There’s a lot to be said for getting away from it all, and with today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Tundra you ought to be able to get away and back again no matter where away is. Let’s see if that rugged nature aligns with its urbane price tag.
With Ford going all-in on trucks crossovers and SUVs here in the U.S., it’s interesting to note that about half their current lineup of those models—the Transit, Transit Connect, and Ecosport—were originally designed with other markets in mind. Ford’s former full-size van, the long-running Econoline, went away with the Transit’s introduction in 2013, while the Transit Connect filled a void left by the elimination of the original Ranger pickup and, years earlier, the Aerostar minivan.
We looked at a very sweet seeming 1997 Aerostar XLT AWD on Friday and boy did it bring back the memories. It seems that a lot of you grew up with an Aerostar in the family, and while some had less than stellar memories of the little people mover, many appeared wistful at the recollection.
That extended to the Aerostar’s $3,900 asking, which was seen by 62 percent of you as a Nice enough Price, giving the van at least one more staring role.
The nominal replacement in Ford’s lineup for the Aerostar was the Windstar, a FWD van based on the Taurus platform that was less cool than its predecessor and had a far less enjoyable to say name. The form factor of the Windstar was far more in line with the competition, however, what with its transverse engine and FWD. That was how Chrysler’s vans rolled, as did those from Honda, Toyota and others.
In fact, Japanese manufacturers have long been adept at entering established automotive categories and then doing extremely well in them. One such category is the full-sized pickup, which is decidedly American and a place where you may think a foreign brand may not do so well. Toyota took extra steps with their entrant into the lucrative pickup market, locating its manufacture in the U.S. and holding introductory events in places like Texas. I’m surprised they didn’t go so far as to name the truck the ‘Toyota Y’all.”
No, they instead went with T100 a name that sounded similar enough to Ford’s F-150 for comfort to establish a beachhead in the market. With the big-ish truck’s next generation the name was changed to Tundra to better align it with the well-received Tacoma mid-sized truck. By this time Toyota had breached the full-sized truck market sufficiently that their entrant could sell on its merits and not some supposed connection to an established player.
Here we have a 2010 Toyota Tundra SR5, and this double cab (four-doors/two rows) truck comes with some extremely interesting add-ons, all of which should make it a serious adventure ride for some serious adventurers.
The most obvious of those additions it the FlipPac camper shell on the back. This offers both a hard and hence secure cover for the pickup bed and a flip-over soft-top camper that gives you stand-up room and sleeping space for two. This comes with a waterproof rain fly and LED lighting in the interior. Below that is a truck bed that can be used in its expected fashion when not out gallivanting in the wilderness.
The Tundra beneath the shell comes in Pyrite Mica Metallic and with 141,000 miles on the clock. The paint looks to be in excellent shape when not covered in slop, and sets off against 18-inch V-TEC Raptor wheels wrapped in Toyo Open Country tires. Behind those sit a good bit of suspension upgrades mostly all from Old Man Emu.
A big-ass Warn winch waits for you to get in trouble, mounted in an ARB bull bar, which also can carry your full sized spare. A towing package has been added and the gas tank has been upped from 27 gallons to 46 so plan on pissing off everybody in line behind you at the Costco gas pumps.
There’s a ton more going on here, all intended to either make sure the truck doesn’t get stuck in the muck, or to make it slightly more enjoyable getting out to that muck and back again.
The interior is clean and features seat covers that seem to be present in order to keep the upholstery tidy when mucking around, and not so as to mask some prior befoulments.
Despite all the add-ons and updates, the truck is said to start and drive without issue. The 5.7-litre V8 under the hood is good for 381 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque, and is backed up by a Toyota six-speed automatic and electrically shifted 4WD. The title is clear and the truck’s service records are included in the sale. In fact, there seem to be only two issues to take with this cool adventurer.
The first of those is noted by the seller in his ad. There he claims that then 46-gallon fuel tank is 49-state compliant but is not certified for California emissions. That’s obviously only an issue for buyers in that state, and the fact that he says the truck passed its smog test with the tank in place may indicate that it’s less of a problem than it might at first appear.
The other issue is that of the price, which at $26,000 is a sizable chunk of change. The fact that the seller claims that $25,000 in updates has gone into the truck doesn’t fully help his case. Of course, we’re here to assist either him or his prospective buyers. With that onus in mind, what do you think about this Tundra for the tundra and that $26,000 asking? Is that a price that would have you thinking about getting away from it all in this Toyota? Or, does that asking just have you saying get away?
You decide!
Monterey, CA Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to FauxShizzle for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOCP. Hit me up at rob@jalopnik.com and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.