New to TW: Looking to buy my first Tacoma

Hi, i'm a Machinist Mate in the Navy. I'm currently deployed (it's hot as hell here if you can guess where that is). I'll be home in roughly 6 months and that time cant pass soon enough. I can't wait to buy my first Tacoma. Although i have no clue which year/model will best suit me, i'm sure the friendly followers of TW will lead me to a decision. Here's a question:

What do you think is the best Year / Model Tacoma? With what packages?

Thanks, good luck with your projects, and safe driving

 

Welcome!
You will get many opinions about what year/model is best. It depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to build a trail truck, 1st gen might be best because of smaller size. For a daily driver the newer ones are more comfortable with more bells and whistles.
Either way, you can't go wrong.

 

Welcome to TW. 1st let me say Thank you for your service. As for what year and model tacoma, well you have to decide do you wont a 1st gen or a 2nd. Exstra cab or D cab. 4x4 or prerunner. It all depends on what you plan on doing with it. Let us know and then we may be able to help.

 

i need a daily driver but i want to put a small lift and some wheels wrapped in BFG all terrains and maybe exhaust. i need to pull a small boat, and take me and 3 other people snowboarding (about a 4 hour trip). thats about it. id like a v6 auto transmission. i wont be doing any crazy off roading or anything like that, but i do not want a basic model, i want the TRD off road (i think).

 

Welcome! Seems like you'd lean more towards a a 4 door. How much does the boat weigh? Are you looking to buy new? Does the bed size matter to you? 6ft, or 5ft?

 

thanks for your support tacoma guy, id like a v6 4wd. im pretty sure i need a 4dr. bed size is not that big of a deal, i probably wont be putting my snowmobile in the bed. its just a 16ft aluminum shell boat, it doesnt weigh much at all. 2 people can carry it and the trailer is just as light. from what ive read, the 1st gen 6 is a 3.4 and the 2nd gen is a 4.0, which is the better motor? id like a newer one, but prices on these trucks are pretty high, i might need to go for an 03 or 04. id like to keep it under $16,000

 

Welcome from N.J. and thank you for your service!

 

Sounds to me that you are starting to narrowing it down. Yea for what you can afford you will need to look at 03 or 04 and from what you said you are going to need a 4 door. You can put a lift on a prerunner. Unless you are going to need a 4x4. I put a 4in lift on my 99 and it is a prerunner. You can look at some pics in my galory to see how it looks.

 

Welcome!

 

thankyou! what a great community here at TW