Thinking about buying a tacoma

Hey everyone, new member from Sacramento CA, I drive a f250 diesel right now and I'm looking at another truck for light duty work and commuting, I've been talking to one guy for this truck http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/3080652407.html and I wanted an opinion from some more experienced people. I was wondering how that price looks and how many miles I can expect from one of these trucks and any other info on the 4cyl you have to share. Thanks everyone

 

Looks like a fair price compared to what I found when shopping, not high or low. Also looks well maintained and the guy is honest about a few dings.

Only thing not mentioned is rear lift component which leads me to believe it could possibly be blocks. Some will also tell you that running 5100s at the top setting (2.5") isn't you're best best for ride quality or longevity of the shock. Overall I'd say it's worth seeing if he'd negotiate a little or looking further into. I'd buy it. I'd also take any block out and replace with aal or complete pack as well as bring the billies down a notch and/or add a coil. (if he hasn't already, I only skimmed it, maybe it's already set up fine.)

Just my .02

The biggest selling point is if You feel like You would like the truck. I'd buy it if the guy was willing to negotiate a bit, but that's just me

 

Well I'm on my second Tacoma now. My first was a 1995 Extracab 4cyl; I put 180,000 miles on her before I sold her off and she is still running around town now four years later and looks good I must add. No issues in all 180,000mi. My new one is a Accesscab which has a 6cyl. And so far love it also.
Go for it you can't go wrong and the mpg will be great.

 

I'm thinking about trading my diesel plus $2k from him, I'm not doing any towing or anything right now and at the most ill be hauling a dirt bike up to Tahoe and loading up light loads of tools and lumber

 

I feel like his price is a bit high given the age and miles on the truck or does that seem fair to you guys?

 

His price is a little high. I'd trade him your D for his Tacoma straight up. Depends on what year your ford is, miles, 4x4, condition, etc.

 

06 f250 super duty 168k miles in good condition but around here people are asking more for the diesels, if this doesn't work out I'm gonna list it for $15,000

 

I'm meeting the guy on Thursday, anything with his truck I should look for in particular?

 

I think you should ask MORE for your trade--Diesels last LONGER than gasoline engines. I think you may be a little diasppioned w/the preformance of the 4 cyl. If I were going to trade--get a 6 cyl tacoma. BE SURE TO DRIVE the tacoma up a LONG INTERSTATE INCLINE--You will see what I am infering..
I OWN a dodge diesel and a 2003 6cyl tacoma. I love BOTH. I also HAD a 91 toyota (4cyl)pick up--it always seemed to lack power. It was a GREAT truck,but lacked the horse power.
If your diesel is in good shape--ask for 4 grand more--let him drive yours--He will be suprised.
Nothing against power stroke--but the cummins leaves it at the starting line.-Just joking!
Good luck in the trade.

 

looks clean, but i'd try and haggle the price. and if you do a straight across trade i'd definitely have him/her throw some cash on top.

and as someone else stated the 4 cylinder is good, just not as powerful as the 6, which is a given.
All your choice though, Definitely get a nice long drive in; up hills, highway, city, and a little off road if he doesn't mind hah.

 

Your discrediting the 2nd gen (05-12) 4 cyl tacoma because your 91 4cyl lacked power, big difference with the new 2trfe. I've already had the 2nd gen 4.0L v6 which only averaged 19mpg at best. The new 2.7 L 4cyl is solid, dead reliable, with plenty of torque all while getting the best possible Mpg's for any truck!

 

Ya, I'm gonna ask for 3k on top of my diesel not 4 cuz I ripped out emissions parts and the interior isn't so clean, and I know I'm taking a massive step down in power but at the moment I have very little use for a full size diesel, the guy lives in el dorado hills so I already mapped out the freeway hills I want to drive it through so the location is perfect for that. But if I'm not happy with it I'll sell mine outright and buy a v6 taco

 

+1 on driving up hills on the freeway. I wish I had done this while buying as I wouldn't have purchased the 4cly.

Make sure you like the way the clutch feels. Toyota clutches feel terrible IMO. I have driven quite a few and they all feel the same. I have had Toyota mechanics tell me they drive other brands because of the way Toyota clutches feel. Basically make sure you like/can deal with the way it feels. My MR2 was in the shop 6 times with "clutch issues" because the previous owner couldn't believe that the clutch was supposed to feel like that.

Personally I wouldn't recommend the 4 cylinder but I don't like getting stuck in the slow lane going up hills and I thought I would get better mileage (I only get 18).

If I were to purchase another Tacoma it would be a v6 with an automatic. Probably a little ot but, everyone I know in this area that has a Tacoma says they will never buy another Toyota. We have all had major issues that we have had to fight with the dealer to get fixed even though our trucks were under warranty. Just a little food for thought.

Keep in mind I loved my MR2 (except the clutch), loved my 4 runner, and really regret purchasing the Tacoma. My dislike for the Tacoma is probably equal parts 4 cylinder and very poor dealerships with a little dislike aimed at the terrible feeling clutch. I seriously wonder how many diehard Toyota owners are leaving the brand because of the dealers in my area. All though it is only Tacoma owners that seem to have a problem...

Thinking about dealers I would highly recommend Magnussen Toyota in Auburn. I almost flew up there to buy my truck, now I wish I had as I wouldn't have purchased the 4 cylinder.

Feeling a little 4 cylinder hate? Ya, I feel this truck is very under powered by today's standards and I never see the mileage that was advertised.

Humm I'm really tired I may have gone too far. All of this is coming from a guy who CHOSE the 4cylinder and doesn't like it, has had major issues with the truck (it had to be towed back to the dealer with 10,000 miles on the odo), and has had the local dealers try to scam him every time one of his Toyota's has been in. I also have a 2010 so maybe nothing I just said is relevant. Take everything I said with a few grains of salt.

What I probably should have said is: drive the truck on some hills and see if you can live with the power (or lack there of), expect less mileage unless you baby it, make sure you like the feel of the clutch, and if you ever use a dealer make sure you can trust them. Magnussen in Auburn is a good one or if you would go to Grass Valley I can recommend a great mechanic who worked for Toyota for 30 something years.

 

good idea. That 06 diesel is worth more than that taco. Putting cash on top of that is just nuts.

power in the 4 banger-almost none lol. Going up hill i had my foot through the fire wall and was topping out at 65 lol. Also that same week I got passed by a prius. Granted I have an auto tranny with low gears and bigger tires but still, the 2.7 is not a rocket ship in any fashion.

 

I think you can safely disregard the guy who has 3 posts and complains about every aspect of the 4-cyl. There is something very far from convincing about him.

First off, as far as power goes, this 4 cyl makes a fool of any V6 of about 20 years ago, V8 of 30 years ago. It isnt a race car, but it does a great job and has no trouble climbing hills, even loaded down. Probably a case of unreasonable expectations, childishness, inability to find 3rd gear, or (judging by the post count of 3), something fishy going on.

The one reasonable point he does make is regarding the clutch. Contrary to his statement, however, the clutches can feel very different between trucks. This is because up until at least model year 2011, there were TWO clutch suppliers -- LUK and AISIN. The latter is a great clutch, the former a worthless piece of garbage. The good news is that if you use the vehicle reasonably, the LUK clutch will fail under warranty and you get a brand new AISIN. I consider this a good thing since you basically get a free 10000 to 15000 miles before you start running on your first good clutch.

There is one additional aspect to the clutch feel, that is a simple matter of adjustment. There is too large of a gap between the clutch released stopper and when the lever engages the master cylinder. This gives it a really weird feel, but the stopper can be adjusted downward to eliminate that gap. Once this is done, the whole 'weird clutch feel' is gone.

 

So you drive a MANUAL and complain of lack of power on hills ? Do you know how to downshift ? Climbs just fine for me in 3rd. Your driving habits greatly influence your mpg's, being in the wrong gear hurts your gas mileage. You also have the 4x4 which will never get the same Mpg's as the 5-luggers. Most people i know WILL buy another tacoma. The issues i've seen on here are very minor compared to other pickup makes. An informed consumer is a satisfied one. Research before you buy, not after!

 

I did say "by today's standards" when talking about the lack of power. We live in the present not the past so I would think that using today's standards is appropriate. Yes I do downshift on hills, and I find myself going too fast to hang with the semis and too slow to go with the other vehicles. While thinking about it, I grew up in the mountains so what I call a hill most people would probably say mountain. I'm thinking about going over areas that are known for being challenging such as the grapevine or I-80 over Donner pass.

As for owners not purchasing another Toyota I really do think it is more due to the sub-par, dishonest dealers in this area.

It is interesting to hear about the two different clutch suppliers as that was my "Major issue". My clutch went from working fine to nothing while going up a hill at 10,300 miles on the odo. The dealer wanted me to pay up front to inspect the clutch and didn't want to give me a loaner vehicle. It took two weeks of arguing with them daily to get the clutch fixed. When I finally got to pick my truck up they said "We are writing this off because Toyota will not reimburse us for the parts or labor. This is an item that wears naturally and this wasn't a warranty job." With dealer "support" like that would you purchase another Toyota?

As far as clutch feel I didn't notice any difference from the first clutch to the current one. I have also driven many Toyota manual transmissions from years 85-current and have found all feel the same or very close. I get no feedback from them. Most vehicles that I have driven I can start from a dead stop on lombard street in San Francisco without rolling back or stalling it. I can not do this in a Toyota. I only know one person who actually likes the way Toyota clutches and he has never driven anything else.

I did research fuel mileage before I purchased the truck and I found a lot of people saying they had the 4x4 getting 21-22 mpg. Those that said 17-18 also had lift kits, big tires, etc. Was my expectation of 21-22 unreasonable after seeing the sticker saying 17 city 22 highway? YES, I let myself think I would be in that group of 21-22 because that's the mileage that I wanted to get. I also factored my 4-Runner with a v6 into the equation and figured that I would get better mileage than I got in it (I used to get 18mpg city/highway, loaded/unloaded, it didn't matter what I did or how I drove it I always got 18mpg)

If you asked me if I would buy another Tacoma I would say "Yes, but not while I live in this area and I wouldn't buy another 4 cylinder. I might break my rule of no automatics as I really dislike the way that the clutch feels and I had issues with it on my current truck."

Sorry I got so OT. I was trying to give the OP the view of a dissatisfied Tacoma owner and give the reasoning behind it.

I will give Toyota and most likely the Tacoma another shot in the future I just won't buy a 4 cylinder and I won't do it while I live in this area.

As for post count, yes it is low. I just registered an account as I stopped trying to fool myself into liking the truck and decided to get some feedback and see if I could do something to help the mileage. I can live with lack of power or bad mileage but having both is really frustrating.