GA Tacoma Owners BS Thread

Any interest in discounted State Park passes? There is a $5 discount per pass if we purchase between 10 and 99 passes.

per https://gastateparks.org/ThingsToKnow, there is a discount for 10 or more state park passes. Sure, it's only $5 and I doubt that we'd get over 100 passes to hit the next tier, but every little bit helps.

The state park pass is valid 12 months from date of purchase. If there is enough interest, I can setup another thread and treat it like a group buy.

 

I'd be in if I wasn't a year pass holder already.

 

When are you up for renewal?

Just thinking this might be a way to generate, albeit not much, some revenue for the state parks and get us something to do that isn't indoor. I also figure now is a good time to purchase since you'll have it for when the weather starts to cool and it will still be valid in the spring when things start to warm up.

 

Never understood why Ford stopped making the USA version of the ranger, saying there wasn't a market for the mid size truck, thus leaving that market to toyota and nissan. The older rangers IMO were great trucks. I beat the hell out of mine for 15 years, before I became a Toyota guy. I always felt like if Ford would have repackaged the Ranger, made it slightly bigger (how Tacomas gen1 to gen 2 did) then Ford would have stayed competitive in the mid size market.

 

I’ll have to double check but I think end of next month.

 

I agree 100%.

I put a 5.0L in my '93 - that was quite a truck!

 

Damn!!!! I would have hurt myself with that. my first vehicle was a 92 ranger with the 4cyl stick shift. I traded that in shortly after HS graduation for a 99 ext cab with the 3.0. I dogged both of those trucks and never had a major issue. probably a good thing neither were 4x4, lol.

 

I had 325,000 miles on the 4.0L and A4LD before the swap. I put about 25,000 miles on the swap - then bought a Tacoma.

 

I had a 2000 Explorer for the longest time, I hated that 4.0L and 4speed. I always wished I had the 5.0 in it, they never had the same problems as my SOHC 4.0. Finally sold it like two years ago for a cool $500, before that I’d kept it as the beater family car after I got the Tacoma forever ago. I remember moving to the Tacoma was quite a change from a gearing/power standpoint when I first drove it.

 

I'm going back and forth with 2 different dealers right now on 2 different leftover 2019s. Going to drive the red one tonight. Both XLT FX4s.

Really like the idea of 7500lb towing when I need it and the 24 MPG with the 4X4 for driving to work every day. Also really like the auto braking and adaptive cruise control.

 

Awning owners/user:
What logic do you use when determining which side of the vehicle to mount your awning? I know most are universal, but I am entertaining the notion of a 270 awning and your're pretty well married to your chosen side once you purchase. A 180 or smaller are not off the table either as I'm still in 'research' phase, but we all know bigger is better.

It may be worth mentioning that I currently do not have a RTT, as I understand that when open they can impact awning deployment.

 

What side do you tend to get in and out of the truck more when parked? If you plan on getting a RTT which way would you open it? FWIW I have mine on the driver side (one either the cab rack or campershell rack) since my RTT opens that way and I tend to spend more time on the drivers side of the truck.

 

I probably spend more time on the driver's side and rear. I run a topper full time so any awning would likely be mounted on that, especially if I go to a 270.

No clue on any future RTT opening. Honestly just assumed they all opened in whichever configuration they were mounted. I didn't realize they were side specific.

 

Yeah they were talking about the mileage with their tire sizes and it seemed pretty respectable. I’m all for the Ranger giving the Tacoma more competition, just seems like they haven’t quite found the market like they were speculating.

 

If I were you I'd open it driver side then regardless of 270 or not. You could always get a 6' awning and a 4' awning and mount the 4' on the back. I plan on doing that some time.

Well you can mount RTT to open driver side or you can flip it 180* and now it opens passenger, so it's up to you

 

I set up my truck/trailer to camp off the right side of the vehicle. If nothing else, whenever I am parked on the side of the road, I can open up (for lunch or whatever) and not have to worry about being in traffic.

 

This was kind of my thinking but didn't know for sure with zero ownership and little exposure to RTT.
Peasant ground dweller here.

Thats a really good insight. Not necessarily something I'll encounter daily, but good food for thought.

With COVID, I'm eating lunch in my truck everyday. While I don't hate sitting in the cab with A/C and radio, I'm not loving just running the engine while idle and not enjoying being out of my office.
As silly as it may sound, enhancing my lunch break is what is fueling my drive to buy an awning.

 

ZERO experience here other than popping my head into an RTT to see what the hype was about one time. I was thinking that I would do an awning on the driver side of the truck because that is the side that I would anticipate spending the most time on. Some camp spots leave you pulling the truck up to a tree or bush on one side, and you're going to have to get out of the truck somehow; so you're more likely to park the passenger side closer to that tree/bush.

And then I read this:

which is a really good point.

Do you anticipate having an RTT anytime soon (or ever)? If so, I would probably mount the awning on the passenger side. That way if you ever are stuck on the side of the road, you can deploy it without fear of traffic. If you ever get the RTT, it could essentially extend the awning on the other side and allow you some shade under there as well.

 

Its funny I was initially thinking drivers side as well, regardless of awning size. But then folks have made some great points to mount on the passenger side (I posted the same question in some other threads I frequent). It really won't matter unless I go full monty on a 270. Anything else I should in theory be able to swap around as I see fit.

Do I anticipate getting RTT? Eh, maybe, I dunno. They're neat. I dig the idea of them. Just not sure its for me. Verdict is out on that, but the 'what if' RTT ideology won't be coming into play on the awning decision.

 

I picked to have my toolbox behind a windoor on the driver side for easier access. It's full of camping gear, recovery gear, tools, etc.

When I added the awning, it made the most sense to keep it on that side - the swingout on my rear bumper frames in the back edge of the 270 awning, and the awning allows me to keep the side toolbox open without it getting wet if it's raining. I also can secure the awning to the spare tire on the swingout, which is important if it's really windy.


I don't use my awning as much as I'd hoped because it takes ~5-10 minutes to set up and tear down. That doesn't seem like a lot, but it's enough that I'm not just going to whip it out over lunch. I want to get a nicer one that doesn't need support poles, but haven't been able to justify the cost yet.