Why shouldn't I trade my 2016 Rubicon for a TRD?

That is also typical in the Dallas metro area. They sell so fast they don't bother taking pics and posting them to the local dealer website much less cars.com or some other site. It really depends on the internet department staff laziness... Or so it appears.

 

I have the very truck you are after, sans color. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions and dont want all the internet flak.

 

I say trade it in so you can join the elite 3rd gen section. Worry free no issues, squeak free trucks.

RJM

 

+1... join the team, you know you want to OP!

 

...^^^... My truck was on dealer's lot for less than 12 hours when I got it.

Didn't have time to sell my vehicle and traded it instead.
.

 

I couldn't take off work to travel/pickup my manual trans tacoma. It was on the lot, sold, for a little over two weeks.
During that time, multiple people nearly every day offered to buy it apparently.

 

Of you buy the taco no one will wave at you anymore.

I'd do it. Jeeps are nice but imho over priced and under deliver unless you doing major offroad most of the time. The taco is a solid all around truck. I've put 8k on mine with no issues. I've been playing with the shifting a bit. I've also got a 14 4runner trail. Other than the extra gear the taco has to shift thru, they both down shift about the same. I do think the taco has more power in the higher rpms.

I'd say get a long bed manual. Those are my only "issues" with my truck. I prefer a manual and came from a 1 ton dually ram. So the loss of bed space hurts

 

I would simply say if you want to do it, then make the trade. Also, i'd take a screen shot of that online quote you got on the Toyota site for your trade-in and make them honor it or no dice. Make Toyota stand behind it.

Unlike many who are bashing and giving back-handed comments about the 3rd Gen but don't own one, I actually own one. I'll be totally honest and say I came from Subaru and love that company. Their corporate customer service was second to none, very attentive and seemed to go the extra mile to make their customers happy. Great cars and a great company. Toyota on the other hand seems a bit lackluster. I've had auto trans trouble (clunky downshifts, slipping out of gear while driving after giving the truck gas, staying in neutral even though the was put into D from a cold start after a short warm up. Took three trips to the dealership, having to visit two different dealerships to get them to check the transmission fluid level, and it ended up being low so fluid was added, problems persisted and then they cleared the memory and so far things are much better. Aside from that I really have no complaints about the truck now. But I will say the way the dealerships and Toyota corporate customer service handled it was unacceptable. So if you're basing some of your decision on the dealerships and or customer service I would seriously caution you that Toyota probably isn't much better!

Those who bitch and moan about the "lack of power" really have no idea what they're talking about, and most likely, again, don't even own the truck. They may have even gone on a 5 minute test ride around the dealership and now claim to be an expert on everything 3rd Gen, but again, take those comments with a grain of salt. This engine works differently. Sure, it WILL feel like a slug off the line but it's that way to try and be more fuel efficient, but if if you step on the gas it will for sure go, and has respectable power. Flip it into ECT more and it does respond quicker and more like what people are used to with previous Gen's, but you'll most likely see the mpg suffer, and the third option is to switch it into sport/manual mode and just shift when you want. IF you're looking for an MT then you don't even have to worry about any of these things!

So to recap, after the several trips to two dealerships and having to really make a stink to get them to address the issue and Toyota not seeming to give a shit, I have zero fait in their customer service department and in the future most likely won't give them repeat business. Now that the issue is hopefully corrected for my truck I have not had anything else go wrong with it so far and haven't had any other issues. It's a nice truck to drive and at this point I'm just trying to enjoy it. Lot's of the other annoying things people have complained about (whistling noises from the front end, shudders and vibrations, vibrating hood, bad window seals, strange misc. noises from the rear end, etc. I've have been lucky enough not to experience.

 

2 Solid Axles, 2 Lockers and sick low range. If that's not enough goodies for you, you don't need a Rubicon.

 

In my experience the 2016 is too problematic to recommend with a straight face

 

Customer service is bad at all companies these days, or so it seems. Good or great customer service seems to be the exception, not the rule.

 

...^^^... I have sold 2 Tacomas on autotrader to TWer's. Small world

 

OP keep in mind you will lose a lot of wheelbase. Look into a regular cab Tacoma. The newest are a couple years old now.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love the Jeep In every way and if I could have a perfect jeep or a perfect Tacoma, I would take the perfect jeep. But, they aren't perfect, far from it. And the Jeep is a lot farther In terms of reliability. There is no question as to which is better off road, and that's one of the main reasons I bought it. But at the same time I don't have the time, patience, or eventually when the warranty runs out, the cash to keep up with repairs. Especially if my girlfriend and soon to be wife is driving it and it takes a shit on her. At this point in time reliability is more of a concern for me. If I get a 6 speed manual then the transmission concerns are dealt with.

I guess I just need to consider my options more. Basically it would be trading capability for reliability. Ii had already decided that I couldn't take my rubi anywhere that I would need both lockers until the warranty was up and it was paid off, so having a negated off road capability wouldn't be a concern. I would eventually swap in a solid axle in the front if I kept it that long anyway as I m somewhat mechanically savvy and have built a couple of other jeeps and done axle swaps etc. But I digress.

 

We test drove a 2016 Rubicon for a week, I really wanted to like the jeep. At the end of the day I still bought the Tacoma. The people in the rear seat will thank you lol. Unless you are a die hard jeepster and live off the Rubicon trail. Go test drive the taco and see where you are with it.. Or come to Peoria Illinois and we can swap for a week lol

 

Haha, if I lived close enough I would. I'm definitely going to test drive one this week, or a couple

 

I only read the original post and here's some things.

You won't get a clean trade. You will end up having to pay $2-4k on top of the Jeep, probably more if you get the prem&tech pkg.

You *might* be able to come out even if you private party the Jeep and then get near invoice pricing on the Toyota. No easy feat and will take time and effort.

The Toyota will have issues as well. Same as the Jeep just in different flavors, possibly worse.

The Toyota dealership will also be pathetic. Same as the Jeep dealership.

Dare I say, the issues you've had with the Jeep aren't that bad. However, I totally understand your frustration but to me it seems like the root of the frustration may be the shit treatment you received from the dealership and that's not a Jeep thing. Dealership quality regardless of manufacture is mostly pathetic, there are very few decent dealerships.. it makes since too, think about who ends up working at a dealership.

Statistically the Toyota will be more reliable than the Jeep according to JD Power but it is significant to know the Tacoma's aren't made in Japan. They are made in the U.S. and Mexico. Furthermore, the 3rd gen Tacoma has seen some fairly significant issues in its 1st year which have been discussed here ad nauseam.

Jeep is way better off-road and getting a wicked suspension on the Jeep is orders of magnitude cheaper and superior to the Tacoma.

If I were you, I'd keep the Jeep and find a better dealership.

If you are determined to rid yourself of the Jeep and don't *need* the truck bed, get a 4runner (made in Japan). Only downside is no 6mt which could very well be a deal breaker, it is for me. Could also wait for the 6th gen 4runner... maybe it gets 6mt and 3UR? I wish...

 

Nicely put!

 

You have to be careful with the trade value. On Toyotas website it will take you to KBB, but when you get to the dealership, they will use what's called black book. It will be a lower value to compensate for any service, repairs, detailing needed to prep for resale. Of course, as anything with car buying, trade in is always negotiable. If you don't like their offer, get up and walk away. Sometimes they will chase you down before you get in your car, sometimes they will watch you drive off, it just depends on the dealer and if they need your trade in vehicle. Also, as has been mentioned before, we are so close to seeing the 2017 roll out, hang in there and see what happens.

 

Both Toyota dealers I've had service my car here in South Mississippi have been great...sales personnel are a different story.