Newbie observation

I'm a 39 year old male and about to buy my second Taco, 2012 green 4x4, and about my 10th Toyota product. Needless to say I'm a huge believe in the quality of the brand.

I've been on here lurking for a while and trying to get some info for mods and upgrades for my new truck. Probably going with a level kit and some 33's for starters until someone comes out with a winch bumper for the new grill.

The reason for this post is an observation I've had about this group. Lots of knowledge on here but also a lot of negativity about the trucks. More than I expected. There seems to be a large number of threads that focus on all the problems these truck have. About how much everyone hates the direction the trucks are going. About how much certain mods are okay and if someone doesn't do that specific tire wheel combo then they are a mall cruiser and dumb. And don't even click on the Entune thread! According to that thread everyone wants a cheap Taco with no electronics on it at all!

If I didn't already love the Tacoma and have my mind already set on it, this forum would have talked me out of buying one. I really want this to come across as a thread to make you think and not a thread about some new guy calling everyone out. Maybe it will spur on a thought process or a conversation about this.

I still like this board and it does have a lot of good info and a lot of good guys. Once again, it was just an observation.

 

a lot of the long timers on here are really good people mast of the hate threads are newbies or Trolls IMHO..but welcome to the site

 

welcome.

and yeah i know what you are talking about. bull bars/ brush guards. for one. most don’t like them on here. and i don’t think allot of people that ask about them under stand that they don’t protect much and if hit some stuff can cause more damage. they are really weak and bed. and people don’t like the price of say plate bumper or the ARB. they are pricey but you get what you pay for with bumpers and lifts.

like the pic some one thats a cop or medic post of a truck that had a body lift and the body separated from the frame. and the driver almost died(or did i don’t remember)

 

Like several forums I have been on with other vehicles. People tend to "vent" when they have a problem and not "praise" when things are good. I had the same experience on the Jeep forum when I had my 2010 JKU. If I had read all of the negative threads I would have never bought my second Jeep.
I personally love my Tacoma. It is one of my favorite trucks I have owned (out 12 various makes and models) The only problems I have with mine is the driver mirror rattles when you close the door. I just keep forgetting to get the dealership to look at it. Second you can program the truck. I had a Frontier and reprogrammed it. I was getting 24 mpg and it would move. But other than that I very very very happy with this truck.

 

Did my own thing. Other opinions dont make a shit to me. Gather info good or bad and make your own decisions.

 

x2 a lot of people like to give each other hell, some member more than others, some go about it the wrong way.

as far as all the complaints about the truck, isnt the forum supposed to help that, you say, "hey i have this problem, what is it? how do i fix it?" other than that im pretty sure everyone still loves their truck, with any vehicle there is going to be things you dont like and are going to gripe about.

also like anything else made now a days, they arent made as well as they used to be, companys try to go the cheap route and charge more.

 

I appreciate the serious replies. I really meant no harm by the original post. I was just making an observation from an outsider looking in.

 

no harm taken here, but some people do tend to just down the neebies throats about things, which they need to reread the code of conduct here. but theres rude people anywhere you go.

welcome hope you like it and dont mind the shenanigans too bad

 

As a long time Toyota owner myself, since about 1984, some of the "negativity" you see are simply old timers like myself who have seen the legendary overall quality of a Toyota pick up decline. I don't think it is wrong or negative for owners blowing upwards of 30K to call out Toyota on their quality. Still the best mid sized truck on the planet.
Regarding mods, anyone who cares what others think regarding their mods are foolish.
Mods are like opinions, everyone has them, no one was born with all the right ones.
Enjoy the forum and your truck.

 

Ha good point OP. If you took these forums too seriously all it would do is make you hate your vehicle, doubt its quality, and find problems you never would have recognized otherwise. If you sift through the negativity that is present on every board you can find a lot of real enthusiasts who are here to help people with problems, give advice on mods, and give you plenty of mod ideas that drain your wallet (but at least it is fun--better than spending money on drugs or cigarettes).

 

Says you.

Just curious, why did you trade up one year for essentially the same truck (based on your sig)?

 

x2 and there are lots of shenanigans on here between the TW "family"

 

Seems a lot of the negativity directed at new members is they don't use the search function and start threads on subjects that have been discussed over and over. You'll see a lot of posts about tire size, which lift to get, problems with dealers and tsbs, a whole lot of things. Many of the problems you're reading about have been posted so many times it seems like these trucks are falling apart sitting on the dealer's lot. I have a 2011 Off-Road and it is a great truck. In fact, I had traded a 2010 to get this one. Not a thing wrong with the 2010, my wife and I really didn't care for the color. It was magnetic gray and would get very hot inside with the desert heat. Every now and then, someone will come up with a unique problem, but that is kind of uncommon. Yes, some of the guys get tired of finding threads about problems that have been posted dozens of times before, but many of the new guys are also members of other forums and know that there is a search function, but choose to ignore it.

 

I like the new interior and the extra bells and whistles. Streaming audio via BT is really nice as is the USB, homelink, turn signal mirrors, upgraded reasr springs, and overall look of the interior. But, the steering wheel is the best part--makes it feel like a different truck to drive. Plus I like the front end and the fact that it should hold its value a bit better due to being the most current model. I am getting better mpg as well, and get no "tick" at all from the engine. Overall I like the truck a whole lot better. Plus it cost me less than a grand to trade due to a special discount I was eligible for. Need I go on?

 

also with all those tire and lift threads. their is ALLOT of BS and off topic going on in those threads. and it gets REALLY confusing whats going at that point. i think if those threads and threads like that had less BS gong their MAYBE less threads made. just my $0.02

 

Nope.

Did you get the non-carpeted interior?

 

First of all welcome and congrats on the new truck inbound. I have been on this site since 2007 and have seen it grow and evolve. I'm not a prolific poster but log in at least once a day and most times many times a day. I have made some great cyber friends on this site and can admit that just about every cool thing I have done to my truck I have seen here on TW. One of the cool things about the site is the tons of variations of the Tacoma......As I have stated before, it would be a pretty boring world if we were all alike and I for one enjoy celebrating diversity. Have I seen trucks that aren't my cup of tea, sure but why spend time or energy bringing someone down. I also don't get impatient with repetitive threads or questions because it seems like too short of a time ago that I was asking them myself. When I come across a thread that doesn't interest me in the slightest I just keep moving. As far as the trucks go, I'm on my second Tacoma and as far as I'm concerned they are ideal for me and my Family. Perfect, no but As far as I can tell there hasn't been a perfect one made yet.

Like a longtime TW member and friend of mine "Simons mom" says....."less bark, more wag".

 

Just to add to what Chris said, I see what you mean and I understand it as well, at times there is a certain snootiness that I see, some of that is well intentioned, (body lifts, strut spacers, spring blocks etc.) But the mods work hard to maintain a positive feeling around here, a lot of us know each other pretty well and it's kind of a 'inside' joke when we are bashin on something between each other. Perhaps that can come off as really negative when we are really only being humourous and sarcastic?
But, I have met some really nice people here who are personal friends now and if you ever get to attend a meet sometime you will find that we really LOVE our trucks!
Welcome to TW friend!