What's your story? How'd you end up in a Tacoma?

I thought this might be kinda interesting, and a change from the "I need help" posts. I'm sure there are some good stories about how you ended up with your Tacoma. Here's mine …

It was 1991, I’m standing in a Toyota dealership lusting over a black Tacoma SR5 4x4 … damn it was great looking. All the hunting, fishing, camping possibilities with that truck ran though my head, but it’s not why I was there. I was buying a van. Three kids and one on the way meant it was time for a van, and the Previa was our choice. I had an 81 Celica that I sold several years before, and liked Toyota’s quality, so we were back to buy another.

I always liked the 1st gen Tacoma’s. I liked the looks of the regular cab best, but liked the practicality of the xtracab. Either way it was going to be a 4x4. I knew then, when the time was right, I’d look for a used Tacoma.

For the next 6 years I’d stop into the Toyota dealership on occasion with the Previa, I always made it a point to swing by the showroom and see the new Tacoma’s. Even the new T100’s didn’t do it for me like the 4x4 Tacoma did. I liked the size, the proportions, the maneuverability of the Tacoma’s.

Years past, the Previa is long gone, but not before 60 Minutes did a “death trap” video about it, subjecting my resale value to the equivalent of a case of empty returnable pop bottles. We owned several Toyota’s while the kids were growing up, but now, the kids are all grown and out of the house.

I sold the FJ and replaced it with a Audi Q5 TDI which I really like. But I was now without an “outdoor vehicle”. Something that I could throw everything from dead carcasses, to muddy boots, to soaking wet camping gear and a German Shepherd in and worry about the clean up later. It was time to start looking for a used Tacoma.

I never ran across a black regular bed SR5 4x4 like the one I saw on the showroom floor years earlier, but when I found the one I bought, I knew enough not to wait long before I bought it.

I’ll be very happy if my Tacoma is as dependable as all the other Toyota’s I’ve owned. It took awhile, but I’m looking forward to campin’, shootin’, and fishin’ with it.

 

HAWAII had this "cash for clunkers" thing going on about 5-6 years ago. Take in your beat up POS car and get 1,500 - 3,500 towards a new vehicle.

Took my 95 4Runner to trade for a frontier. Nissan wanted to give me 1,500. Walked across the street to toyota, they offered 3,500. Drove away in my Tacoma, couldn't be happier.

 

Shit, just noticed that this is in the 1st gen section. Sorry

 

last year my 98 chevy dashboard which had been cracked for a while finally cracked into more pieces and started to fall off with every bump I hit until the wiring harness was literally hanging out because there is no metal structure to hold it all together so in a few short weeks I think I would have only had a steering wheel and ductwork left to it so I bought a new 2014 Silverado only to find out one out of every 5 is a vibrating lemon that cant be fixed because it is a design flaw which is also repeated in all the 2015's as well.

so gm told be to go pound sand, "the truck is working as designed, trucks are supposed to shake, rattle and vibrate, that's just how trucks ride" this was there reply.

look at the video and you decide:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppSl0D3AQm8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5LQYCMk_e4

anyway I did what I should have done back in 98 and I bought a Tacoma and damn glad I did. I was undecided which to buy back then but went with the chevy simply because I hauled stuff with my truck and felt I needed the v8 power.


IF YOU KNOW ANYONE NOW OR IN THE FUTURE THINKING ABOUT BUYING A 2014 OR 2015 GMC OR CHEVY TRUCK, STOP THEM IF YOU ARE THIER FRIEND. THESE TRUCKS ARE LEMONS AND ANY USED ONES BEING SOLD ARE LEMONS SOMEONE IS TRYING TO GET RID OFF. WORD TO THE WISE, THERE WILL BE A LOT OF THESE TRUCKS ON THE USED MARKET VERY SOON.

 

I had a 1973 chebby that was at the end of its life so I picked up a 2000 reg cab:




it was just too small for the family so a few months later I traded it in and bought the first new vehicle I had, my 2008 dbl cab:

DSC_0731.JPG by Cathaus Photography, on Flickr

We go camping, fishing, shooting and run all around in her, when the time comes I will probably look at another one as the size of ths truck is perfect for what I need. I don't need a full size (and I don't know if it would fit in the garage).

 

It was 1999 and I thought to myself, "I want a pick up."

Went out and bought a 1998 Tacoma ext cab.

 

I bought a '96 Ranger new. Drove it nearly 200k miles over 15 years. It got to where the maintenance was more than I wanted to deal with, so I bought an F-250 from my brother-in-law.

For a year I was working from home and the terrible gas mileage didn't bother me. Then I got a job where I had to drive to work everyday. I was spending around $100 a week on gas. It was costing me about $15 to take my son to baseball. A trip to the boat was $6 each way. Everything was just too expensive.

So, I wanted A) a truck, B) that was 4x4, C) that got decent mileage, and D) would run for years.

First Gen Tacoma.

 

Some Mexican national thinking she owned the road in her Audi a4 didn't know how to drive passed a red light as I was turning left and tboned my juiced up Camry. She was on her phone. Fucking idiot I still hate her.

Then got my tacoma. Thanks USAA

 

Maxima got me through college..... Needed a newer vehicle. Shopped for 1st gens and noticed I could get a like new second gen for almost the same price.

 

yep, I argue with idiots all the time who don't care the tundra gets 13 mpg and think that's wonderful and get mad and tell me to go buy a car when I say trucks need to get better gas mileage.

in this day age age of cars getting 40-50 mpg it is a travesty that all trucks are not made to get over 30 mpg

my 98 chevy 5.7 v8 350 got 19/21 mpg even after 110k miles and the new chevy 5.3 v8 engines (that run on v4 most of the time and have no power at all) say they get 18/ 23 mpg but in my real world tests it only got 16/19 mpg

sorry, rant over

back on topic

 

Now that I'm getting older, my car and motorcycle are getting to be too brutal for daily driving (especially with the current/future mods). I needed something practical, dependable, not too large, very functional, daily drivable, but still aesthetically pleasing to my eyes. So I picked up what I knew would be a smart purchase, an 04 4x4

 

I always had 4x4s as a young man, but I had been driving sports cars for most of my adult life. My Dad had a 2000 Tacoma and it had never once been in the shop for anything other than oil/regular maintenance. I would borrow it from time to time to haul stuff go out in the country and I really liked it. Roll forward to 2012...I liked the new front end design and was thinking of getting me a second car(truck). And at that same time...they started to shift Tacoma production to San Antonio and I thought it would be cool and my civic duty to buy a truck made in my hometown.

It just so happens all the Toyota salesmen from the biggest dealership in town hang out at same the neighborhood bar would have a drink or 2 on Saturday nights. I struck up a conversation with the one I sized up to be the most senior/mature/trustworthy. I told him it was a second car, I was in no rush, I wasn't going to waste his time at the dealership, and I was buying it on my terms, and he had one shot to give me the best price. So he could either make a little bit of money off me or no money...take it or leave. He said he wanted my business no matter how little he made off me....and the whole deal was essentially done at the bar.

Everything fell into place and I bought a 2012..only problem its had was the battery went completely dead after a year....my Dads 2000 still has not been in the shop.
- A Completely Satisfied Tacoma Owner

 

I had a '97 Chevy S-10 that proved to be an excellent truck for me. I kept it 9 1/2 years, but at 236,000 miles, it was getting to the point I knew it would require a lot of maintenance. When the air conditioning went out last summer, I knew it was time to either pour a lot of money into it, or switch to something else.

So I did a bit of research on small used trucks. I needed something with relatively good gas mileage, and wasn't too hard to load and unload. I carry a lot of plywood, hardwood and cabinetry. But I don't haul trailers, I don't go off road, and I don't need 4 doors. That narrowed the search quite a lot, plus my unfortunately small budget.

The Tacomas looked like the best bet for reliability, but they were priced way too high for me. So I decided the Nissan Frontiers would be a better bet to find one in my price range. I traveled half way across Texas to look at a Frontier, but that turned out to be a bust. I was staying with my brother, and decided to look through the Austin Craigslist trucks, and found a 2004 Tacoma in my price range and in good condition. So, it was just a bit of luck I wound up in a Tacoma.

 

Wasn't looking for a Tacoma when I was searching for a new truck but found one cheap and it's been my daily for a few years now. I buy all my cars out right to avoid payments so my next truck might not be a Tacoma or a truck at all but have to say it will definitely be Japanese.

 

I was driving a VW and got sick of stupid and expensive things failing/breaking. So I decided to get something that would be more or less bulletproof. Family has had a long history of good luck with toyotas, so I got myself the 4x4 access cab that I'd always wanted.

 

1991? Sorry man but that was before the Tacoma's time, just thought I'd point that out! Sounds like you were looking at a 1991 Pickup which would be very tempting too, they were even better than Tacomas in many aspects.

That said, I just wanted something reliable that had 4x4 and a bed but didn't want something huge. I first started life in a 2011 access cab but recently sold that and got an 04 double cab with low miles and couldn't be happier. I drive all over the state chasing work so I need to have something I can jump into at a moment's notice and drive to the next job.

 

Here's my current Tacoma, old pic but it hasn't changed since I took it. It's a little beast in snow!

And here was my 2011 access, it was a great truck too but I was tired of shifting gears and needed more room for my 4 large dogs.

 

Mine found me. It was towed into my work with a blown motor and the po wasn't willing to spend the $$$ for a replacement motor. He told my co-worker he would just sell it to a local pick & pull junk yard that's called Crazy Rays. I couldn't let that happen! Shortly after i replaced the engine i caught the TW bug and replaced the suspension with a toytec lift, new SCS wheels & tires, tundra brakes....

 

In 1999, I bought my first new vehicle, pre-approved by the bank by my lonesome, walked into a dealer with a $14k check and drove off in a base single cab MT. It was my 6th vehicle by age 20. A year plus later, I saw a single cab 2000 PreRunner and had to have it. My payment went up, but I loved it still, that was #7.

#23 is my current Taco, I was bored one night after work and wanted to walk around the lot and see what they had. I had been in Hyundais for the past few years. I drove off with Hank that night. It was kismet.

 

Worked in the service dept at a Yota dealership. Had a friend that wanted a help/a price to put a new door, fender and bedside on her son's 00 4wd reg cab so she could sell it. I bought it for 1200, then did all the work myself. Drove it for 6 years before a deer ended it's life. Bought my D-Cab in October as a replacement!