Why do you own a first gen Tacoma?

I own a Gen 1 again for a number of reasons: 1)size...it's perfect to me, can handle most all truck duties yet is great to drive and park 2)styling...I just think they still look rugged and still retain their unique style 3) dependability...I've owned 4 gen1's and never have had issues until very high milage My current 2001 is the first v6/auto of the 4 and I love it's power and how well it drives. Spent a lot of time looking for the right one, only 92500 actual miles on it when I bought it 4 months ago.

 

Because its the closest thing to this.

 

Like others have said: size, reliability, practicality, and even in stock form the capability. I needed a vehicle small enough to fit through the woods and get me to remote worksites.

 

Bikers have their priorties maybe I should have more insurance on the bikes and not the pickup... lol

 

I ended up with mine due to being stranded in Moab. I was on my annual post Antarctic gig, southwest mountain biking trip with my now ex, when my 86 Grand Caravan blew a head gasket. Checked out option vs req.
1) 10 days left till I had to catch a flight back to Ak
2) shop quote- 14 days to get the heads resurfaced- sent to Salt lake- $12-1500 repairs
3) $300 minivan 245k or so on the clock, with a total of under $2k invested- max budget cutoff was $2500
4) $900 to 1k to rent a van and trailer/tow dolly to haul it back up to Montana (folks place where the van lived)
Tallied up to be too much money to invest and not enough time, besides if I am going to have a money pit, better to have one that will do what I want, and go where I want to go...

Found the 98 on Craigslist at a dealer in Grand junction, 126-ish K on the clock for $5k, had a leaking front seal: found out driving the Schafer Canyon road- where I installed my first dent- pass side rocker panel:


The truck had a few nicks and some wear and tear but it got us back up to Montana via Idaho. Still has some of the nicks and wear for sure, chipping away at them one at a time.

I picked up the topper for $275 and stored it at the folks till the next commuting season.

Fast forward- summer in Denali, and a season at McMurdo- where I discovered Tacomaworld and the wallet draining began. It has been and interesting stumble ever since.

Why:
I have been wrenching on vehicles, since I could see over the bedrail of a truck. The drivetrain is classic- Toyotas combine the best power train designs of all of the domestic 4wd vehicles, the solid axle trucks, the birfield axles were a standard feature on most Jeep and Dodge power wagons up until the 70’s, the IFS is a downsized version of the Chevy IFS while I’m not a Chevy fan, it is a good solid front end, the rear and front diff of the solid axle- are modeled on the 8-3/4 Dodge rear end, functional, solid and easy to work on. So other than the compact compressed sized of the truck, everything is relatively easy to access and well designed- which generally leads you to durability mixed with fixability, a splendid combination.

Only owned the one Toyota 4x4 previously, found it to be capable and compact- with more cargo capacity than my 49 CJ2A from high school, and during the DV days I did take some trips with a good friend in his 85’ and was very impressed with that truck- side note- I later inherited that truck - see Roland the 85 for an even slower build thread than this one.

I had driven / owned 4 Toyota trucks previously- 82’ 4x4 -7’ bed-wheeled it some in Death Valley before I sold it for the money to go to HVAC/R school.
The 74’ 2wd HiLux- 7’ bed- drove it for years till it literally rusted in half, never stranded.
The 79’ 2wd-7’ bed- drove it till the oil pump failed one morning while it was warming up to go to work- died right in the driveway.
The 84’ 2wd-7’ bed- drove it for years even amassed a pile of parts to fix it, but it was the only thing running so...- finally sold it a guy after I brought the Taco home- I saw it in the railroad yard up in Fairbanks a couple years ago, still see it running around occasionally. All were great capable durable trucks.

A 4wd Toyota truck has always been on the radar, just waiting for the eternal equation to come around- when capital and opportunity are in the same year.
As the van at the time was still running great there was no pressure, and with the obvious benefits of keeping a vehicle in the lower 48, and resulting stash of camping gear and bike stuff to use on the annual biking trips on the way home- the minivan was great but it’s backcountry access limitations were very obvious.


So here is my rig as it sits waiting for a gap in the honey do list to get the 97 headlight buckets trimmed in so the headlights will fit into the grill openings then I can paint the grill .
Serenity- the Arctic Taco:

 

That was a great story… Thank you for sharing!

 

I was smarter - I shipped mine 6,000 miles to the country where aftermarket parts are not available without paying arm and legs for shipping. So other people don't think so smart, but I still love my truck and as long as OEM parts are available I'm going to keep it - the first and only 1995 Tacoma in Poland.

 

Needed a truck since i’m a pest control guy. Didn’t want a huge truck because honestly I hated trucks in general before this one. Did some searching and saw how many people praised our trucks reliability/ longevity. So I got one and now i cant stop throwing money at it and i’m kinda weirdly obsessed w/ it... Anyway I would never sell it and I think we all agree its the best looking truck out there

 

Timeless look about them. Even though mines nearing 19 years old, it doesnt look outdated. Its still a really sharp looking truck for its age.

 

When I was growing up, an old WW2 vet had a white 01' 5 speed xtra cab 4x4 Tacoma. He was as American as they come and he would go on and on about how reliable and simple his Japanese Tacoma was over all the American brands he has owned. He was in his 80's driving it up into the mountains to hunt, fish, chop wood, and haul. His preferences left an impression on me because I bought an 03' in black, with 130,000 miles, almost identical to that old vet's back in 2014. I have a love/hate relationship with my truck. But due to my hatred of debt and current truck prices, I am stuck with it and it with me.

 

We decided on the 1st gen Tacoma because it was the best fit for what we needed in a work truck. It was the right size, the right price, and drove well in city traffic without sacrificing capability or reliability. My best friend has always driven second and third gen 4Runners and never shuts up about how bombproof Toyota trucks from this time are.

We found this 99' Prerunner just outside of Atlanta and negotiated the price to $3700, which made my wife very happy. She likes the way it drives and has been happy that I dont have to dump cash into it to keep it on the road like some of my old VWs and Volvos. That said, there are a few functional upgrades that I hope to make soon, including a set of running boards and a rear bumper with an integrated hitch reciever.

 

I bought mine because I needed a truck. When I found this one I drove it and knew it needed work but it was work I could do. I picked it up for $3900. When I got home my wife started bitching because I didn't consult her first. Now after 3 years I can't count the number of times she's asked me if I could do something for her with my truck. Move a house full of furniture, put in a front yard, landscape a back yard, put in a flagstone pathway, mulch beds, move her sister to a new apartment, purchase crown molding etc..... I could go on. In short it's probably one the best investments I've ever made.

 

Friend of mine has that same truck, his is 4x4 and V6 and has close to 300K on it. He drives it everyday.

 

I wish this one was 4x4, but really don't need it TBH. Im amazed at how well it drives with 197k, and have little doubt that it will be around for another 100k. That 5vz-fe seems to be a hell of a engine, but Im curious what I can do to make sure it lives as long as your friend's.

 

When it was time to buy a car, I didn't want a car but a pickup truck. Since the only thing I hate about pickup trucks is how big they are now, I had to go for an older smaller compact truck. Had to choose between the Ranger, Mazda and Toyota, but my father and uncles, having had Toyota trucks back in the day, told me about how reliable they were. I followed their advice... and they were right

 

Goddamn I love that color.

 

Nice find, very gorgeous! I wish I had the leather interior.. and you got it with low miles, happy for ya!

 

For me it comes down to cost mostly. That may seem odd seeing as the resale value on a first gen is so high but I look at it as the initial investment.

Cost of ownership of a 20 year old vehicle is drastically lower than new options. Also, I came from a 1 ton truck that was excessively large for my needs. Sure my taco may be too small for 5% of the tasks I need to do but I have brother in laws with trucks to handle that.

Gas mileage, insurance cost, utilitarian attributes all play a major factor in making this an extremely affordable and logical choice for my needs.

 

Because, nobody sells small pickup trucks in the US anymore. (Stupid Chicken Tax!)
I had to give up my Subaru Baja, which was sad. The 2nd gen Ridgeline was the smallest production pickup I could find, but it was a behemoth compared to what I needed. Though I'll miss the heated mirrors in the winter, and the underbed storage.
Because compared to the Ridgeline, my 02 extended bed is shorter in height, shorter in length, not as wide, has a smaller turning radius, can carry more, can tow more, has fewer things that can break (like power windows or door locks), has a manual transmission, has better approach & departure angles, is more fun to drive, and since it's more basic, I'll be able to play with more modifications.
Other than that, no particular reason.