The dying first gens... No more Tacomas for me?

I'm very frustrated. Problem is the "opportunity cost" of my 96 breaking down. I will be commuting 100+ miles one way to work and can't take the risk. I also have no working AC and almost everything on my truck needs work... (AC system is gone, not on truck, so not repairable) For in-town fun the 96 is great, doesn't matter if it breaks down I can get it towed back home. 100 miles away and that's a 600 dollar day with towing and rental. I also am limited in my mechanical ability and have no help here. Only reasons I'm buying newer. If I had a shop or mechanic I knew I'd fix up my old one. The newer truck has to be reliable because my job will depend on it.

 

Sometimes it's been hard for me to accept that I needed a more reliable vehicle, especially one I didn't like or want to drive; but I'm glad I kept my Tacos. Most first gen guys on here probably aren't looking at it from an "opportunity cost" perspective. More like a labor of love. And with love comes frustration. Good luck and godspeed whatever you decide to do.

 

Mine only tends to cost me money when I do stupid shit, like flip it over and buy another to build in the wrecked ones wake....

 

100 miles plus one way, keep your truck for local and get a small fuel efficient car. Money saved one fuel can be used to fix your truck, not to mention money saved from buying car instead of truck.

 

Or just pay to have your current truck fixed up. Get it reliable for a 3k price tag and it'll last another 5 years. Saves you the hassle of trying to find another vehicle that fits your criteria or at least more time to decide. I drive my built Tacoma everywhere. Since I work construction my job could be 3 hours away from me. Never once have I questioned the Tacoma getting there just because I know I put the time and money into making it reliable. I just completed a 3k trip to California a few weeks ago, never once did I worry about getting stuck in 100 degree weather. And I rolled 480,000 miles on the truck that trip.

 

Well said Op don't give up, you will find something that you will be happy with , it is true that it is getting harder to find with low mileage but they are out there. You just may have to give in with something with a little over 100000 miles. A Toyota engine is just breaking in at 100,000 miles

 

Here is a pretty awesome Ranger. I likely would have bought this over my 2nd gen if it had been available here.





Problem is, I took the picture in Scotland. Close to Loch Ness. I actually took them for @smitty99, but this seems an appropriate place to share.

 

I don't know exactly where 'outsida Tampa' is, but I can't imagine there aren't several independents within a reasonable radius of you who could easily handle your issues. Not that any of the issues themselves will be cheap.

But unless the truck is required as the actual work vehicle, there are several things that would be much better 100 mile commuters.

And you certainly don't have to have 4wd around here for commuting. A 5 lug 2wd would work just fine.

 

Not if you have to tow over 3,000 lbs.

Yeap

 

Outside Tampa, sounds like he's embarrassed to be from Valrico or Riverview...

 

Damn, now you sound like you are flat out whining! Expand your search for a 6 speed, and I'm sure a dealer will have one. I bought my truck in Colorado Springs, while living in Tulsa. And had that truck in CO Springs not worked out, I was ready to fly to Phoenix and Los Angeles; and drive back to Tulsa.

 

Depends on the vehicle, on a historically under-powered vehicle like the Tacoma you'll tend to heat up the transmission and have the TC unlocked to tow a heavy load. Whereas a manual fairs nicely and stays normal temps. But yeah on something with a decent size engine an auto is great for towing.

 

Ya it's rough, but why give up easy? If you live in a rust State, you may have to jump through some hoops to nab one from somewhere else, but if you know a 1st Gen is what you want, go for it. I just bought my first Tacoma (5spd Manual, 3.4 V6) after a solid 30 days straight of looking. It's got 143k miles and wasn't cheap, but it's what I was looking for and has, hopefully 200k miles of life left in her.

Could be you just need to level up your google surfing skills!

 

Right? It's not the 1970s, we aren't talking about Pintos and Chevettes here... is 100k even a meaningful benchmark anymore? These days even the shittiest of shitboxes can easily roll 200k breakdown-free miles if the mechanical stuff is cared for and the road salt doesn't consume something structural. I'd put much more stock into the individual history of a vehicle and whether or not the previous owner(s) routinely played Russian Roulette with deferred maintenance. But even then, I see so many utterly-neglected toyota trucks from this era rolling around town and listed in craigslist ads with crazy high mileage. The engines are just tough. My current truck has 212K and the auto shifts like butter, my 96 4runner, also with the 3.4, had the same transmission and it also shifted like butter. Naturally I would love a manual and the slushbox isn't particularly inspiring, but I can vouch for the its reliability. Other than routine fluid changes it's literally something I've never thought about once.

 

a 3.4 with a tranny cooler is rated @ 7K lbs. Sure, the factory brakes are overwhelm at that point (hint, I have Turndra brakes up front ), but the tranny won't blow up.

 

I'm from FL. The only cars with rust in FL are the ones in the Atlantic side, and or cars brought from up north.

 

The 1st gen never had an official towing package and was only good to 5.5k and was lethargic at that. 7k is too much and dangerous from a trailer weight to vehicle weight perspective.

 

Wow,

It never fails to amaze me how emotionally attached people are to first generation Tacomas. KayakingJunkie, listen, before you go deserting Toyota. I would do this. Write down all of the options and amenities you want your truck to have. Please try to get over your desire to absolutely have to own one with a stick shift transmission. It is not worth the effort if you are not finding a Tacoma that fits your needs. The exercise is completely futile and frivolous.

You are completely correct in your analysis that there are not a lot of second generation Tacomas with manual gear boxes. That is very true. I am sure you will find a second generation that has everything you want with the exception of a stick shift transmission if you put forth the effort. Hell, you will probably even find one in the exact color you want.

As I pointed out earlier, second generation Tacomas are way more plentiful. They don't have as much of a cult following as the previous generation. They have an incredible amount of more options than first generations, and they are priced more competitively relatively speaking. They are still more money, but you are getting a lower mileage truck, and you are getting a bigger truck.

Web sites like this are a very bad indicator of what the shape of first generation Tacomas are going to be like. This site is filled with Junkies and first generation Addicts that have their Tacomas running and looking better than new. This is not what first generation Tacomas are going to be like that are available for sale to the public with the exception of a very small number statistically, and these are going to have outrageous overweight price tags. Remember these first generation Tacomas are now older than hell.

There is a lot of very valuable information on sites like this one. I have read through some of the posts on your thread, and the members that have posted here, have certainly given you some extremely useful insight in to how to go about conducting your search. I wish you the best of luck.

Good Luck,
Paul

 

Seen a clean Arizona truck no rust 2006 double cab prerunner 90k on it for 12,500. Haven't shopped around but price seemed decent.

 

Or Gibsonton. Maybe Seffner?