Well this sucks... (and a BIG conundrum).

[MotsuNabe]

My Tundra is 15 yrs old and she has been an absolute beast. I have taken this truck on so many trips to the mountains for hiking, camping, climbing, skiing, and countless other adventures. We've done road trips with the family all around the West. The first trip I ever did with her was a road trip from Los Angeles to Ouray, CO for Ice Climbing with some buddies. I've run shuttle trips up to the Mt. Whitney portal in the winter when no other vehicle could make it up to the trailhead. I now live in Seattle and my kids did their first camping trips under the EZ Topper Lift that I installed in the bed (that thing rocks btw), and we used to go skiing every weekend in this truck. When Rivian announced the R1T, I was interested and I wanted one. But I couldn't quite pull the trigger because the Tundra had been so good to us. I finally put a deposit down about 18 months ago and have a LE R1T reserved. I think the Tundra felt betrayed....

Yesterday, I was idling with the A/C on in a parking lot waiting to pick up the kids from a summer camp. I was on the phone with my boss and smelled something funny. I looked up and the engine bay was on fire! I called 911 and the fire dept responded very fast, but I think she's toast (literally). I have no idea what caused the fire, but I am grateful nobody was hurt and we didn't accidentally start a wildfire in the Northwest while camping.

Now the conundrum: I don't have another vehicle to get me and the kids around town. At this rate, I'll be lucky if the R1T shows up at my door by the end of the year. Do I break down and buy a combustion engine truck instead? If only the beast had held out another 6 months...

Sponsored

 

[electruck]

Ouch! That does suck. Glad nobody was hurt!

Gotta play the cards you are dealt. Unless you have other options, it seems like you're in the market for a new (to you) vehicle. Unfortunately it's a great market to be selling in, not so much for buying. Take your insurance payout and look for a good deal on something that you can live with for longer than you think you might have to. Whatever you buy now, you will be able to sell it when the Rivian arrives. I don't think ICE vs BEV should be a big consideration for you right now.

 

[Cassidy_DM]

It looks like most of your gear was spared at least.

Any chance you can get a loaner from a friend or family? It would suck to buy a new (to you) vehicle to only need it for six to eight months. I don't envy your situation.

Remember the good times, though.

 

[TessP100D]

Placeholder vehicle until your Rivan is ready. It’s ok.

 

[Gshenderson]

My Tundra is 15 yrs old and she has been an absolute beast. I have taken this truck on so many trips to the mountains for hiking, camping, climbing, skiing, and countless other adventures. We've done road trips with the family all around the West. The first trip I ever did with her was a road trip from Los Angeles to Ouray, CO for Ice Climbing with some buddies. I've run shuttle trips up to the Mt. Whitney portal in the winter when no other vehicle could make it up to the trailhead. I now live in Seattle and my kids did their first camping trips under the EZ Topper Lift that I installed in the bed (that thing rocks btw), and we used to go skiing every weekend in this truck. When Rivian announced the R1T, I was interested and I wanted one. But I couldn't quite pull the trigger because the Tundra had been so good to us. I finally put a deposit down about 18 months ago and have a LE R1T reserved. I think the Tundra felt betrayed....

Yesterday, I was idling with the A/C on in a parking lot waiting to pick up the kids from a summer camp. I was on the phone with my boss and smelled something funny. I looked up and the engine bay was on fire! I called 911 and the fire dept responded very fast, but I think she's toast (literally). I have no idea what caused the fire, but I am grateful nobody was hurt and we didn't accidentally start a wildfire in the Northwest while camping.

Now the conundrum: I don't have another vehicle to get me and the kids around town. At this rate, I'll be lucky if the R1T shows up at my door by the end of the year. Do I break down and buy a combustion engine truck instead? If only the beast had held out another 6 months...

So sorry dude! I had a similar issue with my first car - a 1974 Chevy Monza (yeah, I’m old!). Why they chose to run copper line from the fuel tank into the engine bay and then rubber hose from there (within and inch of the exhaust manifold) into the carburetor (do any millennials even know what a carburetor is?) is anybody’s guess. But long story short, a pinhole formed in that line and started spewing gasoline onto the engine. Was quite a dramatic scene. No pic (I didn’t have mY Polaroid camera handy ;-), but it was very similar to what you posted. Things were so boring in my redneck hometown that it made the front page of the lock paper that week (yeah, we didn’t have much news, so once week was the the frequency of the newspaper).

 

[Gshenderson]

My Tundra is 15 yrs old and she has been an absolute beast. I have taken this truck on so many trips to the mountains for hiking, camping, climbing, skiing, and countless other adventures. We've done road trips with the family all around the West. The first trip I ever did with her was a road trip from Los Angeles to Ouray, CO for Ice Climbing with some buddies. I've run shuttle trips up to the Mt. Whitney portal in the winter when no other vehicle could make it up to the trailhead. I now live in Seattle and my kids did their first camping trips under the EZ Topper Lift that I installed in the bed (that thing rocks btw), and we used to go skiing every weekend in this truck. When Rivian announced the R1T, I was interested and I wanted one. But I couldn't quite pull the trigger because the Tundra had been so good to us. I finally put a deposit down about 18 months ago and have a LE R1T reserved. I think the Tundra felt betrayed....

Yesterday, I was idling with the A/C on in a parking lot waiting to pick up the kids from a summer camp. I was on the phone with my boss and smelled something funny. I looked up and the engine bay was on fire! I called 911 and the fire dept responded very fast, but I think she's toast (literally). I have no idea what caused the fire, but I am grateful nobody was hurt and we didn't accidentally start a wildfire in the Northwest while camping.

Now the conundrum: I don't have another vehicle to get me and the kids around town. At this rate, I'll be lucky if the R1T shows up at my door by the end of the year. Do I break down and buy a combustion engine truck instead? If only the beast had held out another 6 months...

Also, salvage those tires! I might buy them from your for my 4Runner

 

[aw113sgte]

As a firefighter, good work calling quickly, and great the firefighters were wearing their SCBAs to a car fire.

 

[cwoodcox]

I know it’s not a truck, but my Expedition needed like $4k of work and I was sick of it, so I leased a Mach-E and have zero regrets. ?

 

[LoneStar]

Find a 10-15 year old 4Runner, FJ or Tacoma and just beat on it until the Rivian comes around. Don't sink big dollars into anything right now. You'll probably get 90-100% of your money back this way

 

[skyote]

So sorry about your truck, sounds like it was a great one for you.

Out of curiosity, have you called a non-dealership shop? Used motor swap, wiring harness replacement, new hood, & front emd paint might be a cheaper option than trying to get something in this ridiculous used car market.

 

[PAFDenver]

Oh man, that really sucks. Sorry this happened to you.
My father has bought a number of vehicles at car auctions. Basically repos, bank auctions and dealers selling the used cars they bought but can't move. You don't need to be a mechanic, but should be mechanical (i.e. often repair your own car) because you can't drive them, but usually can start them up. You might be able to find a beat up car for a couple grand that'll run fine but be ugly. You can usually sell it for at least what you paid afterwards. Maybe that's an option.

 

[AdamsFan1983]

My Tundra is 15 yrs old and she has been an absolute beast. I have taken this truck on so many trips to the mountains for hiking, camping, climbing, skiing, and countless other adventures. We've done road trips with the family all around the West. The first trip I ever did with her was a road trip from Los Angeles to Ouray, CO for Ice Climbing with some buddies. I've run shuttle trips up to the Mt. Whitney portal in the winter when no other vehicle could make it up to the trailhead. I now live in Seattle and my kids did their first camping trips under the EZ Topper Lift that I installed in the bed (that thing rocks btw), and we used to go skiing every weekend in this truck. When Rivian announced the R1T, I was interested and I wanted one. But I couldn't quite pull the trigger because the Tundra had been so good to us. I finally put a deposit down about 18 months ago and have a LE R1T reserved. I think the Tundra felt betrayed....

Yesterday, I was idling with the A/C on in a parking lot waiting to pick up the kids from a summer camp. I was on the phone with my boss and smelled something funny. I looked up and the engine bay was on fire! I called 911 and the fire dept responded very fast, but I think she's toast (literally). I have no idea what caused the fire, but I am grateful nobody was hurt and we didn't accidentally start a wildfire in the Northwest while camping.

Now the conundrum: I don't have another vehicle to get me and the kids around town. At this rate, I'll be lucky if the R1T shows up at my door by the end of the year. Do I break down and buy a combustion engine truck instead? If only the beast had held out another 6 months...

Wow. Such a shame for Toyota, that one of their vehicles caught on fire and burned. I’m sure we’ll be seeing this get national news coverage……..

(I jest, but thankfully nobody was hurt).

Sponsored