New guy looking for advice

I haven't owned a Toyota pickup since the 1980s. I live in the NW where my Subaru is necessary at least once a year or I don't make it to work. Decided it is time to have a pickup instead of borrowing other people's, and plan on in a summer soon to come, to make it down the Flint Trail. So I want a Tacoma 4X4. Good also for that few days of wet snow that comes around here, not to mention some dependable access in the National Forests.
Maybe new, maybe used. A friend was a ranger at Hans Flat, and she said Tacomas often seemed to do better, were more dependable, and required less rescue efforts than Jeeps when exploring the Maze.
Looking forward to soaking up some advice on aftermarket vs TRD. I don't need a 4 door, an access cab is fine. (They seem to be few in number, new or used.)

 

Welcome! Finding an access cab tacoma is quite easy, the lower trim level tacomas like the SR or SR5 are somewhat easy to find with the access cab option. TRD Offroad is available with the access cab (comes with multi terrain select, crawl control, rear differential locker), however its kinda hard to find one. Good Luck!

 

Welcome to the Forum

If what you are describing above with snow, wanting to adventure and people getting stuck then i would think at this point you buy and cry once and get the Off-road series.
Now I don't know with all this Rona shit going on but you could go to the Yota site and see if you can build one or got to Stealership and ask, look and inquire.
Make sure you do research and you know what your looking for 1st though!
Good luck OP!

 

Welcome aboard new member

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Welcome to TW

 

So I did as you suggested. I went to do a build from scratch on a TRD off Road, just for shits and giggles. I didn't add any packages or skid plates or anything since they are apparently all cheaper to buy, even OEM, later. (The factory wants $499 for a front skid, offsite it was $330.36 bought on Ebay new.)
The msrp quote comes in at $37,610 for an Access cab 6' bed. I need to find out how much more off-road worthy that stripped down TRD off road really is without their big off road package they want. Any advice from anyone would be great.

 

Nice!
So for bolt on shit yes aftermarket will be cheaper and in some cases better.
Now as far as drivetran mechanics other than maybe an ARB locker for the rear if you don't go with the Off-Road then factory is the way to go for more than reason than 1, other than the stock tires they provide on the trucks. IMO they are bullshit for what they say the trucks are about....

Thats why I referred to them as the Stealership

Research is your best friend at this point.

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Welcome!

 

Do you want an auto or manual trans?

 

Wife is second driver. Auto is mandatory. Neither of us have had a stick since the late 90s, anyway!

 

Here's what I've gathered about the 3rd gens, probably missing info but it's a start
I hope others will chime in with additional info and opinions
SR, SR5 4x4

Pros: 2.7L i4 cylinder available, Less expensive,
Cons: Smaller rear diff, no lockers, trim packs are limited (SR5 has more options), only comes with auto trans
Market: For people who like to keep it simple and good for people planning on adding lots of upgrades and don't like computer assisted off-road programs (CRAWL control, Multi-terrain System)​

TRD Sport 4x4

Pros: "upgraded" suspension, more trim options, fog lights, non-functional hood scoop, manual trans available, navigation, LED daytime running lights, Sport grille, TRD bedside badging
Cons: no lockers, smaller rear diff (auto trans), availability in access cab, V6 only
Market: for mostly on-road and mild off road use (no lockers = open/open diffs)​

TRD Off-Road 4x4

Pros: Bilstein Shocks, suspension oriented towards off-road use, factory rear locker, computer assisted off-road programs (CRAWL control, Multi-terrain System, auto trans only), navigation, more trim packages available , fog lights, manual trans available, larger rear diff and additional air trans cooler (up to 2020 mid year) for auto trans, LED daytime running lights, TRD OR grille, TRD OR bedside badging
Cons: Price, availability in access cab, V6 only
Market: For more off-road oriented individuals who, for those with the auto trans, don't mind having, and learning how to use, a computer to help them with off-road obstacles​

Limited

Pros: all the creature comforts
Cons: Price, only in double cab, V6 only
Market: People who want a plush Taco with all the bells, whistles and chrome accents​

Pro 4x4

Pros: Fox shocks with rear resi, non-functional hood scoop, TRD aluminum skid plate, computer assisted off-road programs (CRAWL control, Multi-terrain System, auto trans only), navigation, more trim packages available, Rigid Industries fog lights, LED daytime running lights, pro badged blacked out headlights and tail lights, rear locker, larger rear diff, and additional air trans cooler for auto trans, LED daytime running lights, manual trans available, Pro bedside, door panel, and tailgate badging, newest model year has special limited color (2020 is Army Green)
Cons: Price, availability, only double cab V6
Market: For more higher speed off-road oriented individuals who, for those with the auto trans, don't mind having, and learning how to use, a computer to help them with off-road obstacles and those looking for the buy it with everything Toyota has to offer​

Used vs New
I bought mine used Pre-Certified which gave additional power-train warranty. Tacoma's hold their value well, but I did save a few thousand from the initial drive-off-the-lot depreciation. Here is some of the differences between the years

2016-17: Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) was optional, early shifting and hesitation problems fixed (controversial) with updates by Toyota through TSB
2018-2020 - different grille options, TSS standard equipment
2020 - optional LED factory Headlights, 10 way power adjusting driver seats, android audio/ apple carplay

Different color options are available throughout the year ranges as some are added and taken away as the Pro colors were filtered into the other models. The standard colors throughout are Super White, Silver Sky Metallic, and Magnetic Grey Metallic, I think the black changed somewhere in the line up.

If it were me, I'd go with the TRD Off-Road to tackle the trails you listed. With a more stout skid plate and 265/75 r16 mud or all terrain tires you should be good.

Welcome to TW, and happy hunting!

 

Wow. Thanks, TacoPharm. That was a great overview. I may have to travel far afield to find the rig. There is little inventory in Western WA, but some great ones 2000 miles away!

 

There have been a few people on here that have purchased across states, some have flown and drove back, others have just paid a transport company to bring it to them. Right now with all the shutdowns, dealer stock is at an all time low, making dealer incentives for Toyota's all but gone. Even when I purchased mine in mid 2018, they were not willing to negotiate on the price (at least in my area). Check out autotempest.com, they filter all the major car sites, and check out the buy/sell/trade sections of this site too! Good Luck with the search

 

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out today.

 

I am in similar boat, the best options I've found are all 250+ miles away... looking hard at locally available trucks and this one below seems like a good package:

https://www.carfax.com/vehicle/5TFRZ5CN5KX085364

My only hangup on it is Can I swap out the hood for no scoop? I know I shouldn't be asking questions that are answered in multiple other threads, but can some of you veteran Taco guys tell me that the transmission bug is totally fixed in 2019 models? I apologize and thank you.

 

1.) That looks like a creampuff of a unit. The South has some good deals. Here in the NW they would be asking practically 2020 new prices. We went for a drive in a new 2020 yesterday and realized we needed the truck but not as a primary driver, so we decided to get Gen 2 with some miles on it. We just can't fathom spending 40K. (My 2000 Sienna is still going strong at 274,000 miles--I just gave it to my 24 year old son so he and his wife can each have concurrent transportation. Seems like 100K on a Taco isn't too bad.)
2.) Tranny problems? I gotta check that out now I might be looking for out of warranty stuff...

 

From Consumer Reports and other guys who track initial satisfaction, 2016 was the worst Tacoma model in the last 5 yrs, while 2015 was the best. Majority of complaints centered on a TSB recall for the 2016/2017 trucks. Basically the transmissions were shipped w/ less than optimum level of ATF, and a software glitch needed smoothing out. I just was not sure if Toyota had smoothed this out in 2018 going forward or if it was something to be looked into more. FWIW, any major change in generations is likely to have teething issues. Wife drives a '15 Prius = Zero issues, when my in-laws "upgraded" to a brand new 2019 Prius it was ok, but '16/'17 had some glitches. If I were up in NW I'd prob be looking at a 2012-2015 Taco with 100k-125k on it. Best of luck!