Trade in GTI for Tacoma?

Looking for some opinions here...I have the itch to get back into a Tacoma, as I owned a 2004 extended cab trd off road. I regret trading it in to this day, but at the time it did not make any sense for me to have a truck with my commute and I had no need for it. Traded it for an 06 corolla- then traded that in 08 for a VW GTI - which I also like a lot. I now own a house and could use a pick up truck for weekend projects...etc. I also own a 2001 Jeep Wrangler as a second vehicle. My debate is....with gas prices going out , is it the wrong time to do this. I average about 34mpg with the gti. I would likely also sell the Jeep if I buy the Tacoma which would be hard to part with. Part of my reasoning for wanting to trade in the GTI would be future repairs. At 13k miles they had to replace my turbo under warranty so I am worried about what may happen when I am out of the warranty. I am looking at the 2011 DC Trd Sport. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who recently went from fun car to the Tacoma....any regrets??

 

I went from an '08.5 Mazdaspeed 3 to an '08 Tacoma. I do miss it very much for the fun factor and mileage if I could keep my foot out it. I also like the truck for the utility and such plus I plan to have another boat soon and the Speed 3 wouldn't have pulled it. Wish I could have kept it and picked up a truck. Not that big of a deal when back in '04 I went from an NSX to a Titan. Now that I regret still to this day.

 

If you need the truck and like the Tacoma, go for it. I definitely wish I could have a fun second car though. If it was me and I'd need a truck I'd sell the Jeep for it and keep the GTI though. That may not be financially feasible though. Good luck with your decision.

 

The GTI is a fun little skate, that's for sure....I'd be torn as well, but there's no way I could live without the utility and go-anywhere in the snow capability of the Taco.

The difference between 18-20mpg and 34mpg is pretty significant, how far is your commute?

I drove turbo VWs and Audis for a looooong time before buying my first truck, and I missed them at first. I ride fast motorcycles now, which have a way of making fast cars not so interesting anymore.

 

When we picked up our '08 Taco, we sold the '95 Cherokee. Great move! the jeep was a fun vehicle but it was becoming more and more unreliable. The Taco (aside from a squeaky blower motor) has been flawless.

The Tacoma is for the Mrs, I myself have my eye on the GTI to replace my '92 civic. I say sell the heep, keep the GTI, and get maybe a first gen Taco?

 

I drive about 60 miles total for my commute a day, it is mostly rural 55mph roads, that is how I get 34mpg on the GTI which has EPA estimates of 20/29, so I am hoping to squeeze out 22mpg on the tacoma with my commute. I wish I could keep the GTI and get the Tacoma, I don't think the wife would go for that though. She is actually going to be trading in her 04 Grand Cherokee in the next year or so and getting one of the newer ones ( I was close to having her get the new 4runner, but she feels like it is too big for her). One of the other reasons I want to get rid of the GTI is the fact that it is only 2 doors. In the near future we are planning to have children, so I will want 4 doors. I think the only thing holding me back really is the fun factor and getting what I want for a price with the dealer, one dealer offered me 14,200 on the trade with selling the Tacoma at 28500 (sticker is 31, 500 aprox) ....I am hoping to get another 500 off the truck and another grand for the car....I owe 14 on the car

 

I'm a proud owner of 2010 GTI with 13k on the odo, so far 0 problems with the GTI.
I'm also looking for a truck as a second vehicle for hauling stuff. Taco is on my list, but I would rather wait for 3rd Gen.
GTI is definitely a keeper, so keep the fun car and get the Taco if you can!

 

Trade that thing in man. I traded my 2004 BMW 330i ZHP performance package for my brand new 2010 Tacoma and have never looked back. Yes, sometimes I miss the excellent 6 speed manual tranny it had and the sheer driving enjoyment it provided, but my truck gets me everywhere I need to do, hauls all the stuff I need to haul, and in general provides much more usability (and less speeding tickets).

The new Grand Cherokees are pretty cool with the air-lift adjustable height shocks and all, but its too bad you can't swing her to get an FJ cruiser. That would be badass

 

Just sold my '06 GTI for a Tacoma a couple of weeks ago. The GTI was a damn fun car, but so far the Taco has been great ('07 4cyl w/ 65k) and the mpg isn't half bad.
Like others have said: if you need a truck, you need a truck. I'm just hoping I can convince the other half that when her car gives up the ghost, she needs an A4 or something along those lines.

 

Just took a ride by my local Toyota dealer, they have exactly what I am looking for in stock...Magnetic gray DC Trd Sport SB...the sticker (just over 32) is a little higher than most I have seen b/c it actually has the bluetooth option, which I thought they usually just packaged with the JBL which this one didn't have, and I have not seen the JBL in any of the Sports around here...I would take the bluetooth though.....they were closed so I didn't get to talk numbers.

 

Did you trade it or sell it? Just curious, if you don't mind, what did you get for it?

 

I sold my '07 GTI (58,000 miles) for an '06 Tacoma (18,000 miles). There's a long list of reasons for this which I'd be happy to share if you're interested. Had the GTI for 4+ years (bought new) and it was just too expensive to maintain after 20,000 miles. If you have the TSI engine, then you're probably a little better off, but my opinion is that your savings in gas can easily be eaten up by maintenance costs if you keep the GTI. Go for what you need man.

Good luck!!

 

i know i dont completely fit in this category with these turbo'd cars and bmws, but i went from a lowered 03 matrix i/e/h and unichip to my 06 trd offroad 4x4 taco. the matrix was wayy more fuel efficient (30mpg vs about 16mpg in the taco) and was a lot more fun to drive around town and in the corners. the tacoma is infinitely better utility wise, the 4wheeldrive is amazing in the snow, and the extra torque is great. it's also a lot more comfy on the highway than the matrix was. i miss the matrix sometimes, it was my first car and i put a lot of time and money into it, but i don't regret my decision. i think if you get the truck you'll love it and wont look back. it's actually pretty quick with the v6 and fun to drive as long as you're not trying to take turns at 60mph like i used to be able to do in the matrix haha.good luck my friend!

 

I cant imagine being a homeowner and not have a pu. But another option, not trying to discourage you from the Tacoma but you could buy a small ultility trailer to pull with jeep. Just couldn't pull nothing too major I would think. But I love my Tacoma so far, only had it 6 weeks today. And I love the blue tooth too. Good luck and welcome to TW.

 

Did the same you are talking about here no less than about 45 days ago.

I had an o5 TRD QC w/ the 6 speed manual transmission:

( which I drove 1K miles to pickup ) and had that for a number of years before I finally grew tired of the manual shifting all the time. Overall it was a GREAT rig, we went all over the place in that thing.

I rode in a buddy's Audi and said hot dog, got to have one of those things. I ended up trading off the TRD and picked up 2oo4 2.7TT Audi A6 S-Line:


Like you, we also had a small ute, a o3 ZR2 Blazer which I had thought I'd be able to use w/ the 18' tandem tilt trailer we have but it just was not the case. It was great for hauling things, but a GREAT BIG PITA when it came time to actually using it with the trailer. It was more or less just having to hook up the trailer, get it to where it needed to go, and dealing with it that I became frustrated with.

Dont forget, when its not attached to your truck, its got to be stored somewhere. This became sorta a hassle when I was looking to buy a house; I needed to be sure that there was enough space to park it as I didnt really want to sell it. I didnt have a pickup, wanted to use it for the pickup replacement if you will, and knew that with the car habit I have that it was going to come in handy for many many years. Plus, I got one hell of a deal on it.

Here is when I moved from WA to the MidWest:

( yes, that is a 88 Fiero GT w/ a spare 4.6L Northstar along with another one mounted in the car )

Due to the hassle that I was having with trying to do anything around the house ( Im doing alot of re-modeling ), the desire to get back into the Tacoma was really starting to bug me. The wife and I have been discussing it for about a year, and finally I came to the conclusion that I was getting to a point w/ the S-Line that I was going to really put some $$ into it, and drive the wheels off, or I was going to sell it and be done with it.

The decision to downsize the fleet was made so the ZR2 and the Audi were to be replaced with a 2o11 TRD Tacoma, yes with an automatic transmission.


So, in alot of ways you are in the same situation that I was in... have a nice car, like the nice car, but want / need something a bit better suited for the things that you are into. I will say that I do infact miss the feeling from the pull of a set of turbo's, but in the long run the ownership of a Tacoma betters fits my lifestyle.

I am more comfortable in the Tacoma, will be getting more use out of it than the Audi and the ZR2, and I don't have to worry about not having the space to throw things into the bed of the truck. While you'd be surprised at the things that you can strap to the roof of a ZR2, its not pleasant nor something I'd prefer to do again.

Being that you have the drive to contend with, this is something that you will have to seriously consider as your going to realistically get about 21 - 22 MPG /w the truck ( @ about 55 mph ) as per the 3o+ that you get with the GTi. If this is going to cause a potential financial hardship might want to reconsider it and rent / borrow a rig when it comes time to needing one.

Hope that helps, and oh yea - talk about one hell of a first post!

 

Well in my opinion its all about function, I have had a few toyota trucks and a hand full of sports car. My last trade was this car below.
I loved my 400hp awd car that always kept a smile on my face. However where I live Oregon sucks for nice car owners and plus I own an atv. So it was back to a truck.

 

How funny...I went from a 2003 GTI to 2007 MS3 to a 2009 Taco myself....I still miss having a small car but overall I just love my truck...

 

Sold it outright. Got less than I was hoping (don't we all). Sold for $12.5 in cash with an extra set of steelies and studded snows. Car had 42k on it and brand new tires, BUT needed a windshield and the paint on the hood and front flares was rock chipped to hell (Thank you, Montana).
I had the same out-of-warranty fears. My powertrain warranty ended in Feb. and it had been into the dealer a few times for recall stuff and whatnot, but didn't want to take on the liability of maintenance costs, particularly since mine was the first year of that motor and you just never know. Amazing engine in that car, just didn't trust it to last forever. My 4cyl Taco on the other hand...

 

Nobody regrets buying a Tacoma. Take a test drive and you will see. Sure there are some small problems like squeaky leaf springs and rooftop rain noise, but it's a great truck otherwise and will last a long time. I traded in a 40mpg Saturn SL and feel that the gas milage difference is completely worth it.

 

By far the smartest post.
You can rent a utility trailer from Uhaul for $20.....
GTi's are so cool.
Way cooler than Toys.
Keep it.