New tacos?

Hi guys... Looking at a new taco double cab. Right now I am leaning towards a 4x4, v6 (4.0), manual 6spd, trd pkg.

What is the difference in trd sport vs off-road?

I am a little gun shy of this apparent frame rusting issue living here in the land of the salt (ohio)

What's up with the engine ping/knock that everyone is complaining about?

Finally is toyota service a thing of the past? When I bought the sequoia in 2012 it felt like a Chevy dealership all over again (sales slime all over the place)

All inputs are appreciated as well as prices paid for similar vehicles. THANKS!

 

The TRD sport gets you body colored bumpers, door handles, mirrors, a hood scoop, and directional in the mirrors. Suspension is tuned for on road use.

The Off Road package gets you A-Trac and a rear diff locker. Suspension is off-road tuned.

You can get a double cab sport in a 6 ft bed but a double cab off road comes with a 5 ft bed only. But, you can't get a manual transmission on the double cab long bed.

They changed frame manufacturers in 2009. So, it's possible the rust issue went away then. Time will tell. My 2011's frame looks nearly perfect.

The 4.0 ticks, there is a way to quiet it (search for the thread on that). I have not heard of knocking. Some report that it will ping a little on low octane fuel, others say theirs is fine. Mine pings a little under a load on 87 octane.

I do my own work, so don't know about service. That would vary from dealer to dealer as well.

 

Offroad has the locking rear diff, something you would probably want if you offroad a lot.

Sport has a hood scoop and other stuff. (anyone know the details?)

I wouldn't worry about the frame rusting, but if you are you can get it sprayed with an undercoating.

Toyota Service? I do my own work. They have been pretty good to my dad and his Tundra though.

 

TRD differences
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=tacomaworld+trd+off+road+vs+trd+sport

Pinging:
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=tacomaworld+4.0+ping

prices paid:
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=tacomaworld+official+what+did+you+pay+for+your+2015


As far as the rust, should be fixed, there are a million threads addressing it, Toyota will take care of it.

As far as dealers, depends on the dealer, I wasn't that impressed with mine, they were okay but like a typical dealer. My local Subaru dealer is miles ahead in overall dealership experience, would have MUCH rather bought from them, problem is they don't sell new trucks...

 

6 SPD stick vs auto? Any mileage gain either way? Resale?
Trd package worth the extra $$$?
Trd wheels worth the extra?
I like the 6speed manual for dependability, but they seem rare.
Thanks for the inputs guys. There is no substitute for first hand

 

Resale, I wouldn't worry, get what you want, I only lost $2,300 on my last car which was 1 year old and 18,000 miles. They tried to use the manual against me on my trade number(limited appeal blah blah), but I was persistent and ended up with a solid trade and a good price on the Tacoma. On a 4wd truck, there will be people who want manual.

MPGs, depends on how you drive. I usually get better than epa on sticks(good about upshifting quick and coasting to stops), for example, my last car(14 Forester 6spd) was rated 29 hwy, i averaged 32.7 over the 18k miles I owned it, just took a trip in my aunts 14 Forester CVT, on a long 700 mile road trip only averaged 29.5 on a car that was rated 32, it should have done 3mpg better than my 6spd but it did worse.

I went auto this time around as my last 2 manual vehicles weren't great experiences(lemon law with a transmission failure on one and just not a good feeling shifter/noisy gears and synchro on the other) and I grew tired of it, maybe I'm getting old.

For the worth it.... only thing that I see in all that is the e-locker, wheels and scoops aren't my thing, then again, I'm not paying the bill, you are, if you want it and can justify the costs, go for it, be happy and enjoy.

From what I've read here, the auto seems more reliable than the manuals on this truck.

 

Hey Jarrod, I have the 6 speed manual and really like it. If you search this site you'll find individuals issues with either one. Either one is a good choice. IMO. As for mpg's, the auto is rated a little higher on the highway. The reason is final drive gear ratios. The manual is .85/1. The auto is .72/1. Anyone knows how to utilize the manual to its potential in city-rural driving can do much better with mpg's. Coasting to a stop in neutral as an example. Either way, its a great truck.

 

The auto is actually generally considered to be bulletproof AND gets better gas mileage than the manual. Even if the manual is equally reliable, you'd have at least a clutch to replace eventually. I'm a little hard on clutches, so may not be as big a consideration for you .

I like my TRD Sport. All TRDs have better seats than the base or SR5 models--that's another thing to keep in mind. You also get the power inverter (though I've never used it). The suspension on either truck is much better than the SR5 suspension. Though if you plan to swap that anyway or make any significant modifications to the truck you may want to go with an SR5 and build it up.

True TRD wheels are pricey. The ones that come on the TRD trucks aren't a whole lot different from the SR5 alloys. You get 17" wheels with the sport instead of 16" wheels for all other models, though.

6 ft bed is a consideration. The 5 ft is rather small IMO. That would limit you to an automatic sport if you're going with a TRD. That said, plenty get along with the 5 ft. I see many more short beds than long beds driving around.

 

There is no such thing as a bulletproof transmission, auto or manual. There at threads here and on other sites with problems, and good results with both. The auto is a good trans, the manual will hold its own also.I am a retired, (factory) master trans tech. Most of the returns were auto's. Mostly heat related failures. Whichever you choose should do well for you. Enjoy your new truck!

 

I've had both the 6 speed and the auto. I definitely prefer the auto when it comes to the tacoma. The 6 speed was fun to drive, but the auto has better acceleration and I also jumped 4 mpgs highway with a larger truck. 6 speed was an access cab and my auto is a double cab long bed. Averaged 17.5mpg with the 6 speed, and now I average 21.7mpg with the auto.


In the end it's all about what you're going to be happy with though.

 

Hey OP, my experience with the manuals mpg's, 20-20.5 highway. City/rural driving, 20.5- 22 mpg. The manual will loose slightly on freeway mpg, final gear ratios being the reason. The auto, .72/1/ the manual,.85/1. Anyone who knows how to utilize the manuals assets in city/rural driving can exceed manufacturers specs. Either one is a good choice.

 

Thanks again everyone. Sounds like the sr5 seats are bench 60/40 and trd is buckets and a console? Though I love the stick, the auto is king of resale. I have a 2008 accord 4cyl 5spd and the stealership wants to give me $3750 trade when kbb says $7500. Wtf right? Apparently no one can drive stick anymore.
Can you change fluid in the autos at home (plug and filler) or do you have to let the dealer do it like my sequoia? (Drain plug but no fill plug!)
Our local Chevy, dodge dealer bought our toyota dealer.... Do you need two guesses to figure out how my customer service experiences have been?

 

Maybe, but one almost never hears about issues with the 5-speed auto in the Tacoma, even when it's used hard.

 

You can fill the auto on your own. There is some extra steps to checking fluid levels on the v6, as there isn't a dip stick.

 

There has definitely been more issues with the bearings in the manuals than any other problems with the autos.

 

SR5 can come with buckets (pretty sure all double cabs do). TRD always comes with buckets. TRD seats have water resistant fabric and ears up near the headrest. They are more comfortable without question. The SR5 seats have (in my opinion) pretty terrible fabric:

SR5 buckets:



TRD seats:


Changing fluids is no issue. Oil is incredibly easy because the filter is on top of the engine--no mess.

EDIT: Missed "fluid in the autos" -- other than checking the level (as mentioned above), no issues there.

 

Just read the taco auto tranny fluid change thread. Pretty cool. Hopefully this will be the same under my sequoia six speed. The stealership wants $260 and told me I void warranty if I do it! I've got 60k on it and I want to drop the fluid. They say 100k but they also sell replacement trannies and have questionable morals.
Anyways, looks like the trd sport is the way to go. I have a diff lock in the sequoia and have yet to hit the button. I also don't get into the plastic chrome that loves to bubble and flake at 36,001 miles.
Sounds like the trd also fixes the suspension problems.
Water resistant cloth also works well with rotten small children!

 

5 ft or 6 ft bed?

The 6 ft is harder to find, but I wouldn't trade mine for anything!

 

Hey Jarrod, I went to the stealership the other day to get a warranty oil change. The service tech asked if I would pull it in the bay as, neither one of them could, (drive) a manual! LMAO! You'd be surprised how many people can't.

 

A question,,, why would the stealership sell replacement trannies if no one ever had a problem with them???. Food for thought.