Tacoma breaks sales record, 20,000 sold in a month

It's time for Honda to pony up and go body-on-frame.

The problem with the ridgeline is that it doesn't have a market. People who drive pickup trucks want a real, traditional, part time 4x4 w/ body on frame truck, not a Pilot SUV with a box. And the people who don't give a shit about that kind of stuff aren't into pickups anyway and would just rather just buy the Pilot or Highlander. So who is this for?

 

Ford wants to keep up the "best selling truck series in America" thing. I couldn't even find anywhere that split the numbers by model. It wouldn't surprise me if they brought back the F-100 name for the Ranger so they can add the numbers. It's a sneaky move. The F-150 is nothing like the F-350 that it's lumped in with and they should be counted separately. I can see the 250s and 350s being counted together, and the 450+ but they are not all the same.

 

Would still love to see Toyota bring the Hilux (diesel t100) over. The mid/small size diesel market needs competition!

 

When I bought my Tacoma, a coworker asked me how much I paid. He then said "that's a lot of coin for a small truck", followed by "did you ever consider the Ridgeline?"

It took every ounce of restraint to not laugh uncontrollably.

 

"Ford wants to keep up the "best selling truck series in America" thing. I couldn't even find anywhere that split the numbers by model. It wouldn't surprise me if they brought back the F-100 name for the Ranger so they can add the numbers. It's a sneaky move. The F-150 is nothing like the F-350 that it's lumped in with and they should be counted separately. I can see the 250s and 350s being counted together, and the 450+ but they are not all the same."

Chevrolet, GM and Dodge Ram lump their models together just like Ford.
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Not sure what he paid for it, but I suspect it was something close to what it would have cost in 2007 as well. I think that's one of the major reasons people buy them.

It's tried and true with good reliability and you are not paying $40,000+ (at least in Canada) for a mid sized pick up truck.

 

I agree - like it or not Ford will likely dip into those #'s once it's introduced. Assuming Ford does not do something stupid with the pricing,

Do you think that there will be a point that there will be so many Tacoma's on the road, their value retention as used trucks will drop off?

 

This hits the nail on the head.

Tacoma is the quintessential midsize pickup. Brand recognition is a powerful thing.

 

In the midwest, people are going to buy Ford no matter what. Always Ford vs Chevys. Tacos will never be in the running anyway. What the new Ranger will shave off is the Ford SUVs like the Explorer. Or Ford people moving up from Escapes. Or whatever POS Ford car.

So I expect little Taco hit.

 

I don't think so. As it stands Tacomas don't hold their value because of any perceived rarity. At any given time there are tons of these up for sale. People on the used market are willing to pay more for something they feel is a safer investment. The Tacoma is a self-fufilling prophecy at this point.

Unless the 3rd gens completely fall apart mechanically in the next few years then that perception isn't going to change.

 

What's with all the hate on the Ridgeline? I considered a Ridgeline before I got my Taco. My wife had a Pilot and it was awesome. My AWD 1st gen CRV would do light trails great too; it was also awesome. 98% of my Taco's miles are road or commuting, I'd probably be fine with an SUV and the same goes for most of you.

The only reason I'm not in a Ridgeline is because the bed was smaller than the Taco, and the Taco was cheaper in a 4wd config than the Ridgeline in AWD. For most of y'all in the American market of Costcos, Starbucks, Wal-Mart, and the 9-5 grind of the commute (myself included), the Ridgeline is a real option.

Do y'all need viagra so bad that you compensate by bashing on SUVs? Am I out of touch with reality? Are you? Comparison threads like these are just weird. Why bash on a vehicle you don't own and probably have never stepped in because it's less "truck" than what you drive?

 

I think the Ridgeline gets so much crap on here because sites like consumer reports always list it as their favorite. It doesn't really fit into the Truck category any more than a Subaru Brat does. It's probably good for what it is, but it looks terrible has less ground clearance than a Subaru and has a unibody frame.

 

When I was shopping for this truck, I stopped at the Chevy dealership, talked to the sales guy, he basicly laughed at me when I asked when they could get a manual trans in for me to test drive. He did say they are available, but not sure if he could get one in. He was more excited to tell em about the used taco they just took in that he was getting for his son in law. That was enough for me to know the bow tie wasn't getting my money.

No manual transmission never thought about it beyond that. But the comments my wife made one day when we came up behind the ridgeline were enough to know she wouldn't let me buy one. I was laughing my ass off, seriously thought I was going to have to pull over. If I didn't know better, I would have thought she was quoting some of the most common jabs at the ridgeline.

 

With the stock rear suspension my Tacoma had, I'm really not sure it counts as a truck either. Stock, it's riding on the bumpstops with a load of mulch or some lawn debris. I shouldn't have to upgrade to "Dakar" springs to use my truck as a truck.

I looked up the consumer reports comparison, I can certainly understand that being an unfair comparison. It looks almost like Honda paid them. It's a stretch at best. I definitely agree with you that the minuscule bed makes the Ridgeline comparable to a Brat though. The short bed Tacoma is only a bit better, with slightly more length and width.

I've had 3 manual vehicles and over a dozen motorcycles. I can see the appeal to a manual, but really don't understand why this makes the Ridgeline any less of a viable option. They both have their advantages, on and off the trail.

Your post makes it sound like your wife made you choose against the Ridgeline. Sorry to hear your wife chose your truck for you. I might understand making fun of older generations of Ridgeline, but the newest generation Ridgeline looks much better than the older ones.

It's still not "rugged" but it looks like a truck. If I want rugged, I'll grow a beard? Maybe I just don't get it.

 

It really doesn't look like a truck though. It looks like someone converted an Odyssey. If having a box is enough to make something a truck then Utes and El Caminos are trucks too. Except they're not.

If anything the older Ridgelines looked better. They had more character than these new ones. Honestly Honda makes some great looking cars. These new Civics and Accords are sharp, but it's obvious they failed miserably with the second gen Ridgelines on a fundamental aesthetic level.

 

Don't forget its front wheel drive! Lol that's why it's not in my truck category

 

LOL, you think my wife picked my truck. If it was up to her I would have an SUV, probably one of the VW options. My point was she made so much fun of the shitty looking Ridgeline, yes the "truck" that not even grizzly fucking Adams could make look rugged, that it was clear that she would not have approved if I bought one.

On the manual, if the Ridgeline doesn't offer it, and that's a requirement in my vehicle purchase, why in the hell would I waste anytime on the ridgeline.

Your right, you don't get it.

 

It’s truly an easy answer. We are not you. Believe it or not there’s still undeveloped parts of the us, Atlanta. Some people drive in 4x4 every day to get to work. Some people wouldn’t make it back home from their favorite fishing hole in a ridge line. If 98% of your driving is pavement, and the other 2% is crv approved trail. You didn’t need this truck. But I agree, tons of people purchase capability that will never be made capable. I don’t want to come off harsh, but concrete jungle folks tend to think there’s less and less clean air breathers. We are still out here.

 

Thanks. I wondered because I see Tundras around here all the time that don't look any bigger than my Tacoma (just eyeballing them, anyway).

 

I'm happy I got to contribute to this and help my salesman achieve his goals last month. Not only that it brought me to this awesome place to find all you enthusiasts.