4cyl v 6cyl - advice to newbie

Ahhhh, every engine has it's hiccups. My first toyota truck was a 93 with the 3.0 and my buddy had a few different years with the "unkillable", "flawless" 22re engine... buddy was always doing engine work with it, meanwhile aside from a fresh timing belt, plugs and distributor cap and rotor my only issue was a u-shaped coolant hose to the throttle body that ruptured. Not saying the 3vze was the bomb.com but point i'm making is all engines have common issues and in comparison to other manufacturers the 3.5 is still a very stellar engine even being a "minivan" engine. Minivan's also have to be able to work hard when you think about, 7 grown adults lets say weighting 200lbs each is 1400lbs of weight that van has to move around. Again not saying the 3.5 is flawless but it gets a worse reputation than it deserves

 

Depends entirely on what you're towing; a small to medium boat, a small to medium camper, a 6x12 U-Haul trailer? No problem. However, if you want to pull a 4-ton 38' travel trailer, yeah, look for a more capable truck.

 

Imo, the 4 cylinder gen3 tacoma is a grocery getter at best. The 6 does a fine job with towing 3k lbs, or so. I've had no issues towing my 2k lb boat, or hauling my 5x10 utility trailer around while getting 19 mpg. I'd agree a full size truck is always best when you have to tow the big items.

 

If they came with a v8, that would be my pick!

 

When I traded it in for a 1998 V 6 I saw quite a big difference in power etc. Did not find it that hard on fuel and love it with the MT it was a moving machine.

 

That's a critical factor.

Buy the MT while you still can folks.

Thank me later.

 

Alright thanks y'all! Make my decision, it was a close one. Went with the 4, given my needs are more home Depot sized, no current plans to tow, and I want to drive this thing until the end of time.

Will report back...

 

It'll be fine, just don't be in a hurry.

 

I have the 2.7 4x4 AC and MT. I routinely pull about a ton, utv and zero turn and gear, with it about 24 miles round trip on the weekends. That’s about all I wld want to do. If the wind is right, behind me, I can do it in fifth but mostly 4 th gear is top. Not so much due to weight but the drag of the ramp on the utility trailer. I recently pulled 3 tons of scrap metal to the yard, 50 mph in fourth and yes there was a little pucker factor but it did it. I commute 100 miles/day for work so most of its life it’s cruising and I love it for that reason but if you need to tow even on a semi regular basis over a ton, go with the v6. I love my 2.7 but it’s purpose is not for dragging things around.

 

One of us! One of us!

(There was no wrong decision)

 

Blasphemy!

kidding.. gotta drive whatever makes you happy.

 

Good boy.

 

Indeed

 

The gen1 tundra with the 4.7 v8 was just a bit wider than these mid size gen3 tacoma's. Imo, toyota made them too perfect....it's why they stop making them in 2007.

 

My 93 4x4 was an auto. Coupled with that 3.0 v6, it was a turd. I even had the dealer check it out before the warranty was up for being such a pooch. Normal, they said after spending a whole 15 minutes with it. I sold that truck in 2001, and later bought a tundra. The power the 4.7 tundra made was a big change, plus the fuel economy wasn't that much different.