Looking for 1st Tacoma - Eye on 2017 TRD OR

Came here for the scoop on the 2017 Tacoma's. I've read online reviews that say that they are one of the worst year's of all Tacoma's. Found on online and I may go make an offer. It has less than 85k miles. I will give it a test-drive and a good looking over. If it runs out fine and the engine/transmission are smooth should I make an offer or look for a different year?

 

Welcome to TW!

2018s and up have Toyota Safety Sense and (I believe) a power driver's seat. I can't remember which year the power back slider went in - that's pretty useful.

My 2016 has been fine, so I think it's more a matter of the vehicle's installed options than the year.

 

Thanks Captian I have a Jeep GC Overland Summit that has a lot of the options that look similar to the Safety Sense. While the Power slider and seat are not a deal breaker... I do use my adaptive cruise and collision warning and would miss those features. All things considered, if I don't have to worry about MAJOR engine or transmission failures then I can live with out what might be included in Safety Sense. I really want a Tacoma and this 2017 fits the high end of my budget.

 

I would look for a certified pre-owned from Toyota. You might spend a tiny bit more for a certified one, but you get an extra powertrain warranty to 10 years/100k. It's worth the peace of mind when buying used. Some of these trucks do have sub 100k miles powertrain issues.

 

It's the same engine, and my 2016 has been great (since getting it reprogrammed). My mileage improved and it holds a gear uphill better.

Do I wish I had the same TSS features that my wife's 2022 RAV4 has? Sure. Am I surviving just fine without them? Also sure.

 

The issues have gone down throughout the entire production run, just like any other vehicle. The early-2016s were problematic, as Toyotas go. They got most of the house in order by 2017, and in 2018, some TSBs were released that sorted out the remaining issues. Since then, TW mainly has threads about preferences more than problems.

IMHO, 2017 was the best year for me as I didn't want the safety stuff that came on the 2018+ Tacos, which was just around the corner when I bought mine at the end of the model year.

 

Looking at a Sport version?
My 2017 has been excellent, not "one of the worst years of all Tacoma" wherever you got that info from.
Do not make an offer until you have fully Test drive, Test Drive, TEST DRIVE so you know and feel how the truck drives and shifts before posting on here how the transmission is horrible, you can't back it up an incline without stalling it and smelling the clutch, the seats are too low (no, they are too high), blah, blah, blah, etc.
Look for cosmetic damage, Super White paint flexes off, and MGM is overplayed.
Definitely check for the wheels to not have run out, same for the rear drive shaft, and the front side shafts. If they are bent, that would cause vibes.
Keep your foot down on the skinny pedal, do not lug low revs or you'll make posts about the horrible transmission, again.
Pros and cons on 2017 or newer, full pass on every 2016, depending on what features you want, need, and come with the truck.

 

I do not think there is any authoritative information comparing the reliability of the various years of the 3rd gen Tacoma. There is no shortage of individual opinions though. All years are very similar with a few upgrades in features as years went on. The power rear window is one of my favorites. The rear window is next to useless without a convenient way to open and close it, but I could probably live without a rear window at all. I think they are much cooler in a regular cab.

 

My 17 has been a peach, absolutely nothing wrong with her at all.

 

I'd sell you my '17 Off Road, but fuck that, it's been and still is fucking awesome!!

Did I mention it's fucking awesome?

 

Well, as luck would have it as I was in the car on my way to go drive it... the sales guy called to tell me it sold. I will keep looking and since I am in no hurry... I will be sure to not sleep on the 2017's when a good one pops up.

 

I bought a 2017 new back in the day. I would not recommend that year solely due to the transmission shift point programming. Drove me nuts.

 

Power drivers seat was put in 2020 I believe,

 

Bummer

Keep looking, plenty out there.

My 16 has been great since day one though

 

There was a TSP to reprogram the 2016s. Didn't that apply to the 2017s as well?

 

There are a few out there, and almost all have the 2016 and 2017 as the 2 in the 3rd gen years to avoid. Now all that is relative, I too owned a trouble free 2016 but I traded it before it had any real mileage on it (85K) so who knows. But yes, almost every "Tacoma years to avoid" article you find will have the 2016 and 2017 on it for one reason or another.
https://www.motorbiscuit.com/used-toyota-tacoma-model-years-avoid/



https://www.copilotsearch.com/posts/most-reliable-year-model-of-toyota-tacoma/



https://www.vehiclehistory.com/arti...orst-years-include-2012s-random-engine-stalls

 

Welcome to the forum.

I bought my 2017 Tacoma in Sept 2017. I now have daily driven, 76,000kms. The truck has had no issues. There is nothing wrong with these truck... in fact.. if you want to never think that after you buy.. it might be in your trucks best interest to leave TacomaWorld after you purchase. Some of the posts and threads here will think you bought a 1987 Hyundai Pony or put you in debt from all the mods you will suddenly need.

Either way, the 2017 Tacoma is a good truck. No reason to second guess it. Just do your due diligence and make sure someone hasn't beat all the good out of the truck already. Good luck

 

Yes, after I sold my 2017. That update did not make those Tacos as good as my 2021 according to feedback here. They really fixed it as good as it gets in the 2020 and later.

There have been a lot of raves for the various tunes that really improved the Tacoma powerband usage, and thus transmission usage of the power. I probably should have gone that route.

 

2017 seems to have a lot more issues with the white paint that other years. Maybe the newer ones just aren't old enough yet.

 

How much are you going save over a new one? My guess, not much....