Are Gen 3 Tacomas as unreliable as Tacomaworld makes them seem?

I got an appointment here 5 states away from where I test drove and bought, in totally different terrain, to have the truck looked at by a dealer here. I may extend my stay by a day or two if needed. They want to look at it.
I want to try the "S Mode" thing eliminating 6th to see if it calms things down a little.
Outside of CC, it runs great.

 

Had considered a ridgeline myself, except too short a bed.

 

I wouldn't call them unreliable, but the build quality has declined quite a bit, enough to where I may not buy another Tacoma, I have owned a long line of them. My beefs are, on severe incline 4x4ing no pvc oil pan baffling, smokes badly on steep inclines, not good for my mining exploration business, also OR models seem to have a rear diff annoying whine that can be heard above medium vol radio and is not fixed by new ring/pinion, which is rediculous for a modern truck, missing grease zerts on driveline is a big no no for towing. Both high and low pressure fuel pumps failing, Also now missing the aux transmission cooler from tow package, bad for towing Travel Trailers, mickey mouse 1950's cannister oil filter, there are more but this is just a few of my gripes.

 

4.0 2nd gens have the same problem (smoking on incline) do a search if you don't believe me.

It's not a perfect truck by any means, it's a 35-40k truck. You get what you pay for. I think the value is still there, too many idiots expect a perfect flawless vehicle that can out tow a dually, out race a lambo, offroad better than a unimog.

My gripes are, although the interior looks way better than the 2nd gen, the plastic still sucks. It mars super easy and you get annoying rattles on occasion and yes I know I will be called a big fat liar but you get the same rattles on the 2nd and gasp even the 1st gens!! What blasphemy I tells you.

The "plexiglass" on the dash is complete fucking garbage. The seating position is wonky even for my 5'9 short ass but so far the truck has not let me down, it let me explore and venture to places most people can't access, I porked 2 attractive blondes in the back seat (not at the same time). And I actually utilized the bed more than I thought i would have for all sorts of home improvement projects that no way in hell a 4runner or any suv would have been able to handle

 

If I had the money to pay this Tacoma off and an extra $15K, I would love to have one. But I don't haul much. You could always rent a pick-up from U-Haul if you need to haul something that won't fit in the Ridgeline's bed.

 

At 40K miles, I have had none of those issues

 

*looks down at tac -- almost 60K miles*

I'm good. And I drive my taco hard.
You'll be fine. Just get it well inspected.

(as an fyi, I have a V6 Manual Transmission. I have heard about the gear searching being an issue for early 3rd gen autos)

 

the question is: is it a great value for a 35-40k truck? Hell yes it is.

a lot of people make the claim that after paying 40k for a truck, it should be perfect. That’s not the case. It’s actually a lazy argument. The truck still has its utilitarian roots, and isn’t a luxury vehicle. A luxury vehicle might have fewer nuisances but it demands a much higher price tag. I feel like a vast majority of people wouldn’t be here, or wouldn’t have purchased the truck, if it were way more expensive. Toyota is happy with the profit they make on the vehicle. And the consumer is happy with the product received.

The truck might have little quirks, but overall it’s a good vehicle.

 

I'm not trying to give you a hard time but if CC not working to your satisfaction on mountains is your only issue with the truck, I'd say it sounds like you're having a good experience. But instead you sound like you want to set the truck on fire and push it off a cliff.

 

Right? CC performance is about 98th on my list of 100 things I care about when buying a truck. Now, if I was buying a Camry or something to just eat up highway miles with, CC performance would be a lot higher on the list.

 

A lot of it is overblown.

Aside from an ABS issue that turned out to be a rabbit gnawing on a wire (a little animal repellent spray keeps them away now), mine has been trouble-free. I find a lot of the common issues (if they are even present) to be occasionally very mildly irritating at their absolute worst. Any vehicle is going to have little quirks or issues of its own, and my Tacoma has generally impressed me with its great build quality and general sturdiness.

 

The pathetic clearance and that god awful front end does not bother you one bit? Otherwise its a cool car i guess. It is roomier inside too.

 

Search my name, who has time to relive that. I'm in here just seeing if Toyota is making any head on improving their known mistakes. Doesn't sound like it yet.
OP, I think you need to get a Tundra & avoid the headache bro..
My long story short, Toyota ended up giving me a lifetime warranty on my 2019 OR, that sounds sweet but I didn't want to spend a lifetime back & forth at the dealership. I hope they can get back to Japanese quality portrayed in the Lexus, 4Runner, Prius & FJ. Luckily, the Tundra is pretty much perfected & untouched for years so you still know what you're getting there..

 

They are a good looking SUV I did considered one as I had a similar Sporttac but I wanted a truck.

 

2018 trd sport 4x4 here. I was a bit pissy when we first bought ours, didnt like the shifting issues, etc. I keep it in ECT mode. Fixed that. My wife doesnt give a crap either way, loves it.
my son had a 2019, and they changed the shift logic, all good. nonproblems with either truck.
You CANNOT beat the resale value with these things! Buy it, enjoy it, and/or sell it in a few years if it doesnt work out. ive had BMWs too, including E46 M3. Talk about maintenance issues and forum craziness. Sheesh! Terrifying!

I like what somebody above is saying. Consider Tundra. I just bought a 2002 4.7 V8 For a DD and I love the powertrain in it. I can Only imagine how nice a newer one is.

 

I agree on the seating position even with the 10 way power adjustable seats. The tundra was perfect right from the start. I still can't get my 5'9'' butt comfortable on long rides....and toyota claims its much better than before.

 

Bunch of bs...the competition has their trolls spreading shit...

 

Shoulda sold the m2 and got a 2nd gen Tacoma and a N/A m car

 

I love TW.

 

No issues here.