How many original owners of 1st gen?

Got it in 98 new in Melbourne Fl. It's been to California and back 4 times and all over the US for that matter. I'm starting an overland type build to do some trips back to the west coast, this time not work related. 298k and holding pretty good since I drive my 17 now. The 98 is now the strictly have fun vehicle.

 

are those the original wheels that came with your truck?

 

You old fart!!

 

no, those are 16'" stock alloys off a Tundra. My original 15" wheels became really rough and took away from the rest of the truck. I went to get tires put on at the dealer and they happen to have those 16s off a tundra. I got them brand new for 40 bucks a rim. I could tell right away they made the truck look way better. The 15" rims really look small now to me but I loved the look of the originals.

 

not bad of a price! i have some fairly dinged up stock alloys from the factory weights and highway rock chips, perhaps a minor curb rash
have not really looked into getting them 'repaired/refinished' or if that is even possible without losing the machined surface textures
the only thing i have done is to look into new ones and WOW camelback wants nearly $400 for each wheel for a total of $1600 + extra shipping most likely

 

Bought my 2002 Silver SR5 Tacoma 4x4 new. I couldn't justify the 5k extra back then for the TRD package but wish I did now. Oh well I don't do any 4 wheeling except for winter snow. Survived 2 rear end accidents one really hard. It was repaired.
I have 144k on it now. Two weird things this Tacoma always had since new. It stumbles on start up every so often almost seldom here and there they could never replicate at the dealer. Also sometimes when depressing clutch pedal it doesn't want to go into gear when first starting up. Done this since new also. Weird truck only tires, brake pads and normal replacement items. Tough as nails best new vehicle I ever purchased. Hard to believe I bought this truck when I was 33 years old.

 

Nice rims,

 

My dad bought a 1995.5 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 extended cab v6 3.4L bran new when the Tacoma 1st gen came out and he drove it for many years and yes the truck had the head gasket recall and was updated not one single problem at all engines been sound strong and healthy my dad put about 168,000 or 169,000 miles on it and didnt drive it or use it much so I ended up getting the truck from him and I have owned it since so it has stayed in the family but I now have 319,568 miles on it I replaced the original water pump and timing belt kit at 235,791 miles on factory parts then i done regular maintenance replace drivers front wheel bearing as well replaced both leaf springs then factory clutch I replace at 172,000 so I am still on the first clutch I put in replaced starter x2 has original alternator and power steering pump everything is pretty original even rear brake shoes factory got new ones just have not done it yet. But thought I would reply back and add to the post and replies will always keep my truck best truck I ever owned.... another note travel trailer with trailer brakes with wiring and brake controller I installed tows good with weight distribution hitch trailer weight about 5,560lbs I only tow it when I have to...

 

Bought mine new in 1999. SR5, V6, manual trans TRD. It's got 211000 miles on it now and I still love driving it. I bought it in Illinois and the following year we moved to Florida so that saved the frame. Since this photo was taken I've installed a complete OME suspension (2.5 inch lift), ball joints and tie rods all replaced and My Addicted Off Road bumper will be here today. Slowly building her to be an overland rig.

 

New to forum here so working on getting pics up but also bought mine new in 1999. Only 116k put on it (several years of living in the city), and it still handles winter snow like its on rails, love it.

 

Purchased my ‘02 brand new for $19,000. 2.7 Ext cab, 5 spd. 276K now.

So far:

5 sets Bridgestones
Second set of brakes
Mobil 1 since first oil change
3 sets of plugs
3 or 4 batteries
1 clutch
1 rusted hole in the bed
1 4 point buck to the front left

Have had a few coil packs go bad. I think I’ve got another getting ready to quit. Getting the low end sputter.

 

Bought my 04 trd with 7 miles on it. Now it's at 151,000. About 8 years ago (due to my neglect), it sludged and burned an exhaust valve. I replaced the timing belt and water pump while I had the heads off. It guzzles gas and lets out a puff of smoke after a long drive but otherwise runs great and passes emissions tests every time. Have never had any terrible mechanical problems overall. The doors, on the other hand - both handles have snapped off, the driver's side window only rolls up when it feels like it, the power locks are sloppy and the lock cylinders are worn badly. I live away from the ocean and snow so there is no rust that I've ever seen.

Edit: Had to replace one of the O2 sensors five years ago. Have replaced the rotors twice, the clear coat has blistered on the hood and cabin and looks like hell -I think this is a result of my crazy wife washing it from day one with soap.(the truck is her's now btw) Now it's time to put the fourth set of tires on, new struts, needs alignment, and probably plugs are due too.

 

that is very hard to read about the less than stellar experiences, did Toyota start skimping on quality made products within 7 years!?
i have had a couple close calls with the outer door handles breaking in the frigid temps and icing

these new genuine OEM floormats I recently decided to get are horrible compared to the heavy duty ones my truck came with
they still need a good cleaning from the dirt stains







its a pure joke right down to the stupid edging
I am going to check into the custom interior upholstery shop here and see about getting some new patches to fix up my original Tacoma mat, it is only worn on the heavy duty rubber backing that the 'new' Toyota genuine quality tan oak mat is somehow missing

why oh why

it does not look too bad in there ... i got these tan oak ones because the parts dept said my color is discontinued!

 

its a pure joke right down to the stupid edging

What's hard for me to understand is why (theoretically) every product made is initially produced and sold
at a profit, but can not continue to be produced and sold at a profit without cutting the quality?

Maybe that's not true for every product but certainly the majority.

So why is it necessary to skimp and save and substitute inferior products down the line? Especially when labelled (and priced at) as OEM quality and yet clearly is not.

Greed and misrepresentation are accepted as business as usual it seems. It's like a cancer eating the world.

 

Purchased my 2003 Tacoma Prerunner with 5 miles on it. When I viewed it the wrap was still on it and the interior was full with bags of various stuff that needed to be installed. It sits at 212,000 miles now and runs better than the day I drove off the lot. It has the 2.7 liter engine. The 2003 Tacoma replaced my 1985 Toyota 4x4 truck with the 2lt engine. We will see who is paying attention.

 

Got my 2003 in late September of that year from a small dealership in Maine.
The sticker was about 18k and Toyota gave the dealer 5k to help him get it off the lot to make room for the 2004s.
So doing the math I got mine for $13k and had the bank paid off in a year.
Another dealer buddy later told me that it was not selling because it was a sgl cab and "hard to sell silver".
I didnt waste 2 seconds deciding if it was right for me.
She's safely garaged for now.

 

Well... I'm not the original owner persay... but it has been Family owned since day 1.

My brother's wife's sister bought it brand new in late 1997... owned it roughly 12 years... sold it to my brother who owned it for 8 then I bought it off him early last year

Bought with 17 miles... it has 234k now. I've refurbished him significantly

 

Well, I bought my 1996 Tacoma Xtracab brand new, in November of 1995, when they had just come out. I drove it for just over 23 years, and meticulously maintained it until I sold it this past April 2019. It still looked like new inside and out, as I take care of my stuff! But I was seduced by the new Tacoma Trd Sport, which is why I sold my 96. The good news was that although the book value [I HATE that book value crap!] said it was worth around $2500, which is also what the dealer offered me, I KNEW it was worth more than that, so I actually advertised it at $6995, and sold it 4 days later, for $6700 CASH! I got back 50% of what I paid for it, over 23 years ago, so I would say that was DANG GOOD! In any case, here is a video I made only a couple of months before I sold mine. Hope you guys like it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGA-cJLy1SY

 

@Kwikvette thanks for the trip down the memories lane or whatever