Other Vehicles Considered?

Needed to replace 3 dead or dying vehicles: 1992 Chevy S-10, 1996 Impreza Outback, 1995 Volvo 850 wagon. (I got burned out on all of the maintenance...)

All were over 250K... and all were later resurrected by my son or my mechanic, and are still running around.

Considered Crosstrek, Forester, 4Runner, Tacoma. Because I have to do a bit hauling (wood, trash, gardening, saws and mowers) the Taco was more practical, but I could've made do with a Crosstrek and a trailer. We'll add a small SUV in a couple years when the Taco is paid off. We love the 4Runners but IDK if we will want the payments & lower mpg's.

 

The other front runners were the Colorado ZR2 and considered waiting for the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon.

 

When we replaced our 05 2nd gen we considered another 2nd gen, a Tundra and our 3rd gen.
Again Tundra would've been great for our towing but too big for the other 360 days of the year.

 

I considered a 4Runner. I think I would have made a good choice either way. Hard to go wrong with a 4Runner!

I briefly looked at an F150, but they are colossal and feel too sterile for me.

I considered a Subaru WRX, but they don't make wagons/hatchbacks anymore and they are very spartan on the inside. I know the Tacoma isn't exactly the most luxurious vehicle, but the WRX is a bit more raw than I like. I would look at one again in the future, though. They DO look like fun.

 

Frontier

 

Ranger. But I never buy a vehicle until it’s been out a couple years. Also very disappointed Ford went with a 4cyl turbo. Should be at least a 3.5 and or a 3.5 Ecoboost option in maybe a mini Raptor. But I’ve had 5 Tacoma’s, know them and quality well, so may never change.

 

4Runner, wife said we have a 4Runner, we don’t need two.

 

4Runner
Various full size trucks
Audi s4
M3 BMW

Decided on a new Tacoma since I enjoyed my 2nd gen so much. Full size trucks just seem like to much of a hassle. And the resale value of a luxury car kept me away. Had a 335i BMW before my last Tacoma that made me learn the hard way about resale value.

 

Tacoma was top of the list. Only other vehicle looked at was the 4Runner, but we had and still have an 06 4Runner and don't need another one.

 

There weren't any other vehicles back then, but with this damn clicking noise I've had for a year that I can't figure out coupled with shit MPGs, even for a truck, I'm halfway considering a Ram 1500... They seem to be getting 18 or 19 MPG with the 5.7 Hemi. That would be so nice... I barely scrape by with 14 and that's calculating it manually.

Cons of the Ram is reliability and resale value.

P.S. if anyone wants to look at my suspension noise thread I'd appreciate it!

 

Never considered anything else other than the Toyota. Like others I considered the 4 Runner also. Glad I went with the Tacoma, it is really more practical for my lifestyle.

 

14 mpgs? Damn, how come?

 

Well said...Admittedly, I am one of the people you describe. However, when I was shopping for a truck (bought my Taco in Summer ‘18) I thought I would use it as a truck (hauling stuff in the bed) far more than I actually have up to this point.

Anyway, now that I’m about 18 months into it and while I’ve invested in some mods and had a great time making it my own, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s no longer working for my particular needs as I hardly ever use the bed.

Rather than cargo I tend to haul around my two kids, groceries and dry cleaning. However, the off-road capabilities of the truck are not easily replicated in another vehicle much less improved upon and to be honest that capability has become a very important feature to me and my family as it’s something (taking our vehicle a bit off the beaten path) were starting to really enjoy.

As a result, last week I took my Taco to my local CarMax for an offer:





After receiving their offer I went across the street to the Toyota dealership and asked if they would be interested in making an offer with the understanding that I wasn’t interested in buying or leasing a vehicle from them. They offered $3,700 more than Carmax offered just 30 minutes earlier. All service on my truck was performed on schedule and at this particular dealership so maybe that factored in? Anyway, I said yes.

As a result, they cut me a decent check for the equity I had in it. The next day, I went and put that check and a bit more down on my now 5 day old new ride: a very nicely equipped 2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon.

Side note: I ended up getting the last 3.6 V6 (‘19 or ‘20) JLUR on the lot. They had more than 20 other JLURs (plenty of both ‘19 and ‘20) but in the new I4 2.0 Turbo. It’s a $1500 “upgrade” to the 4 cylinder turbo according to the window sticker. They tried (and tried) to put me in a I4 2.0T and said “no $1500 upgrade charge” plus a fairly significant discount on a nicely optioned ‘20 I4 2.0T over the nicely optioned ‘19 V6 I ended up with. Thought that was interesting...

Anyway, since this is a Tacoma forum I’ll spare everyone a photo of it...

 

Ranger and Silverado

 

I'm not 100% sure because I have heard of guys with 35s getting around the 15 mpg mark... I do have 33s and a 2.5 inch lift but it shouldn't drop it that much

 

Used 200 series Land Cruiser. There were no ideal LC’s available at the time. Still shopping for one. While I like my Tacoma, its days are numbered.

 

Was driving an 06 4Runner for the last 12 years, thought about another. Don’t NEED a truck because I have a trailer I used for “truck stuff” with the T4R. Decided to go with the Tacoma for a change of pace. It’s nice not hooking up the trailer for gear that I can fit in the bed. Don’t miss the extra interior room since if we are taking a family trip it’s in the Toyota Sienna. Liking it so far, took it through some steep muddy creek crossings and it made it through with a little more tire spinning that my lifted 4Runner with TKOs. Better gas mileage than the 4Runner after I lifted it and added tires (12-14mpg). Overall it’s been a good choice so far.

 

Came off an 18 yr ownership of a 1500
Chevy . Tested the Calorado , ridgeline, Tacoma auto v6 , I was disappointed
with the midsize trucks until I tested the manual 2019 taco sport 4x4 .
I don't do any off roading , and the articulation for on road of the sport
works fine for me . The 4.30 gearing should be standard on all models .

 

I was considering a 4Runner, Tesla. Or rebuilding a 66’ fastback. I settled for a 2015 Sport.

 

Went after a mint 1st gen Tundra
Low miles, one owner

Bank wouldnt finance.