Looking to buy my first Tacoma - please help!

Hi everyone,
I'm looking to buy my first Tacoma TRD offroad /pro and am having trouble figuring out wether to stick to a late 2nd gen model which the internet seems to think has worked most of its kinks out vs a later 3rd gen. Been reading the earlier 3rd gens had some transmission and engine trouble and was thinking of 2018-2019. Any thoughts? Plan to use for some daily driving as well as off road/camping with a cap. I'm set on access cab with longbed to sleep in.

**Function and reliability most important; bells and whistles/electronics bottom of the list.**

Any thoughts would be super appreciated. Thank you!

 

3rd gen is a better truck...

And welcome to the forum.

 

I bought my 3rd gen Tacoma TRD OR DCLB which is my first Toyota, first brand new truck, and first car loan without driving one before.
No trouble with it in 35k miles. It's a drivetrain that loves to rev into 6000rpms, so do that.

 

Both are very reliable. Can’t go wrong. In terms of tech and creature comforts 3rd gen wins. But the engine and transmission issues you mention are minor annoyances with gear hunting. Meaning the Rpms sometime change due to excessive gear shifting. Nothing to do with reliability.
Definitely test drive!

 

Where are you located? I’m sure you could get some TW members to let you drive theirs and see which one you like more.

 

My 3rd gen was my first brand new truck ever. So far, it’s been a stellar vehicle and fun to drive

 

Welcome to TW!
Go for 3rd gen with a manual transmission (one of the last vehicles to still offer a manual) to avoid annoying shifting patterns.

 

Welcome to the forum! I went from a GEN 1 to a 2020 Pro 2 months ago. Never drove a Gen 2 so I can't give you that perspective. If you're planning on keeping the truck, then a later model Gen 3 that still has warranty left is a good option. No matter what, test drive it. I'd also recommend you not totally discount some of the technology options with the newer trucks - cameras, TSS and LED headlights can be helpful for camping as well as in normal driving. No matter what you decide, good hunting!

 

I recently purchased a ‘15 TRD with a 6 speed and am very happy with it. It’s a solid pickup. My one gripe with it is the radio unit is a little cumbersome and the backlit display won’t dim down to zero. It also dims when you have your headlights on so you can’t see what’s on the display if you’re like me and you run your headlights in the daytime. Should be easily fixed with an aftermarket solution, or doing a little digging around here on TW.

 

I wish Toyota offered a manual for the offroad/pro trim lines. I can't seem to find any with manual options : (

 

It's probably a function of where you are located. I know Pros and ORs are available with 6MT. There are two 2020 ORs at my local dealer's lot with 6MT.

 

Recently bought a 2019 off road well last year and I can say I enjoy added features of the 19 leather heated seats sunroof premium audio and the way it looks but I miss my 2010 sport it had much better low end power/throttle response and never hunted gears the way my third gen does. If I could do it over I’d try and find 2015 pro with lower miles. But that is my opinion only real answer is to go test drive one of each take them for a long drive highway back roads etc. hope this helps good luck with your purchase I’d say honestly either way you’d be happy haha

 

I had an 07’ DCLB Sport for 6 years that I bought from my grandfather who had purchased it new. Only issue I had in 150k/km was the joint in the steering shaft. It was a great truck, and would probably still have it if it hadn’t have been written off in Nov 18’.

I purchased a new 18’ DCLB Sport in January 19’. I kind of jumped into it quick without much test driving due to being so happy with my 2nd gen. Right off the bat the interior is obviously a huge upgrade wether it’s an SR or TRD, but after a week or so I quickly noticed how much different the drivetrain was, and was pretty unsure about it and often wished I got another 2nd Gen. It took a good 6 months to get used to.

Now, very happy with the truck, it’s a joy to get into everyday and I am very confident it will be just as reliable as the previous gens. It took a bit of getting used to, but I love it now. I often drive my uncles 11’ DCLB and I’d have a very hard time going back to a 2nd gen.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with any Tacoma (besides the fact that you can get a lemon with anything if unlucky enough).
I've got a 1st Gen '96 with 414,000 trouble-free miles on it and a '18 TRD Sport with 22,000 trouble-free miles on it. Crazy about them both.

Take your time, look around and purchase the one that best fits your needs and preferences regardless of generation.

 

They do offer the Manual on the Pro, Off Road, and Sport, do an Advanced Search for Manual Transmission Tacoma's on Cars.com and you will see what's out there. I had two 2nd Gens before my 3rd and this one is a better truck.

 

I love these threads.

 

If you are looking for function and reliability first, and everything else is equal, you can’t go wrong with either. That being said, it’s going to be much harder to know the history of a 2nd gen. Also, the 3rd gen OR has an e-locker differential, several different off road settings, and crawl control.

‘Personally, I like the creature, and safety comforts of the 3rd gen, and I also like the fit, finish, and look.

Good luck with your search, and keep this thread going if you wish, and share what you are looking at. You will get tons of opinions on all aspects of purchasing a truck.

 

It's personal preference. More tech in 2016+ like a nicer head unit, crawl control, MTS, etc and personally I think they look better as access cabs if that matters to you. They're all going to be reliable either way. When you buy one just drive it in sport mode, either 4 or 5 depending on speed especially if you put larger tires on it. I found that completely solved the issues I had with gear hunting in my 2016 TRD OR access cab. Other than the finnicky transmission programming and a blown shock I haven't had a single issue in 3 years - 50,000km.

 

I had an 07 TRD OR 6mt then bought a 2020 TRD OR 6MT brand new. Sold the 2020 after 3 months. Technology is nice but that drive train and styling of the 3rd gen leaves a lot to be desired. I'd get the 2.5gen

 

if you are looking at getting an 18-19 tacoma just buy new lol. I lowballed for a 2020 and sold it 3 months later for more than I paid on the used market. Dealerships can get you smoking deals on new trucks cuz of incentives.