Getting Ready to purchase 2016 Tacoma (need advice)

Getting Ready to purchase 2016 Tacoma (need advice)
1. I'm a member of USAA and was planning on using their car buying program. looks like I might be able to get$800-$1000 off MSRP. Any tips on how to get a better price? Seems like the dealer I went to was only offering the Tacoma for MSRP.

2. I'm leaning towards the "off road" model but I notice it has the smallest wheel size? I will use it for some off road use. Do I need to consider another model to get more clearance? Why does the off road have the smallest wheels? I use it for in city use 95% of the time but will use out on a ranch monthly.

3. Options question:
Four season vs all weather floor mats. Whats the difference and is itbetter to get Toyota brand or after market (want good price and quality)
Truck bed cover: any recommendations (again dealership or after market)
Predator tube steps. (I like them but any one have any issues with them.)
any other must have suggestions for options

Thanks

 

1. They all are gonna try and get you at MSRP all dealerships will budge on price DO NOT PAY MSRP!

2. Get the off road model simply for the technology in my opinion. You will more than likely upgrade the wheels and tires anyways. But smaller wheels mean more tire aka OFF ROAD - more tire.

3. Weather mats go aftermarket. Weathertec or Husky Liners weather beaters. truck bed cover from what ive heard after market are nice and cheaper. Predator tube steps in my opinion are the nicest offered by dealership but not a fan of how low the steps are. I opted for rock sliders.

again everyone on here will have a different opinion and tell you why theirs is the best. you will need to do a lot of research and form your own. good luck.

 

i got the Sport because I didn't want to wait on an order for 3 to 4 months on the Off Road. Love my truck but would of opted for the OR if they had one I could get within 6 to 10 weeks but they were 90 to 120 days at best. So get the off road for the extra as stated and agree with the Weathertec. Love mine. I also got the tech pkg because I wanted the heated seats and color matched bumpers so if that is something you want get the tech pkg. They have one with JBL and one without. They also come with sunroof as that option pkg. If it doesn't matter than no biggie.

 

I also use USAA and attempted to go through their car buying service, but after haggling my price, getting a military discount, and then getting a better financing deal through TFS, I decided not to go with USAA. The car buying service did give me a good pricing point, and then I dug around at other dealerships in the state, found the lowest price for the most comparable model, and used that to bring the price down a little more. With USAA telling me what price I should pay, I felt like anything below that is a bonus. In the past, when I've decided what a fair price is I've just told them what I'd pay (with tax, tag, title), and if they tell me no I just tell them goodbye. That normally does the trick. What I find MOST annoying about USAA's car buying service is that once you express interest, they auto enroll you in all the nearest dealerships email system and you get a TON of dealership spam forever.

Regarding the wheel size, Exactly like proven21 said, small wheels = more rubber = better off road. Plus you don't have to worry about any pesky curb rash around town.

I've got nothing on the weather mats. I like the OEM mats and if they get muddy I just clean em. Lots of guys here are recommending the husky liners. I have the predator steps, I love them, but if you're doing any serious off road, they might pose a problem. The reduced ground clearance is resulting in a couple 3rd gen owners ending up with broken off steps.

I am still looking for someone to specifically address the bed-taper problem that some of these bed covers encounter, so I just keep stalking the forums looking at pictures.

 

I initially tried using USAA and TrueCar. I was hooked up with Big Two here in town through the car buying service. From that point on I was very dissatisfied with my experience. No TrueCar pricing, MSRP only, an extreme lack of knowledge about the product, and they wanted a CC on file - open w/no charge to secure a "call back" when the truck came in. I would rather have put down a cash deposit to hold my place. After explaining I would not be doing business with them I still got calls and emails trying to sell me something they had on the lot. I blame the dealership more than USAA, but if you're providing that service to the members, check the quality of service you're committing your organization to. My .02.

 

1. I got invoice + $750 with Costco and I'm quite happy with that. Could have done $250 better through Costco with a dealer 80 miles and a ferry ride away but the 2.5 hours it takes to cover that distance wasn't worth the possible headaches of ordering and maybe needing to hold a dealer to account.

2. Amongst the upper grades (TRDs and Limited) Off Road is the way to go as far as I'm concerned. Same MSRP as Sport, no silly non-functional scoop, unpainted fenders will look better after "pinstriping", better equipment (Bilsteins, locker, CC/MTS on slushbox version, A-TRAC on 6MT), and the smaller 16" wheels are a benefit as well as far as I'm concerned, more sidewall = better air down performance

3. All weather mats from where ever, the Toyota ones are okay, Weathertech and Huskys will be better. Tonneau cover from Toyota is okay I guess, I'll be selling mine because it's more of a hindrance than a help (all tonneaus in general) as far as I'm concerned, if they work for you I think the Toyota one is good just for warranty coverage from dealership network. Side steps, if you spend your life on pavement go for looks as they all do the same thing. If you want them as protection, get actual sliders that bolt or weld to the frame.

 

Hit me up if you end up selling that bed cover.

 

Oh I'm definitely selling the cover, not too interested in shipping though as I'm likely going to require either a rail cap trade or the extra $300 ($140.44 each plus tax) to buy new rail caps when the tonneau goes away. You in the greater Puget Sound area?

 

:C Unfortunately not

 

I was able to get $2300 off MSRP just by telling them that's what I wanted to pay. Some dealerships will work with you and some won't.

I have the OR model primarily for the rear locker. I wheel the hell out of my trucks and having an e-locker from the factory is golden in my book. Since I lift and change the wheels and tires on my Tacomas, the suspension wasn't really a selling point for me though the OR stuff is slated as better than the Sport and Limited stuff...from what I have heard at least.

The all-weather mats for the '16 Tacomas are FAR better than the previous models. I've seen them in person, but have not ordered a set for myself yet. Coverage is better than the previous and I think you can get them front and rear for about $140. As far as tonneau, I heard the Toyota model does not seal well around the tailgate. Again, only what I have heard as I'm not a tonneau guy.

Like others have said, the decision is ultimately yours to make on the model, but do not pay MSRP!

 

anyone know if you can pick one up at the manufacturer plant in San Antonio and avoid the destination fee of about $900+

 

no.

 

Because "no" can be interpreted as either you don't know or the answer is no, let me clarify. No. You cannot pick up at the plant and avoid the $900 delivery. All vehicles must go through the dealer by way of regional port. No way around that.

 

1. All depends on the market you're shopping in.
2. Offroad wheels are fine; it's the tires that suck.
3. I chose Husky Weathersbeaters when the only other option was factory. I'd still choose them today.
I'm not a bed cover guy, but, I will recommend the Toyota bed mat.
My predator steps were gone after 2 hours of ownership. Some of my reasons include; impeding access/clearance, mounts to the body, aluminum...

 

Predator steps hang low and the first time you roll over something mildly high center, it will rip one of the steps off as the welds are not strong. If your truck comes with predators and you ever plan to take it 4-wheel on rough terrain I would definitely ditch them quick. Standard Tube steps would be better than the predators and then up from there I'd go with Sliders as the best aftermarket option.

 

On the bed cover, I went with the Undercover SE at RealTruck.com that is quite sturdy and comes with a single twist and latch lock. Also good at keeping out the weather. If you have 2 people it helps when installing it, but I didn't and it took almost 3 hrs in the rain, from delivery to final adjustment. Fits perfect on my access cab.

 

Here is a tip. Make SURE it has the tow package. You would think it would be standard on the TRD OR, but I found out the hard way it is not. Learn from my mistake. For $650 you get so much in the tow package.

 

Could not agree more.

 

I didn't read any of the above posts, so maybe this has already been said.

1. It depends where you live. You have not mentioned where you live. If you are in socal, you will not be getting under MSRP unless you want to WAIT and WAIT. It's easy to order for 250 over invoice from Greg at Merced, but you are going to wait 12-20 weeks for an DCSB Off Road, and even longer for a DCLB Off Road. Paying MSRP for an average OR is going to be around 1750 more than Greg at Merced, but it really depends on packages and options. Most dealers are only offering USAA, Costco, AAA, TrueCar, etc for SR, SR5 and Sport models. The OR models are selling with no discounts and far above MSRP and dealers don't need to discount them much on the West Coast. If you live on the East Coast, especially South Carolina, you are looking to pay invoice pricing. It's crazy back there.

2. 16 inch is an Off Road wheel size. You don't want any bigger unless you are going to mall crawl and want to look cool. The height of the tire is as tall as the 17 and 18 inch wheels on the Sport and Limited. You want 16 inch wheels if you are going to be off roading. There are also more 16 inch tires for off roading than any other size.

3. There are carpet mats and there are all weather mats. The 4 season mats come with carpet mats under all weather mats. It's just two mats on each floor. Make sure you get the new all weather mat and not the old one. I believe the old ones are sold out, anyway. Husky and Weathertech make the best floor liners but my wife already got the 4 season as a christmas gift so I can't get the Husky's, or I would.

Any kind of tube or side steps are not off road items. They are for looks and for helping short, disabled people get into the truck. There is a help me bar on the passenger A pillar, make them use that. Sliders are off road items. Sliders bolt to the frame. Tube steps mount to the body. Gross

The tow package is the only option I got. It is the best deal available, does the most for the vehicle, and helps resale. If you don't think you will tow, the tranny cooler, oil cooler, and power steering cooler are all worth the 650 dollars, no matter how you drive.

That is illegal. There is a law against purchasing from the factory and not paying what the rest of us pay for destination charges. There is also a law that you must purchase new vehicles from dealerships. Distributors or other businesses cannot sell you new vehicles. It is illegal.

 

1. Figure out what exactly you want in the truck. Go to this thread and figure out actual invoice for the build you want.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2016-tacoma-model-package-option-costs-master-list.388345/
You could email multiple dealers in your area, if possible, inquiring about the truck, or do the build on truecar and submit it for quotes. If you email them, let them know the build, and offer at or below invoice and start the negotiating from there, not msrp down. I walked into my dealer and told them I wasn't interested in paying anything near MSRP and thought $500 over invoice was a fair price and have had offers that good and better at other dealers, they took my money. I ended up paying a little more than 500 over, but they gave me 2,500 more for my trade than my previous best offer for it.

2. Smaller wheels, more rubber. I love mine compare to my old sport with 17" wheels. I find the ride in the OR to be quite excellent.
3. I didn't get any mats with the truck and ordered Husky Weatherbeaters for $152 shipped.
Not sure about bed cover, but I hear people complaining about the factory cover as it cuts into the bed rails.
Predators should be fine if you don't do any serious off roading.

Get the tow package. I have the Premium/tech in mine and like the stuff it came with. If you have no need for the extra tech or sunroof, save yourself the 2300 and don't get it.

Hope this helps.