Buyers Remorse

he put 36k miles on the truck in 2 years and hated every single mile

he hates plastic (all engines held together with like 10 screws and 1000 plastic clips)

 

It's the same old story told by the 1% that don't test drive or have a change of heart and then come here to tell us all about theirs reasoning issues.

I'm happy to help anyone whenever possible, but these vehicles are still under warranty, and we can't even see or hear them to even begin to understand what could be the problem. They don't even provide a trim model, or engine size either, which is are some of the first rules in automotive diagnostics.

Additionally, most of the time it's just a mod or user related cause for the issue, or not a serious fatal one that can't be easily fixed.

 

I did a twelve month 14,000 mile test drive.

 

Some people are smart. They know they're laying out a chit load of cash and they try and rent one (a vehicle model) for a week or few days to fully analyze their purchase.

Others just jump in the pool without checking to see if it has any water, and then there's drama everywhere

 

I had a gen2 for 10 years then wreaked it. I prefer a midsized, does what I need it to and isn’t a bitch to park. I actually love my gen3, knew what I was getting into and that the Tacoma is (to me) the best midsized available. Shit even my wife said if we did a truck again it was this or Tundra. Test drove the actual one I got and called it good.

Great point about renting! Should always actually consider what you are getting before jumping into it and then bitching to everyone around you meet.

 

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Did you really just go that far out of your way to be a douche?
Looks like i missed one from this thread i also should have ignored.

 

Really?! Have you read your own comments in threads? Ignore away if you want.

I actually did read it, then made a sarcastic commment like 90% of the other comments on TW. He got all the answers he needed in previous comments.

 

This should be a must if you're buying.

Just because you drove the red one and loved it, does not mean the white one will be flawless when it arrives. The first thing I check for on the highway is a vibration or pull.
Very easy to fix under normal circumstances, but if the driver hung it up or damaged the undercarriage while unloading it, you're going to have a time convincing the stealer it was like that when you bought it, and that's how you buy the farm

 

I tried reading this thread in attempt to gather information from other people that aren't exactly happy with their 3rd Gen and see what they have done or had done to mitigate the issues. Instead this thread is impossible to navigate so I will just put my own summary here of what my first Toyota has given me and maybe someone will find it useful.

2018 Tacoma TRD Sport AT 3,000
Good:
-22-23 mpg on my daily commute of mixed driving
-best of 27.9 mpg on a 15 mile trip where there are no stop lights going 40-50mph
-Plenty of friggin power
-Manual shift auto is great for engine braking in the snow
-Ass warmers are toasty
-size of truck is good for hauling 4 passengers and the 6ft bed is big enough for my average homeowner usage.
-"premium" JBL radio sucks but is good for a stock stereo in a non-luxury vehicle
-Stock low beam projectors have a sharp cut off line (easy bulb upgrading without worrying about blinding drivers), stock high beam bulbs light up enough of the back roads I take for me to feel safe at 50mph+.

Bad:
-Misfire from 1100-1500 RPM in 5th and 6th gear after converter lockup and cruise state. Moderate throttle (small incline maintain speed which can be from 30-60mph). TSB computer flash did not solve and dealer states unable to duplicate the 2nd time I brought it in....I will deal with this when it becomes more consistent or I can take it to a dealer not in a city where I have enough space to duplicate easily
-Transmission can't just downshift 1 gear, always likes to drop 2 at a time, even after TSB flash. It's annoying for people like myself that try to get it to hold 5th or sixth and it decides dropping 2 gears is necessary to accelerate 3 mph to maintain speed up a hill.
- Rear brake shudder T-SB-0023-18 . Dealer was too busy not fixing the misfire to get to this (yes I should go to another dealer but this still falls under the bad category). I honestly thought I was crazy the first few times I felt this one, being in an area where the roads are shit it can get masked easily until you take your foot off the brakes and it magically goes away
-PAINT SUCKS, holy hell, this is my fault for not reading about the problems with the blue before buying. I am going to take it one day to get measured for thickness from an auto body shop before I pursue this one. I have had sub $3,000 re-sprays look better than this abortion of a paint job. There are no defects to it, but it is just obvious how thin the clear is and it would not surprise me a year from now when issues arise.
- Fog lights are useless, they add nothing but seeing 90 degrees from the driver seat, which is great when going 5 mph looking for a house address... I would prefer they be useful for the torrential downpours, snow and FOG. 06 Mustang GT stock fog lights I could run with no headlights and see great in the rain. '15 VW Golf with Factory HID headlights and no fogs I can see great in the rain, fog and snow. I am upgrading to projector fog lights on the Tacoma to mitigate this.

Long story short, it's a great truck that doesn't live up to the Toyota reputation. I don't want a Ford, a Colorado, not a fan of Nissan's offerings, the Honda is not a truck....essentially while it is not what it should be, there's nothing I would trade it for in the mid sized truck category made in the last 5 years. Doesn't meet my hopes/expectations but it still beats the competition (I am assuming the Ranger will have 1st gen issues).

EDIT: Toyota made the misfire situation right by offering me an extended warranty. I did not argue with them, did not demand anything, just straight up told them I found it unacceptable and they found a way to make me a happy customer

I put HID projectors in the foglights and am now happy with that

Transmission still is jumpy but I have gotten more used to the way it acts. That or it learned better how I act.

The rear brakes I don't notice as much now after 5k service, possible lug nut torque issue as per the TSB

The paint still sucks but I guess that is just something I deal with if it becomes a bigger issue. For now I just keep her constantly waxed.

 

LOL

Cliff Notes:

- Bought cause wife.
- Engine makes no power where trans always wants to be + truck falls on its face when floored randomly.
- Entire vehicle feels cheap
- Even with all issues still pretty good but just not great.
- Selling to buy used GX460 cause knocked wife up.



And for other replies I couldnt give a crap if anyone feels my experience is valid or not. It is what it is to me. Just like you can express you like the truck I can express I didnt care for it. Buy it, drive it, sell it. Its not like I married the thing, I can be in a different car anytime I want.

 

Congrats on the baby.

I like my truck, but I think some of your concerns and complaints are valid. I did have the stumble, but the TSB took care of it. Good luck going forward.

 

I feel your pain .I had the auto TRD off road 4x4 u think the manual is bad drive the auto good god I wanted to drive it off a cliff . crap shifting, buzzing around 2500 rpm in steering wheel and floor board . A lot of people here have had mixed experiences with this truck . I sold mine and got a Honda .Didn't want to deal with the issues .Don't get me wrong I loved the truck but hated the transmission and engine . Toyota needs to step it up to hold there credibility as the best selling truck .

 

I believe they did for 2019. I have none of the shifting problems described here.

 

Neither do I.

 

Tacoma is like the Glock of trucks, people hate on it, it doesn't do anything too fancy, doesn't pretend to be anything its not but you should be able to rely on it's out of the box capabilities.

Oh and tons of after market products.

 

..
...^^^... Did you get a Ridgeline ?

I left Toyota a few years ago because of a drive shaft vibration problem on a TRD OR 4x4. I tried a Honda Ridgeline and thought the QC was actually better.

However, the Ridgeline was a little too "van like" for me and I came back to Tacoma. Once I learned how to drive the Gen 3 Tacoma in S and shift between 3rd and 4th, I actually love this truck and have kept it longer than any other vehicle in my life (now at 33 months and 24,000 miles).

I would pick the Ridgeline again, if it was the same size as the Tacoma and was a body on frame design and more truck like.

Again ... the QC was better with the Ridgeline IMO.

 

Same here. I haven't had these problems with my 2019. Maybe they did fix it?

 

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