Newbie with tons of ?'s

Jay london

New Member
Jun 21, 2019
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So i recently moved from socal to Kansas. Prior to us moving my father in law who is a mechanic offered his 04 sr5 2wd sequoia. Everything og, before leaving he replaced timing belt, serpentine belt,plugs t-stat. All at 140k. Now the truck has 146k and i have since replaced the alternator, starter, battery, upper and lower ball joints, all around break job. The day after leaving the shop i guess my differential went out, and out of impulse i jumped the gun and had the shop order a new assembly, which cost $2,930 with labor. Truck runs awesome now. I purchased truck for $1,500 and have now invested over $4,000. My question is, was it a smart move to pay for repairs or should i have just purchased something else?? Is $2,300 for a differential too much?? Im new to this and dont know what to do. I would really like to build my truck like some of y'all on here but not sure if its worth it being a 2wd and all. Any and all input is greatly appreciated.. TIA
 

Mtoddsolomon

Active Member
Jun 11, 2019
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I'm pretty new to the sequoia world myself, but i'm in a very similar situation. My father in law gave us his 02 Sequoia with 186k miles that he got new. He replaced the timing belt but that was it. I've replaced a bumper, fender, brakes, stereo, and o2 sensors but have a long list of things I'd like to do. I feel like if you've put $4000 in to it but you'll be able to drive it problem free for SEVERAL thousand miles then you're ahead of the game. I'm trying to get ours all set up the way I like it so I can trade my 2016 F150 in for something for the wife, or get rid of car payments all together and get a FJ100 as well as the sequoia.

As far as not being worth it because its 2wd. I wouldn't worry about it. Make it look how you like. You'll never get the money out of it that you put in so know that going in. But, you are writing on a car forum so you are obviously somewhat of a car guy. make it look and drive the way you like it and have fun. At the end of the day you're not having to make payments on some Camry that you dread driving every day.
 

Jay london

New Member
Jun 21, 2019
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Lol some Camry. Thanks so much for your input. Just felt like i over paid, but being that some of these trucks getting up to 300k im sure those $4k will end up being well worth. Was thinking of selling and getting into a similar year but awd. Just haven't found one with less than 200k that are in good shape.
 

F3URMIND

New Member
Aug 6, 2018
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Allen, TX
I bought my 4wd 03 in 2008 with 23K. It now has 210K. I had to replace my rear differential several years ago. Price seems about right. I love my Tree, but was on the fence last year about keeping it as it needed some work and was close to the magical 200K. I found this site and corresponding FB group and I made the decision to keep it. Since then, I have replaced tie rods, brakes and rotors, lower ball joints, shocks, sway bar links, bushings, fluids, window gaskets, etc. I couldn't be happier with my decision. If the underside is not corroded to hell, it is an easy vehicle to work on and built like a tank.

You do need to properly maintain the differentials. I learned that the hard way. It is easy to do.

I hunt, camp, pull a boat, and drive my Tree to work every day. I also drive it hard and it has yet to disappoint. We blew past 200K and I am now looking forward to blowing by 300K. I love the fact that it is totally mechanical (no software), and easy to work on and get parts for.

In regards to 2/4wd - Being that the beast weighs so much, I am pretty careful about where I take it, even being a 4wd. In North and East TX when it gets wet, we have a lot of mud. More mud than any suspension is going to get you out of. Just be smart about where you take it.

I sure wouldn't say you made a bad decision, on the contrary. Can't go wrong with a 1st Gen Tree!
 

Jay london

New Member
Jun 21, 2019
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Thank you so much. I feel much better now knowing most first gens go past 300k. Been thinking it over and reading tons of others comments and will probably just get a decent lift, good tires and some maxtraxx just in case. Not much off roading here in Kansas but do plan on going and camping in the surrounding states.