New member seeking info

Howdy all,

I used to have a Tacoma back when they were smaller and simpler (1980's), so it has been a while. I am now gainfully employed and seeking to replace my 1998 Honda Accord with a Tacoma. Questions:
1. where there any bad years during the 2000's to 2014? Junk trucks I want to avoid?
2. I see that the older Tacoma's hold their value well. Do people buy those or do they just buy new?
3. I have a small row boat (14ft with motor) and want to tow it. What size engine is enough to do the job yet not suck a lot of gas? I am sure I don't need a v8. What size 6 or even 4cyl will work? With the gas prices hovering around $3 per gallon, I want to stretch my gas dollars!!
4. Do they still make a manual transmission or is everything auto now?
5. Do they make them 2 wheel drive with the option to go 4 wheel or strictly all 4x4?

 

Welcome!

Many people still buy used first gens (1994-2004) and second gens (2005-2015).

I would imagine that any engine would tow a small boat like that, but I’m sure the V6 would do it better. I have a 2014 with a V6 and get 18-20 miles per gallon.

They do still offer manual transmissions and 2wd trucks as well. The older generations had what are referred to as 5 lugs, which are small 2wd’s. Or they also offered Prerunners, which are 2wd’s with the same suspension as a 4wd and came with 6 lug wheels.

As far as bad years, the most common issue is frame rust. I recommend reading some of the threads on this site regarding the issue before you go shopping for your truck.

 

Welcome to TW!!

 

When you say a row boat with a motor, do you mean an aluminum jon boat with a small trailer and like a 20hp motor?

A 4 will pull it fine.

There is no v8 option.

4wd vs 2wd is all in how its used.

 

Welcome from SCS!!

 

Hi Everybody! Well, getting some replies and I am very grateful for the input. My boat is a 14 ft starcraft with 4 inline seats (weighes 225 lb) and a 9.9hp Evinrude (weighs 78 lbs). The boat, motor and trailer together probably weighs no more than 500 lbs total and my fishing stuff no more than 20lbs. So you are probably right, any truck motor should do. I read that the I4 2.7L has a towing capacity of 3500lbs, which is plenty for me.
I can drive a manual trans no problem as I learned how to drive on a farm tractor and a semi truck cab at 12 years old. I like the idea of being able to go from 2WD to 4WD so that it could Increase my mpg.
A friend of mine has a son that is the manager at a Line-X spray on liner, and he told me he could get me a deal on a full underbody spray for $500 that would coat everything and stop the rust.

Still want to learn about the Tacos as they are called here. I am leaning toward a gen 2 or newer.

Just ran the numbers tonight with a friend and I might be able to pile up some real cash for a sizeable down payment (10K+). I will search the site here and do research as I plan on doing something by April-May of 2019.

Chrysler has their truck month in May. Does Toyota do anything similar? I am leaning heavily towards Toyota for the longevity and better mpg.

 

You won’t find any heavy discounts with Toyota’s,too much demand.

 

Welcome to the TW family!

 

Welcome, be prepared for some sticker shock in the used Tacoma market. When i first started looking I couldn't believe how much the used Tacomas were. I sucked it up and bought into the Tacoma value proposition and couldn't be happier