10 year, 300k 4x4 3G taco...slush box or 3 pedal?

I am going to place my order for a 3rd gen taco in the next month or so. Part of the reason I was able to sell it to my wife (driving a perfectly fine '08 200k mi honda crv awd that is paid off, problem free, capable, and we've had since new.... That I absolutely hate because it's not a truck) was that I wanted a ten year truck.

I drive a ton of miles in my commute. About 30k a year at least. They are easy but fast (75-80mph) highway miles. I do some light towing of a pop up camper (maybe 5 trips a year) and occasionally a 3500lb kayak trailer (2 trips a year). Fuel economy is important but not at the cost of a 5000$ premium for a duramax twin or an ecodiesel that's gonna blow a valve cam every 100k. This led me to the taco. I'll be going dual cab TRDOR or TRD sport..no tech package, just v6 tow package. i like quicksand and inferno.

I would like this truck to hit 300k without having to worry about the transmission. I know(think?) the motor will go 300k, and so will the truck, but a slush box concerns me in a pickup. It probably shouldn't but it does. I don't off road (except winter snow commuting) but 4wd is a must where I live (NJ).

Just seeing if any other high mileage owners had the same dilemma and what they chose.

Autoslusie
pros: available long bed, no riding the clutch in south Philadelphia traffic, smart key touch start, wife can drive it

Cons: longevity?, high replacement costs, gear hunting at highway speeds, wife can drive it

3 pedal:
Pros: simple design, minimal stuff to break, wife cant drive it

Cons: only short bed nonsense, riding the clutch on the Walt Whitman bridge, no smart key touch start, hard to read TW while driving and shifting and drinking coffee, wife can't drive it

 

Wait for the 2017. Most issues with the auto are due to fluid not filled properly and no dipstick to make it easy to check. Maybe by the time 2017 rolls out, they will at least know how to fill them at the factory. There should be no problem with the auto tranny lasting as long as the engine if properly maintained and properly filled from the build date.

 

I could sea a Gen 2 tranny make 300k but I have doubts on the 2016 lasting that long due to all the unnecessary shifting/hunting they do.

 

Keep the CRV.

Invest the payments you'd be making on the truck.

Enjoy your future retirement bonus. And happy wife.

You're welcome.

 

I agree with Bill

 

Wife happiness is not on my list of needs...

I figure this crv has another couple years at this pace, but then I'm stuck with a worthless lump of steel. The market value on it is still rather good with
The 185ish it has on the clock right now. My only issue with it is I just hate it. It's uncomfortable and the gas mileage really isn't all that spectacular (23.5 ish)

Also my investments suck... My Ira barely outperforms inflation...I'm considering adding scratch off lottery tickets to my portfolio

 

My wife excels at driving stick.

 

You arent taking enough risk, but then again depends on your age and horizon!

 

23.5 mpg isnt spectacular? I hope you do realize at 75-80 mph you will be getting somewhere between 16-18.5 mpg. Love my truck, but highway gas mileage is trash

 

I have the TRD OR AUTO 4X4, 10,000 miles; I have a detailed post on a 1500 mile trip and the auto tranny shifting. Summary: tranny hardly shifts at 65mph and gets approx 18/19 mpg. If driving 75mph - 80mph tranny shifts literally a hundred times in a 440 mile stretch from Dallas to Lafayette via the i20 and i49 highways; mostly flat with some hills and overpasses at approx 15/16mpg.

I have driven the same route many times, and the last time dropped speed from 75mph to 70mph and increased mpg and WAY less shifting.

Some members on this forum that needed to drive posted speeds at 75mph plus have traded in their Taco Auto for a manual Taco. I am also considering it.

Your best bet is to test drive a few and test drive on a highway long enough to go over hills etc to see how the shifting is.

 

Destined to die poor and unhappy based on two poor choices?

Buy a new Tacoma and be 3 for 3

Why? MPG will be worse and you can be unhappy with the short bed. Or be unhappy with the automatic. Your call.

But seriously. If you really have a 300k goal with best possible TCO, I'd go manual and deal with the short bed.

 

To early to be sure, but I have the AT, I plan on driving it for quite a long time, I'm not overly concerned about it's longevity. I figure if it will make it past the warranty, it'll last.

 

Pro: manual is cheaper to buy new and by quite a bit

 

6spd manual, at least it will bring some enjoyment to that commute.

 

First, this is a dumb comment. Any brand of new truck should make it to 300k highway miles with diligent maintenance. Don't drink the Koolaid that gets handed out here, you'll be better off buying the vehicle that you prefer regardless of brand rather than taking one you don't on account of an illusion of better reliability.

Second, modern automatics are everybit as good (and in many cases better) than manuals. I'd call it a tossup but since your wife can only drive auto, I'd go that route (and I did, actually).

 

I've had several MT Toyotas over the years, but that bolded part above is why I'll never own another MT vehicle. I'm just getting too old for that shizz. Sold my last MT truck about 8 years ago. Last fall we took a family vacay to Europe, where we rented a MT car for two weeks. I was the sole driver during the trip and I will admit the MT was fun for the first couple days, but it got really old real quick. Before the trip I knew I was going to be getting a '16 Tacoma and although I was pretty sure I wanted AT, I was open to MT model if the right truck became available and MT was what it had. After the trip, I crossed the MT off the list of possible options. Just wasn't going to go there.

There was a time back in my naïve youth that I truly believed MTs were better, provide better control of vehicle, yada, yada, yada... Other than the ability to do a push start (Can you even still do that with today's MT trucks? I honestly don't know), an AT is every bit as capable on and off road as MT. Of course, YMMV.

Also, in your MT list of cons, you forgot clutch replacement, which can be expensive if you don't do it yourself (and a real PITA if you do do it yourself), and you can plan on doing it at least once in 300K (maybe twice if you're hard on clutches).

Anyway, just some more food for thought. Obviously, get whatever you want. I, for one, don't see the MT as the "end all to beat all" that lot's of others on here seem to think they are, though there was a time when I did. Now that I'm older, I know better.

 

If I was looking for a used truck, I would be much more likely to get a stick with 300k (and maybe pay more) than an auto. That said, go with what you want the most, the Tacomas should be worth more than any other truck at 300k anyway.

 

You're an optimistic feller ain't ya.

 

Pretty much. Figured you were joking a bit, so I did too.

But seriously. They don't make the truck you want in for the States. Yet. LB manual. So in your pro/con list, you really don't have a clear winner. Something has to give. Or wait. Or go N and buy one there; I think our Canadian friends have that option? Make a nice vacation, and the exchange rate might help you some right now.

 

The fiat motors ARE having issues with the right cylinder bank valve cams. I was exaggerating of course. I like the dodge and the Chevy, I'm just not sure they will last.