Sell me on a used taco.

First off let me preface this with an apology for another thread of this nature, but I would really appreciate input from all you second generation owners.

I'm going to trade in my 2004 f150 extended cab in within the next 2 weeks for some variant of Tacoma. My ford has been nothing but problems since 80k and I need a vehicle that can reliably get me to and from work. I'm not expecting much over $5000 for trade in for my truck and I don't really want to finance over $15,000 so that puts me at about a $20,000 budget for a truck.

With that said there are a lot of possibilities out there for Tacoma's in that price range. Originally I was thinking about getting an older higher miles TRD off road, but the more I've researched the more it seems like any 2009+ model would suit the bill well. I want a truck that will perform well off road, it doesn't need to be the best model available but I want to be able to handle rutty muddy trails for when I'm hunting and just using my truck for fun. For these purposes the availability of Trac sounds very appealing. Another benefit is that I'm able to get some sort of traction control with a 4 cylinder with the later models which would also help fuel economy. I drive about 100 miles a day to and from work so fuel economy is a perk, but not a deciding factor for me.

I would appreciate some feedback from you all on whether you think I'd be best off getting an older higher mileage TRD off road model or for the same price or less just going with a newer model with less options. I'm game for pretty much any cab configuration, honestly I like the regular cab look the best but I am used to the conveniences of interior space. Please let me know what you all think, I'll be sure to keep you updated once I make a decision.

 

We'll do you need a locker? Do you need different seats? Do you need a back seat?

 

Test drive a couple packages and see if you want the bucket seats, that'll narrow down your options right there. If you need towing or 4x4, then find a package that includes tho... lot of other options members here add aftermarket.

 

No options. Zip. Zero. Go out and price a new base Reg Cab 4x4. At the end of the day it may be cheaper to buy a new truck. Good luck.

 

I was in the same boat so maybe I can save you some time with my experience. I had a 1998 f150 xlt 4x4 extended cab 4.6L v8, 180,000 miles with old brakes to trade and wanted to finance about 20,000, so I was looking for 2009 and 2010 access cab 4x4 originally. I began my search and all I could find was high mileage for those years (i even strayed up to about 25,000). The new one was invoiced at 27 and change so it was almost a no-brainer to get a new one instead with 11 miles on it, and finance more.

If you want a similar configuration as an XLT you want an SR5 or better. If you want it to perform similarly at 9-10,000 feet for hunting, get the v6. I don't have any fancy offroad options like atrac or lock, other than disabling traction control (which i haven't needed yet) and found my tacoma did just fine in a bit of mud and better overall due to its size and weight compared with the f150.

First trip I had no scraping except on the mud flaps up front and no diff dragging in the back (for the first time ever in my life!), one dent on the stock engine skid. I also popped a Dunlap but I was doing about 30 down the last 1/4 mile so its my own fault. Gotta break her in.

Haven't been in really bad stuff like jeep level shit or deep mud yet but the trails I typically camp on are clearly 4x4 with no forest service maintenance at all, at 10,000 feet with some steep climbs and two streams to cross.

 

The I4 has much less power and only marginaly better MPG in a 4wd..

go with the v6 auto, or I4 5spd. If i drove as much as you i would get one of those two, having owned both i would vote v6 auto..

Also any 4x4 model is going to be great for trails and hunting etc, an off road package with a locker would be nice IF you need it otherwise dont stress on it.

The 2.7 is a good engine, i don't mean to make it sound like its not but its slow, good offroad and actually does pretty good for towing but the lack of power vs the fuel it saves is just not something i would go back to.

 

Thank you all for the input already!

As far as the locker is concerned, I by no means ''need'' it but it sure would be cool to have. I really want a standard transmission. My Ford is the first vehicle with an auto and also the first to have transmission issues, it's left a sour taste in my mouth. I know the Toyota autos are supposed to be good but it's just not my cup of tea. Is the 6 speed MT really that poorly geared, or why don't people seem to like it.

I'll tell you right now I'm leaning towards a 2.7l 4x4 regular cab, sometime I'd like to put a 3 inch lift and 32's or 33's on it. Without regearing would the i4 be a total dog?

I'm not against getting the v6, it just makes separating the wants from the needs that much harder. With that big motor pulling the weight of the double cab wouldn't be an issue, I have no need for the space but they look great and from my experience the suicide doors on extended cabs are more of a pain than anything. I'm almost afraid to go test out a double cab v6 because I'm sure I'll love it and it will send me over budget!

 

I had a 4cyl with 3 inch lift and 265/75r16 32.5 ish and it wasn't too bad, it would hold 5th gear at 80 mph but at 65 it had to be downshifted for hills etc. It got not much better mpg than either v6 taco

I have v6 6spd now and i love it, but average around 16 mpg, as seen by my fuelly i recently started in my signature. The only downfall is the MPG otherwise i love it. Its great for towing, and i like it even better than my v6 auto, which towed very nice. The reverse gear is a little tall but you get used to it.

The extra cab back doors do suck in parking spots etc. But thats only if you really use them which i dont very often.

having owned both manual trucks i would choose the v6 any day. Stock to stock with very nice driving the 4cyl 5spd will get better mpg, but with the lift and same size tires, combined with real life driving i get almost identical MPG but have loads more power on tap when wanted or needed.

current truck



2008 4cyl

 

i would guess my lifetime average MPG with the 2008 was probably 17-18 and i would guess that my 2013 is going to stay around 16

 

You will never go back to Ford. I love mine and has been very reliable so far . just make sure you keep up on the routine Maintenance. Hoping to keep mine till the wheels fall off. LOL

 

Wow, the real life mileage difference seems to be quite a bit smaller than In would have thought.

Am I correct in thinking that it would be advantageous to get a 2009+ truck in order to get trac? My Ford had open diff's and I got stuck with it more than I'd like to admit. The ability to go pretty much anywhere is really attractive with the Tacoma, I just want to make sure that's a reality!

 

Im really not sure, my 2008 had no traction control or locker of any kind and i wheeled it pretty hard. Had it stuck many times, but most of those times i dont think anything short of full lockers would have helped. a few times when it was light on opposite wheels crossed up on ruts etc it would have been nice to have trac, or A trac or the locker. But back then i had the truck i could afford and it treated me well.

The 2013 lives a much more cushioned life, it gets used for all of the work things the 2008 did but only gets lightly wheeled. I plan on keeping this one indefinetly, so im taking steps to make sure it lasts longer.

Even with open diffs, the tacoma will go places that would hang a full size truck up any day, just the nature of being smaller.

I know there are people with the 4 cyl getting better MPG, but when i went from my 2008 to the double cab v6 auto trd offroad tacoma, i got better gas mileage. Probably because the truck was not always working its ass off to go.

 

4 cylinder with 33's will zap power. I know I had one. The problem is finding a nice used tacoma. It seems like they are getting harder and harder to find used. If you find a dealer with a used one, they jack the price waaayy up. I would stick to what you're looking for, you just have to be patient and may have to travel out of town to get one. My first 2nd gen i bought was an 05 dclb 4x4 sport. it had 90k when i bought it and i paid 17,500 for it. I searched for about a month before i found that one. They are great trucks, don't be afraid to get a used one, just get maintenance history with it if possible. I found my other 2nd gen. after looking for about 2 weeks. 2010 model dcsb 4x4 sport for 24K$. with 35k miles on it. I waited and found exactly what i was looking for. I didnt feel like having to re-gear so i skipped out on the 4 cylinder models. Good luck

 

Honestly, the other big issue you might want to look into is that you live in NY. If you've done some research here, you will find that some of the older 2G Tacomas are starting to have frame issues similar to the 95.5-04 problems. My only concern about buying an older model is that you could run into one that has rust issues already, or if it doesn't, may have something already starting.

They did change the part number on the frame midway through 2009 I believe (I forget honestly if it was 2008 or 2009, but when I was researching the issues, I did find that there was a distinct change). I don't know what type of impact that will or won't have on the rust situation.

If you do find an older truck that you like, pay particular attention to the driver's side inner box section up by the front of the frame near the catalytic converter.

That being said, I am sure you will love your truck and good luck with the search!

 

Hey guys just an update, tomorrow I'm hopefully trading in the ford for a 2010 regular cab 4x4. I found one listed at $14k with 60k on it, looks to be in great shape. Since I've posted last I've test drove a couple Tacoma's. I test drove an auto v6 just to try it out and it had great power but as I said before I've had enough of the auto transmissions. That being said I also tried out another reg cab 4x4 5 speed and that's the ticket for me. Although it was by no means a speed demon, that 5 speed was a blast to drive and the power was plenty for how I drive. My ford was a dog too so maybe that's why I don't seem to mind it at all. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be the proud new owner of a taco! I'll be sure to post pics if everything works out.

 

Hey guys just got back home with my new truck! I'm pretty sure it has Bridgestone Revos on the back have to double check but the front tires are much less aggressive. I'm thinking I may just get 2 more of the Bridgestones for now unless I can find a deal on Dura Tracs. Anyways, only 1 pic for now, more to come later. Happy to be on board!

 

congrats on the truck! I think you will appreciate the base-model lifestyle, especially in a single cab. I know my dad enjoys his and I jump at every chance I get to scoot it around.

I think you will find traction to be a non-issue with decent a/ts. these trucks have a way of keeping their feet on the ground that is pretty surprising. I've only lifted tires a couple times.

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