2nd Gen - becoming the last of the old-ish breed (after 1st gens)

why would anybody do that

 

2014 V6 6sp MT 4x4, purchased from 1st owner at ~62K in 2021, totally stock, for $25K, no rust, clean title all dealer service records.

Great small truck. No issues so far, starts & runs like a top, doesn't burn any oil or coolant. I use it for work & recreation, + occasional visits to see family.

Now has 82K on it. The mods I've done cost about as much as the truck. ARE contractor cap, lumber rack, Rack-It straps (must have,) ARB front bumper & underbody armor, 4xInnovations rear swing-out bumper & rock sliders. JL audio speakers/sub/amps, aftermarket head unit. Lifted about 2"-2.5" front & rear on FOX 2.5 PEs w/ DSC all 4 corners, Deaver U402 stage III leafs. 2LO mod box which I use regularly. Yokohama Geolandar GO15 tires in a stock P265/70/R16 size.

Favorite mod is def. the FOX 2.5s + DSC & Deaver leaf springs. I loaded up a bunch of broken concrete & bricks today, the scale showed 1750 lbs of cargo, and the truck wasn't even touching the tall foam bump-stops. Felt heavy, but completely normal & controllable on the highway. I believe I could safely put a full two thousand pounds in the back, matching the Tundra and the lower end of many full-size pickups. I wouldn't drive with that amt of weight all the time but when needed it's great ability to have.

Running at a more normal load of around 700 lbs, the FOX 2.5s + Deavers are fantastic on dirt forest roads, anywhere up to 70 mph. That's as fast as I ever need to push it on potholed dirt single-track.

Coming from a 1999 5-lug 1st gen, I'm happy w/ the safety upgrades -- like 3x or 4x the number of air bags -- in the 2nd gen.

Re: 3rd gens, I've seen a couple of good anecdotes about 3rd gens putting up with a lot of heavy work use, towing, etc. and still going strong past 300K miles, but the 3rd gen V6 still hasn't got the established track record of the 1GR-FE, which is now almost 20 years old and still in current production in the 4Runner.

I look down my nose at the turbo'ed 4-cylinder 4th-gen powerplant which runs around double the power-to-displacement ratio of the 1GR-FE. Maybe Toyota will pull a rabbit out of a hat and all those screaming 4th gen Tacomas are also going to make it to 300-350K miles (and beyond) without serious issues. But I kinda doubt it.

 

2011 bought new with 6 miles on the ODO. 171k now. I just got home after driving 15 straight hours from Las Vegas to Portland. i sent my daughter and son in-law off with it on a 2k trip to Yellow Stone and met them in Las Vegas. They flew home and I drove home. I bought a 2004 for myself while they were gone and gifted them the truck the way it sits.

Completed the following preventitive maintenance for their trip.
2 new front wheel bearings.
Front Brakes. New OEM rotors and pads. Rotors are original and a bit of steering wheel shake was present when braking at high speed. All perfect now.
Rear Brakes. Cleaned drums, lubed moving parts and adjusted parking brake.
Alternator. It tested at the low end of normal, so replaced with a Remanned Denso.
Battery. The battery tested well, but was leaking a bit, so replaced with Bosch unit.
Drive belt. Looked Ok, but replaced due to mileage.
Drive line. U joints, were good, but carrier bearing bushing was worn. Set the driveline out for full u joint replacement along with carrier bearing, bushing and mount. Driveline was spun and balanced.
Transmission fluid drain and fill. Fluid was dark, but not burnt.
Engine oil, rear diff, front diff, transfer case and coolant fluids all replaced.
Spark plugs replaced.

Prior repairs and maintenance.
Replaced plugs every 30k
All fluids replaced on schedule per manual.
Repalced headlight assemblies at about 150k. Originals were fogged over.
Replaced front wheel bearings at about 75k.

Mods/Upgrades
Replaced original Sport Suspension with 2nd Gen TRD Pro Suspension at 70k.
Replaced rear leafs with custom heavy duty 6 leaf pack from Alcan.
Did the heavy duty headlight harness and high out put halogen bulb replacement.
CRB Offroad rear bumper with swingout tire carrier.
4 Runner TRD Pro wheels.
Bestop softop.
custom top over rack
RTT

ATMO, 2nd gen is the best gen.

 

2008 brought it a few months ago I'm the second owner. Runs better than my son's 3rd gen. Did a few things to it when I got just because of the miles on the truck.

Edit: has 189K miles on it now

 

I’ve had my truck 8 years, bought it with -about 83,000km and put about 83,000km. Just regular maintenance, one alternator, one battery and brakes. Major component I had to take care of was the SAIS system. Deleted it with the Hewitt kit.

 

2013 TRD OR DCSB v6 auto.

bought new in late 2013 with 7mi, now has 155k. Typical suspension replacements over the years. But mechanical issues (non standard wear n tear maintenance) the ONLY THING in its life has been an alternator right around 120k miles that gave me PLENTY of warning (diode board went bad).

My steering rack i believe has a little clunk right at center from rack n pinion gear wear that cant be adjusted out with the slider bushing tension.

I wish it WASNT such a good truck cus it would make the decision to buy an older pre smog diesel long bed truck much easier.

 

2012 DCSB SR5 4x4

bought it in 2020 with 99k on it and now have 140k. I got sideswiped and have been working on getting a new door for the truck. I also keep going back and forth on selling it but I can’t bring myself to do so. It’s a great truck. My only regret is not spending more time to get something other than super white paint.

I like my vehicles older. My first car was an ‘85 Mercedes Benz 300D and I drove nothing but old diesels and Mercedes until 7 years ago. My Tacoma is probably going to stick around for a long while. Unless I get a 5th Gen 4Runner

 

2015 AC TRD Sport PreRunner V-6 Auto.
Bought new on Halloween 2014. 127k miles now. All scheduled maintenance has been accomplished on schedule - went to 5k oil changes four years ago in March 2020. As for mods, I have only done two. I replaced original rotors and calipers (front) and upgraded to 2014 4Runner rotors and calipers. For my driving style, the thicker rotors make this truck one I will keep. The other change is I swapped the wheels from my 2019 TRDORP 4Runner and put them on the Tacoma. I have so far not had any failures yet - have just done usual replacements: tires, front brake pads, on my third battery.

Overall, I am very happy with this truck, happy with the performance of the 1GRFE V-6. I will keep it, and it will likely outlive me. It is my daily driver.

 

I'm last of an oldish breed too, so it's the perfect truck.

 

2015 DCLB Sport
Bought it new with 3 miles on the clock. 93,337 miles now. Have had nothing major happen or need to be replaced. I keep up on regular maintenance and like to tinker so I am always looking at the truck.I have no plans on moving to anything else. I am a person that moved from car to car for years keeping them for only a year or so. My family and friends cant believe that I still have this one... LOL Maybe cause I am getting older who knows. But I still like walking up to it while on the town or shopping. I still have people come up in parking lots and ask about it, so it is not only I that like this 2nd gen.

Be Safe All,

Dan

 

I was exactly like you, cars coming and going. This one I LOVE!

People always commenting, asking questions, and checking out the truck whenever I’m approaching it lol!

 

Yeah, something something Hewitt Kit something something.

I'm almost afraid to say it out loud, for fear the CARB (CA Air Resources Board) SWAT team is going to no-knock warrant my front door some morning at 3AM. "SIR, COME OUT OF THE BEDROOM WITH YOUR HANDS UP. WE ARE HERE TO INSPECT YOUR VEHICLE FOR EMISSIONS COMPLIANCE."

Also I forgot to mention I have the OTT (Overland Torque Tune,) as-designed and sold by @JustDSM who is IMO in the top tier of aftermarket Toyota technical talent.

 

I’m just getting started down the journey y’all are on

Bought about a year ago at 7k miles, was 100% stock, I’ve done minor things like bumper, winch, suspension, ecgs bushing, aluminum skids, 2low module, but it’s staying mostly stock until at least 100k

Needless to say, nothings broken yet

 

05 base regular cab 2wd. My dad bought it new but never drove it much, he'd already been retires for 10+ years when he bought it. Passed it on to me last year, as he can't drive anymore, with a whopping 42K miles on it.

Being a lowered car guy I did what I do, lowered it and am gradually making it very not stock. And driving it a bit more, I already have it at 59K.

 

2015 DCSB, upgraded suspension, installed ECGS bushing. I’ve had a front wheel bearing go bad and some of the issues people have had with Super White paint but relatively minor comparably. Even with the paint issues I’m super happy with how this truck has done for the first 100K. Been doing all the maintenance myself, on schedule.

 

2010 Access Cab TRD offroad, purchased in 2015 with 35k from @AR15xAR10 and have 130k now. Same thing with cars mentioned before. No major issues that I didnt create on my own. New frame.

Shes mostly a daily driver now a days, but not going anywhere. I just checked and I did 4k miles since July 2023.

 

Love to see it Dad! You love it!!!

 

no problems. even with the supercharger i have no worries. everyone knows 2nd gen is best gen.

 

I moved on from my 2nd gen roughly ten years ago. I went through a bunch of different vehicles, but over time grew very frustrated with the amount of unreliable tech and the build quality of current vehicles. After giving up on my most recent truck, I decided I had better grab another 2nd gen while they're still available at decent prices. I was able to track down a 2014 with immaculate service records that was in great shape.

It likely won't be my daily driver for long, but the beautiful simplicity and reliability of the pickup have me planning to keep it indefinitely as my hunting/camping rig.

 

yes the 2nd gen is the last ultra reliable toyota truck. got a 2013 5 lug with only 80K miles on it. my brother had close to 300K on his 07 double cab and he just traded for a tundra hybrid (I wish him luck)