Help deciding on what model Tacoma

Hello all, brand new to the forum. Very cool that there is a forum dedicated to just this.

Have been thinking about getting a Tacoma, after looking at Tundra’s for sometime. The gas mileage of the Tundra is a real deterrent for me, plus I don’t really need anything that big. The Tacoma would be my daily driver. Wanted to get some thoughts on what type of Tacoma to get as there are several models and options. I have two younger kids, out of car seats now.

As of now been thinking about getting the double cab PreRunner. Want something no more than four years old. A couple of questions, is the Tacoma good enough size for a family of four (wife thinks this will be too small), and second, do I really need four wheel drive? I live the Charlotte area, so hardly any snow to deal with. I don’t have a boat to haul, but want a truck for normal household things, weekend trips, picking up things, etc. Sorry this is long winded, but trying to provide a lot of detail.

Please spell things out if abbreviating, I’m not up with all the Toyota lingo just yet.

Any help is appreciated and thank you!

 

A lot to decide but in the end it's up to you and your needs, wants, desires.

- Mileage ... I have a '14 TRD OffRoad PreRunner Access Cab (AC) ... 4.0 6 cylinder ... daily driver ... 20 around Virginia Beach ... 24 on the highway ... that's keeping it below 2,000 rpms as much as possible

- Double Cab ... others who own them will need to chime in.

- 4 wheel drive in Charlotte? ... no towing? ... TRD (Toyota Racing Development) PreRunner with electronic locker will serve you well ... the 4 wheelers will tell you to go that direction with "You'll regret not having it when you need it" mentality ... (I'll catch hell for this)

- If and when you do purchase Tacoma first thing you need to do is NEVER come on this site again and lock up your credit cards ... life will never be the same.

Best of luck ...

 

Meh, not really. Next time around, personally, Ill be getting a full size. The back seat of a Double Cab is tight , no two ways around it, and with my two boys who are currently young its manageable , but I can only imagine once they are big. My next truck will be a tundra or F150. Other guys will say there is plenty of room, but I fall into the camp where that isnt he case.

[/QUOTE] and second, do I really need four wheel drive? [/QUOTE]

Maybe. It sounds like you probably don't need it for 95% of your ownership, put there will be a few times where you wish you had it and you'll wonder what you were thinking by getting a prerunner. I say if you have it in your budget, get the 4X4.

The tacoma is a great truck. I enjoy mine. I take it out on the beach quite often and it kicks ass. Its great in the snow and the best looking truck period.

 

If anyone is going to be riding in the backseat make sure you get a double cab. It's fine for 2 kids, but only good for short trips when adults are back there. BTW, welcome to TW.

 

if you're looking at up to 4 years old I think the 12's have an issue that has been getting a lot of the guys, an air injector or some shit I can't remember. Hopefully someone can correct me on that, and welcome to TW

 

In my opinion a Tacoma is not a comfortable vehicle for a family of 4. now your kids are still small so it might be fine for a couple of years but if you are wanting something for longer trips and will accommodate the kids until they are in high school i would look into a full-size or a 4Runner.

My double cab is for junk and stuff. I wouldn't subject an adult to that small of a space for long periods.

 

As for a family of four, my dad has had a Prerunner for a while now, and me and my two brothers have crammed into the back (I'm the shortest at 6'). It wasn't comfortable, but it was doable . Hell, we even added another adult for an hour and a half trip to the airport - that was real uncomfortable hah. I think you'd be fine with just 2 kids.

 

Load the family up and test drive a full size F-150, Tundra, then a Tacoma - the answer should be pretty clear afterwards.

 

I can't recommend any 2wd truck just for safety, resale and usability. The inside is really not that big in the back so long drives are going to be uncomfortable for the back seat riders. If your getting used might as well get a DCSB TRD

 

When I test drove a double cab in Sept. 2013 I had my then 11 & 12 yo sons get in the back (no wife or girlfriend then). After the drive I asked them how the drive was and whether or not they were comfortable. They said "yes", and I bought it. Three years later (and they're taller than me, now) and they're still riding without a complaint. Admittedly, their cousin, who, occasionally, comes along on camping trips with us and has to sit in the middle in the back seat, will complain about being uncomfortable.

 

My previous truck(Ridgeline) had a very large back seat. The other day I was driving some friends to go fishing. The guy in the back 5'11", 150#'s commented how it was much more comfortable than the Ridgeline. This shocked me, as my father has a 11' DCLB Tacoma, and I HATE when I have had to ride in the back of it a few times, I'm 6' 250#+. I much preferred sitting in the back of the Ridgeline, although I never actually rode there when the truck was moving.

Basically what I'm getting at is just because a seat is "bigger" doesn't make it better. I honestly don't care how the back seat is, as I will NEVER ride in the back seat of any vehicle I own.

 

Hello all the way from Lincolnton. Get the double cab and 4wd if nothing but for resale. After that, it's all in how much you want to spend. I have a company sponsored Ford Expedition and a 3rd gen 4runner, I'd say the back seat space is about on par with those if not slightly more. I've had my fair share of tundras, had to get rid of my 15' crewmax because it wouldn't fit in the garage at my new house. They are good trucks but get terrible gas mileage and are a PITA to park in a garage unless it's oversized.

 

One thing I noticed about the double cab rear seats is that they aren't as padded as the front seats. As far as space in the cab my family is relatively small [I'm 5'6", my wife is 5'2", and my two kids are 10 and 12] and nobody has complained about a lack of space or being uncomfortable. But our longest drive thus far with it has been about an hour and a half.

For the 4WD or 2WD question if you can budget for the 4x4 I'd go for it if you're on the fence. There will be a few more maintenance items related to 4x4 and gas mileage will suffer a bit but you'll have it if you ever need it. That was my justification for getting the 4x4.

One other thing you might consider is if you want a 5 foot bed or a 6 foot bed since you said you'll be using it for household hauling. Double cabs with six foot beds are harder to find, at least in my area, and the payload is only about 1000 pounds. I think you gain a couple hundred pounds payload with the shorter bed. And it does get a bit tight in parking lots with the double cab long bed.

Good luck on your search,
Steve

 

I drove full size trucks with 4 doors when my kids were at home, only buying my Tacoma in 2007 after my youngest moved out. Nine years later I have 3 grandkids and am back with an F-150 Supercrew. My Tacoma has 172,000 miles and was still the best vehicle in the driveway so we kept it and traded something else. The Tacoma will work for now, but be too small in a few years.

For me 4X4 is the only way to go. I don't need it often,but when I need it, I really need it. The long term cost is very little if any more than a 4X2. It'll cost you more initially, but they also hold much more of their initial value. As long as you spend a lifetime of trading in used 4X4's on another 4X4, you'll spend no more, maybe less than a guy who spends a lifetime of trading in 4X2's on another 4X2. Even though you spent more initially, when you get too old to drive you'll get it back when you sell your last 4X4 and move into the old folks home. Or you're kids will get more if you die first.

 

Hello from Raleigh...for a family of four I'd say the Tacoma double cab is plenty big. Just go for a test drive with the family and see for yourself. Mykiddos are still in carseats and I think the backseat will get better for them as they get a little older. Right now they drive me crazy kicking the seatbacks bc car seats are so big. That said, it might get tight once they're teenagers. Now that we're a family of 5, I've been looking at the crewmax tundra, but I'm not sure I can bring myself to do it. We have a van and there's very few times I would need to have all three in the truck. I definitely don't need the payload or tow capacity of a full size. It's actually kinda funny debating this thinking about my parent's cars growing up....My sister and I rode in the backseat of a 1986 Honda Civic until my sister turned 16 and me 12, yet I'm thinking about a tundra to haul my girls around.

Regarding 4WD, I don't off-road so there's maybe 1 day a year in Raleigh I wish I had it. I usually just work from home that day. Thankfully my job is flexible. I buy vehicles to keep for a long time and not for the resale value. I could care less that the resale is better on 4WD. You pay more upfront and annual costs are higher too. I wouldn't see a return on that investment. I'm sure i'll have no problems selling my Prerunner when the time comes.

 

I have 3 little girls and a wife. We all fit in the truck just fine. I could see where a bigger family might get cramped though. The tundra will be my next truck because as they grow i will need one and I have had a bunch of tacos. Time to test out the big truck for a while. But my taco will do me just fine till then.
I say if you can ever think of a time you might actually use the 4wheel drive then yes get a 4wheel drive. If not dont. Some need them some dont. That ones totally up to you. But sounds like you dont need the offroad package. An as far as packages go it depends on how much you like to install after market stuff. I do.... So this time I chose a plain dcsb sr5 4x4 automatic and fixed it up like i wanted to.

 

Just did a 5 hour plus road trip with the famsquad. Wife and 2 kids (16 and 11). We're average sized and wouldn't hesitate to do something longer. Did 7 hours last year without the older kid and it was no problem either. Comfort is subjective. My wife's TL is way more comfortable but the truck is what we use as the road tripper.

I bought the 4x4 because I wanted it - NE winters and such. I also got the long bed because DCLBFTMFTW!!!! Resale will be better with 4x4 but prerunner would probably be fine for you. Think about bed length too.

 

We're a family of four, and have an '01 Extracab. The girls were 7 and 3 when we bought it. They basically grew up in the extracab. Sure there were some complaints on long drives, but they learned to adjust. To this day they will still sit back there without any complaints. They know that that's just the way it is. The younger one's boyfriend, being over 6', sits back there. He won't bitch, because he knows better. If I got a double cab now, they would be in heaven.

The reasons for not getting a double cab:
- manual vs. auto transmission (The auto tranny was the biggest reason for not getting it.)
- short bed vs. long bed
- Wife did not like the look of the double cab with the short bed.

As for 4wd, I would get it. You never know when you might need it. It would suck to be on vacation heading up to the mountains or beach, and you can't access your destination without 4wd.

 

Great replies, this is all very helpful, thank you all for your two cents!