Who has vehicle ADD worse than me? A confessional.

Let me start by saying that yes, it has cost me a lot of money that could have been spent elsewhere, but aside from a few questionable decisions, I have little regret. However, I am trying to stick with one vehicle for awhile and stop the car carousel.

I just stopped to count them up, and I've owned 22 different vehicles over the past 23 years (some of which overlapped). Longest I've had a vehicle has been 4yrs and shortest has been maybe 3 months. I've been mostly in to sports cars, but have had a pretty wide range of vehicles. Tundra, Jeep Wrangler, 6MT Taco (my current one is AT) as well as vehicles at the completely other end of the spectrum like Porsche 911s and Honda S2000s. I've modified something on just about every vehicle I've owned, some with thousands spent on major mods and some vehicles nothing more than window tint. With both the kids and homeowner needs growing though, the justification for owning, modding and driving sports cars has dwindled, and I've chosen to focus more on just one vehicle.

It does seem the Tacoma checks the vast majority of the boxes for a single "do-it-all" vehicle It's got utility, space for the family, reliability and a fun factor which is important. It's not too expensive to service or fix if something does break, and the aftermarket is endless for someone who is in to modding like myself. Do I wish it had a little more power/performance? Yes. Even though I know it is a truck and isn't supposed to be fast, it could use a little more ummph. Do I wish it had a little more interior refinement? Yes. But all in all, it checks more boxes than anything else I can think of for under $50K, and it is a ton of fun.

Anyway, curious to hear from other fellow enthusiasts who have had a range of vehicles as to whether or not your 3rd Gen is the keeper.

 

I washed mine once.

 

I haven't owned anything close to the amount of vehicles you have, but I have had a couple Mustangs, Silverado 1/2 ton, couple F250 diesels, currently in a Silverado 3/4 ton diesel, my wife had an Eclipse when we married (don't even get me started on that POS), then a Camry, now the 3rd gen is her daily. We both love it! She says that she liked her Camry but loves her Tacoma. I have made the statement multiple times that if I didn't need a diesel for the towing capabilities, I would be driving a Tacoma too.

 

You'll grow tired of the Tacomas tiny interior with a family.

 

Check out OVTune (Orange Virus Tuning) for your "ummph" issue. Very happy with it on my '17 OR DCSB.
Welcome to the Tacoma family and since you like to mod TacomaWorld is certainly in the right place to be.

 

Im 38 and have owned well over 40 cars.....stopped counting a while back. We usually have 3-5 at any given time. 17' Tacoma OR, 13' GX460, 15' Golf Sportwagen, 06' WRX and a 93' Civic SI right now LOL

Tacoma is for sale right now, Old Man Tan with a lift!

 

I had my '88 Saab 13 years.

my 2010 VW jetta 6 weeks.

 

Toyota for Life

 

I'm like you and have had a little bit of everything. For most things the truck works well for, but drivability as a DD it's one of the worst vehicles I have owned, if not the worst. That's around 25-30 different vehicles, auto, stick, dual clutch paddles, etc. The engine and trans constantly shifting and never in the right gear, the terrible lag in throttle response. No power, put your foot into it and there's a huge input lag then it goes. Like hella turbo lag. The janky hard shifts up and down. Like the trans is slipping. It's like a 1st gen cvt. The truck will shift 4-5 times with any minor grade increase. 4-3-2-3-4-5 and that's to maintain 35mph on a relatively flat road, forget when there is a grade. Shines off-road, trails, 4wd. But any other driving is almost unbearable. I'm keeping it for the time being, until I can find something else on a lot I like. But wouldn't be upset if it got totaled or stolen lol. So no, not a keeper

 

Should have clarified... the vehicles I've listed have been primarily mine for commuting, recreation and fun. Since having kids, the wife and I have always had a family vehicle as well. We all pile in the truck on occasion for shorter trips, but for 95% of the family duties, we have a boring minivan.

 

I am quite the opposite. I usually find a good vehicle and keep it for a while. The shortest time I owned a vehicle was 5 years, and that was a 1995 Mazda B2300. When our daughter was born we needed something else. So lets see here, a 2000 honda odyssey we still have, I had a honda motorcycle I bought in 2004 and sold in 2017 to buy my new Honda motorcycle. I had my 2005 dakota bought new in 05 and traded it in 2018 for the Tacoma. Wife has a 2015 Rav4 we bought her in 2015 because the van was getting too worn out for out of town trips. I expect the Rav4 to last a long time and so far it looks good for the Tacoma too.

 

I’m a slut. Somewhere around 30 vehicles and I’m 37. Everything from a Mitsubishi précis to a new Denali but I have mostly owned Toyota pickups or 4runners

 

I've read extensively about the transmission and shifting woes on here, and for me, after a few months of ownership, I can see/feel what people are talking about, but also don't think it is nearly as bad as reported. The lag on shifting almost like turbo lag is by far the most annoying part for me, but it isn't to the point that I dont enjoy driving the truck. It's more situational for me, and with a truck I find myself in far fewer situations where I want to put the power down immediately. The shift mapping or gear hunting when commuting is not something that I notice. Perhaps I've already adapted to the right throttle positions, I don't know. I do plan on doing the TSB though.

I'd really love if there would be a TRD/magnusson supercharger option like on the 2nd gen or 4runner though. That'd be perfect for me.

 

I am soon to be 45 years old, have owned 39 different vehicles since I have been 15 years old. the one car I kept longer than 2 years a Mustang my Dad and I built for drag racing in 1992. I had that car for 13 years before selling it. after he passed away, I couldn't bring myself to spend money on it anymore and I sold it. I miss it sometimes, but I don't regret it. the memories live on. I simply like to drive new vehicles. we trade about every 15-18 months honestly. my Taco just turned a year old Feb 28th and I suspect I won't have it much longer.

 

I’m 43 and have had 10 Toyota’s (Lexus included) and 23 Honda’s (Acura’s included)
33 cars total in 26 years.
Currently have 2 Honda’s and 2 Toyota’s.
Perfect balance for me.

 

I certainly do! Have owned five cars over the past decade. looking to make a switch again! lol

 

That's a nice frickin truck.
What wheels are they ?

 

Definitely check out the tune. The latest release really is worth it.... and the latest posts make me think that he has more up his sleeve.

 

I've had a lot of cars, and typically grow tired of them fairly quickly. The sole exception to that is my 2002 Gen1 DC 4x4. Still have it, still love it. It's going to get sold, but I'm not in a hurry.

And the Gen3. As long as it is dependable, takes decent beating off road and doesn't give me a bunch of headaches, I'll be hanging onto this one for quite some time. I'm keeping miles low on it, and have a bunch invested in it to get it to do what I want it to (same with the Gen1 before I got the Gen3), and I anticipate having it at least 15 years. Hell, if it stays solid, it may be my last truck at my age.

If I get a hankering for a new vehicle, I'll lease a lexus or acura once this is paid off. But the only way this one is going anywhere is if it becomes an unreliable failure, or Toyota brings back the FJ40.

 

My first car was a 2000 Ford Focus ZX3 (hatchback) in manual. Bought it used with about 40k miles and owned for 11+ years. Ran like a champ! It had a lot of minor issues near the end but it never broke down. The engine itself was rock solid. My friends were pretty impressed when they kept seeing me roll up in that thing year after year. It eventually started to become a joke amongst people because they didn't expect the thing to keep running so long.

My second was a 2014 Mazda 3 sedan in manual. Owned that for almost 5 years. Fantastic car. Would easily recommend one to anyone!

Now I have my Tacoma TRD OR in automatic. It has been a massive change. AT vs MT. Big vs small. Front wheel drive vs rear wheel and 4x4. Loving every bit of it so far though! Can't wait until spring so I can haul around the fishing kayak.