Tundra page

For years I have pondered the idea of getting a Toyota Tundra. My 1999 Ford F250 has been a good truck but after 26 years I was ready for something different and a little more accomodating for an old man. When we replaced our 2006 Jeep Liberty CRD we replaced it with a Sequoia because it is basically a Tundra SUV. I wanted something trouble free as I am now retired. A couple guys I worked with have them and they really like them. I like their looks, drivetrain, and proven Toyota reliability. Donna had a 2003 Toyota Highlander with almost 300,000 miles on it and it had been rock solid. Donna recently got rid of her camper so I didn't need a tow vehicle anymore. For a long time I have searched the car sites looking for a candidate Tundra. My favorite color by far is the orange (Inferno Red) but blue, silver, and even brown were contenders. The body comes in three versions: Crewmax with a short bed, and Double Cab with a 6.5' or 8' bed. I thought the 8' bed version looked most like a truck although most are set up as work trucks...black grilles and bumper. Not my taste. I'm not a huge fan of the 5.5' bed on the Crewmax but it is probably the most useful configuration. My favorite is the Double Cab with the 6.5' bed. To me it looks sporty and balanced. I leaned towards the Limited package since it was similar to the Sequoia. My unicorn truck would be an orange Double Cab with the Limited package and gray interior but I don't know that I ever found one in years of looking. Even orange Double Cabs were rare. Most I found had been modified with painted bumpers or grilles or someone had screwed on some fender flares. Yuck. One truck that kept getting my attention was an orange Crewmax Limited in Raleigh, North Carolina. Accident free. Decent price. The mileage (133K) was a little higher than I preferred but not a huge deal. The salesman, Brandon, sent me videos and additional pictures. Everything looked good so I put down a deposit and made travel plans. On August 12, 2025, I made a trip to get the Tundra. Above is my new-to-me Tundra. Some things that I will be changing immediately are the wheels, the running boards, and the painted rear bumpers. Prior to getting a truck I found a guy in Darlington, IN, selling a set of SR5 wheels for $200 so I snagged them. It seems a majority of Tundras come with the TRD Offroad package and the silver/black wheels. I don't care for them. I would loved to have found one with the gray leather interior but those are as rare as hen's teeth. General truck specs: - 2018 Toyota Tundra Crewmax - Limited edition - TRD Offroad package - Limited Premium package - Tow mirrors - 5.7L V-8 Upgrades - LED lights - I replaced the interior lights with a kit from Ebay. - SR5 wheels - I like this style much better. I sold the TRD wheels to a fellow firefighter from Illinois. - Go Rhino bumper guard - Used as a step and preventative for 'bumper thumpers'. - Vent visors - Weathertech floor mats - Console tray - makes the cavernous console a little more useful. - Chrome rear bumpers - I'm a chrome guy and love these bumpers. The hardest part was removing/replacing the sensors. - Patriotic Tundra emblem - the factory black letters were starting to peel. These look much better. - Toolbox - I found this smaller toolbox which I think looks good in the small Crewmax bed. I lined the box with DriDeck. - Westin running boards - My dad had a set of these on his truck. I always liked them so I put them on this one. I sold the black running boards to a guy from Jasper. - Grille guard - I ordered a Kasei modular grille guard on Ebay. I received a Black Horse Accessories p/n 17A098900MSS and paid SIGNIFICANTLY less than Black Horse wants for their's. Not complaining at all! I left the parts that cover the headlights off. Don't care for the looks of those. - Under seat storage tray - There should have been storage here from the factory. - Truck pictures 9/13/2025 - Dirty Deeds 10" exhaust - I had a difficult time installing this until I realized one of the hangers had been bent in shipping. After bending it to match the factory setup it almost dropped into place. The truck sounds good. I had initially thought about getting a TRD exhaust. Several years ago these were $800. Now they are $2400. Nope...ridiculous. - Rear swaybar. - Helps with handling. A simple install. - Driver's side grab handle - Not included with the 2014 to 2021 Tundras for some reason. An easy addition if you can find the parts. They are frequently on national backorder. - Power tailgate lock - I found a new OEM tailgate locking kit on Ebay for $72. Score. - 12Volt Solutions remote start kit - It doesn't shut off when opening the vehicle like the factory remote start. The kit is completely plug-n-play. When I started installing this I found an old remote start/alarm system that was installed on the truck. It took several hours to remove it. - Banks Pedal Monster - Compensates for the doggy pedal the newer Tundras seem to have. The factory Sequoia pedal is noticeably more responsive. - Banks iDash Pro - Displays a multitude of engine parameters. Also displays trouble codes and allows adjustment of the Pedal Monster.