History: The truck was purchased new in 2003 by an engineer living in San Louis Obispo, California. Building a new house, he purchased it to transfer his new furniture from the showroom floor to his home. Later it was purchased by a youth minister living in Paso Robles that used the truck for his 60 mile highway commute.
This Tundra was not used for off-road travel or heavy duty work and the lack of wear and tear is evident. Thrilled to find this particular model in such condition, my wife and I purchased it in July of 2010.
Accessing Remote Panama
Key Statistics
- Fuel Tank Size: 26.4 Gallons (100 Liters)
- Fuel Range: 390 miles / 630km (actual/tested)
- Auxiliary Fuel range: 465 miles / 750km (with included 5gal/20L jerrycan)
- Average MPG in South America: 14-16 MPG (16.8-14.7 L/100km)
- On highway MPG: 18 MPG (13 L/100km)
- Full sized BF Goodrich Spare Tire
- Expected Mileage at Sale Date: 137,500 miles (221,000 km)
- Keyless remote entry with alarm activation
- Spacious interior cab and captain seats for comfortable driving
Cockpit interior with captians seats
Upgrades (all Installed approximately 15,000 Miles prior in November of 2010)
- BF Goodrich, Baja Champion, All-Terrain tires, load series D
- ZERO flat tires thus far on our PanAm trip, these all terrains rock
- New Bilsten Heavy Duty Shocks installed
- Firestone Ride-Rite Suspension Air-Bags installed in rear (extra parts included)
- The front brake calipers and brake pads have been replaced with larger replacements for increased stopping power
- The front brake rotors have been replaced with larger replacements for increased brake life
- 1/8″ AUX stereo input for iPod or MP3 player
Access doors make loading and unloading a breeze
Rear seats fold up for extra storage
Accessories Included
- Garmin GPS with WorldMaps and mount (model: Nuvi 755T)
- Fire extinguisher
- Emergency triangles (3)
- Battery pack with AC converter and emergency battery jumper
- Fix a Flat in a can
- Tire plug kit
- License plate holder, tamper resistant
- Extra California license plate
- 252 piece Husky mechanics tool set (standard and metric sizing)
- Chilton repair manual
- Tow rope
- First Aid Kit
- Factory alarm system
- Spare serpentine belt
- Patterned (Locking) lug nut locks with key
- Axe, shovel, 5 gal/20L jerrycan
- Air compressor
- Check engine code reader
Capable 4WD and LSD will take you anywhere
Maintenance (All Installed approximately 15,000 Miles prior)
- Transmission flushed, new filter, synthetic fluids
- Replaced differential and transfer case fluids
- Synthetic engine oil, new oil filter, air filter, lubed driveshaft
- Replaced PCV Valve
- New platinum spark plugs
- New starter battery
- Radiator flushed and fluid replacement
- New windshield wiper blades
- New front brake pads and upgraded rotors
- New serpentine belt
- Replaced timing belt, tensioner, and water pump
- Replaced fuel cap gasket (spare included)
Mechanics Note: In late September of 2011, Ernesto Hug at Volks Auto Motor in La Paz, Bolivia checked out the vehicle. He was instructed to check everything.
The following maintenance items were done approximately 1,000 miles ago in Sept 2011:
- New synthetic engine oil and oil filter
- New air filter
- New differential and transfer case fluids
- New steering stabilizer bushings
Everything else in Ernesto’s opinion was in perfect working condition. Ernesto is a Swiss expat that speaks German, English, and Spanish. He can be reached with the following contact information:
Contact Info
- Calle Jaimes Freyre 2326 La Paz, Bolivia
- Tel: 2-41-52-64
- Fax: 2-42-16-92
The Ugly
- The back window is the off-road style with three separate windows and the ability to open the middle window. The driver’s side rear window broke when going over a monster of a speed bump in rural Peru. We simply duct taped over the cracks. It does not represent a security issue as the camper sits vary near the window (which is why it broke in the first place). You won’t notice it as the camper blocks the rear.
- Also in Peru we scraped against a high curb and the driver’s side front bumper was scratched. This could be repaired with a good buff job and retouching.
- Lastly, there is a small bleach stain on the rear carpeted floor of the Tundra about the size of a cellular phone.