Over a week now with my 'new' 1st gen!

I posted almost a couple of weeks ago that I traded my '08 PreRunner TRD DC Taco for a '97 X-Cab V6 4x4 5sp. Anyway, I thought I would give an update with some thoughts on going from a pretty much new Taco to a 13 year old Taco with over 260K miles!

I traded because, although my wife and I currently own a house, we plan to build in a few years. I couldn't stand the thought of dropping 20K on my truck to pay it off instead of putting that on a house. After the house is complete, I will most likely buy a 3rd gen Taco (depending on the design) and keep my 1st gen as a work truck.

The good:

-I love the manual transmission - I have had several manual transmission vehicles in the past and when I got my 08 Tacoma with an automatic (only because I heard many bad things about the 6 speeds), I immediately missed a manual transmission.

-The Engine - The 3.4 is incredibly smooth and refined. I couldn't believe the difference vs the 4.0 in my '08. This engine has 26x the miles my 4.0 had on it, but runs much smoother and quieter. It's like Toyota took a step back in that regard.

-The size - I love the smaller size of the 1st gen. It's easier to park and drive in my opinion. Also, it's better on trails.

-The looks - I have always favored the looks of the first gen. To me, it's just a cleaner design. I never could get past the odd shape of the wheel/tire openings on the 2nd gen. Although I think the front end of the 2nd gen looks awesome.

-Not as much electronic junk - This truck has manual everything, which is a plus in my book. I believe that's a big reason why Toyota is falling behind a little in quality. I love the manual transfer case...I always know it's gonna work.

- It's 4x4 - 'nuff said.

The bad:

The power - The 3.4, while smoother, definitely has less power than the 4.0.

The rattles- This truck rattles quite a bit in the dash and in the plastic interior panels. But, this is to be expected with a truck this age and with this many miles.

The ride - This thing rides like a road wagon, plus the handling is not as good. But again, that is somewhat expected.

Well, I guess that's all I can think of...I'll post updates from time to time. Has anyone on here have or heard of anyone with an extremely high mileage 3.4L? It would be interesting to see how many miles I can expect out of it before something major happens. So far so good, it hasn't used a drop of oil either in about 700 miles.

 

Good review. And locate the rattels and tighten them up. And yes, expect to have the Taco to the end, the 5vzfe is a beast of an engine! They may not have the power (stock) as the 1grfe but they can handle more when modded up im sure.

 

I have a 01 tacoma 3.4 L sr5 and its awesome. Has great 4wd, pretty solid power, small and easy to drive. I have noticed the rattle on the door panels but oh well!

I really want to supercharge that bad boy and get some power.

 

awesome write up bro! i hope the truck will do u good! a house is worth putting money into, instead of a vehicle. alot more depreciation in the truck.

 

definitely a great review man. im glad that i traded my 06 prerunner for my 04 dc 4x4.........miss the power some, but you'll get used to it pretty quick. throw on a different suspension.....you'll be set. i learned to ignore some of the rattles in the dash area.

 

yep most of the time I do too, occasionally I notice it, but that's what music is for

 

^ have yall tried fixing the rattles?

 

Awesome sounds like your being smart and thinking about the future. Ya tighten up anything you can find and see if that quiets some of the noises your hearing. Keep us posted

 

I also just purchased my 1st gen about 4 weeks ago. 2004 Dcab 4cyl with 68,000 miles on it. I love the truck. I have always wanted one and finally got it. I like the 1st gen much more than the 2nd gen.

there is just something I dont like about them

 

I haven't had a chance to yet, but I'm pretty sure where all the rattles are coming from. I plan on digging into it when the weather warms up.

 

Congrats! I have never heard of a 4cyl/DC combo....sounds like you have a unique truck! Is it an auto?

 

Thanks, it sucks that I had already paid a lot of interest on my '08, but to me it was better to get rid of it sooner than later. We don't have any vehicle payments at all right now, and it's awesome. We'll be able to save for our house much faster.

 

same here.

 

Mine rattles right next to the air vent in the passenger side of the dash. I wish I could stop it, but it goes and comes back..

I'll figure it out somehow, but for now, I'll just keep smacking my dash! hahaha