Moving from 2nd Gen to 3rd...what to know

Having the same dilemma - my beloved 2006 seems bulletproof, just 120k miles, OME lift, just upgraded the deck w/Carplay and yet here I am contemplating a 2020.

Toyota did a pretty good with the 2020, and the fact they're selling for 3K+ under MSRP is making it enticing. But part of me is saying "keep your damn truck, you have a gem".

 

You cant go wrong with either choice, toyota makes fantastic trucks.

 

If it’s used mainly for your own drive, a blower might be over kill.
As far as leaving impressions, mine has really good flotations. That’s why I went we’re industrial r4. If you have Ag tires, you may have a problem. Doesn’t the frost firm things up a bit ? I never worked on much clay.

 

My point was, obviously poorly made by me, they are lot bigger then they used to be and the motors should be Ranger output.
Notice that full size trucks have much more technology and astronomical power ratings compared to the mid size. That’s where the money is. Look at the Tundra 5.7. It dwarfs the 3.5 in every power measure...and it’s due for a make over and a power surge. There’s nothing due for a Tacoma on the horizon. Really, it’s not much of a work truck. It’s an off roader meant for recreational toys. It’s the Corolla of the truck world. I pull a small 4000 lb boat, an atv and a utility trailer. You need a tractor serviced ? We borrow my neighbors GMC 3/4 Ton. . Really, all Tacos are pussys.

 

Crazy, it’s almost like they’re built for a different purpose than a GMC 3/4 ton! Per your point, they ARE great off road and they DO tow 4000 lbs no problem. If you have a 3rd Gen you can even get good gas mileage with no gimmicks, and probably fit in your garage / that tight parking spot too. Thank god someone made a pussy truck!

 

It depends on what you use it for have how reluctant you are to part with your money. One thing working in your favor, yours keeps the best use truck value of any thing out there. IMO, I don’t fall in love with any vehicle. In safety features alone, you can rationalize buying new. Try the new ones out over time and doing everything you plan to use it for. Make a comparison list. Little things like a DC bed outlet meant a lot to me when deciding.

 

Ha ha
Exactly.....the market is getting more fierce too. But imo, they won’t take sales away from Tacos, it will the big trucks. There are thousands of f150 owners who are better off with pussy trucks. What will hurt Tacos, are the others coming out with Ridgeline style pussy trucks. Not everyone off roads.

 

I can’t say I agree, considering that the Ridgeline is an ultra low seller and the Tacoma has only gotten more successful. I think that the Tacoma is a size and format that works very well for many people. It’s also an icon, something that none of the other current mid size trucks are. I predict that it will continue to sell well, and continue to baffle car journalists in the process.

 

Its got R4's. Don't know if they're loaded. I'll try to find time to go check it out in the next few days. This time of year, it would be no problem using it out in the yard, other than getting through the drifts from the snow blowing in across the lake. It's the spring thaw, and the rains of fall that I'd have to avoid driving across the grass. The clay really absorbs, and holds the water.

 

They shouldn’t be baffled. Ford and Chevy regardless of their gaudy trucks, spend more time in the shop. My neighbor got really pissed with his GMC one ton he used for towing. It was always broken down. He bought a used Tundra, put rubber stops under the rear springs and tows well north of 10,000 lbs pounds, all with a sander on back and a plow on front. Don’t know how long it will last, but he says it just works better. It’s not in the shop.....

 

Man, I would resurface with clean gravel and crown the drive way.
I have a mix of gravel and two inch minus rock I rolled into the gravel on my drive to hold it together. It’s the same size base stone used on rail road beds. It sheads water great, is sturdy and even the marks from the chains work their way out after the spring thaw. I use it on my road going down to the shore and problem areas with clay on all our roads. Of course, it’s elevated and drainage isn’t a problem. You can’t really scape it down.....but who cares in the winter. Clay can be a pita.

I’m DEP certified for work on our road association and this is one of the techniques we use for erosion control and dealing with problem areas. Once you have your tractor set up, the labor is free.

A clay base is fine for summer, but it’s not the rest of the year. We tell people, get use to the higher stone contenting in the gravel in the road.....just drive slower.

 

Went from a 12 to a 17. NO regrets whatsoever

 

Here is the rub.....nothing in your highlighted, italicized and underlined sentences is false.....and people who understand what the Tacoma is and what it is best used for usually don't complain about 1/4 mile trap times and payload capacity.

Now this isn't directed at you, it's a general statement:

I've said it before, I have a 3/4T for TRUCK things - for work where we regularly tow small pieces of equipment and for handling our 5th wheel. The Tacoma is a recreational vehicle and is not suited to tow, haul or do other "real truck" things (it can do them, but it doesn't do them well). That's why when some Ranger cheerleader comes here a blows their load about that shit I laugh.....no one cares that your ugly ass piece of shit Ranger can do 0-60 taster than a Tacoma or hold a whopping couple hundred pounds more in the bed. It's like announcing to the world that your teacup poodle can kick the shit out of a Bichon frise in a fight - you look like a stupid ass just for bringing it up, so or God's sake stop.

If you are buying a Tacoma or a Ranger to tow small to medium things regularly, you should be buying an extended cab 1/2 ton full size. I you need to really haul material or tow heavier things, then you step up from there. The Tacoma is a lifestyle vehicle. Its purpose it to be relatively simple and reliable, if you don't get that than look somewhere else. I bought mine solely as a hunting rig. It gets farther back country than any of the larger rigs that my buddies use, the bed is great for storing bloody and muddy things and while it doesn't quite have the off-road chops of a JK/JLU, it does just fine with less long term headaches.

My son had a 2012 Tacoma (which is now kinda mine while he's at college) and my wife has a 2018 T4R. Having not only owned both but driven both on long trips I can honestly say that anyone who thinks there's a quantum difference between these engines needs to have their head extracted from their ass. The 4.0 is a dog. The 3.5 is a dog that gets slightly better mileage. This bullshit about the great torque curve of the 4.0 is just that - bullshit. Both engines are frankly milquetoast middle of the road paragons of relative simplicity and reliability and guess what? That's exactly what Toyota intended. To think other wise is to fool yourself. To go from thread to thread espousing otherwise is to make a fool out of yourself.

Last week my nephew bought a 1994 4x4 Dakota extra cab with the 5.2 V8. Thing has less than 80K miles and aside from the hideous interior (acres of brown mouse fur and wood appliqué) is in great shape. Brought it over to the house so that we could change out the fluids and put his new lift kit on. I was amazed how this ancient piece of Mopar smegma absolutely beats the shit out of the current Ranger, Tacoma, 4Runner and even my sons 2012 4.0 "TacomaWorld Chariot of the Gods" in the engine department.

 

You think m going to read you’re multi paragraph bloviation after an insult ? Get real.

 

Insult? I agreed with your statement.....

 

The V35A with turbo gives over 400 ft lbs of torque. The V35A naturally aspirated should give us 300.

 

take your front bedrail off of your 2nd gen before you trade it in. 3rd gens don't have one but the bolt holes are the same.

 

have the added sound deading material to the cab?

 

Don't know.....still fairly loud.

I actually think the 2nd gen may be a tad quieter......

 

All this is just quite simply YOUR OPINION. NOTHING MORE. My opinion greatly differs from yours. My Tacoma is a work truck. Not a full size granted but a truck non the less. It was in fact designed for hauling, towing, off roading and getting mud on the tires.