Any 24 Tacoma buyers X-shopping Gladiator?

To say a truck with a bed under 6 feet is not used by their owners and only bought to feel manly is a very weird take. There a ton of guys I know who have a 5 foot bed and use it all the time. Obviously you can't haul as much with a 5 foot bed vs a 6 foot but to say you can't do truck stuff with one is plain stupid.

 

The only real trucks are midsize with 6 ft beds. Those 1/2 tons with 5.75 ft beds you see on every construction site are cosplayers.

 

The "short" beds on the crew cab Taco's have no appeal to me for practicality purposes, so 'useless' to me but lots of people use them for their own needs.

 

I enjoy hearing mid-size truck owners talk about bed size. An entire foot makes the difference when talking about a half truck that has a worse payload than a 4Runner.

 

If you’re not towing 16,000lbs and hauling 3500 in the bed, you’re not doing real truck things and you’re just in it for the looks

 

I was sooooo close to doing real truck things. My loaded trailer weighs 15,9999 lbs and I haul 3,499 lbs in the bed. I guess I'm just a regular guy who wasted his money on a truck that I'm not using. Lesson learned...

 

I would if it was a tad bigger, the center roll bar is in the way too. I always had good luck with my jeeps yj/tj. But I was never a fan of the v6

 

No. I have a four door and a six foot bed, perfect combo.

 

I just think it depends on what you will use it for.

A Rubicon will always out crawl anything on the rocks. You just cant out articulate solid axles.

The Pro is just going to last longer than other trucks.

The AEV Bison is a beast.

If you want to tow. I would buy a full size.

I honestly think the best looking is the Tacoma.

The new GX is super nice. I have the older version and love it.

 

Old thread, right topic, so I'm resurrecting it.

20+ year Toyota truck and SUV "fanboy" here going to check out a Certified Gladiator Rubicon today. Talk me into or out of it folks Clean Carfax and regular oil changes since 5k. Better price than a '22 Tacoma with much less equipment.
Anything specific to make me walk away from a used, but very clean Gladiator w/ 40,000 miles on the clock? TIA

Need to get back into a truck...

 

Please don’t sell that FJ whatever you do.
Just
Empty
Every
Pocket

 

Here's a reason,

You have an FJ.

 

I don’t think he actually has the FJ. Look at his signature, only vehicle is “2022 DCSBOR MT Mag Grey w/ Bilstein 6112 and 33 BFGs”

But a Gladiator over the 2022 Taco? Why? (And how much you selling [edit] your truck for?)

 

I had a Jeep Gladiator as a rental car for 2 months on a job before I bought my Tacoma. I really wanted the Toyota reliability but I am a former Jeep owner and used to say if they would bring back the Jeep pickup I would buy one. It was really fun to have as a rental car especially because I worked on some ranches where I got to take advantage of the 4wd and taking the top off. That said after that experience I would never buy one as a daily driver. While they attempted to tap the luxury market with things like a heated stearing wheel and seats it was really rough around the edges. Things like you are listening to the radio and all of the sudden it is garbled and the only way to fix it is to turn the vehicle completely off and on again. Also there was significant road noise and rattling from the removable roof that was hard to get rid of. It made my 3rd gen Tacoma cab seem quiet and much more refined. If I was looking for a ranch vehicle or something for purely offroad use I would have seriously considered a gladiator though.

 

If it was really cheap I'd go used, but new rubicons can be had for low 40ks

 

I’m against the Dad truck but I’m also 100% for spending your own money however damn well you please.

I just get pissed off when every manufacturer starts dropping the short cab medium to long bed option for the Dad truck.

 

I am, I haul a 4 wheeler around in the bed of my 2005 Access cab during hunting season. The 4 door Tacoma is useless to me.

 

Yeah, I have the FJ now. Guess I need to update my signature. Have had my 2013 Trail Teams Edition for just shy of 2 years now. One of the best vehicles I've owned, but always miss having a truck, and just can't justify having 2 vehicles. Keep kicking around the Gladiator as the newer Tacomas just don't seem to be what they used to be.

 

I did that cross shopping, considered my neighbor's Gladiator experience and my cousin's Jeep experience that also mirrored having some in our company fleet.

A first important matter for me is no one's 5 or 5.5 ft bed was sufficient. Jeep, GM and Ford salespeople for the mid-sized models tried hard. At one stop I just asked the salesperson to try and fit the common size ladder and two tool boxes in the short beds. He lost his argument for angling the ladder for how much space is lost.

Next came safety, quality, reliability and the manufacturers. Tacoma 4th gen is an IIHS top safety pick. The Jeeps in our company fleet, the neighbor's and my cousin's are or were all as craptacular for those as they were crude to operate and drive in.

The Gladiator owner neighbor now owns a trailer to do what my long bed Tacoma does and he still puts up with Jeep SFQ. My cousin took the loss and traded his 1.5 year old Jeep for a new era Land Cruiser for the fire risk recall and Jeep having no answer for when he didn't have to part it outside. The neighbor's wife pointed out the Gladiator is not the most comfy and especially if you consider distance and freeway driving. After one long trip to visit their child in the Gladiator, it was back to taking their Subaru.

Our company fleet Jeeps - each of 3 models - and my rentals have all supported their poor reputation. At least in my area and my cousin's Toyota dealers and the manufacturer have been better about standing behind customers.

I'll concede to this. My neighbor's Gladiator is probably a better rig for an off-road enthusiast.

 

I moved from a 3rd gen to a Gladiator Rubicon and couldn't be happier. I'm on 37s and have used both lockers easily dozens of times. I hit about 15 badge of honor trails last year alone. The only thing I miss is the power rear window. Everything else feels like an upgrade. I get better gas mileage on 37s than I did in my 3rd gen on 33s. It is better offroad hands down. Much better view of wheel positions. Love the LED headlights, remote start, floor drains, removeable top, and stereo. The interior is nicer and the seats and position are way better. Aftermarket parts are more plentiful and cheaper. The 3rd gen had better road manners, but the power delivery is better in the Jeep. The 8 speed auto is just right. I would have looked at a 4th gen, but they weren't out yet and I will not consider a hybrid. I liked my 3rd gen, but after owning this for a while, I will be buying another or replacing the engine when it's time. Best vehicle I have owned out of probably 20.