Test Drove, have ?s

Test drove a 4x4 DC TRD Sport, and have a few questions

When accelerating, there was a weird engine noise almost like a ticking or something, test drove a different one and it had the same acceleration noise, what is that?

The steering seemed to be kinda stiff to the steering wheel, took a little more muscle than I expected... is this normal for the tacos?

 

Usually the "ticking" goes away with better fuel or higher octane btw. 89 and 91 do the trick for me, and it's only about $1.50 more per fillup. Doesn't hurt anything though, so you can run 87 all day if you'd like to save a buck.

 

I'm sure it would be nice to buy a $30k truck and not have to do this but.....more on normal engine tick and reduction of noise if so inclined....
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/43632-ticking-engine-one-fix.html

As far as steering I think there are so many variables, but on average its stiffer then most cars, lux suvs and such. However I didn't find mine stiff given I came from a Jeep, so it probably depends on what you were used to before. Try another on the lot if you are unsure.