My Thoughts

Figured I would chime in. I had originally planned on waiting to see what the consensus was on the third gen taco's before buying one, and allowing the first year model to run its course. Then, on October 3rd I flipped/rolled my first gen and totaled it on a wet curvy road. So, my timeline was pushed forward just a touch.

One of the dealers local to Huntsville had several of the new trucks in stock, including a DCSB 4x4 TRD sport and offroad, so I decided to stop by and drive both, knowing they were essentially the same aside from the suspension. First impression looks wise, they certainly do look better in person. I wasn't a fan of the black fenders on the OR from pictures, but in person, it didn't bother me much at all. Both trucks had the bed cover, which to my eye looked like crap, and I personally would go with an aftermarket option. Driving wise, I felt like they were underpowered at low RPM's, but picked up nicely at 3.5-4k rpm's. The fit and finish on the two trucks I looked at was great and the new interior was a vast improvement from the 09 access cab I had prior to the 1st gen I had totaled.

All that said, I just was not overly impressed, and could not justify the cost (likely over 37K OTD if not more) for a truck that felt underpowered. When I first started researching what the dealers in my area were going to do price wise, I had a couple that agreed to invoice plus $500, but in the end, they balked at that, so I balked at buying a new taco. Instead, I put in a deposit on a 16 Trail Edition 4Runner, which I negotiated down to $500 under invoice.

The only potential drawback for me with the 4Runner, is the lack of a bed, but I'm fairly certain a cheap hitch hauler can remedy that issue along with a cheap tarp for anytime I need to haul pine straw or the like back to my house.

I loved my tacos. Only reason I sold my 09 AC TRD OR was because we couldn't get a baby seat in the back and the wife refused to put it in the passenger seat. The 1st gen 04 DCSB TRD OR wasn't my favorite, but it fit the bill and was great off road, it just sucked in wet conditions without any weight in the back, which ended up causing it's demise (could have been the toyo open country AT2's as well). I know the light back end won't be a problem in the 4Runner and there will be more room in the back for our growing family, so it was probably the right call regardless of the Tacoma's price.

One thing to add, why in the hell has Toyota not made the rear window in the taco a retractable window like on the 4runner and Tundra. Seems like a no brainer with the demographic they are mainly after.

 

S

Seems like a small price to pay for an added feature that I'm sure several would love to see.

 

And people are already complaining about price. Add the retractable window, power seats, etc....
OP, the 4runner is nice, I'm sure you'll love it.

 

I somehow managed to walk away with just a neck muscle barely strained, so very thankful for that.

As for the cause, this truck would fishtail on me pulling out of a parking lot, and I drive like a grandpa, so in other words, it would become squirrely very easily. The trooper that was called to the accident noted how slick the middle yellow lines on the road were and they were as slick as ice, so I may have put one of my rear wheels on them which then lost traction causing the rear end to fishtail, and after correcting it three different times, it was out of control. It likely wouldn't have rolled if I hadn't hit the side of the road (mountain) at an angle. I did have an OME suspension on it, so that could have played a roll as well. That suspension, even after 20,000 miles, was still incredibly stiff.

 

All that new technology that everyone is this forum likes to bash, like traction control and stability control, would have helped a ton in a situation like this.

 

Huntsville you say. Which dealership you end up buying from? I've been talking with Bill Penney.

Also, you say the Tacoma felt underpowered...did the 4Runner not feel the same?

Serra Toyota in Decatur is throwing up ludicrous prices. They have a TRD OR listed at $42k MSRP and multiple TRD Sports listed at $41k MSRP. Not sure who they think they're kidding.

 

I'll be driving down to Tuscaloosa when my 4Runner arrives off the transport truck. I thought I had a deal with Bill Penney, until I started looking over the numbers they sent me, and realized they tried to charge me their doc fee ($600) twice along with $300 for mats I told them I didn't want. They will try to screw you in any and every way they can, it's happened to me twice now, so I'll just never do business with them again.

I drove that over 40k TRD OR at Serra, and it's basically as loaded as it can be, and they aren't willing to move on the prices much as of now. They were one of the original dealerships that told me they would do $750 over invoice and then balked. Bill Penny agreed to $500 over invoice along with Landers McClarty, and then they both balked as well. I never even asked Tuscaloosa what they would do on a Taco, but it would probably be worth checking on. Send me a PM if you'd like the salesman's info that I dealt with in T-town.

As for power, the 4runner doesn't have to rev nearly as high to hit it's power as the new tacos did, and that was my main issue, along with the crazy prices our local dealerships are wanting to ask. If I can buy a Japan built 4runner trail for a fair amount less than a TRD OR DCSB 4x4 taco, that's an easy decision for me to make.

Add to that what a lot of folks are reporting for mpg's out of the 4x4 OR models, and I'm confident I can get the same out of 4runner. I had one for a week on a business trip this summer and averaged 21 in it, which is what I averaged for the 50K miles I had my 09 AC TRD OR 4x4. My 04 DC TRD OR 4x4 averaged about 17.5 with a full OME suspension under it.

 

Thanks for all the info. Looks like I'll be shopping around quite a bit or just waiting it out. I've been considering the 4runner as well because like you say the price difference is minimal.. I'm still undecided between the two right now but the option of a manual is what has me focused on the taco.

 

I ordered mt TRD off road 4x4 dcsb from Bill Penny for $1K over invoice. After looking around here, I see I probably could have done better but overall happy with the deal. I'm happy with their offer for my trade as well...

 

Look over your final paperwork very carefully and run the numbers yourself. 1k over invoice leaves them a lot of room to screw you with random fee's and what not before you get OTD. Don't take any crap from them.

 

Alabama is part of the SE Toyota area, Mississippi is Gulf States I believe.

 

We already have an agreed upon otd price but I will be sure to keep that in mind to make sure they don't screw with the numbers....Thanks!

 

Yes it is...They have a TDA?

 

I've yet to see a dealership in Alabama have a TDA listed.