4th Gen Tacoma (2024+)

If you can’t afford to replace the NiMh batteries when they fail then you can’t afford any car out of warranty, including previous gen Tacoma's.

 

Funny he also brought up emissions improvements. I’d read that as Toyota was pleased that the 3.5 didn’t require a secondary injection pump like 4R, just to stay street legal. And in 2024, emissions standards contributes to the end of the V6 altogether, for a turbo 4.

 

I understand completely, however most of the people now days will buy refinance a vehicle when the original tires need replacing.

 

Didn’t track the Tacoma but recall cracking it out at the pump with my phkne around 14/15mpg frequently. My T4R is trending towards 17.5 in Fuelly over a few fill ups on 88e15, which would offer a slightly lower economy over 87e10.. but it’s $2.49/gal vs $3.39-3.59./gal.

 

That’s true, having to replace my rear axles seals and wheel bearings at 192k. Doing it myself but parts alone add up. Most people would rather get another loan than eat the 2k it would cost for a shop to do the work. I think right to repair will remain a question going forward as we move into EV’s. Companies these days prefer subscription models to individual ownership.

 

Just watch how they bundle your stuff together. Toyota got caught

Toyota Hit With $60 Million Penalty For Scamming Buyers Into Pricy Product Bundles

https://jalopnik.com/toyota-hit-with-60-million-penalty-for-scamming-buyers-1851035959

 

Yep, manufacturer financing usually has a catch to the convenience. Good for them though, its about time they get some of that nonsense under control. I have a feeling more than one manufacturer is gonna pay for their dealer network shenanigans over the past couple of years.

 

Dealer added markups should be next.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/detailed-bed-dimensions.400407/

 

Everybody's chasing a monthly paycheck

 

Most would rather refinance. I don’t, used to fix it all myself…now I pay someone else to do it. More about time than anything and not money. Usually cheaper to fix what you already own. Though as vehicles get more and more complex, might not be the case in the near future.

With EVs, have to be an electrical/software engineer to work on them. Could fry a whole battery pack if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Can see the appeal of vehicle subscriptions, especially when self driving goes main stream. During the work week, my truck gets used maybe an hour a day, the rest of the time it sits. A lot money spent just for the damn thing to sit unused majority of the time. Could order a car to come pick you up for the commute. Then for weekends/vacay do a truck, SUV or camper van. Only pay for it as you need it. I had 3 personal vehicles and now narrowed it down to one do-it-all vehicle. Just because I got sick of maintaining 3 vehicles. Mostly because the time spent fussing with them.

Have a buddy that does that, however they pay cash. He also gets bored very quickly, never met anyone that buys and sells vehicles as much as he does. He makes fun of me for squeezing every last penny out of my vehicles. My old truck I drove for 20 years, and still have it.

 

This sounds just like me

I'm still maintaining my truck and my wife's car, but at least I don't have 2 more vehicles in the mix.

Since I have the tools and garage and I've had a Taco for so long, basic, stuff like diff, oil, trans fluid, brakes, coolant, etc. get done at home to save me money. Once my kids are both out then I might not have the desire to keep wrenching.

That's why I'm hanging on to this truck... I'm comfortable working on it and there's this resource for anything you could want to know. The next gen is a whole new animal.

 

EVs are less complex (mechanically) than conventional vehicles, that's why the auto unions don't want them. Less workers required to assemble them. Maintenance - way less moving parts, you're not going to have lubrication/bearing/turbo issues, no transmission, no coolant. The software in the EVs may be more advanced but the software in all vehicles is beyond the scope of most people.

 

I'm early 50's and still work on my vehicles. I just put i a radiator, front brakes, oil change on my car and it isn't as easy as it used to be but I did save over a grand or more. The big job of pulling the motor in the LC i'm not looking forward to it and i'm not paying 4k to have someone fix it. I'm lookin forward to owning an EV of any type in the next 5 years hopefully. I miss driving the Tesla and passing by the gas stations though.

Right to repair bills are pending in multiple states and federally giving owners and non dealer repair shops the right to not be held to only going to the dealer for certain service for their ICE and EV's. Specialized tools and computer programs to diagnose once locked items on the car ECU will soon be available to shops and consumers. California is the only state that has passed a right to repair.

Here's a service mode any Tesla owner can get in to. Locked out in the CAN menu is the high voltage battery health which would tell the owner which pack a bad cell is located in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCa4AB2PS_I

 

I am 51, grew up working on vehicles, since we always bought used. Have done everything from simple changing the oil and rotating the tires to full on engine rebuilds. We used to own a construction company, used to maintain a fleet of vehicles plus build just about anything you can think of for housing, from swimming pools to roofing and everything in between.

Done working and fussing on stuff, done I tell ya! My 3rd Gen is my first new vehicle, I am not touching it, first vehicle I let someone else change the oil, it was very weird to do that, and then realized “hey that is kinda nice”

Wife has my old truck, tried talking her into buying new, but she didn’t want to spend the money even though we can afford it, had new engine put in by the dealer, it wasn’t cheap ($15K) but waaay cheaper than a new one. I am done working in that thing, have personally rebuilt just about everything on the chassis, now I take it to the dealer.

She might put 3000 miles a year on it, said a new vehicle would be wasted on her, she rather spend her money elsewhere. She doesn’t like cars in general. Considers them a necessary evil. Which they are, pretty much the main cause of destroying the planet, whether it be emissions or the whole infrastructure that makes them possible, from mining to manufacturing to the roads they are driven on.

Mechanically EVs are a breeze, heard Tesla’s like to eat ball joints, software though is completely alien to me, not cracking open a battery pack and soldering cells either, though have made my own lithium battery packs for motorcycles before. That was before they were commercially available.

Buddy of mine is a senior tech, who does most of the software fixes/upgrades at the shop. He usually has to fix other tech’s mistakes. Speaking of right to repair, some manufacturers don’t like private shops messing with their software and are very tight with it. They want for you to take into the dealer.

 

Yeh I'm looking for an all in one kit like from this place. I just need a frame and some creative mounting and it's done.

https://e-tiandi.com/systems/lightning

 

For a starter battery it was bus bars and shrink wrap, fairly rudimentary but it worked for a couple years. We used build our own bicycle and helmet lights too, that was before it went mainstream.

 

I think it comes down to cash on hand. Let’s face it. The majority of people are financed to the teeth and operate on their credit line. They don’t have the funds available to buy tires, rebuild shocks, HVAC or God forbid catastrophic drive train damage.

I am fortunate to be at a good place in life where I have the savings to replace, repair and upgrade my Jeep as necessary. A lot of people are not able to do that. Seems like a I read somewhere a while back that most Americans do not even have 3k for emergencies… not sure if that’s a fact or not.

 

I chuckled at soldering because you’d be surprised at how many people can’t solder, let alone brave trying to solder battery components.

Software has been a beast for a while with other autos. Look up VW and their flags, notably TD1. I’m fairly surprised it hasn’t been adopted industry wide as a mechanism to deny warranty claims for software modifications.

 

Do you guys think the Pro or the TH will be the top of the Tacoma line?