considering buying a third gen tacoma

I think thats the biggest issue here. A lot of people coming from civics, integras or subarus and such. They buy the taco and they expect 4x4 , 4600 pound machine to drive like a sports car. They do make tacos look sporty tho, especially trd sport. Maybe thats what confuses people? Haha

Taco is very capable for what it is and was designed with fuel economy in mind.

 

I think I’ll pass

 

I love my MT and drive it a lot for work. It’s is very comfortable in my opinion and MT doesn’t have the hunting gears obviously, when it comes to MPG, it’s a truck so it’s not gonna be great but it’s not terrible either. I would go off-road if I were you, difference between a silver sport and inferno off-road was 36 dollars OTD change

 

I drove buddies trd OR and i did not really like it, especially when hard braking. I can see it being fantastic off road. Never drove pro so cant comment on that. Pro with mt was my dream truck haha too damn expensive

 

OR is the way to go, the Sport is worthless.

 

That hurt my feelings

 

I have owned 3 Toyota trucks so far. A base model 1988 truck that I purchased new for $5,888, a 2006 Tacoma TRD OR DC that I purchased new for $23,995 and now a 2019 Tacoma TRD Pro that I purchased new for $42.8k.

Test drive one and shoot for a $5-$6k discount on a new 2019 model. Just keep in mind that you will get around 20mpg. The amazing resale value will bail you out if you want to go back to a commuter car.

 

What are your goals? If your goals are:
1. Resale value
2. Dependability
3. Utility

Then get a Tacoma. If money is tight and you don't mind a 4 cylinder, go with the 4 cylinder.

Keep in mind, it WILL feel differently than any other vehicle because of the transmission tuning on an automatic. Until you're used to it you'll find yourself saying "wtf?" at times as it feels like it's wheezing. You never really feel the horsepower and torque until you're very high in the RPMs. Under normal driving it feels like it's a lot weaker than it's ratings.

I live in CT and do mostly in town driving and average about 17mpg these days. I've almost gotten 20 on a highway trip but I don't think I've ever got over 19.8 on a trip ever.

I've found it comfortable. The ENTUNE is dated but it does do what you need it to do.

 

The 10th gen civic has lots of issues too actually.

Anyway, I get about 17mpg with a ladder rack, I would suggest to really think about it. Maybe not the best vehicle to choose.

 

They should bring back the oldschool siR sedan coupe. Was such a nice car...

 

It does seem like many people have unrealistic expectations of Tacoma's, seems like they expect it to accelerate like a Hellcat, handle and stop like a Porsche, tow like a full size dually, and get the fuel economy of a Prius. It really is a very fun, capable, utility vehicle that gets reasonably fuel economy for what it is.

 

this is because of the auto tranny. when you test drive do some driving with the ECT (button on lower dash) ON. read posts on the auto tranny on this forum.

 

Very good statement. Saw a guy who came from a 40mpg sedan and was pissed he could get over 25mpg.

 

So true. You forgot to mention that it is also expected to be able to fit 33s stock without rubbing.

 

I might have the answer for OP.
Just throw some ko2 bros and you good to go!

 

Welcome.

If you are an angry road-rage type, maybe you will get low-mid teens for mileage. If you are gentle on the peddles, you will get the advertised low-mid 20s. If you lift it, put bigger tires on it, etc; expect low-mid teens and don't expect to fit into parking garages. My next truck will be a full sized crew cab as my wife and I are planning on kids. I find the crew cab in the tacos to be cramped. I am 6ft 2in and I find the cab cramped, but not deal-breaker bad, compared to full sized rigs. I think trucks are fine daily drivers. The suspension and sway bars on modern trucks makes for a very comfortable ride around town and will give you confidence on dirt roads and light-duty off-roading to get to the sweet camp spots on the weekends.

I would drive a tacoma, ranger, and colorado before buying. Many reviewers find these vehicles comparable, and split hairs when trying to rank them best to worst. As your daily driver, you just gotta know if the seats and cabin are going to be comfortable. There are lots of members still on these forums that don't own tacos for one reason or another, so I wouldn't get too bent out of shape about it.

 

I lemon-lawed my 2017 TRD 6MT with a host of issues, but I'm back looking at Toyota again for a daily driver and hiking/outdoors vehicle. I greatly dislike regular automatics, so I'm pretty much stuck between a Nissan Frontier (haven't even test driven one yet) or a late 2nd gen Tacoma. I refuse to buy a new Toyota ever again because after my experience, I don't feel like I can rely on their warranty.

Anyway, apart from the multiple issues my truck had (it really is the definition of a lemon, I think most Taco's are just fine), I really like the way the chassis behaves while driving. Not too stiff, not too swaying in corners. You can actually drive fairly aggressively in a OR. It can be a tad bouncy on buckled pavement, but you can just put some weight in the back and it will take care of it (puzzle weights or something that doesn't slide around). Even with Blizzaks, I can chirp and spin the tires when my lemony engine behaves itself. Can't really ask for more.

 

You will get about 22-25mpg on highway easily if you don't push the throttle much.

Anyone getting less than that probably has mods like heavier tires or can't properly control the pedal for maximum mpgs.

 

I was a passenger in a friend's Tacoma for a trip to Big Bear. I drove us on the way back between San Bernardino and San Diego and was able to get good mileage out of the truck (with 33" A/T tires).

Edit: As far as the transmission goes, I thought it did just fine. I've heard a lot about "hunting" but did not observe any issues during my drive time.

 

Man, that sucks you had to go through that. Frontiers are solid, my buddy had NISMO edition , 6 spd. Nice truck.

Yea, I remember you werent happy with your taco at all, especially the MT. I bet your truck was assembled late friday or early morning monday.

Hopefully your next truck will be better.( 2020 taco?)