Going to look at used Tacomas soon.

So I'm gonna go look at some used Tacomas soon. A friend is good friends with the owner of one of the toyota dealerships down here so we're gonna go there first, he has 3. I'm wondering if I should ask about the leaf spring update and request it be done as a condition of sale. I wonder if that'd float. Is it addressed anywhere on Toyotas website? Can anyone give me the link? Also, how much of a premium does the "prerunner" package add to the value of a tacoma? For example, if there were too identical tacomas with 30k miles, how much more should the prerunner be? 10%? 20 or 30%?

Anything I should look for or ask when dealing with a dealer?

 

I'm not sure about the 'prerunner' being a package, you have Tow, Sr5 & TRD packages. The Prerunner is more a type of truck (2wd w/4x4 look and suspension).

 

PreRunner should be less because it is 2wd while the others are 4wd. What are you looking for specifically to do with the vehicle? offroad at all or just street use? Towing, hauling, etc. could also play into which options you get.

 

Refer to this thread for the suspension TSB.

 

Well Im getting it for two reasons. 1) because i need something to bring my motorcycles places. and 2) My family owns a restaurant which I work at and we need to transport supplies, ovens, what be it when we need it. I live in florida so I don't need 4x4 and it'll be a daily driver. Off-road is a possibility in the future but not highly considered. Maybe for fun sometime, i know some people that do it lightly.

Ive seen some tacos with prerunner v6 and some that seem to be V6 without prerunner. I thought preruner meant like the hood scoop, electric windows and some other stuff. for example http://www.cars.com/go/search/detai...1Nm=price&rpp=50&feedSegId=28705&aff=national

 

Prerunner should be fine then. You have a few options. There is the TRD Sport which is a little more pricey, has color matched accents and a limited slip differential. It also comes stock with the TRD shocks. The offroad comes with a rear locker and chrome. Last there is the SR5 without TRD but you can still get tow package, upgraded wheels, etc. You probably know all of this, but just keep in mind what you are going to use it for.

And post pics when you purchase the truck!

 

ya im constantly getting them all confused and what comes with what. and it doesn't help that the people who post used classifieds don't seem to know wtf they have either. For example, the toyota dealership I'm looking at has two categories. "tacoma v6 prerunner" which they have 1 of and "tacoma v6" which they have two of. This led me to beleive that prerunner was a package. I didn't know there was a TRD sport and TRD off-road tho, thanks for that.

 

"tacoma v6 prerunner" is 2wd and "tacoma v6" is 4wd. Since you are going to carry weight in the bed, make sure you have four leaf springs in the rear and TRD shocks.

 

I have seen some getting better deals on new than used

 

Yea, the only thing Prerunner really means is that it's 2WD but it still looks like the 4X4s. Not a package or anything.

A Prerunner can have any of the packages or none of them.

The hood scoop is part of the TRD Sport package, its a package thats mostly about looks but still has the bilstein shocks.

The TRD Off Road doesn't have the hood scoop, but has a locking rear differential and a bunch of Off road specific features and what not.

The SR5 is the basic looks and features package that has all the power stuff and color fender flares, etc. etc.

All the TRD packages are SR5s aswell.

Price wise a Prerunner is going to make anything cheaper. As far as major packages:

Cheapest.........................................Most Expensive

Base....SR5....TRD Sport...TRD Offroad

The TRD sport with a Long Bed makes it about the same price as a TRD Offroad short bed.

 

it looks like thats for harsh ride and only for 4x4s. I was thinking of the TSB for the weak rear leaf springs that cause to much sag when things are loaded in the bed. Also, there is a TSB for the bed door right? I'd like to print that one too.

 

How can I make sure it has that stuff? Is there a TSB for the 4 leaf springs?

 

Yes, it won't come from the dealer new with 4 leaves in the USA. If it has more than 36,000 miles or is over 3 years old you won't be eligible for the TSB either. Think its only for the Double Cabs too.

You can just count the leaves to tell

 

That is what that TSB is for. Don't think you can do it with a Prerunner. Probably don't need it, prerunner is a couple hundred pounds lighter than the 4X4.

The weak rear leaf springs cause a harsh ride with a big enough load.

 

so if i get a prerunner access cab i don't have to worry about the leaf spring shit and how much i put in the bed. I doubt i'll ever put more than 850lbs in it (two street bikes). and rarely

 

Here are a two things that have not been mentioned to look at. 1. Some of the 05 Tacoma's have there motor mounts failing because of bad welds and no gussets. And alot of new Tacoma's have weak tailgates because there is no support bar in them and will bend under heavy loads. Just wanted to tell you to look out for those before you buy the greatest truck ever.

 

"I have seen some getting better deals on new than used"

I'd have to agree, at least for a 4wd in the North East. We looked hard for several months for a low mileage used Tacoma and ended ordering new last month. I couldn't justify only saving a couple thousand dollars on 2 year old tacomas with 30k plus on the clock. They definitely don't depreciate as fast as the full sized domestic trucks I've owned. Good luck on the search.

 

used trucks in florida are cheaper, it seems, because they aren't really a necessity like the north east. I was in vermont over the summer and checked the used prices up there and they were substantially higher. The demand for trucks, especially 4x4, is a lot higher up there.


I'd really like to get the updated tailgate, even though I've heard it's still weak. It's one of my biggest concerns since i need to actually use the bed of my truck. It's also why I'm leaning to access cab, so that the back wheel of my bike(s) doesn't have to sit on the tailgate.