Colour and Trim advice

Hi guys,

Been lurking on the forums for a while. Am getting close to a new buy and was looking for some help. Feel free to move if I'm posting in the wrong section.

I'm currently driving a 2015 AC OR provided with my work. Been driving it since 2015 and love it. Learned to drive standard on a '92 tacoma - fond memories! I've opted to swap the work truck out for a raise and get my own taco. I plan to drive it for 15+ years. A new Taco is pushing my budget, but new is the way to go with Tacos as far as I'm concerned.

I need the 6ft bed and would get the DCLB OR if they were available in Canada - hunting, woodlot work, etc. But my options are DCLB in SR, SR5 or Sport.

The SR light fabric seats would definitely get dirty over time, plus the fog lights, wheels, fender flares and box outlet make it worth the $2500 jump to SR5.

The only thing pushing me to Sport would be the smart key and remote start - for those cold mornings, and to avoid digging for my keys when my hands are full! Also it has the "off road body kit?" and the sport suspension. I really don't like the Sport wheels so would end up getting new black ones. I'd also take off the TRD decals. Kind of prefer without the hood scoop as well .

Any opinions on the Sport upgrade being worth the extra $3500 (w/ black wheels)? Spread over 10-15 years doesn't seem like much.

Other question is colour. SR5 would be MGM, but Sport has Cement option. I love the cement colour, but not sure it will age well in 10, 15 years. What are your thoughts now that it's been out for a few years? I feel MGM is safer.

Long post, but hope you can provide insight- thanks!

 

I love my DCLB Sport. The new ones have even more options.

As for color...what does the missus like?

 

Swapping the hood wont be an issue if you decide to not like it. See hood swap thread. The tech package and keyless / remote start are awesome,you will never not like having more goodies on your personal ride. Cement wont be as bad as the baby puke color or whatever pastel they slap on these trucks in the future

 

I'd go with an SR5 or an Off Road if you are willing to front the cash. I think the jump to the Off Road is worth it for the locker and the amenities that are included with the TRD trims. I've definitely been spoiled to smart entry lol.

As far as colors go, I'm a sucker for all the TRD fancy colors and love Cement.

 

LB OR not available in Canada

 

OP....I wanted the ORLB in Canada as well. I settled for the TRD Sport DCLB 4X4 and it meets our families needs very well. Very happy with it.

Looking at your wish list I would consider the SR5 if you are wanting to save a bit of money and are going to remove stickers and want dark wheels. It would give a great balance of options and features that you may want.

I have the Super White color and it could have issues down the road. Either MGM or Cement would be awesome long term. So don't worry about it. I had a brad new grey 1992 Toyota 4X4 for 14 years and the paint held up very well with regular maintenance (wash & wax). Cement should be the same. Just my 0.02$

 

I like MGM and black, but cement is nice too. I'd probably choose the SR5 and add my own mods before buying a sport, but I'm out of touch with what comes standard on the sr5/trd sport these days. I chose the TRD OR over the SR5 for the Bilstein shocks and added 4x4 features, but I see that's not available in your neck of the woods.

Some options are easier to change/ upgrade. The color isn't one of them.
Go with your gut. Especially, if your keeping the truck for a long time. Ask yourself which truck you prefer in it's stock trim and go from there.

 

Stick to MGM or White. Most canadian sports are white for a reason, they look best with the matched trim and black rims.

I'd say MGM for SR5, White for TRD.

I'd go Sport simply for features and visuals. But there's no real major difference.

 

Thanks guys. Is adding smart key handles a feasible project? I don't mind using the key to start. It's really just to unlock doors when hands are full.

Think I'm leaning MGM.

To answer @CaptAmerica, my wife is tired of hearing me talking about it she likes cement but is also unsure about how it will age.

 

Can't go wrong with either color, but cement is easier to keep looking clean/good.

 

Some things to consider.......... Not asking you to answer me, just some thoughts, as I've had this exercise before.

Does driving a company vehicle have tax implications for you? The replacement 'raise' certainly will.

Does the company provide all maintenance? How about fuel? Insurance? Won't those all be costs for your own vehicle?

To your phrase 'pushing my budget'. So if the raise less taxes doesn't cover the payment and expenses, is it still a good move?

Depending on how analysis shakes out, keeping the company truck and setting aside your anticipated monthly expense (payment + insurance + operating costs) for several months will get you way down the road towards a nice cash down situation. A liquid investment earning 5% would speed that along.

Also consider that the economies (global) are still teetering, oil is going to become a mess again, and there are other surrounding risks about debt to consider.

Best wishes for your decision.

 

As far as these trims, i've always had best reliability and less initial issues with the sr5 having toyota pickups since they introduced the sr5.
As for their colors seems the silvers hold up longest. Any red or blue when i owned those colors lose their brilliance, and tend to fade after several years.

 

I mean, I have an ORLB in Canada. Granted it is an access cab. Honestly, for you OP, it sounds like you want the sport. Get what you want.

 

Personally, I like the extra features of the TRD models, but the SR5 is a solid truck. My dad had two SR5s and they were both great trucks. It really depends on how much the extra features on the Sport are worth to you. I went with the TRD Sport because I wanted the premium features, like dual zone climate (which I think is standard now), heated leather seats, JBL audio, and LED headlights. I also really like the smart key, the look of the scoop, and the road manners of the Sport. You can get more options on the TRD models, but if those aren't important to you, the SR5 is worth a look. Also, if you go with the Sport but don't like the scoop, there's a 300 page thread of people trying to trade for a scooped hood. As much as people say they don't like the scoop, there's an awful lot of people willing to trade their hood plus cash for a scooped hood.

In regards to color, MGM and Cement both look great on these trucks. Cement is definitely easier to keep looking clean. My wife had an MGM 4Runner and it would show dirt just a few hours after a wash. Any scratch or ding was glaringly obvious. We took good care of her 4Runner, but the paint still looked rough when she traded it. Any dark color is going to be more difficult to keep looking clean though.

 

I've had Cement for a few years now with no degradation in paint and I am the guy that washes it once a month whether it needs it or not and buys the car soap that has wax in it... I wax maybe twice a year with whatever wax I can find.
So, I think the Cement color will last as good as any metallic color as both MGM and Cement are loaded with metallic.

 

Just my opinion having a silver/gray 01 tundra and an 2012 silver prius. Those paint colors hold up well even after nearly 20 years. I had a number of toyota red trucks, they were the worse for fading paint. after 6 years i had one repainted the original red...couldn't believe the red was the same it had changed so much. Even a blue 93 truck didn't have the same blue when i sold it. It to faded some. My brother had their white rave4's, and 4runners...they were pretty good until having some rust issues, which stood out making them look terrible.

 

If I could buy again, I would not get black... Yes, it looks awesome when clean but shows every minor scratch and dust ice, snow, salt etc. when it's not clean. Also, I would have maybe bought a Sport for a little smoother ride and hood scoop aesthetics...I have an OR and don't think I'll ever use the crawl feature in the Midwest. Heated seats are a must if you live in cold weather. Sunroof is also nice.

 

Really, both of these questions are personal preference and choice. I love my DCSB Sport and feel the upgrades from the factory are well worth it. In addition to the window sticker items they list, you also get some interior upgrades with seat fabrics and colors, but I also know that prices have gone up a bit since I bought mine in '18.

Test drive the different versions and see what works best for you.

 

Well said.

 

Hi Bill, thanks. Going to write this down for my own convincing . I'm currently paying tax for the truck benefit and the taxable amount is what I am getting in raise. I can't complain too much about the deal I had, but I had to track EVERY drive I took. I'd also have to give it up 15 or so days a year to be on foot and couldn't really take it offroad or for longer personal trips. Plus I only live 3 mins away from work so gas is not a huge cost. The raise will cover most of the payment, but at least once the truck is paid, I keep getting the raise. I've had the 2015 for six years. Maintenance and insurance can't be forgotten but were pretty low. By now, I'd practically have the truck paid and it's still worth $28K.

I stopped at the dealer today and they had a DCLB SR MGM with dark seats and fender flares. From my reading, I should be able to install fogs, leather steering wheel and dark wheels when I can comfortably afford them. They also had three cement sports, but honestly I find my excitement for them has faded some already . Plus $~5K savings is not negligeable.

Think I'll take both for a test drive and go from there. Thanks for the help!