1st Gen vs 3rd Gen experience

Hey guys, this might be a different type of thread from most 1 gens.
I was hoping to ask the opinion of anyone who has owned a 1st Gen Tacoma and bought a 3rd Gen. Or who own both?
I’m well aware a 3rd Gen can be very capable with the right mods and my 1st Gen I currently own is no exception to capable, I’ve put lots of money and time into it.
I guess the question is if you switched from 1st to 3rd or back from 3rd to 1st why did you? Did you regret it? I know I will have regrets selling something I have put lots of love and money into. It started to rust again on the rockers and a truck of its age and mileage is starting to seem like a bit of a money out. But long term i see the 3rd Gen as a more practical truck for me. Won’t have two vehicles anymore and my off-roading tends to fall under the “adventure” style vs hardcore technical stuff.
photo of my 1st Gen attached.

 

Had my Gen1 2002 4x4 DC until last year. The previous 4 years it was mostly parked. Didn't have the heart to sell it. But I had bought a new 2017 Gen3 which I was fixing up for improved off road abilities, but which was still be used as my daily driver. Picked this one up as "my last new truck", fully expecting it to take me into retirement and to the grave should I keep miles low enough. I lived close to work, so miles have been averaging 7k a year since I bought it.

Loved that Gen1. Twenty years and 242k miles of ownership. But it was getting long in the tooth, and living where I did, a nice apartment in the marina, did not have place to work on it. When prices went crazy on used Tacomas after covid, I took advantage and sold it for $11k, which still blows my mind. It was not what one would call a "clean" truck. Taken care of and serviced....absolutely. But it had been used hard.

Now, I love the Gen3 for what I bought it for. A capable daily driver that would get me about anywhere I wanted to go. But had I known then that I'd of been making the move from SoCal to back home in AZ 6 months ago, there is NO WAY IN HELL I'd of sold that Gen1. Nice house with 4 car garage and a nice shop now, and endless off road and outdoor opportunities close by. I'd of kept it and fixed it up as a sick trail / hunting rig. The Gen3 is not as great of an off roader on the super tight trails. As it stands now, there is not an inch on the Gen3 that isn't covered in AZ Pinstriping, and I don't feel as confident in it as I did the Gen1.

If I had my way, I'd have both. The Gen1 for seriously tough trails, and the Gen3 as a capable daily driver for easier trips out.

The result of selling the Gen1? Meet the Gen3.



Result of taking it down and getting committed on trails I'd likely have avoided had I known. Oh, I had a good deal of pinstrping before this, but the trails I hit the last 2 times out in the shrub oak country on trails barely wide enough for a side by side....well, there's no doubt this thing is no mall cruiser even with a casual look.

BUT, the truck did do GREAT! Quite capable. But if I still had the Gen1, doubtful I'd of put the Gen3 through quite that much, at least just yet.

 

1st gen to 2nd gen no regrets

 

Thanks for the reply man. I really do appreciate it, given the market for first gens right now in my area I might be taking that dive and selling it. there is a 2017 TRD Offroad with 100k km’s on it at a dealer near me that is just about perfect, 31’s already and a color matched canopy is exactly what I’d wanna start with for my mods to improve it for work and day to day life.

I’m gonna go have a peak this coming week and if I’m satisfied with the trade in value on my car I’ll end up listing the first Gen that day as well.

 

Also sort of doing the opposite of your move back to AZ, I’m looking to downsize to 1 vehicle so I can still go off-roading, shooting and generally not worry about the more desolate areas I work in with 1 dependable vehicle instead of two. I won’t have the shop space or a nice garage available to me for the next couple years that I can see so space and time to repair / upgrade will be very limited to a gravel driveway or apartment parkade.
Sounds like ok convincing myself more and more to make this move.
Of course one of the first things I gotta do is add a bull bar to it cause I love my ARB’s

 

Had a 3rd Gen and now have a 1st Gen, the 3rd Gen is all the things you would expect, larger, more comfy, great for a daily driver, etc. That being said, I like the 1st Gen better because it's more fun to drive but it's not my only car and I do have a much more comfortable option available to me. That being said, if you can only have one, the 3rd Gen won't disappoint.

I will say, sell your truck outright, you'll leave a lot on the table if you trade it in.

 

thank you for the reply too.
I’ll be privately selling the 1st Gen for sure it’s got way to much money, kilometers and mods for any dealer to consider it valuable.
I’d be trading in 2019 golf wagon with damn low miles on it.
You said exactly what I was looking for. I’ve got lots of friends with 3rd gens some mildly modded and 1 buddy with the possibly only “full long travel / wide body” Tacoma in the north up in Canada. not a very common site to see up here vs Cali and the southern states. So I’ve received some opinions already from them and personal experience. But strangers on the internet are the most un-biased usually?
they all love their trucks and I’ve enjoyed driving them. it will be a hard goodbye owning this truck for 4 years and some change. it’s the longest I’ve owned a “project” but long term this is sounding more like a better option.

 

Cool, no problem. I've also got a 2019 Golf Sportwagen 4 Motion with 10k miles on it, lol!

 

I drove my 1st gen for 6 years, bought it with 130k miles and it currently has just under 200k on it. First truck, first Toyota, first love. Only minor issues (new steering rack was the most expensive), and was generally perfect for what I needed at the time. When I saw the 3rd gens for the first time, I knew I would buy one eventually to replace my 1st gen.

Ended up pulling the trigger a few months after COVID started before prices went nuts, and couldn't be happier with my 3rd gen. The 1st gen was getting a little long in the tooth (I admittedly let some maintenance slip towards the end of its life) and even though I still had 99% faith it, it's not like I was exactly excited to hop in it for long distance road trips.

My only regret is that I still have the 1st gen, as I didn't want to trade it in for the 3rd because I would never get what it was worth, so I decided to hold on to it and sell it privately. Well, here we are 2.5 years later, and it's still sitting in my yard, getting rusty. Partially due to laziness, and partially because recently I've gotten to try some offroading for the first time, and there was a thought in the back of my mind that holding on to the 1st to turn that into the wheeling rig (instead of the $35k new truck) was a good idea. It would still be a good strategy, but I don't see myself going back to driving it on the highway, even just for wheeling trips, or buying a trailer to pull it with my 3rd gen, or having the money to sink into mods for a 24 year old truck that needs a lot of TLC.

Overall, I loved my 1st gen for what it was. It was also the newest vehicle I had ever owned (1999) prior to buying my 3rd gen (2020). That 20 year leap ahead in comfort and refinement is something that I could never reverse. I would still much prefer the 1st gen on the trails, that size truck just makes things so much easier, and I would feel a lot less bad if I broke something serious on it. But I would take the 3rd gen for 99% of other situations. I'd say if you can afford both, it might be worth it to keep the 1st as a wheeler if you seriously think that you will use it. But if I had to pick between the two, it's my 3rd gen all day.

 

Kind of a hard question to answer correctly in my opinion. An apples to oranges comparison with no right or wrong answer.

I had a Z71 and a 99 Tacoma. Been a avid lover of Toyotas since I was a kid. Ive had a 90 Pickup, 93 Pickup, 87 runner, 99 Tacoma and now my current 17... When I had my Z71 I was in the market for a hunting truck. Talked with a family friend and he mentioned selling his. I was with them when they bought it from the dealership, 1 owner adult driven. Literally the perfect scenario. I put a 3" on it and kept 285/70 MTs on it and it would go anywhere I wanted. 4cyl, manual with locking hubs. Maintenance free as well. I know I'll catch slack for this, but I changed the oil bout once a year. Just checked periodically to make sure it wasn't low on oil, and keep on keeping on.

Time came where my Z71 was sitting idle and it just wasnt good for the truck. Had two different people ask me about buying one of each of my trucks. So I sold both and bought a 2017. At the time I was just kinda growing tired of keeping two vehicles and especially when one just sat. Wanted to consolidate my 'fleet'. Bought it with intentions of buying another fullsize truck in quite a few years and then this will be my secondary hunting truck once again, or my sons truck when he starts driving...

Now to the meat and potatoes..

Comfort, easily the 3rd gen. My 3rd gen is set up just like my 1st gen was. Small 3" with 285/70. It rides better than the 1st gen did and before I put the lift on there, when it was stock, mannnn it almost had a car-like ride to me. Being able to just put it in drive and go is also very nice. Neither are going to win a race... but with the 1st gen being a manual and being an old tired 4cylinder, you had to drive it. You had to be aware and 'in tune' nonstop. Not that I'm saying you dont need to be aware at all times when driving, just after a long day its much nicer just pointing the vehicle and going. They're both Toyotas, so although one was an Ext cab and ones a CC, theyre still somewhat small... the creature comforts with the radio and all that are much nicer but thats obviously just cause one is newer and technology advances with time.

Offroad, 1st gen. My 3rd gen does some very weird studder step thing when going up big inclines and it drives me nuts. I think just the manual, old school nuts and bolts part of my 1st gen just make me lean that way when talking about offroading.

All that being said, I havent had a single problem out of my 3rd gen, but they ARE NOT the same trucks. Not bashing them cause theres nothing to bad mouth but they arent the same Toyotas that the old pickups and 1st gens were.

I guess where I'm at with it at the moment... If I was offroading often and not casually driving/commuting much, it would be 1st gen without a doubt. But with me doing the opposite. Driving back and forth with everyday routine stuff and occasionally hitting nasty dirt roads in the south a few months out of the year while hunting, the everyday comfort and still above average offroad capabilities of the 3rd gen are perfect for me.

 

My nephew just bought a brand new 2023 V6 DC. It is quite a bit bigger than my 1st gen, it’s way more refined with all the modern gadgetry like remote start and power everything, and way more powerful than my little 2.7. Comfort-wise, it makes my 1st gen feel like I’m riding in a Radio Flyer wagon. All that said, I wouldn’t trade him even-up. I just prefer the size, styling and simplicity of my 1st gen.

 

I just bought an 2016 TRDOR DCSB/AT two weeks ago after my '03 was t-boned/totalled by a soccer mom in an F150. I've owned '01 and '03 Xtracabs/MTs since 2006. I looked for a suitable first or second gen replacement here in SoCal before finally settling on a lowish-miles/lowish priced (32K) '16 with some nice upgrades (full King suspension, BD fogs, etc).

The 1st gens manuals felt sportier- that's even compared to my dad's 1G autos. The '16 doesn't feel quite as sluggish as other 3Gs that I've driven (even on 285s), but I still plan to get a tune uploaded to it for uphill performance and to hopefully be a little snappier achieving freeway speeds. I've had it on a couple 4/10 truck trails and it's been fun enough though. Haven't tested the crawl control yet, and the multi-terrain selector worked well enough.

At a short-average 5'10", I liked the compact 1G cockpit and view over the hood. I've since added front and rear Desert Does It seat jackers to the '16 and it has been a huge improvement in enjoyment. I have the '16 at Toyota this morning getting a leaky cab rectified...

I appreciate the aftermarket support for the latest batch and the slightly improved MPGs, though I have yet to really do better than 19 MPG avg. I anticipate that I'll miss having a longer bed, as I did camp in it frequently and make several cross county moves with minimal home goods. If I could get a do-over, I'd probably have looked at a couple more second gens or newer 4Runners.

 

Also a great reply thank you.
My 1st Gen has a metric load of money dumped into it, so ideally I would sell it and use that nice chunk of change to put on a new one.
I’ve been really good with my maintenance on the ol’gal (I did the steering rack myself) that did suck for the wallet and my driveway. I feel your pain there
Glad to hear a lot of people still love their 3rd gens even after making the switch.
the barebones of the 1st Gen is nice given the areas I work in, fixing things on the side of the road requires a small bin of tools for really 90% of what you’d need to do.
Again thank you I appreciate you input

 

also a great reply thank you. Me and my girlfriend have camped in the back of my 1st Gen for 3 years and it will be hard to choose between an access cab TRD Offroad with the 6ft box or a crew cab short box. I thought about that honestly more than anything else really. A 4runner has crossed my mind many times I’ve owned 3 2nd gens and if they didn’t have the 3.0’s in them I’d probably still have it least 1. I don’t know why but I love that styling so much they just didn’t last up north with the rust and 2/3 suffered major engine failure without any warning signs.
Might be entertaining a 5th Gen 4runner if I can find a trail edition of Offroad that is similarly priced.
You’re a lucky guy getting that 3rd Gen with those goodies, down south you guys seem to get more modded trucks for reasonable prices. Up here in Canada some people are asking an arm and a leg just because they put kings or a C4 bumper on their daily

 

If I was still in Kali, I'd have no regrets on the move from the Gen1 to the Gen3....even though watching that Gen1 drive away was like losing an arm. But, when you have a 20+ year old truck that needs a bit more attention, an apartment garage is not the place. And driving for 8 to 12 hours to get to my favorite camps was certainly not as pleasant in the Gen1.

If I'd of known back 5 years ago when I bought the Gen3 that a move to AZ would happen before retirement, I'd of bought a car or SUV as a daily driver, and kept the Gen1. Sucks I held onto the old Gen1 as long as I did, sold it, then unexpectedly made the move back home not even a year later.

BUT, the Gen3 will get me where I need to go. Might hurt a bit more "breaking this one in", but it will get me there. Didn't buy it then to not use, and it will certainly get used as intended. But damn, a rigger out Gen1 would be the chit!

 

I have a 1st gen and 3rd gen, both 2.7 2wd. I inherited both from my dad. The 3rd Gen is much more comfortable, doesn’t feel like it’s going to tip over on the curves, but is also much larger than the first gen. The first gen feels much faster and more nimble.
I’m getting ready to sell the 3rd gen because I’m temporarily moving overseas and I don’t want to deal with German TUV and the cost of gasoline. 1st Gen will be temporarily rehomed with family or friends.
Personally, if you have some mechanical skills, I would keep the first gen or keep it as a second or third car. I have zero mechanical skills but will try to pick some up over the next few years.

 

my 95 and 2023 tacomas. 1st gen is much smaller. better offroad platform with a more tucked up frame and crossmembers. rides much better (comparing king mid travel setup to stock trd offroad pogo sticks). the 3.5 in new tacomas is simply terrible in a truck application. no low end torque at all. the 2nd gen 4.0 is hands down the best engine followed by the 3.4. interior is much nicer obviously but that nostalgic early 1st gen with the pull out cupholders just makes me happier to be in for some reason. 1st gen bed actually seems to be slightly wider but the same length. seating position feels pretty much the same to me where i adjust my seat. mileage is the same between the 2. when i had 32" tires on 1st gen i actually got better mileage. have yet to see over 18mpg on 3rd gen.

aftermarket support is endless for all tacomas.

i bought this 2023 because it is supposedly the last year for manual transmission so i didnt want to miss out. after 28 years in one of worst places in world for vehicle rust my 95 is starting to feel the hurt. undercoating has saved my frame but rocker panels and bed are in rough shape so i dont expect it to last forever.

overall if i had to chose one over the other and they were in equally good condition i would choose the 1st gen.

 

this is where i'm at. i'm fortunate enough to be able to have 2 cars (with $ and space) and while consolidating wouldnt be the worst thing, the joy i get from driving my 1st gen combined with the comfort of another car (with better gas mileage to boot) is the perfect combo. i reckon if i had to downsize to one i'd probably move up to a 2nd or 3rd gen that would do better on road trips (and a double cab though i'd hate to lose my 6' bed for camping

its all a give and take, like others have said theres no real 'right' answer, it just depends on your needs and wants from your truck)

 

Bought my 99 in 2003 with 107k miles from a coworker, basically stock except for 2wd T100 rear leafs since he carried tools and had a lumber rack. Front springs were shot so I put on Old Man Emu struts and TRD Tundra coils which leveled it out. I’d routinely carry 1000 lbs, and as I kept wheeling it harder and destroying stock components and carrying more weight I kept needing to upgrade so as it sits now the frame’s been reinforced, Tundra brakes and 700 lb coils to help with the load I’d carry. Still have it to this day (and its successor seen in the background), 340k miles. It’d seen triple duty as daily driver, lumber hauler/tool carrier and recreational vehicle and really never skipped a beat.

Enter 2023 double cab long bed Limited.To be clear, this truck will never see off road duties. This is strictly going to be my work vehicle and I plan to put a canopy/shell on it with an integrated rack to carry ladders/lumber etc. Knew I wanted 4wd because I don’t see the point in a 2wd. Even if I only use it 4 times a year in the snow, still worth it to me.

I traded in a 2018 Silverado Z71 I’ve had for the last 2 years (bought with the business I now own) for it, which has been a great truck, but it’s a GM truck with 93,000 miles. If you google the issues with those GM trucks of the era and current, it’s a long and concerning list such as torque converters notorious for failing, the selective cylinder shutoff that burns up lifters so I installed a Range OBD2 module that kept the truck in V8 all the time affecting mpg, a thin walled aluminum driveshaft known to shatter above 90 mph, electrical gremlins, direct injection caused dirty valve train (known issue on many direct injection vehicles) so I installed a catch can, piss pour stock 20 watt HID headlights so I installed $300 Diode Dynamics bulbs, etc etc.

I’ve had the new Tacoma less than a week. Even if it’s not perfect, it’s definitely a better fit fir me than the Chevy in so many ways.

Things I’ve noticed that I’m sure others have commented on several times (you don’t sell 200,000+ of those a year without a lot of details being known about them and it seems like every person who owns one feels like they need to start a YouTube channel to document every aftermarket bolt on they install):

1. Interior has some cheap feeling finishes such as the dash and door panels such as rough edges from molding, etc. Glove box is basically flat on the bottom instead of dropping toward the back or having a raised lip at the front so things feel like they’ll fall out when you open it.

2. Lacks grab handles the 1st gen has which I love, had them in my 92 4Runner too. Why get rid of those???

3. Loud engine noise when accelerating, from what I’ve read this is due to the direct injection. Loud but not unbearable. Mines got the JBL stereo which is really nice so I just turn the sound up.

4. Transmission seems to have been tuned for fuel economy so it tends to lag before it downshifts. This was also common in the Chevy I had but the shifts in the Chevy were hard and abrupt. I’ve learned to live with it in the Tacoma so far, I know a lot of guys regear or tune, sounds like a must once you add weight or larger tires.

5. Some of the interior feels a little dated such as the HVAC display and the buttons on side of the infotainment system.

6. Qi charger is basically useless. I keep my phone plugged in to the media outlet on the dash so I can use CarPlay anyway so not a concern for me.

7. Headroom is a little tight, but that’s likely contributed to by the sunroof. I’m only 5-10 so not really an issue for me.

8. I’ve read a lot of people complain about the seats being too close to the floor. Not an issue for me at all, and in my perception the 1st gen seats are waaaay worse.


After all of these initial impressions I still love the truck. It’s my 7th Toyota. It’s only about 6 inches shorter than the Chevy but is so much more nimble and easy to park in the city. I know a lot of guys who are full size truck guys, I’m not one of them. I had a 92 Chevy 2500 in my early 20’s, same dimensions as the 2018, but I just didn’t need the size and it was a bitch to park, even if I managed to get it in some seriously small spots. Driving the Silverado was like driving an old A-body GM car. Stock brakes sucked, what felt to me to be serious understeer, hated parking the thing, the stock mirrors were ridiculously small, etc.

 

I bought a 2003 1st Gen DC when we had a kid, as my Toyota Ex cab wasn't going to cut it since there wasn't room for a car seat in the back seat.



But I severely underestimated how much stuff babies require. Car seat, pack-n-play, stroller, diaper bag, supplies, plus stuff for going out of town for long weekends. It was just too cramped. So after not long, I upgraded to a 2nd Gen.



Compared to the 1st Gen, the truck is more refined, more powerful, far more spacious, safer and makes for a nicer daily driver. The auto 5spd is far better on the highway than the 1st Gens auto 4spd. As a daily driver, the 2nd Gen is great compared to the 1st Gen.

Then many years later I sold the 2nd Gen, and eventually got a performance Tesla as the daily and another 2003 1st Gen DC as the weekend warrior.



With the kid being older now at 9, he doesn't need all that extra stuff anytime we go somewhere so space isn't an issue. I prefer the smaller more compact size and maneuverability, and appreciate the simplicity of a vintage truck vs the screens and electronics of the modern ones. I have the Tesla for go-fast fun and modern convinience with the extra room if needed. The Tacoma is used for hauling bikes, camping, Home Depot trips, dump runs and crossing the mountains in the winter when the snow is really bad. I enjoy working on and maintaining vehicles of this era more than modern vehicles.

3rd Gen offers quite a bit more comfort and features for a daily driver, and similar advantages to the 2nd Gen platform in size/space etc. As a daily driver and only vehicle that is pretty appealing. For my non-daily use, I find the 1st Gen platform more appealing for what I am looking for.