Thinking about selling my 3rd gen for a 1st gen

Omg that built one for sale you quoted is an excellent build. Love the attention to quality. Woooow.

 

Dibs in your 5 speed when you get that other one. Can't say I blame ya either. Wow what a fabulous taco he built. I love how clean the mods are. Very well done

 

yea, he's 5. I wouldn't put him in the front on the road. Too many morons out there.

 

I've owned all 3 gens Tacomas (all 4x4); '98 (Xtra cab, I4-5sp, 4x4), '06 (Access bab, V6-5sp), '15 (Access cab, I4-5sp), '16 (DCSB, V6-Auto) and '01 (Xtra cab, V6-Auto).

If it wasn't for the 160 mile round trip for work (new job), I wouldn't have traded in my 3rd Gen for a Honda Accord hybrid. I enjoyed my 3rd Gen very much and I do miss the truck. When I went to look for another truck, I knew I wanted another 1st Gen, I was never a fan of the 2nd Gens (Interior felt like a cheap American vehicle). So I went looking another double cab, but couldn't afford one as they are almost double the price of a Xtra cab. I ended up picking up the '01 with 260k miles for cheap ($5k) and it needed some work (frame has a small soft spot).

The 1st Gen doesn't have the interior space like a 3rd Gen, as it is 5-6" skinnier. I do think that the 1st Gen is better offroad vehicle than the 3rd Gen but that is due to the fact there are no electrical controls on the drivetrain (never had a chance to test our Crawl control).

If this was a primary vehicle, I would keep the 3rd Gen, while the 1st Gen is great, it's also a 15-20 year old truck and you're basically going to be doing a "minor" restoration. Honestly, if you want a full capable offroad truck and family daily driver; I would look at a Gladiator and put a 3" lift and 35s.

 

I did the same thing. While owning my 04 I purchased a 2017 Tacoma. Thankfully I did not trade in my 04. After a month of ownership I sold the new truck. Was not impressed with it at all.

 

was that 3rd gen an AT or MT?
how hard was it to reach the oil dipstick compared to your 1st gen (which is not hard!)

 

Manual

 

best light truck of all time in the shortbed SB
how?!
not sure if you can even fit a standard six foot stepladder in there properly
in the early days i had to carry that ladder around plus tool box and other misc equipment along with duffel bags which i threw inside the xtracab if it was inclement weather on the road, i had a difficult time with those duffel bags in the single cab no doubt

 

Because the 1st gens are pushing 20 plus years old most of them will need
replacing old rubber parts in particularly. Anything rubber related if it’s original is probably on borrowed time,
Vacuum lines, body mount bushings, tie rod bushings, shock bushings, sway bar bushings,
Front diff bushings etc.

But you can put whatever miles you want and the value doesn’t change a lot.
Most of these trucks are paid for because they are still reasonable for what you are getting.

So to drop some maintenance money is a small side effect.

620,000 and still running strong

 

you had some very good comments i recall regarding the electronics/computer stuff on later gens and the expense to repair

 

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1999-toyota-tacoma-sr5-4x4-5/

Not a manual, and not a double cab, so not super on topic; but low low miles and sounds like the frame is rust free by the writeup and comments. Not a fan of the bull nerf and roll bars with the Mickey Mouse ears, but whatever.

 

I havent had a 3rd gen but Ive had multiple 2nd gens, a 4 cylinder 1st gen, and a very nice v6 1st gen.

I loved the first gen, it was a lot smaller in size and a great truck. I switched back to 2nd gen though. In my opinion the 2nd gen v6 is way better for long drives and freeways. Much stronger motor imo. The 1st gen v6 is a tractor and great motor in its own respect. But I found the 2nd gen better for all around drivability and towing.

 

I feel you OP, I've been underwhelmed by the car-feeling of this new truck, wanted an older model but they cost almost as much as new so I went new. Hoping a suspension upgrade will make it feel more like a truck

 

1st gens are not fast at all, but the manual extracab is as fast as 3rd gens today (there are videos of this). The 2nd gen was quite a bit faster than 1st or 3rd gens. Adding a SC to the 1st gens or 2nd gens make them quite a bit peppier too without a huge amount of engine life lost. 1st gens do get blown all over the road if there are strong winds though. 1st gens go really far because the motor is a tractor and is not being strained very hard to make the numbers it produces.

 

3rd gens look great,but for what you get you are better off getting a full size truck unless you get a nice deal on a used one.The older Toyotas definitely offer great value if you can find a clean one.Not to mention the parts are cheap which is nice.But 3rd gens do look sick when modded

 

There’s no engine life loss with a supercharger for the 3.4.

With a few supercharger mods you can get a 100 plus extra hp without any problems.


The 3.4 supercharger will leave a 2020 Tacoma or 2020 4runner in the dust.
I do it all the time.

But the fuel mods have to be done right.

 

Any experience with a 2.7 with one?If it’s reliable I wouldn’t mind adding 50-75hp.

 

@BartMaster1234

 

The 3rd Gen Auto trans is a "sealed" trans and doesn't have a dip stick and the fluid is good for the life of the trans. (most newer trans from Toyota are sealed).

 

I have the 3RZ 2.7l I4 and its Supercharged. It’s been dead reliable its whole life, but I always regret not having the v6. The v6 is just so much more capable in terms of power, and payload capacity.

Here is my supercharger. It’s made by Alpine in South Africa. Veeeeery rare.