Just might be getting a Tacoma...again

made the most stupid decision of my life when i traded in the 2006 TRD Sport DCSB back in 2010 for a 2011 mustang 5.0 ended up having to get rid of the 5.0 after a few run ins with the law. so no i have this wonderful land yacht 2010 f-150 5.4 super crew cab. it's a great truck don't get me wrong, but with a 36 gallon fuel tank and fuel mileage at 13.8 it's killing me at the pump. right now i am spending close to $400 a month just in fuel for driving to work and around town.

so this has brought me to thinking about going back to a tacoma. probably a 4cyl manual access cab. sucks to lose a lot of space in the truck and the towing. but all i really tow is my Rzr s with a 6x12 trailer, which comes will within the capacity of the truck. i am still thinking though, hate to lose such a big truck but i won't miss the expense of filling it up. honestly, i am a little excited about the thought of going back to a tacoma!

 

4cyl FTW. Is it going to be 4WD?

Welcome back to the toyota fold.

 

Do eet

I love my V6.... not quite 18 mpg but I does everything that I want it to

 

u will not be sorry, just pull the trigger

 

I thought the 4 and the 6 cylinders didn't get much difference in the mpg's unless you went with the 5 lug anyway?

Anyway I traded from a Hemi Ram getting about the same 14-15 mpg. I've been averaging 19 with the Taco. Doesn't seem like much difference but it really is. Was spending $75-$90 a fill up on gas, now about $50-$65 pending gas prices, and going the same mileage I might add.

The point is that unless the 4 banger gets better than I realize I can't see going that route. I mean coming from that much power down to the 4 cylinder is quite a shock. But to each his own. Good luck with your decision!

 

Where my 4cyl shines is after playing in the woods all weekend I still get 19 mpg. I get 21-22 in mostly city driving with 265/75/16's.

 

Exactly Forester , able to drive out to the desert .Roomp around and still drive home with gas to spare.

 

do it!

 

Surprisingly they don't. EPA lists the 4x4 6cyl AT at 16/21 and the 4x4 4cyl MT & AT at 18/21. Real world I'm averaging 19.1mpg over 10k miles. 4cyl guys seem to get around 21-22. So it's about 10-20% better mpg even though the 6cyl is about 48% more HP and torque.

 

I still would consider a V6. I was averaging about 17mpg. around town and 19 on road trips in my V6. It will definitely have to be 4wd. If there isn't THAT much of a difference in mileage I'd have no issue going to a V6.

I have found a couple with about 65k on em. There is one that is an 06 with 80k on it, I know these things are good for 200k but wondering if I should stay away from the 80k one?

 

I don't think 80k is excessive.

 

nice. my friends dad has a ’11 F-150 we took it to take his dog to training one day. we both hated it. so damn big. it really is like a land yacht! friends has a FJ and is use to driving it.

only think i really tow is are rhino and maybe a 4 wheeler on a 7”X12” trailer. V6 DCSB has no problem at all!!! i estimate the trailer rhino and 1 atv and gear to be around 3k pounds.

 

I wasn't sure. I know these motors are good for 200k+ easy. This one with 80k on it is an 06 so they've averaged way below the median annual mileage now. Most of the ones I'm finding are 08-09 models with 60-70K on em.

I'm telling ya this thing is so bulky. I am not complaining too much though. It has so much interior room. It rode very quiet until I put my Flowmaster 10 series on it . I hate losing all this space but I'm so damn tired of 13.8 mpg. The only time I use this truck for a "truck" is hauling that Rzr. I'd say with my gear and all it's about 2500lbs. Way below the towing capacity of a 2.7L.

 

I have definietly decided on a 4cyl. What sucks is I can go pick up a 2012 reg cab 4x4 for $20,500. But I tend to think I need an access cab. so those are running $17k-$19k used.

 

I would second the access cab idea. I owned two regular cab Toyotas, one a T100 and found them too crowded. FWIW, I just found a 2009 access cab Tacoma 4wd, 2.7l, 5 spd, with 28k miles for just over $18k. I thought that was a good deal.

 

That's a really good deal compared to what I'm finding over here in WV. Heck there's a 2008 access cab 5 spd 2.7L 4x4 with 80k on it for $17,700. So your deal looks way better.

 

Well I stopped by the nearest dealer today. Only had a regular cab automatic. Test drove an Off Road V6 access cab. I loved it! Such a great truck. But bottom line is I'm looking to maximize my MPG and I think the way to go is the 2.7 still. I have noticed the new ones come in options of a 5 speed manual or a 4 speed auto. Anyone have any input on which seems to be the better option?

 

I can't say, but I was always taught that manuals got better mpg's. But from what I've seen the auto's get better in the Taco's. Was I taught wrong or have vehicle's changed so much since to cause this?

 

2 things: I think technology has changed to where the autos are more efficient than they used to be. Also, autos used to be 3 speed in general in the old days, so the top gear was not as high as the manual's 4th or 5th gear. Now autos are also 5 speeds so the top end ratio is close to a manual's.

 

You mentioned you are looking at an extended cab. Why not get a double cab if you want more space? It seems like the shorter bed will not be a problem for you, but you like the interior space.