Bought my first ever tacoma and dont know what to expect

Yeah the transmission learns your habits but it is designed to maximize fuel economy for the govt test so it doesn't like to downshift. You need to learn to press hard enough for it to downshift but not get frustrated and stomp so that it goes down 2 gears instead. Or... just use your ECT or manumatic sport shift mode. I personally just let it learn how I drive and it knows to hold gears on a hill etc.

Other than that just go find some dirt trails and have a blast. Also you'll enjoy the snow too =)

 

Congrats on the new Taco. Just read the forum when you feel like it. There is a lot of good info here. Take a lot folks emotion here lightly.

 

Tough crowd. There are some good stickied threads at the top of this forum:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/3rd-gen-tacomas-2016.186/

Start there, and keep reading and asking questions.

 

you can expect many tank fill ups. Some oil changing. A little tire rotation. Maybe have to replace a battery. Might wear out some brake pads.

you might total it when you hit a chucklehead deer.

 

Great truck and great choice.

You will hear and read a lot of whining about the tranny 'hunting' here, but I have zero problems with mine. I highly suggest you do NOTHING to it for 6 months then decide what you really want to modify, if anything.

Break it in per the manual, easy does it on starts and stops. Let the 'system' learn your driving habits.

This is NOT a passenger car, it's a truck, keep that in mind.

 

Undercoat, undercoat, undercoat… did I say undercoat. The rest of the mods are personal preferences. Enjoy the truck, you will have it for many fun years. Welcome

 

Welcome to the forum. Buy a bed mat as it’s as slick as snot on a wet rock back there, then drive it like you stole it and enjoy.

 

Forgot to add , respond to threads with a " part out " . Guys on this forum love it.
'

 

^^^ This 1000% ^^^

 

Just slap the tranny into S4 or S5 and skip all the tranny/ tune nonsense.
Also wash the undercarriage frequently in the winter.

Drive.

 

Congrats and welcome!

 

Toss in a " its totaled" also. Dudes love that too

 

Must know… the more time you spend on this site, the more you’ll realize all the extra things you “need” for your truck.
Your wallet will officially be on a diet.

 

I’m kind of surprised to see you drop that kind of money on a vehicle and apparently not research the vehicle in advance much if at all. Did you not even open the hood or look up vehicle reliability before committing $40k+? To each their own, and if you are going to blindly buy a new vehicle a Tacoma is a good one for resale value and reliability. I spent months researching, reading, test driving before deciding which vehicle I was going to purchase. No regrets. Welcome to TW.

 

Just stay away from this site, you, and your taco will be fine.

 

You bought a great truck. I might have opted for 4WD since you experience snow in the winter. But that's water under the bridge, and your Corolla certainly didn't have it.

That overall light set up is impressive!

UNDERCOAT IT with Fluid Film or Cosmoline or Wool Wax. Then enjoy it!

 

Congrats on the new truck and welcome to TW! Two things I agree with that have already been posted. First, your question is very general and subjective and can be answered by doing what all of us here do - go through the various forums, read, and learn. Second, drive the truck for a couple of months before you decide on any other mods. Give the drivetrain some time to learn and improve and get a feel for your truck. What you want to do to make it yours as far as mods will become move obvious as you drive it.

FWIW, I don't know that I would have gone with that bull bar. I can understand why you did it given your Corolla experience, but they tend to cause more damage than they prevent.

 

THIS

 

Hell, I thought a gnat was on my phone. Lol your profile pic got me.