Kids...

Seeing a big change in the near future...Kids

None are currently on the way but there will be one within the next 2 years.

Goal: have a truck we’re the fam can all jump in and hit the trails/camp

Which is making question the current setup: extended cab

I’ve poured a decent amount of time into my truck and would hate to see it go, so I’ve began considering a few options.

Just and overview of what I’m working
Currently at 127k



Option 1: buy a double cab (1st gen of course)
- I can transfer over the wheels, bumpers and swingout tailgate, hubs, coms, accessories etc.
- I’d update the suspension with pretty much the same setup OME
-build new bed rack

However this would force me to sell the current truck, with the sliders (welded on) and bedrack (won’t fit the smaller bed)
- I’d have to source bumpers, tail gate and wheels & tires but suspension would stay with the truck

Option 2: Keep the truck and deal with the limited space

Fiancé has a Jeep, so that will work for around town.

You guys out there with kids and extended cabs, how do you make the set up work?

Option 3: buy a 3rd gen 4runner and sell the truck as is an keep accessories

I know it’s not a tacoma but it’s close enough
- I get the extra room, and can keep wheels and tires
- RTT mounts hella high/drag
- Gotta go through suspension

Note: Cost is not a huge issue, but I always like to keep as low as possible, cuz I’m cheap ahah



Any other options you can think of(no 2nd or 3rd gen taco stuff) let me know.

Others who have dealt with this issue your input is encouraged.


Edit: Picked up a 4runner and wife said “huh think it would look better lifted.”

 

Lexus GX 470 or whatever the Prado thing is?

 

Okay, don't hit me . If you want to use the truck for camping and off roading the extended will probably not work when the kiddos come around. I had a 3rd gen AC and it worked for a bit and I believe there is a little more space back there than the 1st gen. When the kids are small getting a car seat back there will be hard and if you make it fit the person in the front seat isn't going to be too happy. When I got the AC my youngest one was in the booster and it worked for us. As they got older the space wasn't really working because they had to sit upright and on the long trips to go camping it wasn't fun for them. Ended up trading it in for a double cab.

I would say either get a 1st gen double cab or go with the 4runner. Remember when they're small you need more than just a car seat i.e. diaper bag, stroller, etc. BTW - your life will definitely change when the kiddos come around for the better. Being a dad has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me other than marrying my wife.

 

Furthest I’d go from a taco is a landcruiser.

 

I feel your pain. I have an extra cab as well, put a lot of money and blood/sweat/tears into this truck.

My wife and I found out recently that we're having a baby in January.

First things first, you're not gonna get a car seat in the back...unless maybe you find an old one from when they were smaller and fold the front seat all the way up.

You CAN put a child seat in the front as long as you turn the airbag off, a lot of people think this is against the law but it is not. Only if you don't have an on/off airbag switch. That being said, it's not the safest place for a baby. But there is that.

Right now I'm of the mindset that I'm going to promote my truck to weekend warrior duties only when the baby comes along, and get a commuter for day to day driving. That was always the eventual plan for my truck.

The hard part is going to come when the kid gets older and we want to do family trips. The jump seats in the back are really no place for a human being, but luckily my wife is pretty small so with the seat up and the kid in the back we can probably make it work until they get to be several years old.

Then it'll be time for a Landcruiser haha.

 

@Fuergrissa

Dibs on the swing out tail gate!

 

Keeping if I go double cab

 

I've thought about that too but one of the primary reasons I went with the extra cab was because Toyota done f**ked up and didn't offer the double cab with a manual trans on 1st gens. If they did then I'd sell mine for one in a heartbeat and just swap the mods over.

 

get the 4runner!!!

 

I don’t like auto but it’s the compromise I’m willing to make.

 

I occasionally get nagging thoughts about just going with a 2nd gen because you can get a double cab manual on those, but if I'm going to go bigger I'm going to get a Landcruiser 80s series. Hopefully. I could sacrifice the manual for one of those.

 

1st gen double cabs don't have a lot of room in the back seat. Even a rearward-facing child seat is a tight fit, and the seat back is very upright making forward-facing a bit awkward as well. I like the 4Runner idea best -- we had a 1999 that was great when both my girls were little.

 

Better start looking now for that 80 series. Could take quite a few months to find a good one now as the NEWEST one is 22 years old now. You might wanna go 100 series. More capable than anything else Toyota, besides the 80 series, and suuuuper reliable, like the 80 series.

 

Everyone in this thread has been spot on.

Now for my thoughts... I have two kids. My son is 3 and my daughter is 1, will be 4 and 2 in December, and i will tell you that a 1st Gen double cab is not a good vehicle to put 1, let alone 2 car seats in the back seat. It gets very uncomfortable... and I'm 5'9", my wife is 5'2"ish. It's just small in there. In addition to that, there are NO ANCHORS for the car seats in the back so you'll have to use the shoulder belts and i honestly dont feel that comfortable with that. Maybe for short drives, but not for long road trips.

For a family, i'd say get an 80 series Cruiser or a 4th gen 4Runner. You wont be disappointed with the amount of space and comfort. Another option is to keep the extended cab as your trail rig and get a nice family SUV for the wife (this is the option I went with for keeping the DCSB).

And congrats @eon_blue !!! Being a Dad is my favorite thing, tough learning curve at first, but fun too.

 

Thanks!! Pretty excited, we find out if it's a boy or girl this week

 

Cross the bridge when you get there.

 

I was super stoked to find out my first was a boy. But now my girl is a year and a half and shes always playing with the tool toys and wanting to be with me in the garage just like my son. Point is, either way the coin lands, that's still your kid and it's gonna want to be just like you.

 

4th gen T4R. Or get mom a highlander or something and you use the truck on special occasions. I was a kid who was stuffed in the back of a 1st gen double cab with my sister, then later an extended cab 92. Give your kids space.


Its probably why Im such an introvert now. I was so close to people all the time growing up lol.

 

I haven’t made many post on here but this is one I feel I’m qualified to answer.
I owned a 97 ext. cab. and had two small children. No big deal as we always used my wife’s car when we traveled as a family.
Anyway, I ended up divorced and suddenly was trying to make my truck work with car seats.
No matter how I set them up every time I loaded the kids in the truck there was a pang of guilt as I felt like my kids weren’t as safe as they should be. Borrow a friends car seat and just set it in your truck to get an idea of what I’m talking about. Even if you can get the car seat buckled in correctly there’s no crumple room if God forbid you get in a bad accident.
I ended up trading my Tacoma in on an F250 and absolutely hated it but it served its purpose and kept my kids safe.
I’ve owned three Tacoma’s since but still miss that 1st gen. My advice would be to buy a truck that suits your family needs and keep your 1st gen, if you drop the insurance on it to liability it’s not too bad on the wallet and when the kids get a little older you have an adventure vehicle.

 

Wow thanks for all the replies!

You guys really put it into a good perspective.

I grew up with two brothers in a single cab Toyota pick up so I know what is like to be jammed in a truck ahah

The fiancé currently has a 05 4 door jeep Cherokee but has been wanting a 4runner.

I like the idea of a 3rd gen 4runner as the I’m familiar front suspension and the 3.4L

However the concept of a landcruiser is nice.

I’ll have to do more research for now.

If I go with either it’s a good excuse for get an annex for the eezi-awn

For now the build continues