Looking to buy 2nd gen Tacoma

Looking for best options for purchasing a 2010-2015 Tacoma,
I work some side jobs (electrical )
Carry a ladder, 9’ surfboard, some fishing gear, maybe 1 child seat etc.
maybe tow a small trailer.
I expect to get a roof rack for a surfboard or kayak at some point.
Double cab or access cab 4x4 automatic
Are what I’m looking at not sure what year is best or what trim packages I should be looking for thanks.

 

The #1 thing you want to look for is whether the truck has frame rust, and how bad it is. Far too many people buy a Tacoma without inspecting the frame, only to find it's about to collapse or have a leaf spring mount break off the frame. I've seen some on here where the owner is pretty much screwed. Buy a $15,000 truck to find out it needs a $12,000 frame replacement.

 

Thanks for the heads up, I will be looking in the portland Oregon area so I shouldn’t have a rust issue I would think ? Would the frame rust be associated with salting roads or just any water issues? Thanks

 

Being close to beach, or being from the NE where they salt and stuff a lot is the usual culprit. And just cause it's in Oregon now, didn't mean it wasn't in Vermont the first 6 years of its life. Someone was recently looking at one for sale in Texas (which is usually great if it wasn't coastal) but it had previously been from the NE for most of its life.

So yeah, good possibility you are fine with one in Oregon, but never sign anything until you check out the frame.

 

Will do, are there other issues with the 2nd Gen tacomas that need to be cautious about? Transmission. Fuel injection, parts availability, etc.?

I was considering an older ford ranger as an option, but don’t really care for those trucks. They share some of the same features but the quality/ reliability isn’t near as good as the Toyota.

 

2009-2011 Good trucks
2013-2015 Best of the 2nd Gen
2007-2008 Super simplistic without a lot of electronic “stuff”.

Stay away from 2005-2006.

The back seat of an Access is not a seat.
No child should have to sit back there unless it is the only option.

Get a 4 door if you plan to put the kid in the back.

That said, the access cab will be a bit lighter and have a larger bed. Unless you get lucky and find a Double can long bed. But that will make tow even less fun.

Also, the 2005-2008 Off-Road trucks absolutely suck unless they are in 4WD.
They are an open differential, spiny spin spin spin……


I’d say 2009+ is where I’d start looking.

And if you wonder why 2012 was excluded. They can SAID issues, and it’s not cheap to fix. The 2013+ trucks had provisions from the factory that fixed it. But the 2012 can not retrofitted. The ECM won’t let it.

 

As said above.
Also, the 13-15's can have a few nicer interior upgrades. If you're putting anything on the roof (or kids inside for that matter), you'll want the double cab. While you can get roof racks to fit an access cab, the doubles have factory mounting points for either the OEM roof racks or aftermarket such as a Prinsu.
Cheers.

 

Tacoma's have notoriously low payloads. If you're planning on carrying more than a few hundred pounds of tools in the truck all the time you might want to consider a small trailer for them.

A 4X4 DC will be about 1200 lbs +/- 100. If you're carrying 600-700 lbs of tools, ladders, and ladder racks all the time that doesn't leave much for the weight of the driver and other passengers.

Otherwise they are great trucks. My 07 is at 253,000 miles with no issues.

 

From reading your post, I would agree with getting a double cab, but try to find one with the 6' bed/long bed. They are harder to find, but they are a better fit with your work needs, and the longer wheel base will provide a better ride and towing performance. I looked a long time for one when I was searching, but never found a decent one with the few options I wanted. I would also try to find one with the factory tow package: lots of bang for the buck in that option package.

Welcome to TacomaWorld!

 

Good to know, I was eyeing the 2013’-2015’ years what is SAID ? Anyway thanks for the info

 

Thanks for the info, I think I will focus on the 13-15’ years, I was looking at the SR5 package if I can find one.
My budget is about
$23,000 100,000 miles or less than 150,000 miles. Hope to find a 1 owner if possible, just don’t want one that’s been beat up.

 

Yea not very heavy, couple hundred pounds at most. I’d like a 6’ bed if possible, not sure if I can find one.
Just doing some Electrical side jobs, and trips to the mountains/ beach etc. thanks

 

Autocorrect.
I meant SAIS : Secondary Air Injection System.
Which is an Emissions Component.

 

It should be SAIS (Secondary Air Injection System), all 2nd gen 2.7L trucks have it and 2012-15 4.0L trucks have it. It pumps air into the exhaust on a cold start to help the catyletic converters heat up faster, 2012 V6 trucks had a higher failure rate of the switching valves due to moisture. 2013+ trucks had an update to the system so that the pump runs a couple seconds on engine shutdown and purges the valves, they can still fail on the newer trucks but it's less common.
If you do get a 12-15 make sure to do the UNI filter mod and remove the stock foam filter as it can deteriorate and destroy the pump and/or valves.

 

SR5 is the most common, you can't go wrong with a TRD Sport or TRD OffRoad either but you will often pay a premium for them especially the OR models.

As stated above it's recommended to find one with the Towing Package if you plan on towing anything at all.

Towing package includes:

27F battery (non Tow Package has 24F)
130 Amp Alternator
Engine Oil Cooler
Auxiliary Transmission Cooler (A/T only)
Class IV Receiver Hitch
7 Pin Trailer Connector with Trailer Brake Control Harness in Cab (Brake controller not included)
2012 and up models added Trailer Sway Control Programming in the VSC System

 

DCLB is likely gona be pretty hard to find but there are a few out there, I see them occasionally but not very often.

 

This was the conclusion I reached when looking into getting mine. There was a 2009 with an excellent frame not far away.

 

Do you know if the 4 cylinder 4x4 trucks are powerful enough, if you will carry some supplies and passengers ?
Would the V-6 option be a better choice, I know the gas mileage isn’t great on the 6cyl. Trucks
Thanks for the info on the older trucks.

 

No, I had a 2.7 PreRunner.
It was not suited for towing AT ALL.
And it was a Manual. The automatic is WORSE.

Get the v6.

 

The 2.7L in a 4wd Access Cab is barely adequate at best, add any weight or oversized tires and it's totally underpowered.

I don't believe it was offered in a Double Cab 4x4, only Double Cab Pre-Runner.