Looking to buy my first Tacoma - please help!

@charwest83 welcome to the forum!

Like most have said either one should be very reliable and I think you are doing the right thing to look at the later model 2nd or newer 3rd gen models. My father's 2010 2nd gen SR5 is great and seems to have a little bit more low end torque than the mine but not by much. He does have a automatic and I have a manual so that is not an apple to apple comparison. Good luck on finding the Taco you are looking for! I think you will be happy either way.

Here is a picture of my father's and mine. Both are currently stock.

 

If I were you I would get a 2020. If you can afford it it's the best option. You get a full warranty, power seats, CarPlay/android auto. Plus you get the free oil changes for the first two years. And you're not buying someone else's headache. Most of us keep these trucks their whole lives if someone turned one in they either leased it and probably treated it like crap. Or there was a problem that made them switch.

 

Good point here. I also forgot about having the powered driver seat. Definitely a plus.

 

Being able to adjust the height and the angle of the seat is a huge plus

 

Agreed! And the lumbar support is also nice.

 

Haven’t tacos had lumbar support for years manually with the water wheel type spinning manual adjuster or were you just referring to a power type. If so didn’t know they made that a power option too...might have to trade in the 19 lol

 

Its the power type. It's nice having that option.

 

I agree still bewilders new that it took Toyota until 2020 to add power seat options and leds I mean a 40k+ vehicle id expect that other manufacturers have had these options for 10 years

 

Yeah totally agree with you. Toyota seems to take their time on most things.

 

Get the 2020. The weird transmission takes some getting used to but it’s reliable.

 

Yeah and honestly I feel that they’re riding their reliability rating and decreasing on quality and just want to get product out. Just my experience I had no prob in 185k of my 2010 15k and one year in my 2019 has issues with the fuel pump (known tsb I know) I have jbl premium my driver side window control rattles like crazy on anything over 40 volume. Also the throttle response is shit and the tranny is wack in just drive. Idk maybe I’m looking too hard for things to complain about I’ll stop still love my truck. Also see you’re from mass live in ma right on the ct/ri/ma border

 

Yeah I agree and sorry to hear about the few small issues you have had to deal with.

Yeah I'm not too far from you! I'm in Wrentham MA. Check out the thread below. I bunch of us from New England area just shooting the shit, meet ups, and helping each other out! Good peeps for sure!

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/new-england-b-s-thread.204874/page-8441#post-23206148

 

I had a 2007 MT and now a 2019 MT OR. If you're serious that bells and whistles are low on your list, then you may be happier with the Gen 2 given the motor's low end torque and gearing. And, there will be less features that can theoretically break. For me, I love the heated seats, sunroof, etc of the Gen 3. And, once you have those, it would be hard to go back.

 

I've been looking at practically every truck on the East Coast trying to sort through the strategy on buying my next Tacoma. It is interesting and exhausting all at the same time. Two comments that might add to your search:

First, run the numbers on a used model as well as a new model -- I was surprised that in the range I was looking the delta between used and new was not as large as I thought it would be. Worth checking to confirm whether a late second generation higher end model is price competitive with a new more stripped down 2020. If you find the used truck you want ask the dealer to do a breakdown of a newer model and check. I know I was surprised and am now leaning toward a new 2020.

Second, as you suggest reliability is really important for you. It might pay to look at Toyota Certified Pre Owned (CPO). Yes, you will pay a bit more but you get a good / through inspection and you get a pretty solid warranty for peace of mind. If you look on most sites, such as Car Gurus, you can search by CPO. Might shed some light on your search.

Hope that helps ... and report back on your thinking as you develop your thoughts. I need all the insight I can get.

 

I’ve been on this thread often although not sure I justify PA as New England lol no hate PA. Would love to find some areas to explore in ma I know they’re far and few between I mostly find myself going up north for trails and fun although I’ve been to a few in ct. I’ll post on that forum if I feel I wanna talk more about our region I’m taking this thread off topic nice to meet you!

 

Like-wise! Yeah its pretty much only people from New England in that thread with a few from New york asking questions. Good place to ask for places to go!

 

Yeah was going to look at used until I also saw how much they held their value. Went with the 2020.

 

I am in the same boat as you are. I was ready to pull the trigger on a low mileage 2019 (strange but a lot of the 2018 and 2019 models I stumbled across had very high mileage for some reason). Locked down the price and then reached out to two dealers and asked for roughly the same model in a 2020. The delta was like $3,000 so now I am working on potentially closing a deal on the 2020. I will report back with the final numbers when the whole thing closes ... or I give up entirely.

 

Good luck! I hope you end up with a great deal!

 

Thanks. I need it. . I really don't enjoy the hunt ... but I think I am in good shape now ...