Trade in or keep?

looking for some advice from fellow Tacoma lovers...

I originally bought my truck in 2013 to tow around a camper for family trips and a small boat.

We've just been fortunate enough to score a great deal on a place up north so the trailer is sold and the boat will be staying up north.

Now for my daily drive I've got a 60mile round trip commute and this thing is not the best on gas and not as comfortable as a car.... But it is a damn awesome truck and holds resale value like crazy... I will no longer really need to use the Taco as "a truck" anymore, we've got a minivan for family hauling and a utility trailer for the home renos (the van has a hitch as well).

So I'm torn, do I trade in the truck and get a commuter car, something smaller, more comfortable and fun to drive (I'm considering a manual trans BMW 3-Series), or do I keep the truck as a kickass commuter, gas mileage be damned! I don't do any real off-roading either, there's nowhere around me to try it...

Has anyone been in a similar situation and decided to keep the taco anyway?

 

Snow in the winter, I just could not be without4wd or awd.

 

Keep it comes in handy when you do home repairs or projects. Dont forget about snow either.

 

If you can afford it, try finding a commuter car that someone traded in. Two vehicles is perfect if you can survive double payments. Thats what I did, works perfect

 

All depwnds on you. There is no way I could see myself driving a car. I hate climbing out of them to get out.

 

Two drivers = Corolla S for her, Tacoma for me, Camry SE for US = 30 years of bliss .

 

Like said earlier, I could not go back to a car. Bad knees make getting in an out of a car no fun. No biggie in a truck. The visibility of a truck is so much nicer, too. Hard to get used to small mirrors.

Our answer is 3 as well, but ours are all trucks.

Any chance you could try a car for awhile to make sure you are okay with the thing?

 

Id find a cheap honda civic or corolla to commute with. You could buy a decent one with the money you would lose on a trade in.

 

I have a 50 mile round trip and wouldn't dream of trading my truck in

 

Tough call...the way our Ontario trucks are being shipped to the US, might make it worthwhile to trade.
As for the BMW 3...don't. I have owned countless BMW and Mercedes products and the BMWs (especially the mass-marketed 3 series) have really declined in quality.
What about a baby Audi, awd and manual? If you have to do the German thing?

 

Keep it. Gas is cheap.

 

Keep it if you love driving it. If you don't, trade it or sell it. I've driven a lot of different vehicles, even a Tesla S, and my Taco is the one I love driving the most. I also live in the central Ontario snow belt, and having a high vehicle with 4X4 is pretty nice if you can afford it.

 

I loved german cars. Past tense. Had an '82 rabbit diesel (slow as fsck, but really well made and reliable), an '86 Golf which was rad, but lots of rattles and poorly fitting internal parts. Drivetrain was awesome though. Then a 2000 Golf. Meh. Too much engineering. But that car was nothing compared to what VW/Audi/BMW/Mercedes are making these days. To say they are over-engineered doesn't even come close. Everything works like magic until it doesn't. Then the wallets get attacked. Friend had a nice new-ish 5 series break down last summer. Turns out the electric water pump had failed.

Electric water pump? Why TF? Because an engineer decided there was some tiny incremental gain in some aspect of the engine. Drag on the belt?

I wouldn't mind having an 80s Scirocco or an early 90's Passat with the VR6. But I'm over driving old cars. Don't like to work on them, don't like having a vehicle that breaks down, don't like paying to have them worked on.

I read some FB clickbait that made a good point. You want the cheapest car to own? Get a japanese car from the early 90s. They were reliable and durable. About 5 years ago I picked up a beater '92 Nissan Sentra because I was doing a 60 mile daily commute and my main vehicle was a Tundra. It was ratty and smelled a little, but mechanically it was magic. Sold it to a friend who's still driving it. Consistent 40 mpg, starts every time, plenty of power.

 

If you go with the BMW, make sure get the upgraded turn signal option with it. Apparently, it is a rare option for BMW's, but worth it.

Kidding aside, as others have mentioned, if you enjoy it, then keep it. I've had several Mustangs and still have my fox body. All of them were fun, but as I put money towards them, lowering and stuff, they've become less enjoyable. In all honesty, I love driving my truck everyday. Doesn't matter if its to work or to run errands. I love getting in it and driving it.

 

I have an 08 Tacoma and a 2010 Mercedes E class. Tacoma I put about 12000 miles per year. Benz, I've been avg about 4000 miles per year. Guess which one I prefer?
By the way, Tacoma isnt a work truck. I commute to work and park it.

 

Don't do it!!! I was faced with a similar situation back in 2009 and opted to get rid of my 02 Taco and kept out 07 Camry Hybrid as my DD. I regretted it every day for the next 5 years (until I got my '14). I am keeping this one until the wheels fall off. Even if I want something else, this thing isn't going anywhere. My 2 pennies.

 

You never realize how convenient a truck bed is until you don't have one anymore.

 

I have an appreciation for a vehicle and a trailer. That's how I hauled for years. Decades actually.

But I also have an appreciation for purpose built vehicles. We ran 3 vehicles with 2 drivers for years. A CUV for lots of practical all around use, a beater Sonoma for truck stuff and a 2 seat convertible sports car modified to run in SoloII events. That was actually my commuter in fair weather.

So in your case, you need to add a sports car, an inexpensive fun one with a ton of aftermarket support. Like a Miata. Commute with it, keep the Tacoma for foul weather and truck stuff.

You'll thank me for the recommendation

 

Sounds like you might not "need" a truck anymore, but I guess one thing to ask is if you would miss the truck. Life is short, if you would get more enjoyment from a car and no longer need a truck then I'd say go for it. If you can afford to keep the truck and would like to keep it then I'd do that lol.

I have both a need for a truck and enjoy trucks more than cars so I'd keep the truck myself!

That probably didn't help you too much but weighing your options for needs, wants & what you can afford are all good ideas.

 

This is exactly where my head was at now that i've thought about it for a while!! I think I'm most likely going to keep the Taco. Even though I don't "need" a truck anymore, any savings in gas money made by switching to a newer car would be lost by trading for something that's going to depreciate faster and end up being worth even less than my 2013 Taco in 5 years! Even if I could afford to I really don't like throwing money away!! Most likely I'll keep the Taco for another 3-4 years and still be able to sell it then for a decent amount!

I definitely miss my past sporty cars and I've been eyeing up a bunch of old NA miata's for sale in my area! I figure if I get a Miata I will also most likely end up modding out into a track car then will need the truck to tow it! Win Win!! Problem is selling this idea to the wife... I've already got a motorcycle...