Considering a Tacoma TRD or Colorado LT

I am going to be in the market to downsize from a Chevrolet 2500HD Duramax within 6 months. My wife and I use our Duramax mainly to tow our 40 ft RV, and we'll be selling that soon. I need/want a smaller truck better suited for general errand running, etc. We have a Mercedes C300 4Matic we will continue to use 80% of the time for errands and travel. We are retired; both in the plus 60 age group. I anticipate only putting about 6-8k miles on the medium sized truck per year. I have a total of 42k miles on the 2008 Duramax. It's a 4x4, LTZ model with all options.

I am interested in the Toyota Tacoma and the Chevy Colorado (also GMC Canyon clone). I probably will go with the TRD Sport or LT trim level, short bed, Double Cab. I probably will go with 2 wheel drive just to keep costs down. Where I live 4WD would be used only once or twice a year. I am retired, so it the weather is crappy I just stay home in front of the fire.

We would use the truck for general running of errands, with 1 or 2 trips of about 400 miles each way to the Florida Gulf coast to stay for 2-4 weeks. We kayak, and need to carry two 10-12 ft kayaks on the truck. I have been carrying them on my Duramax with Yakima racks. I plan to do something similar with the med-size replacement truck.

One issue for me is size. The truck will be kept in the single side of our 3 car garage. The garage door opening is narrow at 91 inches, and is 20 feet long. My Duramax fits with only 1 inch on either side ONLY if at least one outside mirror is folded. I have about 4 inches to spare length wise. I figure the Tacoma/Colorado is about 5 inches narrower, and even with the longer bed there is plenty of room length wise. I understand the folding mirrors on both the Tacoma and Colorado/Canyon are manual.

I will have many specific questions about the Tacoma in the next few months as I try to decide if it or the Chevy/GMC will be better for my particular wants and needs. I'd love to hear from anyone who has recently gone through a similar decision making process, and has the same general needs/wants as I do.

 

Welcome to the site! I vote for Tacoma if you care about resale value. Good luck with your decision.

 

Great first post! Welcome to TW.

 

Thanks for the replies. I never consider resale....normally. I tend to hang onto vehicles for many years. But, it's certainly worth considering. I have noted that the prices here (near Memphis, TN) between the Tacoma and Colorado are not too far off, configured (on paper) as close as I can get them. The Tacoma TRD in particular seems to be well equipped on the dealer web pages. Of course, I have not verified what costs they might be leaving off their prices.....if they don't include transportation and dealer prep, etc, that might be the reason. I'll check that out as I get closer to purchase time.

 

I text drive both before buying my trd or

And the Tacoma is just such a better made truck

I have had gm productus for years and have been a mechanic as well

The 3.6 in the Colorado is not a great motor and the diesel is an awesome idea but with the dpf and egr bogging it down it's not really worth it

And the aftermarket is not even close to as good for the Colorado as it is the Tacoma

 

Welcome to TW!I say TACOMA!

 

If you're over 60, get whichever you damn well please.

 

I too am a long time GM customer. I've had three Duramax trucks over the last 18 years or so. They have mainly been good to me, but I know Toyota makes a great product also. At one time I thought GM had a major share in Toyota, which seems odd that the Tacoma, Colorado, and Canyon all compete and were basically the same company? But I guess I'm wrong about Toyota's affiliation with GM.....probably old news, no longer true.

Anyway, thanks for that advice. What is it about the GM 3.6l engine that you say is not so good? And for the ignort, what is dpf and egr? Something to do with the engine operation?

One thing in my mind against the Tacoma is the rear brake; that seems so out of place in the 2000s (actually since the 1980s!). I wonder why Tacoma still uses them? Any idea? It's certainly not something that eliminates the Toy from my consideration; comfort and reliability are much more important to me.

 

Ha - best recommendation I've heard to date....but then it's also totally lacking in rationale! Got any specific reason for the Tacoma over the Colorado?

 

Since you don't care about 4wd, and sometimes getting up and down gets harder as we age, consider a 5 lug version of the Tacoma. It does sit lower, but it also has a more car like suspension/ride. And by bumping the tires up to 235 x 75 you can get 1" of 'lift'.

It won't come with all the geewhizbang stuff that a TRD would, but for 6k a year around town, does it really matter?

I love my '13. Gets very good MPG and has all the function I need. Also retired, 5k/yr user. It will last me till I have to give up driving.

Yes, I've added a few things. Yes, it has the convenience package. No, it wasn't 'new' with warranty, but I didn't care about that.

I haul bicycles, kayaks (2-15 footers) and all those honey-do items with ease.

Anyway, thought I'd throw in my thoughts since my situation was similar.

BTW, a 2nd gen still has a transmission dipstick in the 4banger like mine. And it's smaller than the 3gen, and IMHO, much better looking. Only the 3gen tailgate is attractive to me.

 

Thanks for the post. Our needs are similar. Thanks especially for the photo of the kayaks. I would probably tote the 'yaks on the roof however, as I also will be towing a motorcycle trailer behind the truck.

What is a 5 lug version? Never heard that term.

 

Look at my wheels. Only 5 lugnuts, not the more common 6 lugnuts of a prerunner or 4wd version. I'm not even sure they make a 5 lug in the 3rd gen ('16+) models.

You often will see 5 lugs as utility based or fleet type vehicles for city duty. Same engine/transmission, differernt rear gear, totally different suspension. Yet still a full framed truck, same body/bed construction.

The convenience package on this base model included the slider window, PW, PL and cruise. I've added intermittent wipers, an autodim/temp/compass/backup display rear view mirror, the camera in the tailgate and upsized the tires. I picked up 4 'spare tire' wheels, refinished them and added the trim rings for a different look.

 

OP - I wouldn't worry about drum brakes on the Tacoma. Had 120,000 on my 2006 when I sold it, original brakes. The truck did plenty of hauling and towing.

Mike

 

Nope.

I'd get what speaks to you. I'm not a super fan of the Tacoma though it's a good truck. The new iteration makes that fairly questionable though. JMHO.

 

Your truck looks nice; uncomplicated and clean. You're in Clearwater, FL? Great kayaking there I bet. Ours is 99% in the Intercoastal Waterway off the Pensacola area.

 

Thanks for that Mike. I have learned over the years that I am very easy on brakes also, and would not anticipate any issues with the Tacoma's drum rear brake.

 

Specifics? What's wrong with the new iteration that makes you say that? Did Toyota change a lot between this one and the prior one? I'm not familiar with the Tacoma's history.

 

Diesel Particulate Filter and Exhaust Gas Recirculation.

Modern diesels are loaded with emissions hardware and those are where most of the problems come from.

The DPFs and EGRs are prone to clogging.

Also, modern diesels have to use DEF (more acronyms, Diesel Exhaust Fluid) to reach emissions standards.

The DEF is urea (similar to urine) and you'll need to top off the tank roughly every oil change. You will get a warning in the instrument panel if it gets low (if it runs out, you're walking)

As far as the GM 3.6, the 2017 models got a new V6 that is the same 3.6 displacement but is a new engine.

The 3rd gen Tacomas seem to be more problematic than the previous gen, but a lot of it is likely teething problems typical with a new design and Toyota appears to be (slowly) addressing them.

Take the Tacoma on a long test drive if possible. The new engine/transmission combo might take some getting used to (peaky V6 and trans likes to shift, a lot)

 

Thanks. That's my goal. Less to break over a 20-25 yr ownership span. Assuming one of the grandsons doesn't talk me out of it in 10 years or so.

Yes and yes.

As far as generation, *I'd* not buy newer than a 2015, last year of the 2nd gens. 3gen owners will try to flog me. But I don't care about nicer, quieter, and features. I do care a bit for looks, and I don't like the 3gen. Sorry. I also don't like the $15k upcharge over what I bought (with 8,600 on it). Not for how I use it. And I don't give a hoot about warranty.

 

I have heard that the old Chevy Colorado V6 with 6 spd auto had some of the same problems as you describe above. Although new, I understand the newer Colorado V6 with the 8 spd auto has less problems. Some folks seem to have problems with those shifting problems, some do not. I wonder if it's luck of the draw, or if driver driving habits have more to do with it? I would very much rather have a manual transmission, but they are very hard to find.....I could only find one or two nearby, and they had the 4 cylinder engine and were "basic" models. I want more creative comforts....but I have never considered an auto trans a creature comfort! I'm one of those weird guys who likes to shift gears!