Why pick 2016 Tacoma DCLB over F150 DC (supercrew)

007 - thanks for this post - very interesting and informative. I am in the same boat. I am not going to be using it for hard core off roading, but towing a trailer, and hauling firewood, etc.

I am thinking the biggest bang for the buck is the F-150, even though I always wanted a Taco.

 

Unless of course, Jeep finally comes out with their pickup. Then I'll be first in line.

 

I had a 2014 F150 King Ranch. I custom ordered it exactly how I wanted. (Can't really do that with Tacoma). I had the 5.0 v8, I would not own a full size w/o a v8.

The truck pretty much had EVERY option available. THE nicest truck I have ever owned. And I've had dozens over the past 40 years of driving.

As nice as the Tacoma is...it does not even compare to the F150.

 

Why did you go back to the taco?

 

Ford has dropped the price on the F150 in Canada. It is actually cheaper for Canadians to buy an F150 than it is for the U.S. market. Now if a U.S. citizen went to Canada with a load of cash they could get a new F150 for a steal of a price.

 

I wish I could've kept my Tacoma for even 10 years! By year 9 it needed a new frame. Sure, I could let Toyota put a $12,000 frame under it, and maybe gotten to 15 years with it. However, both cats needed to be replaced at $900 parts only dealer-cost for one ($1600 retail), new shocks, new UCAs, new front axle shafts (for the second time), it was burning oil, tailgate rusted through, E-locker actuator needed to be replaced, rear bumper rusted through, temp/compass needed to be fixed 3 times, drive line vibe/hesitation when accelerating, AC quit working, D-rings in the bed rusted solid and unmovable, dealer claimed it needed a 3rd clutch (140k miles), new front wheel bearing (3rd one)..... In total around $6,000-$7,000 in repairs depending on labor, tax, and if I took it to Monro Muffler because they were cheaper than the dealer.

So 15 years out of a 2nd Gen? Only if I put the equivalent of another car payment into it!

Well, at least the mod is easy! On my Tacoma it required a DPDT relay and 6 wire cuts/splices on the 4wd ECU. All because Toyota did something retarded and handicapped the 4WD version of their truck. No restrictions on the pre-runners with locker!

 

No..

 

If you'll be hauling firewood and towing, I think you'll want the F150.

Yes, I towed close to or over the 6500lb rating of my Tacoma several times, as well as right around 2000 lbs plus trailer. Neither could be described as fun or relaxing. All took planning for stops and coming down hills. The Tacoma felt like I was relying only on the front discs for stopping. Even with only 2,000lbs on a 5x10 landscape trailer that was nerve racking coming down steep hills, and I *only* did that in good weather. ABS caused the truck to slide, tires skipping over snow/dirt/gravel/sand like a flat stone across a pond. God only knows how bad it would have been towing during the winter on snow covered roads. (It was so bad during normal driving that I wired in a kill switch for the ABS.)

I haven't towed with the F150 yet, but I can already tell the brakes are AMAZING! It also has 129hp and 154ft-lbs of torque more than the Tacoma so towing will be easier. Built-in electronic sway control will help too (problem with the tacoma, being so light in the rear). F150 is about 1,000 lbs heavier too, which should help.

Also, having hauled firewood in a 5 ft box several times for a friend, I think you would appreciate the 6.5 ft (or 8 ft if you can get that) for cutting down how many trips you make. Not to mention, the Tacoma was rated for 1100lbs while my F150 SCREW EB is rated around 1700lbs cargo capacity.

 

I am pretty sure that stupid ABS problem is due to drum brakes on the rear. Same ABS units in other Toyota trucks have no problems. This is going to be another recall.
Otherwise I agree with a lot what you wrote. To me it seems Toyota had stopped building Toyota vehicles fro people north of I-80. All their designs are California only. Heck their crawl control that they preach so much does not have even snow mode.
Personally I waited for 2016 Truck hoping new one will be an improvement, but crap not only is ugly but it is massively under powered, so Ford is definitely now one of the choices. I like Ford for payload and towing, but I want to wait for Titan XD.
Maybe not the most amazing looking truck but graphite-iron Turbo diesel V8 is very tempting, not to mention Nissan corrosion protection is top notch. If I am going full size I better get something i can live with for a long time.

 

I can't wait to see the new Ford Raptor in the flesh... now that is one badass looking truck. But the entry price is more that I am willing to pay...

I was driving behind one of the current model this morning, on my way to work... sweet looking truck.

Plus I just do no see myself with such a large truck... the Tacoma is the righ size for my needs.

 

An opportunity came up to buy a wonderful waterfront property, that required me taking a mortgage. And it made sense to reduce my expenses anywhere I could to get the lot paid off. The sooner its paid for, the sooner I can build.
We are also going to sell our custom home/shop/guest house, and buy a simple tract house. This also part of that effort.

I like the Tacoma. It is a good truck. But anyone who thinks it measures up to a F150 is kidding themselves.

 

I agree with the last line of ^ post. I owned 1 Chevy ... countless Rams, a Frontier and on the 2nd Taco. It really depends on what you are going to do with the truck. I had big trucks because I was pulling a 31 foot travel trailer, three kids and all the crap.

I still need a bed because I need to take my own trash to the county dump. Now that the camper is gone and the kids are driving their own cars .. there is no need for me to have a Mega or Crew Cab. A 4x4 (just in case of the rare snow storm here in NC (live in the sticks)) V6 with extended cab (one pack) and a bed does it for me. I can still move a 1/2 ton (with lots of squat), pick up mulch for the ball and chain or pull either bike down to the shop for service. ..and there is a slight savings in gas. .. and a contributing factor in my decision .. is the Taco came with a unlimited drive train warranty. I'm getting to be an old guy and will probably hold on to this truck until they put me in a box. If some of these circumstances were different, I would probably even forego a truck and go back to a sporty sedan.

But .. the taco is no way a Ram. For instance. I had two trees come down at separate times. Maybe 20 feet high and 40 feet wide. I was able to pull one around back for dismemberment with the Ram with no trouble at all in 4X4. The yota couldnt budge it.

So get what you need .. or like. But in the specific case of F150 vs Tacoma ... very different animals.

 

... one other thing Id like to note fellas ... if you have kids the best vehicle is the mini-van. Getting them and all the crap in and out, room, comfort - all aspects ... Sweet !

When the wife wanted one .. my response was "Really a mini-van .. ?" because she is a nurse and worked crazy hours I had the kids often on the weekends when they were small. I L O V E D the two mini vans we had. A god send ! I still had a truck .. but drove the minivan when I had con of the kids. The second one we bought Caravan SE was sharp. Two drop down tvs with headphones for he kids and a bunch of other family friendly features. ... Just sayin ..

 

I second that! My wife drives a Sienna AWD....I love it. I have always liked minivans, and never understood the train of thought that minivans are some how "uncool." Opposed to what?...cross-over SUVs, that are basically the new station wagon. Vans are cool.

 

The drums would explain it, and the poor braking performance in general. Glad I have 4 wheel disc with F150. And you're probably right about the recall. They're even working on a recall of the rear leafs after I paid $500 to rebuild them. Still waiting for that to come around so I can see about getting my $500 reimbursed.

I loved the Titan XD as well. I was looking at the yellow one. Why? Why not? haha Big and bright, GTF out of my way! The cummins had me drooling too, but I couldn't really wait for it to come out. And if it was much higher than $50k, it would be out of my range anyway so why wait on 2 unknowns, for a first generation truck and power plant? I might go look at them when they finally hit the dealers, for S&G's though. haha

 

What!?! You mean there are different vehicles designed for different purposes that are better at the things they are designed for? WTF?!? Why has nobody explained all this before? All this time, we have been comparing mid-sized trucks designed to be small and capable off-road with large trucks designed to haul heavy things and lots of people. How were we to know that the trucks designed to haul heavy things and more people would be better at that than the trucks designed to be smaller and capable off-road? I wish people would explain these things better...

As for the longevity of the 2nd Gen trucks, I really know very little about it as I am driving a 1st Gen that has been nails for me for the last 16 years. I am not sure who is getting $10k for a 1st Gen truck, but if anybody wants to give me $10k for my 99, I will sell it to you tomorrow. The reality though is that other than an apparently small number of trucks with issues, the Toyotas are designed to last longer and the price reflects that. A 15 year old Toyota with 200K miles on it that looks 5 years old is not a rarity, while seeing a 15 year old F150 that doesn't look at least 5 years older than that (especially on the inside) is also pretty rare. Ford and GM both build trucks with solid initial quality, and Ford's reliability is getting better. But when you get towards the end of that 10-15 year window, the little things start to come apart on those trucks (interior parts break due to cheap plastic, things like alternators, compressors, water pumps, etc. start to go bad one after the other) and that is when you learn why a full size Ford costs roughly the same as a mid-size Toyota. If you buy your vehicles and keep them for 5-7 years, you probably won't notice a difference and should go with the truck you really like. If you plan to hang onto it for 10+ years, I would buy a Toyota.

 

B0y I don't know..My neighbor's truck is a beauty. That diesel will pull anything. Interior like a Lincoln. Black ( career to keep clean although he is not a "preener") Gave me pause for sure but for the $33K I am spending Ford makes nothing worthy anyway.

 

Bingo....nuff said!

 

Ford dodge chevy are nice for the first few years but over the long haul they fall apart....I know I have owned all three. Recently I did something crazy....I took a sales position with a Chrysler dealer. 2 and 3 year old rams and other Chrysler products were falling apart. Broken interior pieces. lose floppy broken door panels, broken sun visors etc.. Built with substandard materials. I only lasted 1 week at that job, I couldn't sell people that crap and look them in the eye. ford is no better...gm maybe a little better. I keep my Toyotas 10 to 20 years so I cannot afford to buy domestic junk.

 

Hey guys, should I buy a Ford Explorer or a Fiat 500? They're about the same, right?