Do You Regret Buying a Four Cylinder?

I love my 4cy. 7th Tacoma I've owned. Exactly what I expected and wanted.

 

Man with a plan.

 

Ooooo and SAS the single cab 2nd gen because why the hell not? Lol

 

My four cylinder gets me around Florida just fine. I just have to remember the next time I head up North to not take I-77 through West Virginia.

 

Nope, but that was when I had a 22RE extended cab 'pickup'. Before access cab doors. Before 'Tacoma'. Before Vanilla Ice. Back in West Texas. Nowadays with as much highway commuting as I do, and even as much as I really enjoyed a small displacement manual pickup, I wouldn't have one for my needs. If it was a secondary vehicle, then yep, I'd probably have bought the 4-banger manual.

 

Double down and just come up with that extra $15k and keep it and a new one.

 

Knowing what I know about new 3rd gen V6s, id take the cash and get a truly built in Japan vehicle that doesn’t have issues - 4Runner. No 3.5 bullshit, no trans hunting gears, just a solid built tank up to Japan quality control standards.

Kind of ironic how 2016+ 3rd gens made in America suddenly have issues when manufactured here. As much as I love this country, Japanese quality control is above and beyond.

Luckily my 2.7 has its heart (motor + tranny) crated in from Japan, but it’s still having other issues.

 

I came from a 99 4L v6 Ranger to a 2010 4x4 4cyl, and whilst the taco is better in every department, mpg is wayyyy worse which did surprise me...granted the taco is on 285s which knock off quite a few mpg's but still I did not expect to be a worse than the ranger, and it has a bigger fuel tank lol. I currently average around 14mpg...or about 420kms per tank. Def don't regret it because trucks never get good mpg, but am a little disappointed how poor the MPG is.

 

You can't complain about mpg if your on larger tires and/or have a lift. It makes a huge difference.

 

Not really complaining, I was just surprised at how low it was, I'm not convinced that even putting on 245s it would get any higher than 18mpg or so though to be honest. I still love the truck though. Its so much nicer in every other department.

 

I like my 2002 DC Pre Runner that has a 4cyl , it also has a TRD Supercharger , header and CAI . It easily climbs the 4k ft Cajon pass at 70 mph

 

The Tacoma has always been made in North America. All three gens. It was never produced in Japan.

 

I was seeing 23mpg with my 2.7l auto on stock size P tires. Really did enjoy that truck.

 

It's all about what you plan to do with it. I had a 2006 dirt simple 4-banger which was great most of the time since it was my daily driver and the bed was mostly used for hauling lumber to feed my woodworking vice. I also have other hobbies so when it came time to freight rocks, loam, firewood, or trailer boats, etc., it bogged down on hills. I had made up my mind to replace it with a 6 and I'm a happy camper. Now that I'm retired, we plan on visiting as many National Parks as we can. With the new rig, we can trailer my Ural Gear-Up which will be the most awesome way to drive around once we get there. If all I was doing was light hauling, I'd go for the 4-banger. I would be really nice, however, if they could import their diesel engine model. Eventually I suspect we'll all be driving electrically driven trucks.

 

I should clarify that When I bought mine, it wasn't that I was wanting a 4cyl, more of a case of this truck happened to come through the dealership where I work and was at a price I could manage just about compared to everything else. I probably would've preferred v6 in hindsight...but its not like Im in a rush to go anywhere living in the sea 2 sky, as everywhere is amazing to look at.

 

If you live in higher elevations 4cyl just doesn’t climb in a way that’s satisfying. However if your in the lowlands 90% of the time I think it’s a great option to save money. I’m looking at the sweet deal that SR 4x4 utility owners get. Pretty hard to be mad at the price point.

 

Kinda funny to look back at this thread. At least two of the first five responses say no regrets, would buy again and no longer own said vehicles three years later.

 

I love my 4 cyl taco. Had one since 2001. Great truck In 2018 I bought a new SR 4 cyl ACLB. I use it for my farm. After living with it 3 years, I really regret, the lack of power in the purchase. I paid $22,400 which is all I could afford for it. It served me well for 40,500 miles. I just sold it last week for little less than I paid for it 3 years ago. Hallelujah for resale value.

That said, when I loaded up my bed at the farm, plus all the grades we have, it was a tough call. I know the 3.5L isn't a powerhouse, and I prefer the 4.0L V6 in the other Toyotas I own.

Having said that, for MY use, I wish I didn't buy a 4 cyl in 2018. It was economical and cheap, but I really needed more ability.

So I just upgraded to a DCLB SR5 4x4 V6 (7570 model). It is locked out in my region, so I had to go 6 states away to buy it. (waiting for it to arrive now). I know for my needs, the added power, will really be helpful on the farm.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2018-4cyl-to-2021-6-cyl.701548/

 

Have mine 2 years now and still no regrets. Not a powerhouse but for the way I drive I love the extra range per tank and the bulletproof (hopefully) reliability. Now... if they had a 2JZ-GE I6 cast iron engine option I'd be all over that in a heartbeat!

Check back in with me in about 2029 and see if I still have her =)

 

I never had issues at elevation. This pic was taken around 8,000'.