In market for used Tacoma for 16yr old son--questions

If he has saved all his monies, I would say that you can confidently know that he will cherish and take care of whatever he buys.

Used truck prices are insane at the moment. Does he need a bed? I love 4Runners and would own one if I did not need a truck bed to haul crap. Will be even more reliable than a tacoma.

 

TLDR: 5 lug is old school at this point, gramp truck mode. Good street cred though. He won’t get laughed at. It’s the modest play, understated. More limited in terms of making it a rock crawler as mentioned. Sort of depends on if he really wants to turn it into something special, in which case you'd be better starting with a v6 6 lug.

Downside is potentially lower holding of value on the resell side. Everyone wants a v6, 4wd used Tacoma. Slightly fewer people are fine with 2wd 5 lug. More of a landscaper special in that category but still plenty of demand.

Good value and proper price point are likely more important that the specifics, unless your son has a reason for a preference.

 

For the most part, it seems like you have answered your own questions. Your son sounds like a responsible young man to me. It took a lot of work to save the money he has saved. If he was responsible enough to save it then my guess would be he is responsible enough to take care of whatever he ends up with. But no one knows your son on here like you do. It sounds like you have done a wonderful job raising him. I see nothing wrong with your plan so far. In your climate and that part of the country a PreRunner should work just fine for him.

Keep in mind there is a difference between a 2wd Tacoma and a PreRunner. Think of the PreRunner as the same as a 4X4 Tacoma in looks and suspension but without the 4 wheel drive. The 2wd model pictured above is much lower to the ground and for most people, "not as cool" as a PreRunner. Does your son care if his new ride is a basic 2wd truck or does he want the PreRunner?

A V6 is nice but there is not that much of a difference in horsepower, torque and gas mileage between the V6 and the 4 cylinder. I wouldn't let the number of engine cylinders determine if I walked away from a good truck if the only difference was if it was a v6 or a four cylinder.

The best piece of advice I can give is for you to be prepared to act quickly for the right vehicle but take as long as you need to find the right vehicle.

 

Thats okay, I don't think he's the off roading type anyhow. We live near the gulf coast of texas and we are so flat I swear I can see the town 35miles away on a good day. LOL We live in a one red light rural town, graduation class size is 50 on a good year. If anything, he'd use the 4x4 Ford to get himself unstuck on our property after a lot of rain like we've had the past two weeks. With a 2wd, he'll just have to learn not to back up into the mucky grass and stay on the driveway. hahaha

 

I too live in South Texas near Corpus Christi and own a 2013 Pre-Runner Tacoma and 2020 Tundra. My wife and I were planning on buying a camper and I knew we needed a full-size truck to tow what we were planning on buying, however I DID NOT want to trade in the Tacoma since it was paid off, in great condition, I do all the maintenance, and it was only @115,000 miles. My justification not to trade in was we would not get what we wanted for it and my son is 13 years old and will be driving in a few short years. IMHO the Pre-Runner has been a great truck and will continue to be when my son starts driving. I don't off-road, rarely take it to the beach, and it has been super reliable for me with diligent maintenance. I think it would be a great first vehicle for a new driver.

 

Buy your kid whatever he wants. No one here knows how your son is better than you. Cheap cars break and it's a headache. My first car was a 60k 95 Toyota Supra, 2nd car was a 55k 98 BMW M3 all bought by my parents. I left it stock and cherished it. I didn't start modding and beating up cars until I bought my first car myself a 2004 BMW M3. Now that I'm almost 45 a bit older and wiser I still mod and beat up my vehicles. My whole thought process was I didn't have money and the Marines sure as hell didn't pay me good enough to mod my cars incase it breaks down. When I got a job that paid real money then I started modding and beat it up.

 

Hell, I have driven a 2010 2wd in Massachusetts for 9 years and no issues..yeah I been driving a while but still. Agreed the value isn't as high for mine as a 4x4 here would fetch, but I plan to keep it till it's useless. Currently it awaits a reframe

 

I’ve bought my 2013 AC Prerunner new and have a bit over 125,000 miles on it. It is the best vehicle I’ve ever owned, and at 69, I’ve owned more than a few. I say go for the Tacoma. And in Texas, resale in the Prerunners and 5 lug trucks is still pretty good.

 

Good point on the mod money.

 

I ain't too proud to drive a banana personally

 

Late to this but it sounds like he's a good kid and will take care of whatever you get him. My first vehicle was a '97 Jeep Chereokee 4x4 that I got in...I guess it was 2004. I too was a good kid, didn't get into trouble, and took care of it (mostly). I drove it for 14 years until I got my Tacoma back in 2018 and I still have the Jeep sitting out in the driveway right now, with almost 230,000 miles on it. It needs some work with the old worn out suspension and some recent steering issues, but otherwise was almost always good to me and I learned a lot about vehicles when it needed minor work and repair. I washed it regularly and only within the last year and a half or so has it started to show wear to the original clear coat. Only "accident" was a neighbor backing out of their driveway and dinging the right rear door while it was parked on the street. Anyways, my point is that if he is responsible and takes care of his stuff then the truck will last him a long time if he so desires to drive it that long.