What else did you test drive and not buy?

Went straight to the Taco. Only test drove different colors......... All colors drive the same even though I liked the smell of white the best.

 

Test drove both tundra V8’s, the 4.6 and the 5.7. Definitely loved the power in the 5.7, just couldn’t justify everything being a little more expensive over time, tires, gas, oil, etc. plus it was just bigger than I really needed. Maybe one day when the family is bigger but for now just the wife and a 3.5 week old son and we have a 19 highlander limited that is plenty comfortable to drive for family outings. Haven’t even had the car seat in the truck yet. My wife works from home so not a lot of purpose for me to transport the son in the truck. Like I said, tundra may be down the line, but for now, the 17 Tacoma is perfect for my needs.

 

I test drove a Cement OR, but they were blowing out the white Pros and had three of them. I knew I wanted black wheels, no chrome, Pro grill & the Pro's suspension felt so much better, I bought it. I figure the Pro will be worth a bit more in the future if I trade it or sell it too. For the most part I keep vehicles stock, but I would have spent time and money on the OR.

When I bought my 86 I had never even sat in one. I just went to the dealer and said I want you to get me one, lets work out the price and do the paperwork. Not much in the way of power, but one of the most balanced, fun, and enjoyable handling cars you can buy. To the guy on the TW FB page that was bragging about beating a 86 on the dyno. The 86 is 2K less pounds than a Tacoma. As long as it is pavement the 86 will run circles around a Tacoma.

 

The vehicles I have found to be great to drive over the years other than the Taco were my brothers old Subaru Forester, my 3rd Gen 4Runner, and surprisingly the 2015 Honda Fit I sold to my baby brother. I also miss the 8 foot bed of my old truck but nothing else about it ha. Oh and several motorcycles..

 

Had a 2011 Tacoma which I sold to our son in Alaska- he's got about 180,000 on it and it still runs like a top. I've got a 2018 Tacoma which I love- just went to look at the Ranger (out of curiosity) and saw too many things lacking that I love about the Tacoma:

- Composite bed- what a great idea! No rust, no need for a bed liner
- Storage compartments in the bed- great for tie down straps, bungee cords, etc.
- Underseat storage behind and under the rear seats
- 8 tie down points in the bed (Ranger had 4)

I really love this truck, and I'm averaging about 22-23mpg, sometimes better on a trip- No Complaints

 

I’m curious about your ‘loose general rule’...why is/was that?

 

Before I came to this site never thought I had a tranny issue Really don't have any issues with it

 

I sat in a tundra, all honesty I don't need something that huge (and the 13mpg is nuts, plus the extra 6-8k) looked inside a 4runner, gf wasnt too keen on it. We both instantly feel in love with the taco as soon as we drove it. It feels awesome to be able to buy something exactly how we wanted brand new. Not everyone gets the chance to do that.

 

In 2017 I turned in my leased 2015 Tacoma TRD Sport and bought a SLT Canyon Diesel 4X4 as I could not stand the way the engine/shifting felt in the 2017 Tacoma I test drove. That and no Apple Carplay got me looking at the GM product. After driving both the Colorado and Canyon I settled on the 2017 Canyon SLT 4X4 diesel.

I can attest to the fact that the Canyon has a lot of quality control issues and the resale is terrible, even with a diesel. I am very glad that I leased it otherwise I would have taken a bath in it.

Before I settled on the TRD Pro I test drove the 2019 RAM Limited 4X4 with the 12" screen. Beautiful truck on the inside and they were willing to take $16k off the MSRP ! Great deal, but for me the truck is just too big.

Test drove a new Ranger 4x4 with all the goodies and to me it just did not feel refined. Not sure why, but it just did not feel as solid as the Tacoma.

In the end I got a Tacoma TRD Pro Auto and I am very happy with my decision. They must have changed something in the power/shifting of the Tacoma since 2017 as it does not exhibit any of the issues I noticed back when I test drove a few 2017 OR Tacoma's.

 

The frontier is kinda cool, but the interior is right from 1999.

 

50k for a rubi, no way for me.

 

Must have your cdl and escort car for that heavy load

 

I drove the 4runner, Audi S4, Golf R, Porsche 997 4S, and a Ranger before settling on another Taco. I never even considered a GM product. I've had two and they have both been huge pieces of shit.

 

First truck purchase for me, so I tried a Tundra and liked it a lot, but it was just too large for my needs. Once I decided on the mid-size, it was down to Tacoma vs. the Colorado/Canyon twins. The Ranger did not seem to have any price incentives. I was slated to try some Colorados/Canyons, but the "1 in 5" chance of transmission shudder issue was a red flag. I bought the one and only Tacoma I tried, which was a used '18 Limited.

 

Ridgeline. Felt like an SUV and interior was honestly shit compared to the Taco unless you went higher $ wise than I wanted to. If I bought a truck I wanted it to feel like a truck.

WRX. Fun but clutch point was way too high for my daily drive, plus my one experience owning a Suby started great and ended badly.

Test drove multiple Taco configs once I narrowed down on it. No complaints and no issues so far after 7k.

 

After four Tacomas I threw in the drivetrain towel on the 2016 and sold it to buy a Ranger Lariat.....GREAT move. I loved the Tacoma until the 2016 so I test drove the Ford Not even close technically, Drivability, Interior Sync3. Steel bed deeper than Tacoma, Hood struts, Power locking tailgate plus Quiet ride and a great Audio System. Free Ford Pass app to get truck info and Navigation which is updated and never expires

That said I will give the redesigned Tacoma another chance against the redesigned Ranger. Both should be ready in a couple of years

I didn't shop the Colorado as I have a Vette and the local Chevy service department is horrid,

 

I'm currently trying to decide between a Tacoma (MT), Gladiator (MT) or a Rav4/ Subu Outback.
We don't need an offroad vehicle...got a GX for that role in the garage already.

I like the idea of a midsize pickup truck with MT for some practicality with the bed and driving experience with the MT. (and convertible aspect with the gladiator.... I know I know, I've owned 2 wranglers in my past so I get the FCA downsides)
I like the Rav4 and Outback because they're both mostly trail capable in a pinch, more fuel efficient and would be a more road friendly ride.

 

Nothing. Had a Ram 3500 single rear wheel. We went to the dealer to try out a 4runner for my wife. I have been in tons of Hilux's, and saw the following that Taco's had. Test drove the Taco and said I'll take one of those too!

Plus....I wasn't sure how a dealer would deal with me trading in a more expensive Ram for 1 vehicle; so we made it a 2 for 1 deal. I was curious about the Colorados and Rangers. But, I liked the Taco....and am familiar with the Toyota reliability.

 

Go in for 1 vehicle and drive out with two. You made a Toyota salesman very happy