Thinking of getting a Tacoma...

Yeah mine legitimately was. There was a whole bunch of stuff wrong with it, mostly electronic, by 60K miles. I took impeccable care of the truck maintenance wise but that didn’t matter. By the time I looked into filing a lemon law claim, the truck was too old. Don’t think I’ll ever buy another one.

 

Around the city I get between 15-17 mpg and highway 18-20mpg on cruise control.
I'm 6ft so that's good to hear someone taller can make it doable lol.

It will ultimately come down to what finance options will available to me on the Ram buyout vs a new( to me ) used Tacoma.

 

I opted for the 6ft bed and put a decked storage system in it. I move lumber around often and the distance between the wheel wells is just shy of 48”- very annoying. This makes it a pain to move sheets of ply around. The decked system solved that issue and gave me extra storage for packing blankets, straps, tools etc, if needed. I even ripped out the rear seats and designed a rear seat delete that’s been perfect for my dog, precious tools and / or camp gear. I’ve even slept on it when my pup had an emergency overnight visit at the vet. With all the mods and upgrades available - you can make this truck exactly what you need it to be.

I will say that the volume/ track controls on the steering wheel is my biggest pet peeve about the truck. It’s not oriented properly. I was happy to find out that I wasn’t the only one who felt this way and meso customs offers a fix, though I haven’t done this yet. The speakers are terrible and I do recommend swapping them out. That’s a pretty easy job and is well worth it.

 

Yeah, you won't see an MPG improvement if you were doing that well in the Ram. I can pull 22-23 if I don't go over 55 MPH, but on the interstate that's 20 at best.

 

I don't mind it because it matches the orientation on the HU. Volume goes left and right, and channels are vertical. Took me an hour to rationalize it and be fine in my Tundra.

 

I figured that would be the case and I'm okay with that.

 

Good deal. See if you can fold yourself into one, drink the kool-aid, and enjoy being...

 

I traded in my 2019 Ram 1500 Bighorn for a slightly used 23 Tacoma TRD Sport. I am super happy with the Taco today simply because I didn’t need all the space of the Ram. I also wanted a 6 speed manual which I found in the Taco. What you will miss from the Ram is the space, comfort and power. Your first time in the Taco you’re gonna be wondering why it’s so cramped, and when you step on the pedal you won’t get that deep throated rumble and massive torque from the Hemi. However from a fun factor the Taco is way more fun and responsive, and much easier to park. Gas mileage is meh… you might get a couple more MPG out of the Taco but that’s it. I’ve been averaging 20-21 mpg per tank on the Taco vs 18-19 mpg on my Ram. But the thrill of shifting gears again old school style can’t be beat!
Regarding power.. once you get your Taco, don’t hesitate - go do the OTT tune immediately! It completely changes the truck and it drives the way it should have from the factory.
Good luck.

 

I had one vehicle between the F150 and the Tacoma. At 6'6", there are only two things I don't like about the Taco. First, the view out the windshield. I don't slouch in my seat or drive with the seat laid back, so my eyeball line of sight is the top 25% of the window. The mirror position makes it difficult to see around due to my riding position, but there isn't much I can do about it. Second, getting in. I really need to bend and duck my head down to get in. The higher roof line of the first gen would be nice to have. (I think they made some adjustments in the 4th gen to help with the head room, but I have yet to get in one to know.) I also have a MT, and while the foot box is comparatively a little small, my size 13's don't have an issue with the three pedals.

Back seat. There are several rear seat delete threads in here that will give you some good ideas and advice if you go that route. Be prepared for a little more road noise and the need to sound insulate the area. Noise reduction is heavily dependent on the seats being in. This is the thread that I followed: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rear-seat-delete-decks.632134/. Mine was done hastily for the trip linked in the signature, and I'll be redoing it for a permanent delete this summer.

 

If your lease is up on the Ram. I would lease or purchase a new Ram Classic Tradesman. Then start shopping for a 4G Tacoma giving Toyota a few years to get things in order.

 

As an owner of a ram I advise against this. Rams are garbage. The Italian company that owns ram, stelantis, doesn’t care about their customers and drag their heels when it comes to doing warranty repairs on the low quality vehicles that they build.

 

I went from a 2500 crew to an access cab Tacoma. I didn't need the big truck anymore. It was a Chevy gasser 6.0. Power seems even since the 6.0 had 360hp but dragging like 7000lbs+ around. Gas mileage went from 12 mpg to 21mpg, The Tacoma is way more car like, easy to whip around in, parking lots are fun! Tech, ahhhh, whatever, I didn't buy it to play games on the infoscreen. It can bluetooth to my phone for calls, good enough for me. It has all I need and nothing I don't. Rear drum brakes, alright with me, I don't like rear disc on trucks. I don't have TPMS ( I guess it isn't mandatory in Canada), I'll take that as a plus too. I switch winter and summer tires and no f'ing around with that bs is great. Interior is smaller for sure. I carry a lot less shit around, mostly stuff I fooled myself into thinking I needed but don't miss at all. Manual just because it should be. A buddy growing up enjoyed manual Toyota trucks through the 80's. No domestics are manual, at least anything I would consider buying. Reliability, well if it is more reliable than the Chevys I've owned, that's a plus too, but that isn't a very high bar to reach! Haha! It'll be one year in late April, I'll have put 30k trouble-free Kms on it by then. I can't say that for any GM product I've ever owned! I'm completely satisfied with my truck.