How dumb am I being right now?

Buy out the lease. No question if I was doing it. But. . .I'm not you.

Ask yourself this question: If you did one vs the other, would you regret what you did in 6 months? 2 years?

 

I have bought out a lease before. I had a leased 2017 rav 4 adventure. I paid a total of 31,000 bones for it. Traded it in on my Taco and the dealership gave me 28,000 on it. I made off like a total bandit both times. Honestly tho I would spend the extra ten grand and get the 2022. It will be a more useful truck and have better resale in the end. Plus you'll never look back and say should I have kept the 4 cal 2wD. If your gonna make payments, get what you want. I have made the mistake of just settling before and I regretted it. Good luck!

 

I’m of no help but get a TRD or at LEAST an SR5 V6 4x4. 38k for an SR??? You’re trippinnn.

 

Keep it and look for one used one the market cools off

 

Right now? That's hard to say without a baseline. How dumb are you any other time other than right now?

 

Well I’ve never bought a Dodge, so I think that should add a few points in my column.

 

Okay then. You are somewhere between idiot savant and Mensa member. Card, or hold Raymond?

 

In a coupe years these current prices will look like a bargain.

 

It's all based on your needs man - unless there's a real benevolent lottery winner in TW - no one here is gonna make your payments. Get what'll make you happy. Never dumb to ask a question. If I were in your shoes, I'd buy out the lease. You know where all the miles have come from, what ghosts (if any) will pop up, and at $28K - that's a decent price compared to the rest of the used market. You've driven it in the snow a few seasons - do you need 4wd? If the market corrects (I doubt it) you can trade it in later if there's stock at the dealerships.

 

Wow, I came to the forum almost to ask this exact question today about the same truck, but my lease was only $165 a month and I'm about at 15k miles.

The answer is pretty easy for me at the moment. BUY the lease out. I have the same TSS package, but I have all the dealer stuff they could throw into the bucket. I love the TSS wheels more than any other taco wheels so far. I have the extended paint protection film everywhere. Hood, mirrors, full bumper, door edges, all over. I have the fancy rubber mats. I have the black fender flare trim, fog lights, keyless entry, and the blackout package that is essentially the TSS package.

So the plan is to buy out the lease cash and then order a new truck with the V6 because I'm getting a boat when the real estate bubble pops. Or at least that's the plan, since things are completely insane at the moment.

Reality is that you can buy out the truck and flip it for a small profit of a few grand with the way trucks are priced at the moment, especially with the low mileage so it still feels like new.

Things I hate about my truck? The cement grey interior. I have always had black interiors, so its a personal preference thing.

The big question for me whether or not the more expensive packages are worth it. The cheapest SR5 they have come back to me with is $34,050. There is a TRD Off Road listed for $39,655 they can probably get.

I have concerns about the cost/maintenance of the 4WD long term. We have no hills in Florida, so is it even worth the hassle? Does it increase or decrease boat towing capacity?

I'm in this next truck forever, till the Toyota engine dies, and I do my own maintenance. Money isn't a big concern on this one. We're only talking 5 grand between the two, and I have only sold one vehicle my own life. The only things I really care about are V6, black cloth interior, black fender trims, and of course Superwhite.

No need to start a new thread because my truck is literally the same TSS package as OP, I just had every dealer accessory thrown in for whatever reason.

 

Nope - won't increase your towing capacity at all, BUT - there are a ton of sketchy boat ramps, where, at low tide, your rear wheels WILL be in the slippery mold/moss and you'll be glad those front wheels have traction. I've seen a few freshwater ramps that are little more than a mud driveway leading to the water's edge. Necessity? I would have to say no, but will it make your life easier when the day comes - absolutely. There's enough fun stiff in central FL to get you off-roading. Lots of trails in the Citrus/ Area-51/ Croom/ Pinecastle/ Ocala area. We do the vast majority of our fun stuff out of state. GA Adventure Trail, Ozarks, etc.

 

Buy an SUV for family and get a cheap trailer at Home Depot or Lowes for when you need it.

 

I would get what makes you happy if you can afford it comfortably. I was the same way for many years , always doing what was the most "right" for my family. I would settle and buy vehicles, and then try to convince myself its good enough, or mod it and trick myself that its good enough. Then I just got what I wanted, for my own reasons. And I don't regret it one bit. Life is short. If you want a truck, own a truck. Just make sure you re not paying more than you should to satisfy the craving. There other brands, Nissan, Honda, etc. See who gives your money and credit score the most respect. And screw the ones who won't. Good Luck.

 

Hah - glad you found this thread. My decision is below, based on personal circumstances. Florida is a bit easier of a call. You can absolutely get by with 2WD. I did spin on some boat ramps once or twice, though. But I always had a full-size truck when I lived there. I would move boats around the Destin area. You need a LOT of horsepower to do that safely, especially in the wind.

OP here. This is ultimately the path I took as well.

I’ve always bought the car, truck, or van that my family needed. I once had my dream truck — it was a dark red F-150 SuperCrew. Beautiful truck. 3” lift. Big fuel tank. Turbo V6. Sweet truck. But I was forced to change careers and my income dropped by a lot for a couple of years. So I sold it.

The Tacoma was me getting back into having a truck without feeling guilty; that $178 payment was nothing.

I made the realization, partially thanks to this thread, that I was still living in that old reality. I was buying a $38,000 truck instead of the $44,000 truck I wanted.

So Saturday, I went and bought a brand new Silverado 1500 Custom Blackout in 4x4. I can afford it, the financing was dirt cheap (0% for 48 months or 1.9% for 72 months) and it’s what I wanted.

Literally the only thing I don’t like about it is that it isn’t a Tacoma, and there are no Chevy owner’s forums with the same amount of passion as this one…

 

Glad that got the truck you wanted! I never knew tacoma leases could be so low, until reading this thread!

 

I just got a 2022 trd 4x4 for 40k new. I wouldn’t be to fast to jump on a 2020 model @ 27k. 2x4. But if it fits all your needs it is cheaper than a new truck.

 

Only answer for me is buyout. That price was set at a time when used vehicles weren't as expensive as they are today. You can easily get that on trade (ignoring what you already paid into the lease, as that doesn't usually count towards buyout cost).

Take KBB with a grain of salt but your trade in is going to be worth that if you want to trade it in the day after you buy it...



And if you sell privately you can make your lease cost back...



Again always take KBB with a grain of salt. I just did this for my area as I don't know where you're located.

Edit: oops realize this has already passed. Good luck with the new truck OP!

 

You know, OP, you never told us how old your oldest kid is. It might make more sense buy out the lease, turn it into the oldest kid's car if old enough to drive and go buy yourself a nice tundra crew max. Yeah the gas mileage sucks on the 2021s but if the 2022s are on par with the F150 ecoboost 3.5 then the mileage is actually better than the Taco's (as long as you stay out of the boost). With the crew max, you'd have a monster cab for hauling people, the towing capacity to pull your house off of its foundation, enough performance that most cars would lose a drag race to you, and the envy of the neighbor with the ecoboost after he gets cam phasor problems and ends up in the shop for 4+ weeks and a prorated $10k bill. Your current Taco just doesn't have the hp to get into much trouble which makes it a good starter car for a young driver.

Just based on what you've said I would say you should consider the Crew Max Tundra. Only reason I can think of to consider the Taco over the Tundra is because you want the smaller truck because it fits in the garage and the Tundra won't. Note: my F150 would fit had I not bought the FX4 package on mine but no room as it was nearly as long as the bay and as tall as the door (without the FX4 package). And, frankly, I loved the 36 gal fuel tank my F150 had and is an option on the Tundra. There's no substitute for 700 miles of range. Had it not started chattering the valves (tell tale sign of cam phasors starting to get out of line), I'd still have that truck. To be honest, if my Taco got totaled tonight or stolen, I'd be at the Toyota dealership tomorrow to buy a Tundra (not the crew max. The dc is a big enough cab for me).

 

What did you do with the old Tacoma? Tell me you bought out the lease and sold it to carmax.

 

Thanks!

Unfortunately, the leases aren’t reasonable anymore. The person at Toyota who had been running the numbers on those shorter leases left, and now it’s all standard products from the less imaginative finance people. At least that’s what a couple dealers told me, so I have no reason to believe it isn’t true.

Huge loss for Toyota IMO. I wanted what I got, but if I could’ve gotten another lease at even twice that, I couldn’t have turned it down for the money.

Really good point. I thought about it briefly, but my oldest won’t ever drive. He’s got too many medical problems. And the next oldest is 11 this year. So still quite a while.

Dealer gave me $29,000. I know I could’ve made more money buying it out and selling third party, but I was afraid that would hit my credit too hard and I’d lose my 0% interest from GM Financial. Plus, all the hassle. But still, I wonder from time to time if I’ll regret that.