What truck did you come from and how does the Tacoma compare - Not bashing

I came from a 2005 Silverado love my new Tacoma

 

Came from a 2011 Silverado,it was 2wd and with an upcoming move to either Alaska or back home to Oregon I knew I’d either absolutely NEED (Alaska) or want (oregon) something 4wd,that combined with the fact I don’t really need a full sized truck I traded it in for a Tacoma when they came back with the trade in offer for the ‘rado. Love the taco.

 

1996 Toyota 80 series Land Cruiser to 2019 Tacoma. So far, I like the Tacoma better, in every category. Ask me again in 20 years and 250,000 miles.

 

My previous truck was a 2003 Ford F150. The Tacoma is better at everything.

 

2012 tundra dc
2014 4Runner Ltd
2017 Colorado Zr2

It’s a toss up for best , taco or 4Runner

 

Had a 2016 SR DCSB 2.7 for 2 years. I loved it but thought I wanted a full size and knew I wanted a few more fancy features. Traded it for a 2018 Ram 1500 Laramie V6. I liked the extra features but it was just too big for the areas I drive and what I needed in a vehicle. So I traded that for a 19 Sport DCSB back in December. I'm back to loving my truck again. The Tacoma drives so much better than the Ram. MPG is slightly better averaging 18-19 vs 16-17 and it feels much lighter on its feet.

 

ok. spill on the zr2 and your thoughts good and bad!!

 

I went from a 2011 Kia soul, about creamed when I sat in the 18taco seat. Sold!

 

4Runner was a lease, tried hard to find a taco pro with out a mark up but here in SoCal was not happening. Got a good deal on the zr2, chevy always discounts. The good,front locker and dssv’s. Engine had good power but the 8 speed sucks, I don’t know why everyone bitches about the taco trans, it feels smooth and less hunting. Apple CarPlay nothing special jbl sounds better than the Bose,power seats were nice.Everything else Toyota is superior,build quality, fit and finish,looks,shock mounts where they are supposed to be,just feels better on the road.
Couldn’t be happier.

 

1964 Dodge stepside —> 1988 GMC Jimmy

Not much to compare, but the Jimmy has done great for 31 years and is unstoppable in the snow. I love my 2016 TRD Sport!

 

1964 Ford Thunderbird convertible - 40 years, still own
1970 Ford Bronco 302 4x4 pickup version - 5 years, sold
1983 Toyota SR5 22R 5-speed 4x4 - 12 years. sold (200,000 miles)
1993 Toyota Deluxe extra cab 22RE 5-speed 4X4 - 25 years, sold (305,000 Miles)
2018 Toyota Sport double cab, V6, AT, long bed, 4x4 - 1 year, still own

All were & are bone stock from day 1 - makes for better resale by far.
I think the '83 was the most fun to drive, but the straight axle up front made for a rough ride.
the '93 was a VERY dependable workhorse, never let me down.
Wish I still had them all though - the current value of the Bronco is crazy.....

 

Came From a 94 ford explorer to a ford 2000 ranger to a 2000 3rd gen 4runner to a 2003 4runner and now have my 2018 tacoma

 

Came from a 2001 Frontier. Solid truck, gas mileage was worse, ride slightly noiser but since i bought the Fronty, i had always wanted a Tacoma and wished I bought one instead back when, but the cost for a double cab Taco was like $3-4k more then the Frontier at the time and since I was younger and paid cash, i couldnt justify the additional cash. Hindsight though, i could have sold a similarly equipped Tacoma for $5k more when I sold the Frontier so it would have been a better buy. I am happy with my Tacoma and wouldn’t have been happier with any other brand.

 

I came from a 2000 Mazda B3000 (Ford Ranger 3.0 V6) I miss that old girl but she was due for a change.

Driving Experience: Tacoma is better but not by much, the little Ranger was nice to drive and a similar body on frame handling. However getting in and out of the Ranger was much easier than the Tacoma (I'm small 5'8") but I need to climb in and out of the Tacoma where the Ranger I just got into and slid out of. Had the sideways back seats which sucked but certainly made due in a pinch.

Gas Mileage: Tacoma wins.... by far! 2.7l gets me around 25mpg highway Ranger was getting 18 mpg highway. Of course comparing V6 to I4 isn't the same really but the two have similar power ~150hp

Interior: Tacoma is definitely nicer but it is also almost 20 years newer so nothing crazy. Ranger wasn't bad for a basic, crank window, work truck. I feel the fabrics on the older truck were more durable (no tears or anything after 20 years) the tacoma base seats look pretty thing and like they'd wear pretty quickly (any feedback?)

Offroad: Ranger was 2wd with an open diff. I once got semi-stuck when one wheel went into some mud by a road... but at the same time that ranger got me through 18" snow without much of problem and 2 wheel drifts around bends were kind of fun! Looking forward to 4wd fun in the Tacoma, so far only a few dirt patches here and there in Surburbia NJ (Any locals want to go mild off roading?)

Reliability: 20 years and going on the Ranger with only minor repairs so I hope the Taco ties it.

Bed: I use my truck for hauling construction stuff so the bed height and size (6 foot) on the Ranger were good enough for everything I needed. The Taco has the same bed length (maybe a few " longer) but the bed sides are so high it is hard to put stuff in/take out without climbing in. I'm glad for the ground clearance for fun but 90% of the time I'm hauling supplies. I did find the end of the step bar is handy to use as a step side bed to reach stuff in the back.

The Tacoma was the best mid-size truck to replace my Ranger, similar size, better fuel economy, and should last 20 years just like the Ranger did (hence the 2.7l 4cyl). New Ranger looked a little girly to me plus I could never find one to test drive.

 

2011 Black AT DCSB 4x4 TRD Sport --->> 2016 Black AT DCSB 4x4 TRD Sport

this one is better in every way

 

Had a 2014 Ram 1500. That thing could pull a ton more weight and got about the same mileage as the Tacoma. More fun to drive the Tacoma because Ram did not offer MT in the 1500 series. Thinking about a new 2018 Ram 2500 with MT as it is the last year for it. Just don't know if diesel is the way to go with additive, etc.

 

I had the use of a 1999 Ranger for a while, I found the bench seat was the most uncomfortable seating arrangement in any vehicle I'd ever been in (I'm 5'10). Even my first vehicle (1992 Mazda B2200) was more comfortable. Both the Mazda and Ranger were great trucks though, even my RWD '92 was great but the '99 really shined in the snow. The mileage was absolutely atrocious though... probably got close to 12mpg in the city.

 

Previous and only truck was a 2011 (or so) Chevy Avalanche. It was an upper-end trim, had auto-everything. Very plush truck. We used it to pull a popup camper and haul bikes and kayaks. It had a 5/7-L engine and could pull 3000# without breaking a sweat.

It was a very comfortable ride up front, but back was not pleasant. Fortunately, I rarely had to ride back there.

Despite the variable valve timing, it got lousy gas mileage, generally around 15 MPG. Long trips with that guy were expensive--easily $100 fillup bills.

The main reason we sold it, after we sold the popup and went with an RV, was it was too big--hard to park. To be honest I wouldn't have minded having it around, since we went back to a small camper instead of the RV (does that qualify as a truck? an Itasca Navion with Mercedes Sprinter 3-L turbodiesel) last year.

But the Taco is worlds more fun to drive. I like how it feels small and maneuverable, while being solid. It's MT--I am just an old-school, manual kind of guy. It's big enough for what I want to use it for. Not great gas mileage, but better than the Avalanche...

 

1977 Oldsmobile Delta 88
1985 GMC Sonoma
1998 Ford Ranger
1991 Dodge Stealth
2001 Dodge Ram
2001 Toyota Tacoma
2001 Toyota 4runner
2007 Honda Accord
2014 Ford Explorer
2017 Ford Fusion

Still have the 4runner, as a back up vehicle. Owned the Taco and 4Runner and Accord at the same time. Now own the Explorer and Fusion along with the 4runner.

Miss my 1st gen. Would like to trade the 4runner for a 4door Taco, 1st gen of course.