2 Dirt Bikes and Gear? 3.4 Lacking Power?

I am looking to buy my first truck in the coming months and am considering a 2001-2004 Xtracab or a 2005-2007 Access Cab. One of my big reasons for getting a truck is being able to go dirt bike with myself and another person whenever I feel like it. I am estimating the combined weight of 2 people, 2 bikes, and all the gear that goes with that to weight a bit over 1000 pounds. Living in Colorado my biggest concern with the 1st gen is having lesser power than in a second gen. If I was to head up into the Rockies fully loaded will I struggle on the hills? Whatever I end up buying will be a TRD Off Road package with the respective V6 for the generation. Any advice, opinions, and experiences will be more than welcome.

 

Nah you'd be fine with either generation. Just get the V6 if you're worried about power. Manual tranny would help a bit too if you're really that concerned.

 

I am getting a manual for sure, I can't stand the sensation of driving an automatic on a daily basis. My fear stems from this thread, http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/81265-1st-or-2nd-generation-Tacoma. A few people on there claim the 3.4 is lackluster when weighted.

 

V6 will be fine manual tranny is a must and get 4x4 you'll end up wanting it down the road trust me

 

I would agree. Unloaded the 3.4 isn't bad on power, but the 4.0 is a much better performer when hauling and towing.

 

All of those are on my list of requirements, I am hoping to get into some light off roading so the e-locker is also a must.

 

I've done a bunch of research yet so far that hasn't come up. What kind of issues?

 

Thanks for letting me know. I'm having trouble finding anything on it but I haven't really tried to hard yet. Hopefully tomorrow I can get some stuff figured out with regards to the transmissions.

 

Im content with my 2nd gen, 4 people and 4 bikes

 

I know that the newer motor with more horsepower and torque would handle the weight better, however, as a college student I am pretty budget restricted. I think the access cab would be far more usable with the suicide doors in the rear but an Xtracab would probably work fine as well.

 

As long as you have 4x4 you'll be fine without a locker trust me

 

Well I plan on having the truck for many years to come and want to cover all my possibilities. Additionally, trails here are going to be snowy and icy in the winter and I think the locker would really help with that.

 

A first gen is definitely going to bog with anything over 500lb in addition to yourself. There certainly isn't a cut and dry answer as this is a question nearly everyone will struggle with at some point in their Tacoma life. As a fellow motorcyclist with a back ground is racing I would say you're definitely going to be wanting that extra power, whether for towing or just for the fun of it.

There are a lot of things to consider. From my experience a second gen is going to run about $4,000 more with similar wear/miles. The second gen is rated at around 50 more hp. You could find a used supercharger with a 7th injector kit for the first gen for under $3,000 which will get you an additional 50-80 hp and bridge that gap. On the other hand, you could also throw a s/c on a second gen and get even more power.

First gens in general seem to be more reliable from what I've read and seen. From a performance stand point, a second gen will out class the first gen in every aspect but is also going to be substantially more expensive and that's really the bottom line IMO. If you can afford it, I'd go for a second gen.

 

WAT. I've had washers and dryers in the bed while towing a little more than 5000lbs and never bogged down.

 

You're obviously mistaken. Can you seriously say you believe your 3.4L motor wasn't bogging down at all towing 5000+ lbs? That is asinine.

 

I have a locker (arb) and more often than not when in a icy/slippry situation if find it to be more of a hindrance than not. It really makes the rear quite squirrelly especially when in an off camber or out slopped road. Dont get me wrong i love my locker and would never ditch it but i never use it in the ice/packed snow.

 

Even if your taking your time and going slow?

 

Just couldn't use 5th gear

 

I am really having trouble believing this.

 

My truck gets anywhere just fine. Manual transmission, open diffs, 3.4L V6. It's my daily driver +40miles/day, and I take it everywhere to camp. Easily have over 1k lbs on trips.

You'll be fine with a couple dirbikes and two people.