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gregnash

Anal Retentive Analyst
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Nov 3, 2011
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Carson City, NV
So the time has come where the hard decision of letting BeBe go to another home is weighing heavy on the mind. Things are changing for the wife and I and the plan at this point is that when we pay the 4Runner off in another year that we then will have the available finances to pick up a trailer. As we have gotten older, and the dogs have as well, we have determined that a small trailer (under 5k lbs) is perfect for us and would afford us many more camping opportunities.

Not to mention that this year alone we are finding it incredibly hard to pre-book/reserve campsite anywhere in the Tahoe Basin as a "tent camper", namingly our favorite spot on the west shore is really only allowing trailers now. While the 4Runner did fine pulling our family members small WolfPup trailer (5k) last fall it definitely was the max of what the 4runner could do. So I am looking at selling BeBe and picking up a 100 series for myself.

Question is, what should I focus on to make her more "appealing" to the sellers market?? I was thinking of interior as the paint job from last year has held up great aside from a couple of touch-ups that need to be taken care of this fall. Just starting to research and see what the market is for a truck like mine but figuring I could probably get $6k-$8k for her?
 
Sad to hear the 60 might be going. :( I wish I could buy it from you!

I think your reasoning is sound though. For me interior is more important than exterior. Of course above and beyond that, making sure all the mechanical bits or top notch, serviced, and healthy. I think investing a little time or money to get the orange peel knocked down and doing a ceramic coating on the paint would be awesome. Maybe get some Toyota stripes on it? A vinyl wrap shop can add them pretty easily.

2027032


Make sure A/C, radio (maybe a retrosound head unit if you don't have the factory one?), and all those things work.

That's what I would do anyway. :) Good luck!
 
Yeah, A/C is still attached and needs to be serviced so that is on the agenda... so is a new oilpan since mine leaks badly from the drain plug. Mechanically she is in great shape, body work has been great and I will knockdown the orange peel as I prep for the fall. Carpets are still in good shape, was thinking of grabbing a cheap headunit since I upgraded to the touch-screen and I know that is not everyone's foretay..

Going to be getting one of Jason's (@TRAIL TAILOR ) new A/C surrounds as mine is nasty and dead. Already got one of @NLXTACY glove box replacements ( just needs to be painted). So I have done some of the "favorable" upgrades.
 
I would look for something other than a 100 for towing a trailer in the Sierra. Unless you get a really light trailer it will be struggling.
 
I would look for something other than a 100 for towing a trailer in the Sierra. Unless you get a really light trailer it will be struggling.
Yeah we are not looking for anything huge... actually we have our eyes set on the NoBo 19.5. We really like the floorplan, size and all the amenities that it comes with, weight is 3456# according to it's specs.
 
I have no advice. Market has gone soft. Rigs that would have brought 5-6k last year are sitting for months on CL. eBay is the only place things are moving and those numbers are all over.
 
Yeah we are not looking for anything huge... actually we have our eyes set on the NoBo 19.5. We really like the floorplan, size and all the amenities that it comes with, weight is 3456# according to it's specs.
We liked that trailer when we looked at it.
3456 is the "dry weight" , no water, food or gear.
Add ~250# for 30 gallons of water
Plus 1300 for the max cargo capacity, easier to hit than you think. You will want pots, pans, dishes, clothes, LPG tanks, etc etc. When we sold our last trailer we had enough stuff to furnish a small apartment, which is essentially what an RV is.
That gets you to 5000.
The land Cruiser is rated for 6500 towing capacity, which is very optimistic IMHO based on driving one for the past 12 or so years. If you are towing to Tahoe I think you will be sad. And you will wear the 100 out fast.
Not trying to piss on your party but we are looking to replace our 100 with something that will tow a trailer like the NoBo comfortably.
Just as a qualifier we have been RV'ing for 35 years through various trucks and trailers. I have never ever said "Gee this truck is way over powered for towing". You want something extra for those times you get behind the guy that the RV salesman convince his F150 could tow a 25' toy hauler.

If you can live with a pop-up tent trailer we tow an 8' box Starcraft and don't even notice it back there.
 
We liked that trailer when we looked at it.
3456 is the "dry weight" , no water, food or gear.
Add ~250# for 30 gallons of water
Plus 1300 for the max cargo capacity, easier to hit than you think. You will want pots, pans, dishes, clothes, LPG tanks, etc etc. When we sold our last trailer we had enough stuff to furnish a small apartment, which is essentially what an RV is.
That gets you to 5000.
The land Cruiser is rated for 6500 towing capacity, which is very optimistic IMHO based on driving one for the past 12 or so years. If you are towing to Tahoe I think you will be sad. And you will wear the 100 out fast.
Not trying to piss on your party but we are looking to replace our 100 with something that will tow a trailer like the NoBo comfortably.
Just as a qualifier we have been RV'ing for 35 years through various trucks and trailers. I have never ever said "Gee this truck is way over powered for towing". You want something extra for those times you get behind the guy that the RV salesman convince his F150 could tow a 25' toy hauler.

If you can live with a pop-up tent trailer we tow an 8' box Starcraft and don't even notice it back there.
Thanks for the info Dan. Yeah I know what you are talking about and Tahoe is probably going to be the main location it goes to. Last fall we towed the Wolf Pup which I believe was a 19' with the 2011 4Runner which is where I am basing my experience. While not a rocketship, it did fine pulling the trailer out to Depot Bay, Oregon through the mountains. The little extra power would be nice to get up some of the steeper sections but other than those few areas we were happy with how it did.

So are you saying that the first gen. Tundra would be more well suited to pull something like that? I know that friends with trailers always say to buy the trailer first and then fit the towing vehicle to it, but I guess I thought the 100 series would be enough?
 
Thanks for the info Dan. Yeah I know what you are talking about and Tahoe is probably going to be the main location it goes to. Last fall we towed the Wolf Pup which I believe was a 19' with the 2011 4Runner which is where I am basing my experience. While not a rocketship, it did fine pulling the trailer out to Depot Bay, Oregon through the mountains. The little extra power would be nice to get up some of the steeper sections but other than those few areas we were happy with how it did.

So are you saying that the first gen. Tundra would be more well suited to pull something like that? I know that friends with trailers always say to buy the trailer first and then fit the towing vehicle to it, but I guess I thought the 100 series would be enough?
The problem with towing at or near rated capacity is a lot of wear and tear on the vehicle along with marginal performance. Remember every manufacturer is going to state as large a towing capacity as they can get away with. My thought is to stay 20-30% under capacity. We are leaning toward a diesel powered truck, fuel economy and power being the main reasons. Factor into that we are within spitting distance of my retirement and are hoping to be doing a lot more traveling. With a Tundra we would be looking at a nice truck we couldn't afford to fuel. Just saying our perspective will be different than yours.
 
I haven’t towed with a hundy but I have towed with several other vehicles. A lot depends on your expectations. MPG is all about efficiency at rpm driven, torque and wind resistance. Comfort depends upon spring rates, damping, wheelbase and load height. What you gain one direction, you lose in another. A 5k lb trailer is a lot for an suv to handle, a decent load for a 1/2 ton and childs play for a long bed four door diesel. Which category do you want to be in? Do you need maneuverability.
 
Dan is right with the 20-30% rule. I pull a 26' trailer weighing in at roughly 7000lbs loaded with my Tundra, and that's about perfect. It is rated for 9800lbs, but i sure wouldn't want to be pulling that much!
 
So quick correction that I did not realize... The trailer that we pulled last year (Wolf Pup 16BHS) was actually 21' overall exterior length, but more like 16' interior. Dry weight was in the 3200# range and since we were planning on staying at KOAs and the like on the trip we did not travel with tanks full, so probably closer to 4k# when all was said and done. We did not realize this as our family kept referencing as a 21' trailer.

After looking at the trailer we have been liking (NoBo 19.5) I realized that while it is only 1' longer overall exterior length the dry weight is about 400# heavier. This I know would add to the towing issues you guys are talking about and thus we have been re-evaluating the towing vehicle. Again, this is a couple years out so not in a super rush to get things done, and when the RV show happens up at GSR we will probably go do some tire kicking and then make a determination from there. Thinking that something like a Chevy 2500HD from 2004 would be more than adequate, not I am not buying something new and really won't plan to spend more than like $11k-$15k for the tow vehicle when the time comes.
 
Look on the lots too. I have seen the same trailer for sale cheaper on the lot than at the shows. After i bought mine, i found it on their website for $1000.00 less than i paid the previous weekend at the show. Fortunately for me it still showed my stock number, and my vin number so i got an extra $1000.00 discount!
 
We bought our Arctic Fox in December, the sales guys are starving mid winter. We got a good deal.
 
Oh yeah the show visit will be just to go kick the tires and see what they actually look like in person, inside and out, so we get a better feel for size, interior, etc. I am a very visual/kinesthetic person, I can build the image in my head by looking at pictures and and watching videos but to see it in person, walk around it and whatnot is what finalizes everything for me spacially. Just how my mind works.
 
Oh yeah the show visit will be just to go kick the tires and see what they actually look like in person, inside and out, so we get a better feel for size, interior, etc. I am a very visual/kinesthetic person, I can build the image in my head by looking at pictures and and watching videos but to see it in person, walk around it and whatnot is what finalizes everything for me spacially. Just how my mind works.
Really good idea. One of the scariest things about building a home it's not being able to walk through a model.
 
Really good idea. One of the scariest things about building a home it's not being able to walk through a model.

Right... and I am too anal retentive to not know what I am getting myself into. Rarely ever jump into something blindly. Been doing some more research and probably will be looking for a 2003-2006 100 as that is when Toy changed over to the 5spd automatic and also upped the HPs a little. Figure that the 5spd will make things a little nicer on the freeway. Some nice ones out there currently too, there is one in Logan, UT I really like but timing ain't right.
 
Make sure the small stuff works. I see cars for sale often with things like 1 brake light out or a dome light not working. make sure it has decent wipers and tires. Does not have to be new but falling apart wipers make it look neglected.
 
Make sure the small stuff works. I see cars for sale often with things like 1 brake light out or a dome light not working. make sure it has decent wipers and tires. Does not have to be new but falling apart wipers make it look neglected.
Oh yeah I am overly anal retentive about that stuff. I am looking for something close to stock, non-nav so that I can do my own stuff to it.
 
Make sure the small stuff works. I see cars for sale often with things like 1 brake light out or a dome light not working. make sure it has decent wipers and tires. Does not have to be new but falling apart wipers make it look neglected.
OTOH these are the kind of tiddley things that make someone sell a car. They get overwhelmed by the amount of small stuff and decide they would rather sell the vehicle than fix it. For example it takes less than two hours to replace every marker light on most rigs, most owners won't spend 5 minutes to replace a turn signal or brake light.
As far as tires go I'd rather have worn tires on a vehicle so I can talk the price down then put EXACTLY the tire I want on the car.
Wiper blades in Nevada? They are almost always worn out from sun damage between times you need them.
Things I look for:
Oil soaked undercarriage.
To clean undercarriage / engine compartment, what are they hiding?
Fresh oil around the wheel knuckles etc..
Wiring kluges/wiring and harness hacks. Electrical issues are a bitch to figure out.
Will it shift into low range 4WD? Most people don't actually use 4WD that much and the linkage atrophies.
 

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