Am I crazy? Considering trading my '18 F250 for '19 Tacoma Off Road

Good afternoon all! I have been lurking here for a while. Super awesome forum and help with questions.

Here is the scenario. I have a 2018 F250 Lariat that I really love but I am thinking of trading it in for a 2019 Tacoma Off Road. I need a reality check.

I really do love my F250. It has been a great truck. But it is huge. I have to park it in the back end of the parking lot as it takes up two space and most parking decks are a no-go. It can haul and has a lot of cargo room. Plenty of cabin space.

Why I lead to the Tacoma is the smaller footprint and really look to have some thing that is off-road/bad road friendly. Something to take skiing in the winter and camping in the summer. I have a wife and young seven year old son. Most of my driving 90% is done by myself and longer distances of 20-60 miles.

I have test driven the Tacoma a few times. A little of a pain to get in, but manageable. A little tight in back but its just my son/wife. I am only 5'10" myself.

Has anyone made the decision to go from an HD truck to a Taco?

Thank you in advance!

 

Welcome to TW. Never had a full size so I can't help but you'll get lots of opinions here.

 

Without knowing the numbers it's hard to say if it's crazy or not. I imagine trading in a truck that new is going to end up with you taking it in the shorts.

 

You won’t hear to many voices of deterrent nor voices of reason it’s tacomaworld- we really enjoy our trucks- get you one

 

Yes. Already running the numbers. Selling on my own would gain a few dollars back. Fortunately I received a F250 on a great discount.

 

no one can make your mind up on what fits yours needs, only you can decide on what your looking to get from a truck. asking a question like this on a forum your going to end up more confused

 

Hold out for the new Ranger.

 

Had an 07 F250 and now I have a Tacoma. Those trucks are just way to big when you’re not towing and using them daily.

 

Welcome! get rid of that boat and grab yourself a Tacoma

 

The problem is the incentives on new full size trucks from the big three can be insane. There's almost no incentive to buy one that's a year old.

 

They are already out there. Great little truck. ZR2 is good too. Tacoma is what I am drawn too for all the community and aftermarket gear.

 

After owning my 2018 since October, I am considering just the opposite.
The horrible lack of highway drivability is killing my enthusiasm for this truck.

When a slight grade or headwind requires it downshift a gear or two at 70mph... there's a problem.
When you have literally THOUSANDS of Tacoma owners chomping at the bit for an OV Tune to be dropped so they can tolerate their trucks... there's a problem.

I can't even drive my truck in "D".
Only way I can tolerate it is with ECT button on before I leave the driveway and S4 around town and S5 on the highway. 6th gear is fucking useless.

 

Since most of your driving is alone, the Tacoma will be fine. My 18 year old son rode in the back seat yesterday and said it was fine for around town, but he wouldn't want to go on a road trip in it. Parking is nice, although I still park as far away as I can and sometimes take up two spaces depending what store I am at, just because some people don't care about others.

 

I have no desire to buy OV Tune. My truck shifts fine

 

Had and extended cab Silverado 2500 long bed for work. Driving it all week and getting in my taco on the weekends felt like getting in a sports car. I’m just as comfortable in my Tacoma and like being able to park anywhere without feeling like I’m docking. Only way I would go back to a full size for personal use is if I needed more towing capability.

 

What do you use the truck for? That would help in the decision. Do you haul/tow a lot? Or is it mostly a commuter? You mentioned the long distances

 

If you're willing to take the hit since you're truck is only a year old and domestic (wont get much for trade from Toyota, and end of year big three incentives are big right now on new), I'd say go for it. I've had 7 Tacomas, I traded my 4th one on a new Silverado in Oct of 14, with $12000 in rebates, within 4 months I realized I hated it and wanted to trade back to a Tacoma, even with the discount I took a hit on trade, MSRP on the Silverado was $46k I paid $35k and only got $29k trade in 4 months later. I also would think long and hard about the size. Its just me and the girlfriend and its perfect, but the few times I do have passengers it does suck back there. I know when I do start a family I'll be looking at a full size. Good luck and welcome.

 

Mine is fine as well. I even tried to pay special attention and see if I could feel or experience what others are saying, I could not see or feel anything that was so annoying.

 

It’s all personal preference. Do you need the hauling/towing capability of an F250 and the large interior cabin space? In the future any plans on expanding the family to include more then 3 people in that picture? Can you go from the “luxuries” of the Lariat to an Off-Road with slightly less features(no panoramic sunroof, etc)? Also depends on what bed size you have(short bed/long bed). Dependent on that you would most likely loosing interior cabin space and bed space. Also depending on the bed size of your taco. If anything you could ask for an extended test drive, some dealers will let you take the truck home for a night or even for a few hours to allow you to “run errands” or see how it fits into your every day life. Not sure what motor you have in the Ford, but you might get better MPG in the taco also. I know that was long, but it’s all questions you kind of have to ask yourself.