Shopping for a new truck

Agreed. I would say 75%+

 

"I would never drive a honda, it's a not a real truck!" - People with leveling kits and have never done anything more than a dirt road.

 

Personally I find myself pricing out a few vehicles because I'm constantly running out of towing capacity.

• Chevrolet 1500 4.3L 4x4 regular cab
• Ford

1. 1. F150 2.7/3.5L 4x4 regular and extended cab
   2. Waiting to price a Ford Ranger
   3. Waiting to see what the Ford Bronco is actually going to be...

• Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road

 

I've got the recalled diff, but I have not noticed any howls or vibrations. The stock shocks aren't tremendous in terms of performance, but this truck drives exceptionally smooth for a mid size. I'll certainly give it that.

 

Mine was on the recall list, but checked it myself and it was bone dry. During my 20k service update had them tighten the bolts and went on my way.

 

Doesn't the 4 runner have lot less towing capacity than tacoma ?

 

Is that 4.3L naturally aspirated? I don't think I could get by with less than the 6.2L in a chevy/gmc but I'm also spoiled from my last 6.2L

I hear amazing things about the 3.5 ecoboost

 

I'm coming from a 2.7L Tacoma @ 3500#

Tacoma v6 @ 6700#
4Runner @ 5000# <-- 4.0L Manual xfer-case fewer recalls and TSB than Tacoma

 

Yeah I have a 2.7 and a 3.5

My 2.7 can barely carry its own fat ass. If I put 3500# behind my 2.7, it would just stay in place

Good luck with the search

 

I had a 2014 Gen 2 Taco and traded for my 2016 Gen 3. The gen 2 was a good truck. My Gen 3 is NOW a good truck after having all the things fixed by Toyota that went bad ( hood vibrating, window seals, transmission flashed, diff TSB ( was not leaking ) crank shaft senor checked as good ) Have installed the SSP and what a difference !! Outstanding results. Just drove 1200 miles round trip to GA & NC with lots of hills and all kinds of interstate. Got 23.5 MPG on highway ! Now that I have finally got the truck to operate correctly I must sell it. My wife just retired and we do not need as many cars, we are downsizing, so the Taco will be the first to go. SO OP I WILL MAKE YOU A DEAL....SEND ME A PM.

 

The 4.3L has been around since 1985 (IIRC) with very few major changes. The engine is like the Toyota 2.7L bulletproof. It would probably feel under powered compared to the 6.2L but if you floor it, there is plenty of Torque!

My friend has the 3.5L ecoboost in his 2013 F150 and he gets 17.5-21 mph and PLENTY of power.

 

So since I didnt have a vehicle and I was in process of moving, I cancelled my insurance, so that means I couldnt take the vehicle overnight until I re-instate my insurance. Instead, the salesman and I just went on a 45 minute drive around town in a TRDOR with tech package. I never once felt like it didnt have enough power to get up to 65 MPH highway speeds and felt like it had the power there when I needed it. Obviously, I need to take it for a day and will do that next week when I figure out where I'm working and have insurance again.

Cool, thanks for the feedback. On my test drive I just did, I had no problems with the amount of power it had around town in stop and go traffic, going up hills and merging on the highway. The salesman showed me how to use ECT and S mode so if I needed to get going faster I could and I could definitely feel the difference.

I have not, however, it does not meet my bed length requirements so it never made my list. I also dont want a lifted car and personally I hate the styling. I am buying a truck and plan on taking it offroad. My GF will be my new shuttle driver around here since there are so many nice biking trails!

I loved the GTI, but it just was not practical enough for me and the stuff I like to do. I want a truck for these reasons:

• Mountain biking (throw the bikes over the tailgate pad, shuttling needs up dirt roads)
• Camping trips with the bikes (more space and dont have to play tetris to get camping gear in the car)
• I plan on adding a shell so I can turn the back into a camper setup for all seasons. I am a powder fanatic and love chasing the snow storms to ski and dont pay for hotels, I sleep in my vehicles so I can afford to chase all the snow! I have a -40 sleeping bag so staying warm isnt an issue.
• Driving up mountain roads in the snow, FWD just wont cut it, even with snow tires. I still plan on putting snow tires on my truck.
• The list goes on, and I am just kind of over the small car thing right now. Even though I do miss it every now and then.

The price of used Tacomas out in this area is absurd. 2014 and 2015s are going for $36k with 50k miles on them and no warranty. I've never had a dealer move more on used than new vehicles. I'm also not buying just for resale, that is a reason, but not the only one. Reliability, enjoyment of driving, ease of driving (parking, around town, long trips), resale, and durability, ability to drive off road, decent tech package are all things I am looking for.

I am super hesitant going domestic even though I have a bunch of friends and family that own domestic trucks without issues. I'm not against it, just very cautious. The 2017 F150 I drove was $62k and the mirrors were shaking and vibrating with every bump. It had 100 miles on it. Thats the kind of stuff I am trying to avoid. I'm sure it can happen on every truck but i've driven 3 tacomas now and they all felt fine.

Yeah I would agree on my test drive it felt fine getting up to speed. It's not a race car, its a truck.

If they live with the looks of it haha jk. It's just not for me.


Anyways, I put a refundable $500 hold on a TRDOR DCLB with the JBL tech package that is coming in next week. By that time I will have my insurance re-instated and will take it overnight before I decide.

 

They might be listed for 35k or 36k but they will sell for a lot less than that which was my point. Don't get wrapped around the axle on sticker prices... they put overinflated prices on the used trucks for a reason.

Other thing I would say is after the learning mode on the transmission adapts, it seems to get worse. So this is why test driving can be deceiving. It's always better after they flash or reset my ECU for 3k- 5k miles. A lot of guys in the trans update thread have alluded to this being an issue... drives great at first then gets worse after it "learns". Consider the new trucks have not yet had a chance to "learn" either.

 

Gotcha OP. Sounds like you've got even more reason for a truck than me! haha

 

Make sure you take it for an extended run on a highway with grade changes and be sure to use the cruise control. I like my truck in general...but there is no way in hell a $36K truck should be as schizophrenic as this motor/transmission is on the HWY. It drives me nuts. Fortunately for me my driving is 75/15 city/hwy and for city driving the motor/transmission issue is not so important. I don't think it's a hardware issue, but rather a software issue. I'm hoping an aftermarket tune will sort it out to my liking or it will be getting traded in within a year or two. The things I like about it (size, ext/int design) are over shadowed by the motor/transmission for me at the moment.

 

I'd argue that a front wheel drive GTI is just as capable with snow tires as a truck with 4x4 and snow tires <--> when compared in standard wintertime snow conditions.
(but also my opinion after living most of my life 15 miles east of Syracuse NY.)
Also, I'd argue that you can do all of those "TRUCK THINGS" you mention with attachments or configurations of a GTI, maybe consider an Subaru Outback?

*edit: Why doesn't the Ridgeline fit your needs for a bed? It is only a few inches shorter than a Tacoma Standard Length bed.

 

Would he even be asking if he had test driven that?

 

OP what about the tundra?

 

My GTI was great in the snow, on mostly flat ground and snow covered roads. However FWD really lacked when I was going to vermont and trying to get up snow covered mountain roads. Now that I'm out west the mountain roads are bigger and steeper and they get more snow. The FWD will not male it up these hills in the winter with snow tires alone. That being said, I never got stuck in the GTI and the low center of gravity allows you to fly down the highway in the snow.

I am 6ft tall and need a 6ft bed to sleep in. I thought I made that clear in my other posts. The ridgeline is around a foot short.