12-15’ buyers guide?

Afternoon all,
I am looking to upgrade to 2012-2015 double cab 4x4 (trd off-road or sport).
I am pretty familiar with Toyota’s and have previously owned a 3G4R and a 1St gen Tacoma.
Aside from the standard pre-purchase items to inspect and rust, what are some things to look for?
Options to prefer or avoid?
Problems areas?

 

pretty solid trucks.

some issues.
the 12-15 have a secondary air pump that makes a noise when you start the car and turn it off (sounds like a vacuam cleaner) they sometimes go out, the filter gets sucked into the engine

i belive some of the 2014 had issues with the headunit, where it would randomly reset.

nothing else that i know.

 

Needle bearing? Common issue when 2nd gens get lifted. Impacts the front differential.

Rust is an issue with all 2nd generation Tacomas so it's always ideal to look underneath.

Not a lot of serious issues with the 2012-2015.

If you're looking for a off-road ready 2015 I've got mine listed for sale. Spent it's whole life in Montana away from salty/rust roads.

 

Side note, but I have an 8.4, 4.56 third member from a 98 tacoma. Will this fit the 8.4" axle in the trd sports or are the axle/splines different?

 

Ha that explains why my head unit randomly resets from time to time. Is there a fix? Couldn't find anything by searching online, short of some suggestions to update the OS and iOS on your phone

 

@SummitBound has a sweet 2.5 Gen for sale

 

The 12’ had issues with the Secondary Air Injection System.
The 13’-15’ trucks seem to have had the problem “fixed”.

My opinion is, 13-15’ is the best of the 2nd Gens.
With the simplest being the 07 and 08’ Off-Road.
They are as basic as it gets. Most don’t have Traction Control and all the newer safety features. (TC can be a hassle if you lift the truck)

I’d try to find a 13-15.

 

Gotta say my 14' has been good to me. No major mechanical or electrical issues and I off-road often. One thing I'd do different if I could do it again is pick a different color. I have the Blue Ribbon Metallic, and it's a great looking color when clean, but I'm starting to get some paint fade issues on the roof. I thought maybe it was resolved after the early years, but I guess not. So perhaps stay away from darker colors that had the issue, like black, red, and my blue.

 

Thanks @Bannerman ! @jmferg I will shoot you a PM

 

Skip the 2012's as they dont have the coding in the ECU to do a shutdown purge of the SAIS (air injection) system.

2013's were the last year to get the Auto dimming mirror with compass and outside real time temp reading.

 

2013 gang! Best year.

 

2012 Secondary air injection system issues, but can happen on all 2012-2015 trucks. If you have a screwdriver and a willing seller, its popping off a plastic cover and one screw to inspect the foam, etc.

Lifting the 2nd gens (not just 2.5gen) can cause issue with wheel and needle bearings.

4wd actuator can seize up, be sure to test that

Good ol toyota frame rust.

I forget the year it swapped from a temp gauge, but I know my 2015 does outside temp via the HD weather app on the headunit which is infuriating if you are out in the back country and wanna know what temp it is.

 

2012 saw the introduction of the SAIS system on the 1gr v6. in 2013 like stated they re coded the ECU to do the shutdown purge to help with moisture buildup in the SAIS valves. 2012-2015 v6's can all benefit from the "uni filter mod".

 

Right. They added fixes to lessen the frequency of issues, but there plenty of non-2012s in the P2442 thread was my point. Takes a few mins at most to inspect so why not take a peek?