Need Recommendations for new(used) truck

Hello To All,
Currently searching for another Toyota truck. Have a 1991 w/many miles and figure it is time for a newer version. Do not off road, but do go into the woods occasionally for fire wood and seclusion. Of course it will need to be 4x4,extened cab,manual tranny. Looking at years 2003-2007. 4x4 is a must and will not do any regular towing. Whats the deal w/4x4 and no shift lever??? Auto hubs too( that does not look good).
Any and ALL information is appreciated.My OLD Truck is getting tired and cannot take the abuse much longer
Thanks to All,
Kevin

 

Welcome to TW.

You say 2003-2007, so do you not care what generation Tacoma it is or do you just not know the differences?

2005 and newer are going to be your 2nd gens while anything prior to 2005 are your older style 1st gens.

 

My ideal tacoma for back country excursions would be an '05 or '06 4d 4x4 short bed with a 2in suspension lift. Same wheel base as the extra cab but more room when camping and hauling passengers. Plus they look better imo with shells than access cabs.

 

What do you mean "what's the deal" ? The only truck I know of that still has manual locking hubs is the Ford SuperDuty.What exactly do you want to know?

 

It depends on what you're looking for. The 2003 and 2004 Tacomas are smaller than the 2005-2010 Tacomas so they may be better for excursions in the woods. It may be worth a TRD Offroad package if you're going to be in the woods alone so that way you'll have a locker to help you get through the nasty stuff.

Personally I like my 2010 Tacoma and am partial to this body style.

 

Access cab 2nd gen Taco is the way to go. Love the 1st gen too but newer usually have less miles.

The new locking hubs are actually easier, flip a switch inside on the go if 4hi, stop for 4lo flippit & go again.

 

Thanks for all the FAST info!! Are there any reliability issues that I should consider or know about? i have had No normal wear problems w/ the 91. Replaced the tranny only because the syncronizers were WORN out. Actually due to my own stupidity towing too heavy of a load. LIVE & LEARN!!!

 

Lots of people seem to be complaining about the build quality of their '09s and '10s on this board. My pre-runner is an '05 and built in Fremont. My buddy has the exact same build as me but in white. I have 60k on mine so far, my buddy has 40k. We've both never had a single problem except our mud flaps broke off. Not a big enough deal for me to cry about. We have loaded the crap out of these things each summer camping (see avatar) where we'd hit bottom going over small speed bumps and no issues. Hopefully these trucks will last to 200k.

 

One thing that comes to mind if you plan to haul fire wood. The factory leaf springs in the US are 3 leaf and tend to bottom out easily with a loaded truck. There is a TSB to replace these with 4 leaf rear springs to reduce this problem but if you purchase a truck out of warranty, cost is prohibitive. There are other solutions and if you are planning to lift, perhaps this is not an issue. (I haven't looked into lift so I simply don't know.) There might be some used trucks that have the 4 leaf rear springs already installed and these are standard in Canada.