Thinking of making the switch from 1st gen to 2nd gen

Well I have found a real good deal local on an 05 Tacoma TRD Off Road. I'm very seriously considering buying it. Thing is I'd have to sale my 01 TRD Double Cab. The 05 had frame and rear suspension replaced from Toyota recall last May. It's in excellent shape does have 150xxx miles though. My 01 has 165xxx and runs and looks great also.
My question is for those that have experience with both are you glad you switched or do you prefer your 1st gen.
I do like to do the wrenching on my truck and hear that the 2nd Gen is a little tougher than on the 1st gen.
Just wanting to hear some thoughts. Thanks in advance Gary

 

I bought an 06 Tacoma Sport access cab 4.0 6 speed brand new w/ 53 miles on it in May of 06. There are pros & cons to both trucks. I really liked the location of the oil filter on the 06 compared to my 04 DC Tacoma 3.4 V6. The 06 had a limited slip diff. while my 04 has a locked diff. The 06 had limited room but a lot more power or so it seemed and the body is a lot wider or larger all the way around compared to my 04 I have now. I fit 285/70,or 75/17 BFG mud Terrains w/ Sway away CO's providing 3" of lift with no modifications to the wheel wells or fenders at all. Where on my 04 I have 265/75/16 BFG KO2's w/ Icon 2.5 CO's preloaded to 2.5" of lift so it rides a lot better. Plus having a DC is great compared to an access cab. Especially since I had a daughter born about a year after I bought the 06. It's a toss up to me. I like my 1st gen more even though it has 252,000 miles on it. It is narrower and in great condition. IMO better for off-roading and trails that a 2nd gen probably wouldn't fit on. I go on quad trails w/ my 04 Tacoma. Now that my daughter is 7 years old that double cab is priceless. Not sure which one weighs more. But I'd guess the 06 does. It really comes down to personal preference. Obviously the 2nd gens have more electronics. I do miss the Compass and outside temp reading above the rear view mirror. But I also like not having to worry about electrical stuff going out. Like on my 06, the 4 wheel drive was controlled by the turn of a knob while on my 04, I have the J shift 4 wheel drive set up which is way better in my opinion and a rear e locker. I never had a problem working on my 06 Tacoma 4.0, just more plastic under the hood to take off. I sold it w/ 67,000 miles. The 04 seems to be about the same when it comes to working on stuff. But yeah I would agree on the 1st gen 3.4, things are more accessible since you don't have all that plastic covering things up although all you have to do is pull it off. Both engines have coil packs. But that oil filter location is priceless! I love my 1st gen!
Hope this helped!

 

Thanks. Yeah I have a DC now and the one I'm looking at is also. Both are TRD with e-lockers. Both automatic also.

 

I'm switching from 1st gen to 2nd gen I have both trucks just my 2nd gen needs a new engine and it's really hard to find my main reason I'm switching is because my 1st gen frame is rotten and my local Toyota won't replace it for me

My 1st gen is a XCLB and my 2nd is DCLB

I really like both trucks but my 1st gen is causing me a lot of problems and I just want to be done with it when I 1st got it I had to replace the clutch right away as I broke down on the highway previous owner must of been doing burn outs with it or something when I took the clutch out it was pretty much a sheet of paper

My frame broke on me 3 times so far 3rd time not that bad

1st was in the rear passenger side just above the springs

2nd was driver side cab mount

3rd is not to bad it broke off the rear passenger shock snapped right off the frame I'll have to weld it back on to replace the shock

And now my 4wd it doesn't like cold weather I find when it's cold here like -10 below my 4wd won't engage but when it's warmer it will engage I think maybe moister go in the 4wd actuator and freeze it

The 1st gen came from the states to Canada so it reads in miles I have about 267 something on it right now

Another thing I don't like the seating on the 1st gen you get use to it tho I'm about 5'11 and I have to lean my seat back and pretty much seat in the back to feel comfortable

I don't like about the 2nd gen so har is that it looks lower then the 1st gens but and I don't like how it needs a new engine but it's the way I bought it plus the deal on it was a deal I couldn't refuse

As of yet I can't say to much about the 2nd gens other then I like the look of them they look meaner then 1st gens

 

personal opinion; the 2nd gen is a LOT more comfortable inside then the 1st gen.

 

I was originally looking for a 2nd gen and ended up with a 1st gen

I did like the fact the 2nd gens have a timing chain, but they felt more bulky on the road. Yes the cabin is bigger.

The first gen I knew how to maintain the 3.4 and what to look for, yes you have to replace the timing belt more frequently then a timing chain but this will allow you to do other preventative maintenance. The window height to chair ratio for the 1st gen is awesome perfect for hanging your arm out the window.

Good luck with your decision.

 

Thanks I am getting a ton of great feedback that is much appreciated!!!

 

Only reason I'd switch to a 2nd gen is because the 4.0 has more power and the cab is bigger/ feels newer inside.

1st gens are argueably better offroad just due to how narrow they are etc and the maitenence on first gens is relatively easy to do (not sure about 2nd gens)

A buddy of mine who is building his 2nd gen hates all the electronics he has to deal with compared to his old LT pickup he used to daily drive

Just my 2 cents

 

The main problem I'm having deciding is because I would like the newer bigger cab feel but absolutely love the simplicity of the 1st gen.

Dang Toyota I need a 1.5 gen!!! LOL

 

When I was truck searching I couldn't find a 4.0 4x4 dcsb that wasn't stupid high priced and clean so ended up with my 1st gen. Only thing I don't like about it is the lack of power on the highway.. regear should durasticallt help this summer though

 

As far as offroad goes it's my daily so not much actually none so far.

 

Same here a yr ago. I think this 05 is priced very well.

 

I started with a first gen and sold it to buy me a second gen, only to want another first gen instead a few months later. Then I ended up buying another first gen that I use as my daily driver and on occasion I will use my second gen. I'm glad I have both but if I could only have one it would be a first gen.

 

What did you like about the 1st gen over the 2nd that made you regret selling your 1st to get the 2nd? Thanks

 

the first gen just feels like a real truck where as the second gen reminds me of a car,I don't know it's just a feeling to it. Also the styling of the first gen appeals to me more than the second gen it just seems to have a better flow to it, and I do like the smaller size of the first gen and how easy it is to work on it. If you lived here I would let you take my 08 for a week and see how you liked compared to your 01.

 

A first gen is like a real good lookin sexy girlfriend that has a super tight nice lil body that you can navigate, find your way around and kept pleased without alot of difficulty. With just a little love and affection directed towards her she will faithfully be there for you through thick and thin. Just generally a girl easy to keep happy without alot of hubbub and drama! She even takes up and truly enjoys things and hobbies that you like to do. Fur example, you get her into camping and doing outdoor activities, enjoys shooting guns and becomes really good at shooting clay pigeons which is pretty cool! So many guys would love to have a girl that does these things with them and she makes what you like to do just that much more enjoyable cause you see the excitement and happiness in her eyes and she supports you in this way. Shit she dosent even bitch at all and tell you that was a dumb purchase when you come home with a brand new 2k AR15 all spec'd out, she's actually excited herself so she can play with it!! Just a dang fun and great girl to potentially spend your life with!!


A second gen is the girl you had to settle for because you werent smart enough to give a lil effort to keep the first girl happy and around even though she was so awesome and put up with so much of your crap and she left you! So you had to settle for this new girl that has several pounds on the last one, sorta chunky on a bigger frame, definitely not near as tight and sexy, plus her face just dont have that wow shes pretty factor going on. With that new chunky body this girl is much more difficult to find your way around, more cushion fur the pushion though so i guess "more comfy". But this girl is a little hormonal it seems, gotta tip toe your way around her sometimes as to not spark some nonsense drama! Does she like the things you have interests in and like the outdoor lifestyle including hunting and camping and such?? Fuck no she dont!!! Even hates guns! All she does is bitches when you wanna do these things and dosent even hardly let you go with your buddies to do it! You buying expensive toys? Forget about it! All she likes is the city scene, just generally a typical "city slicker" type, going to the mall and shopping and such. You even find yourself mall crawling from time to time while you wait for her cause shes inside buying new clothes with you money! You always find yourself worrying if shes keeping faithful or not so close attention to things must occur to keep her well behaved! Since this girl isnt all lickity split its because shes not so much of a healthy girl so trips to the doctor will end up occurring more and more, stuff you cant help her with ya know. You'll find yourself having to put fourth alot of effort and materialistic things to keep her from being a bitch lettle lone a pleasure to be around, totally unlike the last girl that was so much fun and didnt treat you like you owed her something.


So idk that just kinda skims the surface a bit, im quite sure I've left some things out about how the second girlfriend is just not quite what youre looking for in a life partner and you constantly find yourself daydreaming and really wishing you hadn't fucked up your relationship with the first girl. Then you start to realize as you get more age and experience under your belt that you really made a serious life mistake because she was the girl that woulda kept you happy and gave you a happy life. She was "the girl"!! You want her back so badly but guess what? Shes married to the dude you hated in high school now and has 3 kids with him. Its over you fucked up and will die a lonely man or a really unhappy man with a fat sorta mean head case ugly girl that treats you like a dog! Plus she starts to really look like her nasty mean mother, which is really a depressing thing....


Lol so thats the way i look at this situation!

 

Hahahaha!!!

I absolutely completely understand what you're saying and funny thing is it definitely helped me see what I already knew and was just trying to overlook. Haha
Thanks LOL

 

Lmao! Hilarious analogy! Don't let the feminists see it though! Hahahahaha, the creative minds of some!

 

@Fuergrissa
@nmh

Haha! Lol!!
Glad you guys got a kick outta the post and found it to be a good read!! I even thought of a couple other things i had left out last night, so i added a few new thoughts in there this smornin...

 

I don't have any funny analogies to go with, so...

I'm always leery, even from Toyota, of getting the very first year of a new design. I have an 04, arguably the "most refined" 1st gen. I could have gotten an 05 or 06 (bought it in '06), but I didn't like the larger body style and that it was the first year of a complete redesign. My previous truck was a 97 5 lug, and before that a 86 4Runner. The first couple years of the Tacoma (maybe it was just the 95.5, I can't remember), they tried to "americanize" the suspension, and made it too soft, creating a voluntary recall on the springs.

Around 2005-06, I believe this was also around the time that Toyota decided to make an effort to overtake Ford as the world's #1 automaker. IMO, this is how you start going for quantity over quality.

The 2nd gens are perfectly fine trucks, but I'm NEVER getting rid of my first gen, unless it gets hit by a semi. Then, and only then, would I consider replacing it.

I am, however, considering an amendment to my fleet with a 5th gen 4Runner