Anyone else feeling better about their 3rd gen.

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Remember - not a mechanic. Took it to the dealership on a Saturday drop off for front brakes (pads / hardware). Expected $250 or so. Picked it up that afternoon for a $600 dollar bill. Somehow, the service write managed to tag it for rotors as well. My service writer was the service manager, and we developed a little friendship. Went to see him Monday, and he quickly offered to reverse the charges or offer me some credit. Spark plugs and something else were on the scheduled maintenance agenda, so he did those with some money left over for coffee. So nope, haven't had to change them. Yet.

 

I’m happy with my 3rd gen and plan on having it until it dies. I only drive it about 7,000 miles a year as I have other vehicles so hopefully it’ll be a long time from now.

My hesitation with the 4th gen is two-fold. First, the price is insane. Second, we had a 2023 Tundra TRD Pro, with the operative word being “had.” It was traded after less than a year as the problems and constant recalls were too much and the quality control on the construction of the interior was severely lacking. Soooo many squeaks and rattles and loose panels. My 3G taco felt like a tank in comparison.

 

Nope, majority don’t. Though with speed things are changing these days, believe people are tired of change in general and just want comfortable consistency. Unfortunately when manufacturers do major changes there are going to be issues, and that comfort consistency trust fades a bit.

The Tacoma demographic is an odd one, got a bunch of old curmudgeons that revel in the old days, on the flip side have people crying that it is too dated. Manufactures have it tough trying appease them all plus all the government regulations, it is amazing they sell in the numbers they do for how many people hate the truck.

 

Like a kitten

 

Beautiful morning from the edge of America

 

I think part of the sales is the competitors, or lack thereof. Until the Ranger hit the market, there wasn't really a comparable to the Tacoma. Sure the Colorado is there, but when you get to the Taco equivalents, the price went through the roof without the longevity. Dodge gave up on it like ford did. I waited for the Ranger because I wanted to see 1) if a manual was coming out and 2) if a Raptor was coming with it. The basic platform had proven reliable in other markets around the world, so I wasn't too worried about reliability. But serviceability and a 10 speed auto transmission in the mountains and foot hills in VA wasn't something I wanted to deal with. Had that in the POS Focus and it was not enjoyable.

 

I grew up working on all of my vehicles, this is my first new truck with a warranty ever. So letting the dealer do all the work, gotta say it sure is nice not having to crawl around on the ground anymore.

Have heard spark plugs at the dealer cost $500-800 depending on where you go, so apparently not a simple job like an old 350 Chevy. Haven’t even looked at what a Tundra involves with those twin turbos. The new turbo 4 in the Tacoma should theoretically be fairly easy.

Brakes should be around $200 with pads and turning the rotors. Used to do my own brakes too, but I am done spinning wrenches on my truck. The dirt bike is high maintenance enough, replacing the water pump centrifugal unit today. Easy but still a pain, have to rip a bunch of shit off just to get to it.

 

why benefit the stealerships? lol

 

'You rang?

 

Yep lack of competition is why they sell like they do, coupled with fear if straying from the brand. So if it isn’t broke don’t fix it. With the other manufacturers putting on the pressure, Toyota finally cranked it up, will that hurt them in the long run, too early to tell.

Always felt that Toyota was a car company that made a handful of trucks, and Ford was a truck company that makes a handful of cars. So what they don’t specialize in suffers a bit. Toyota who never played the power numbers game is now doing it, might bite them in the ass. Personally I wanted much greater efficiency than all out power, guess the 30 mpg Tacoma will never happen, but they sure gave us a mid-size truck with available 465 ft lbs of torque that can’t haul or tow much. While I can run out and buy a F250 with nearly the exact same amount of torque that can, and cheaper too.

 

Lol!

 

That's what I expected. Turns out they don't turn them anymore because new rotors are faster and they get the same labor. I managed a muffler and brake shop for a year or so before 9/11 so I knew a little about what to expect. $600 wasn't even in the ballpark.

 

As an admitted Toyota nerd - I do like my 3rd gen, and I hope with time I grow to love it.

I just wish Toyota would offer us some of the things they bring to other parts of the world. Diesel hilux, new 70 series pickups, the list goes on and on.

If I could find a pristine 22re, 5 speed pickup, I'd throw on my members-only jacket, and cruise that.

 

I'm not wholly opposed to the Turbo 4. Of all the vehicles I've owned, this is the 3rd biggest engine (5.2 in the F150, 454 / 5.0 Ford Explorer - AWD - it went anywhere). I'm used to the smaller engines and vehicles so it doesn't really bother me. How it compares a few years out will be what decides it for me.

 

Rotors are a cake walk anymore, used to have to tear the whole hub apart. Now just pull the calipers and they pop right off. So cheap, easier just toss new ones on. Kinda sad really, live in a throw away society. All this talk about saving the planet, how about making engineered obsolescence’s, obsolescent.

I don’t mind the T4 either, impressive the numbers it is putting out. Going back to a 4 cylinder is sorta nostalgic. Have been driving Toyota trucks for over 30 years as my daily, sure was nice jumping in one after being on earth moving equipment all day. Enjoy the “car-like” nature of them. That used to be one of their selling points. Used to brag about gas mileage too…

 

I never felt really bad about my '21 TRD OR AC auto.

 

Well I can see this, it’s a three-way tie. Dependent upon the day, is the truck, the dog the wife.

Don’t tell the Wife I posted this or I’ll be sleeping with the dog for a while.

 

I buy a Toyota pickup truck like every 10 to 13 years. Hopefully they’ll sort this one out in 10 years.

 

If only, right…

Toyota bring back a basic simple truck.

(Do wonder if that will be the US Stout)