Guys who bought 2nd gen Tacoma’s after the 3rd gen was released...

My first Taco was a 2009 OR; it met untimely death collision with a traffic barrier. Then drive an Outback for three long year, great car, but it’s not a truck...sold the Outback in 2015, planned to buy either a new 3rd gen or nice used 2nd, I drove a new 3rd OR model, I just did not like it, the large gaping grill, lots of plastic, tailgate and rear bumper seems cheaply made. Also engine did not seem to have the balls of my 2nd gen.

On the dealer lot someone just traded in a ‘13 TX Pro, it had 10k miles and some tasty mods; they had not even priced it yet, which was an advantage, they had also planned to do the Certified process, I said heck no, offered 29,000, settled for $30,000. Sold!

I really like it, seems very solid with upgraded suspension over my 2009.

There are a lot of folks buying 3rd gens in my area, but there are still many tricked out 2nd gens as well.

 

was looking at the 3rd gens and was ready to buy but found a clean one owner '13 DCLB 4x4 with 35K miles, got it for a lil over $23K and I couldn't be happier.

 

I bought a 2017 TRD Off Road (new) Dbl Cab V6. Sold it and bought a 2014 Tacoma TRD Off Road. No regrets.

I've owned a 2003, 2006, and a 2017 Tacoma prior and it's hard to compare all of them as they're all different. Right now I'd definitely take a 1st Gen over the 3rd Gen. The drivetrain bothered me enough to ditch the 2017.

The 3rd Gen's obviously don't bother everyone, but I'd strongly recommend you test drive one, like up hills. The new 3.5 V6, to me, lacks grunt in the lower RPM's. I've experienced this on road, but also off road climbing hills (4 low). Otherwise, it's a comfortable truck and like the way it looks.

To answer your questions though, No, I don't regret spending the money to get back a 2nd Gen. $24,900 seems like a good deal, depending on the condition of the truck. No, I don't think the 2017 is worth the extra 10k, or getting (my opinion of course).

 

Bought a 2014 TRD Sport DCSB 4x4 2 months ago. Totally worth it. 3rd gens are nice but i saved a good amount of money going with a 2ng gen. Totally happy with my decision.

 

I personally do not like the look of the front of the 16+ models a whole lot. If you swap the grille and update the lights, then yeah it can look cool, but I prefer the front end of the 12-15 models. I don't mind the rear of the 16+ models. I actually like the look.
Right when they updated the 12s, I had a 1st Tacoma, and I really wanted a second Gen really bad! in 2016, i was ready to upgrade. i was really close minded about the 16s. I just HATED the look of the front end at 1st. it ended up growing on me and i didn't mind it as much. I decided before i pulled the trigger on a 2nd gen, i would test drive the 3rd gen. I actually fell in love with the interior of the 3rd gens. Toyota really stepped it up. I always thought the 2nd gen interior lacked a whole lot. they made the 3rd gen look similar to the FJ curisers which i really liked. In the end I told myself my heart has always been set on a 2nd gen so i went that route. I am really glad i did. I ended up finding a used 2nd gen with 50k miles on it. It had upgraded touch screen nav, Pioneer subwoofer, and leather heated seats. Put in a TRD pro Shift nob and honestly i think i prefer my interior over the 3rd gen. Sure, the wireless charging was cool, but i prefer the overall look of the 2nd gen.
I will admit, there are some pretty Badass 3rd gen builds that i enjoy to look at.

 

That "s what I did I got my 2011 low miles, Too much talk about the 6 speed automatic shifting all the time for me

 

I have now driven a half-dozen 3.5 L slushbox 3rd Gen Tacomas in various configurations, and two 2nd Gen 4.0 L models--my DCSB 4x2 and my stepson's 2012 4x4 DCLB. There is no comparison in "low-end-grunt", from idle to 2500 rpm the 3.5 is a dog. Leaving the gear hunting issue aside, it is true that if you "stand on it" it moves¹, though not all that much faster (if at all) than the 4.0; and who wants to drive like that all the time?

To me now, and for most of my life, low-end torque has been what "truck engines" are all about, that's what they are tuned to be and are called "truck engines", this 3.5 L faux Atkinson cycle thing may garner a few more mpg's but it is NOT a truck engine. Those of us who actually want trucks would trade low-end-grunt for fuel economy any/every day of the week...

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¹- The original Honda S2000s boasted 240 HP from a 2.0 L 4-banger, however it happened IIRC at 8500 rpm. Below that it's HP/torque curve was decidedly unimpressive. One reviewer at one of the trade rags reported that the power was impressive "...as long as you drove t like you just stole it!" The 3rd Gen Taco is not quite that bad, but also not too far removed. My lousy '06 Honda Silver Wing 600 (w/ some mods and my 220 lb lard ass on board) blows them off by several lengths between lights..

 

Bought my '15 with 22k on it after the 17's came out and absolutely love it. Sure the newer ones are nice and have some extra features but not worth the depreciation and money to me.

 

i bought my used 2015 after looking at 2016's. i like the styling of gen 2's better. since then, i have test driven the 2017 off road, still prefer my 2015. the interior of the new gen just seems really low quality and plastic-y to me. also the material used for the seats seemed to really highlight any dust that was on them, and i live in a dusty, rocky area. i still prefer 2nd gen, and probably always will.

 

No 3rd gen bashing at all but I simply preferred a 2015 SR5 with 23K to a newer 2016 TRD Sport with 12K. Saved some cash and I'm happier with the looks and more confident about reliability.

 

A 2013 with 28k miles around here would be closer to $30k. I'd jump on the 2nd gen.

 

This. I specifically bought a 2015 because I can't stand the way the new ones look (personal preference, obviously). I also didn't want the first iteration of a new platform, and wasn't wild about having a Camry motor in a truck (someone correct me if I'm wrong, I *believe* the 3.5L is an already existing motor from the Camry and one of the Lexuses).

I wish I had a sunroof, but that's honestly it.

 

I wish mine had that and the heated seats. And the wireless charger

 

I put a Dorman heated seat in my driver's seat last year, it works extremely well. I've been too lazy to put one in the passenger front seat so far, but I'll get around to that at some point too. Amazon sells them for something like $70, and they're easy to install. The stupid hog rings are the only annoying part.

 

Bought a 2015 TRD Offroad with 21000 miles. I always prefer a model that has all the bugs worked out over the new model. Great choice.

 

I think it's personal preference. I just bought a 13, I looked at a 17. The 13 was quite a bit cheaper; however, for me the front end of the 3rd Gens do not do it for me. Looks like a Ford Taurus had sex with a Tacoma, but to each their own.

 

I bought mine new in 2015, I preferred having the last model year of the 2nd gen vs. the first model year of the 3rd gen. Mine just came down to timing. If I were looking today, I wouldn't hesitate to look at a new 3rd gen now that they've been out for a couple of years.

 

Oh I also wish I had auto up drivers window, and power rear slider

 

I bought used and got a 2015 in 2017. Really wanted a dcsb manual. Didn't think brand new was worth the extra cash. And man am I happy, specially since two of my friends bought 16’s and have had nothing but trouble. One has since traded his in for a 2015!

 

No.

First of all, my wife and I never buy new vehicles; they're too damned expensive. Second, even though used 3-gens were available they still cost too much. Third, I was advised by some knowledgeable Toyota people to stay away from the 3-gens because of their smaller Atkinson Cycle motors which don't have as much oomph as the 4.0 liter 2-gen motor.