Double cab and rear facing baby seats

Imho, those crash videos are not apples to apples. A 4wd ex cab Tacoma, vs a 5 lug regular cab.

1st Gen is the best gen. All others are inferior.

 

Yeah understandable, I do care about my kids safety first above all else though.

 

I know, it was the best I could find. I think the IIHS video of the 1998 truck is the only first gen crash test I could locate.

 

I have a 1 and a 3 year old in my 2005dcsb. one rear facing and one not. i would say it is pretty tight. Im only 5.8 and the rear facing bucket seat for the baby needs to go behind the passenger seat to fit. my 3 year old faces forward and his feet hit my seat. I would say my truck is almost two small for car seats but it works.

 

That's (one reason) why I ride dirtbikes...

I also can balance on two wheels...

 

I had a 10 double cab when I had my son. It was tight but totally doable. I just haven't been in a genwon for years. Got rid of it for my f150 and a month later found out my wife was pregnant again hence my situation. I was raised in cars without airbags everywhere and made it out okay. I'm more worried how the truck holds up as in cab intrusion, ect. My wife's SUV would be the primary kid hauler but I need a truck for work for my bunker gear and other dirty fire related stuff I haul and small stuff around the house. Kids would only ride in it sometimes

 

I don't know what year 2nd gen you had but I would find a cheap 2nd gen instead of a 1st. Safety wise, size wise, if you only plan on keeping this 1st gen for a short time then stick with getting a 1st but if you want it to last and be somewhat safer for the future, go with a used 2nd gen. Now if you're saving for a 3rd by getting a cheap 1st, wait until dealers have few 2018's in stock because 2019's are coming and purchase then, I would not mess with 16 or 17 at this point.

 

Had a 2010, it was okay. Reliable yes but not as enjoyable as my first gen by any means. I wouldnt buy another 2nd gen. They aren't exactly synonymous with cheap and I had a paid off 2nd gen that I bought brand new. I just love me a first gen....

 

3rd gens are a massive pass for me until they put a different motor in them. We all know Toyota doesn't exactly do many updates to each model for years and years

 

^You and your wife are about the same exact size (at least height wise) as my wife and I, and I don't think you'll have a problem with car seats in rear. A 2nd Gen is a little more roomier, and in my 2nd Gen and 1st Gen DC's, my son (now 3) used to sit behind the driver's seat in a rear facing car seat with no issues. Put the car seat in and adjust the seat.

I have a 3yr old in a car seat that rides with me in my extended cab all the time...

^^^This. I think you'll be fine.

 

Well I found a first gen DC with only 70k on it. Would be a nice going to work and only sometimes have kids in it truck.

 

I own a 2015 and I have a 22month with a backward facing and a 6 month rear facing. I'm short too and have plenty of room for both. Very easy fit. We have britax seats.

 

The DC is fine for car seats in the rear. I didn't buy a Tacoma until my youngest moved out 10 years ago. We've had grand kids for the last 9 years and had no issues until recently.

But be aware, kids grow and this is a temporary solution. I drove 1/2 ton trucks with 4 doors when my kids were living at home. The Tacoma was fine for a while, but as the grand kids get bigger it is less desirable. I still have the Tacoma, but added a 2014 F-150 Screw because I now need the room again.

 

I def understand that and it's why I got rid of my taco in the 1st place but having 2 kids means the wife needs a kid hauler more then me as she stays home and I need a truck with my job and hobbies. Affording an f150 and newer SUV would be nice on one salary but I don't want to be a slave to any vehicle. I know the 3.4 will serve me trouble free as long as I need besides the gen maintenance like belts, gaskets and lower ball joints which I'll do in my garage with a beer and some good music

 

dude, jump on that! Just be sure you get all the maintenance up to date just as you would any older vehicle. These trucks are bullet proof, but they all need maintenance: fluids, wear parts (ball joints, etc...), timing belt, etc... If you have detailed service records, great, but if not, assume nothing has been done.

I've had my kids in my best gen DC for, well, since my son was born 8 years ago. Every summer my family goes on usually at least one long trip (10+ days), and several long weekend trips. We would put several thousand miles in the span of a few weeks, all of it in the Taco, pulling a camper trailer. The vast majority of trips we took were in the Taco (we usually camped). Sometimes we'd take the sedan if we were visiting in-laws or something. But my Taco definitely has toddler-shaped imprints in the back seats.

The only draw back to the Tacos, especially the double cabs, is the utter lack of internal storage. Everything you bring with you that isn't a human, goes in the bed. For us, it wasn't really a big deal, as most of our junk was in the trailer, and then we just had a bag or two of snacks, small pillows and blankets for the kiddos.

That said, I just bought a new 4Runner (kept my best gen, btw...). The 4.0L, the cargo area in back, newer/nicer/bigger interior all make for a more pleasant long day on the road. Better gas mileage, too, lol

 

Is it 4x4?!?

I'm sure you know this, but just make sure to check for rust. A totally rusty frame would be the one thing that would kill the whole thing...

 

Rear facing baby seat fits fine - 7 1/2 month old daughter on Black Bear Pass - Aug'04

 

I have a grayco snugride quick connect system in mine. fits in the center back seats just fine. not really a problem at all.

 

My son had a 2nd gen Tacoma. My granddaughters rear facing seat was a tight fit. Son is 6'2". He now drives a Tundra Crew Max. Lots of room. Bought the truck because of his 28 ' company boat, not the baby.