Why did you pick your Tacoma over another choice?

when i decided i wanted a truck i already knew that i did not want full size. it would be more than i need. i started looking at the mid sized trucks right before the ranger came out. i was looking for 4 door, long bed, and 4x4. from the get go i was not to interested in the Colorado. personally i dont like the way it looks and im not a fan of the interior but with the right mods it would look good. one of my friends told me to wait to see the new ranger. ive honestly never been a fan of ford product so that solved that. the canyon really wasn't on my list of trucks to check out but i did see one that kitted out and it did look good but i think its geared more towards a luxury truck imo. the frontier is a good truck and i work for an auto group that has a nissan dealer so i could have gotten a pro 4x for a really good price but i feel that the frontier is a little outdated. i went with the tacoma because it had exactly what i was looking for. i picked up a 2019 trd offf road 4 door long bed. the resale value alone was a big factor in my purchasing decision along with its reputation for being a globally reliable truck. the interior layout is much better than the competition in my opinion as well. and lets be honest i was not going to get a ridgeline.

 

Reliability and resell value

 

I was dead set against anything outside of the Big 3. I wanted a full size so I was going to get the F150. On the off chance I went with another midsize, it was going to be the Colorado/Canyon with the Duramax. I liked the new body style Tacomas, but not enough to sway me. However, my current truck at the time (2008 GMC Canyon) was getting up there, starting to have rust issues, and a multitude of other issues which, combining with previous experience, was giving me trust issues with GM. So the F150 it was!

...and then I saw it. On my way back from Marquette, driving through Munising, I saw a TRD, black and blue (possibly Voodoo Blue) Tacoma with a bed rack and an overall badass looking build sitting in the snow in a parking lot by the road. It fit me and my lifestyle better than an F150 would too.

I didn't know a ton about Tacomas at the time other than some basic info from TFL. But I couldn't get that truck out of my head over the next several months. I started researching, particularly the manual. Eventually I wanted one, bad. Within a month of that, I found "the one" (I had moved on from the manual option by that point). With COVID starting, I figured it wouldn't be easy to sell my Canyon. So I traded it in (after putting a ton of money into it on repairs that still didn't fix the issues) and got my new Tacoma and couldn't be happier.

Edit: I forgot to add, I didn't care for the Ranger at all because I thought it was ugly and hated how Ford seemed to half-ass bringing it back to the US by changing the motor, bumper, and a couple other minor things and calling it "all new." Even if Dodge had the Dakota, I wouldn't have considered it and I didn't want a Frontier since my father in law had one and I wasn't a huge fan. LOL at the Ridgeline.

 

I bought my tacoma because: I Live in rural Maine there are winters (snow and ice), severe storms (downed trees, power lines), and I enjoy the outdoors. I also work as a corrections officer at a supermax facility, we are open 365 days a year, and I cannot in good conscience call into work and say i cannot get to work even in a snowstorm, ice-storm, blizzard, etc (its not an option)... there are 6 routes I can take to get to work, one of them will be passable. I dont have the need for a fullsized truck, and i have liked the tacoma as well as jeep brands since I was a kid, but could not justify the cost of the 2018 jeep rubicon 4door, not he $42k price tag on a 2018 Chevy ZR2, I found my 2016 Tacoma with 20k on it for $29500 in October 2018, mint condition, always dealer serviced, and I know toyota has always made a solid vehicle, and stood by them (frame recalls, fixing issues, safety, and driveability related - so far i have not been disappointed)....

 

After passing my permit test in April 2018 (freshman year of high school), I took ownership of a 2008 Honda Ridgeline that my mom and step dad previously owned. The truck (literally an accord with a bed) was reliable for what it could do, but I wanted a truck with a bit more space, comfort, and reliability so I decided to sell it in March 2019. Started off looking at used F150's and the Silverado's. At the time, I was somewhat a fan of ford trucks (not anymore). My high school tennis coach at the time had a 2017 Toyota Tacoma SR5 in Magnetic Gray Metallic, the truck looked really cool plus he said it was a great truck and very reliable. Two days before I got my drivers license (4/06/19), I went to the dealership and bought a 2019 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport 4x4 off the showroom floor. Its an awesome truck and I'm glad I bought it and I'm planning on keeping the truck for a very long time. My tennis coach also just picked up a 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport in Midnight Black Metallic haha.

I also own a Trans Am, the title was transferred to my name in 2013 (age 11) back when my dad died. Fortunately, the Trans Am is in great condition and its sitting somewhere in Michigan until 2021.

 

i mean....... your not wrong

 

I’m on my third Tacoma.... Also currently own (my wife’s) 4Runner. I’ve also previously owned two domestic trucks (one mid size and one 1/2 ton). One of the domestics was a basket case from day one and the other was sort of a ticking time bomb.

To summarize....
Quality
Reliability
Looks
Capability
Long term resale value.

 

^^^ All the reasons above, but mainly because Ford & GM don't make a Tacoma or Hilux. (Hilux is the indestructible AK-47 of light trucks)

 

Tons. You guys are amazing. If/when I'll get my sh*t together, will do.

 

Could not agree more. But please don't extrapolate what they are doing based on what I'm doing. They could be!

 

Toyota trucks are legends!

 

The Swiss Army knife of pickups

 

those are the reasons that I looked at mid size trucks to replace my Liberty before it got too old and started to be more trouble than most Chrysler products. I also liked the looks and the interior of the Tacoma, the reliability and resale value sealed the deal for me. I did strongly consider Ford Ranger. I also looked at GM and Nissan Frontier.

Edit: I would actually add value to that too. The Ranger was actually priced for less to start but to get a truck that had all the SR5 has standard it was more. Ford's options and trim levels add up fast.

 

I have been driving for about 47 years...for short periods of time I have owned a few NON-TOYOTA off-road Vehicles (2002 X-Terra, 1979 CJ-5 Jeep, 1973 Blazer, H-3 Hummer, 1978 4 x4 Chev 2500 Long Bed). On the other hand I have had a number of Toyota "Trucks" over the years (1975 Land Cruiser, 1981 4 x 4 Hilux, 1987 4 x 4 Truck, 1986-1991-1995-1998 4Runner and now a 2016 Tacoma Off-Road Double Cab). All my Toyotas have run for 100,000s of miles, all of my GM, Jeep and Nissan vehicles fell apart at LESS THAN 100,000 miles, all with regular maintenance.

I have not gotten any of my Toyota's stuck to a point I was not able to get myself out of the shit I was in on my own. On the other hand, all the other vehicles got stuck or broke when I really needed them to work...I will never own another brand of vehicle again...I now have 3 Toyotas in the front yard, all work great...yes, even my Yaris (which is my commuter car, with 375,000 miles on it and still running great - averaging 260 miles a day round trip to work).

Toyota makes a great product, although a little over priced...But, if you want quality that will last...own a Toyota...otherwise you don't get what you pay for.

 

YEH OK, AUDI junk. I work on the plies of sh..... head-gaskets at 60k oil buring machines, timing chain and gears overpriced etc. should I go on ???

 

I could not of said it better sir. I am with this guy. Save me from typing !!!

 

I got it because it's reliable and the best looking truck in the category. I considered Subaru on my search for a vehicle because of how much cheaper and better MPG they have but I thought non of the SUV's looked good and having a truck bed for work and camping was also very important.

 

If I could add something to my post....
There is a bit of brand loyalty for me here. My wife had a Sequoia that ran for 206,000 trouble free miles. My first Tacoma went 196,000 with no trouble. I had a Ram 1500 that was not trouble free. However, my interaction with FCA and their customer service was awful. When I decided to dump the Ram I considered a Jeep Gladiator. However, due to my experience with the parent company (FCA) I decided that they would not get any more of my money and wouldn’t want to deal with them again if the truck was a basket case. So I went back to what I know and trust.