To trade or not to trade

Driving any car in LA sucks man. I’ve been DDing a motorcycle for over 10 years and it’s so much better. Save the truck for when you need the space.

 

Thats an awful lot of posts on a tacoma forum for someone who doesnt care much for them.

 

I never said I don't care for them. I've had four Toyota trucks. The 3rd gen was the biggest swing and a miss for me in terms of my expectations for the price. Yes I did test drive one, for a whopping 800 miles from Hertz before I bought a new 2018 Off Road.

It's not like I exited years ago. I got rid of the Tacoma last weekend.

 

I like TSS until it breaks out of warranty.

 

I was an engineer at Ford on the truck team. I needed a mid-size truck, I don’t need a full-size. I bought a Tacoma not a Ranger, even though the Ford would have been with employee discount. Yes, I bought the Tacoma before the Ranger was released, but I was also an engineer on the truck team who saw the Ranger at ever stage of development for the US market. I knew it wasn’t going to be worth waiting for. In every way possible the Tacoma is a nicer vehicle than both the Ranger and Colorado.

edit: I guess the Ranger and Colorado get better gas mileage, but I’ll take thirsty and reliable over efficient and short lived.

 

Funny you mention this. I was just thinking the other day how I wish I had access to actual technicians or engineers instead of reading articles on the internet about how horrible stuff is.

 

One of the most amusing things was working on a project and knowing what engine/drivetrain/etc. was being developed and the magazines are making guesses that were way wrong lol. Still, some magazines may know more than some engineers.

 

There's certain features i miss from the tacoma like the proximity door handle unlock, but the audio, acceleration, transmission shifting, NVH is much better. The visibility reminds me a lot of my first gen. The seating position feels better, but i'm not sure i'd recommend this truck for anyone over five foot nine.

Downsides so far:

The community isn't as big, the Frontier forums are pretty much crickets compared to TW

The utili-track bed system is interesting, but no one makes anything for it that i've found. I'd like to use my Yakima blockhead mount with the security cover over the bolts, but Yakima doesn't make a plate kit for this system. I'd have to buy channel nuts for uni-strut to use it accord to Yakima. The positive: The cleats that Nissan provides with this system, make the Toyota ones look like toys and Nissan had common sense to install a front rail. I'm not sure why they took it away on the 3rd gen, it was something I added to mine. I'm likely just going to buy a tail gate cover since my new MTB didn't fit in the Tacoma bed either unless the gate was down.

I don't care for how Nissan does the accessories for their products, the websites are pretty much a mess when it comes to OEM accessories. Toyota does a much better job and considering how long the Frontier has been out there's almost a lack of accessories.

So far overall i'm impressed, I think they're really under-rated and ragged on for no reason. If I had to choose again I would have just went with the Frontier two years ago. If had to choose in total, the Tacoma would still be an option vs. the Ford or GM stuff in this class of pickup.

 

I think he would want to trade for another truck...

 

I'm fairly convinced that somewhere between 30-40% of active members of TW don't need, or actually want for that matter, a truck.

Don't get me wrong, they want the idea of a truck. Maybe it looks cool, maybe because it's in fashion, or maybe they're trying to impress the neighbors wife, I don't know. But it seems to me that everyone wants a truck right up until the moment they climb behind the wheel of a truck.

Maybe for a second act maybe we should all discover why so very few people daily a classic 70's muscle car.

 

Ridgeline for sure

 

That could be said about a lot of fullsize truck owners as well. At some point the full size truck went from something a blue collar worker used to drive to work everyday and doing home projects, etc. to a family luxury vehicle.

 

I’ve owned trucks in the past but it was the allure of overlanding that got me. I thought it was so cool watching all of the YouTube videos so I ran out and bought one. Cost isn’t even an issue, I just realized one day how impractical it is for where I live.

 

And... the cargo and towing capacity is dismal...

 

If they only knew that your basic Becky or Rachel isn't really interested unless the said truck is towing a wake boat with a yeti cooler full of White Claws

 

Me thinks that the 3rd Gen came out and a lot of folks fell for the looks. You know all those WRX, Civic, 1-series, type folks. Looks get you through those early dates, but then your IG friends start pointing out the quirks of a Taco. No Car play, no sport tuned suspension, no electric seats, loud ride/bumpy ride yadda yadda yadda etc... Kind of like the city folks moving here to NH during the pandemic. Love it at first, then realize you cannot get delivered pizza, you have to be somewhat self reliant as the local gov't is all volunteers and not at your beckon call. Now some are moving back, THANK GOD

 

https://automobiles.honda.com/ridge...p.ds&msclkid=9e27d1dfe112115c31cfb199f8dccb8f

Only comes in one cab configuration which was a deal breaker for my needs.

 

Haha that’s no joke. Before my Tacoma I had a Subaru Impreza. It was practical for my needs and served a purpose. I met an online date at a bar and as we were leaving we were making small talk in the parking lot and it became obvious which car was mine after a little while. She responded with “oh that’s what you drive?” I must have looked so defeated after that.

 

Only tacoma i ever test drove was a 2020 gen3 sr 4 cylinder access cab that i thought was an underpowered term, but at least it felt solid with no rattles. Local dealer said if i came back tomorrow afternoon i could test drive their v6 access cab model. I never went back, or took a test drive in one. I couldn't believe how scarce v6 access cabs were, let alone in the color and trim i wanted.

 

I guess I should consider myself to be spoiled, I drove not so great vehicles my whole life. I just came out of a 2016 jeep renegade Sport(base as can be), with a shitbox lawnmower engine and CVT. In to a fully loaded Tacoma with an even lower payment. The Tacoma is my first truck, and to me it rides like an absolute dream. I cannot say that I have a single complaint about the truck. Perception is everything