AC or DC - that is the question.

I wanted an Access cab, because it seemed like the perfect balance (as I dont haul many people that often) ,but was really hard to find one in 2.7L 5-speed.I looked for over a year and every AC that came up sold the day after. I like the idea of the 4-door, but that bed might as well be a utility trailer on an SUV. In the end I found a deal on a regular cab with the specs I wanted that came with a quickly removable hard bed-cover. I can remove it by myself which is cool so I am going to keep it around for trips and stuff to turn the bed into a huge trunk.

I also noticed that the AC and 4-door models have a 2-piece drive-shaft with a bearing in the center of the frame connecting the two. (Kind of like on box trucks etc) Anyone know the life/expense of that bearing? That was one thing I noticed when looking up under the AC and 4-door models was that the bracket holding the bearing looked a bit cheaply designed. It's probably not, but just looked that way.

 

I wouldn't use the extra cab space often enough to make it worth the extra $3k when I bought it. Same for the SR5 package. I just added cruise, and will add int. wipers. A cap solves the weather issue for hauling and camping. The 4cyl is adaquate for almost all my needs.
You need to find the balance of what you are going to get the most for your buck vs what you will use it for.

 

I did. It was the only new one at the three dealerships around, and it was in my 1st choice color.

 

I have an 2x4 Acab 2.7l.... As soon as I get stationed in Pheonix Ill be looking for a 4.0 DBC I want the extra space inside the cab and I don't haul much at all... only groceries..lol

Good luck

 

I'm with you. And I've found several base models that have the cruise/int wipers package installed already. The challenge is finding one close enough to drive and pickup in a weekend.

I'd like to get the 4-cyl, but if I can't find one soon, I'll definitely consider the V6 AC.

 

Is that bearing a U-joint or an actual bearing?

 

It goes transfer case, U-joint, short shaft (rear end of which is supported by the carrier bearing), U-joint, long shaft, U-joint, differential.

 

As you stated up front, this is an unanswerable question for anyone but you. Here is my .02 for what it is worth. My last two trucks were AC. I really regretted the last one because my wife and I had a daughter and there simply wasn't enough room for her after a short time and I could reasonably only transport one friend at a time. The DC this time was a no-brainer after learning my lesson. Personally I wouldn't go back to a SB. Not that I carry a lot, but when I do it is good to be able to fit. IMO, after the lift, the LB looks good and the SB looks chopped off. At some point you will have to quit arguing with yourself and make the call.

 

I went with the AC as my previous Tacoma was also an AC. On my 2002 I had a box in the bed that I could remove fairly easily. When the box was in it gave me essentially the same size bed as a DCSB and what I found over time was I had to remove the box a lot. For me, that made my decision easy.

For those that have a DCSB and a bed extender, how well does that work when hauling sheets of plywood? I'm curious if there are any issues with the curved corners.

For the OP, have you considered a bed cap? That could give you more room to store items out of the weather in a AC while still having the long bed utility.

 

I've wondered about the bed extender as well. I found the bed on my '86 4x4 reg cab to be too small at times, so I definitely use the space. And the whole point of having a truck is so I don't have to have a trailer to do most things.

I would probably look at getting some kind of bed cap if I did go with the AC.

I guess its like other people have said already, it depends on what you use it for, and I'm not sure that the short bed would really suit my needs.

 

^^^ this. I want all my dings on my truck to be from doing something awesome


I have owned Access cabs my whole life and love them. 91 pickup and a 96 T100.... I really like actually having a door to get into the back on my 06. It IS a pain in the ass if I am parked close to someone... which I try to avoid anyway.

Having no kids, the access Cab is perfect for me. I can throw most of my gear in the backseat. I will probably get a locking tonneau cover though... leaving hockey gear in the back seat is smelly :/ I rarely drive more than one person around. If more than one person is going, then I am usually off the hook for driving cause no one WANTS so sit in my backseat! However, I like being able to take the extra people if I need too.

Personally, I like having the extra bed space. I can fit my dirt bike back there just fine And I have room to load up just about anything I could possibly need for any projects/adventures.

IMO, I just think that the access cab proportions are what a truck should look like. Granited I am biased having grown up with access cab Tacomas... Not that looks really matter

Just my .02 cents... most of which has already been stated.

 

Seeing that you are buying used and can't order just what you want, I would consider both. Each one has its plus and minus so I would look for the truck in the best condition with the options you want for the best price. And as you will find, people love and tend to hold onto their Tacos until high mileage. There are exceptions, sometimes their needs change or they can afford to change vehicles every couple of years. Good luck in your journey.

 

Have you considered the option of buying a new one?

The cost of used trucks aren't that much different than a new one. For a few extra bucks a month - you could be rolling in a new truck.

Just something to look into......

 

I'm planning to buy with cash, or very close to paying in full up front. It probably wouldn't be much different otherwise.

 

I found a 2010 AC 5sp, 4cyl. SR5 with only 5k miles and a full Toyota Certified warranty. I like it for my needs. I travel 90% of my miles with my 34# Brittany in the AC compartment. I have never attempted to haul an actual person in the AC, and frankly don't see how a person with legs would fit. In fact, I wish Toyota had made it easier to remove the rear jump seats and give me an option to use a little more enclosed and lockable space. I know there are threads here describing how to remove the head rests and seat bottoms. I don't trust myself not to unduly effect the resale value if I start flexing vinyl.

So, my recommendation, if you never envision hauling any person in the AC area, go for it. If you have a weekly, monthly, even annual need to haul a person back there, go DC.

 

That's why I'm looking for a '05-'08 AC - the back "seat" area seems much more practical for hauling stuff (not people).

 

I bought an AC, after a month, I am wishing I'd bought a DC! The rear area of the AC cab is about useless. I really wanted a regular cab but, had to buy an AC to get the V-6 and 6 speed. I am wishing I'd gone ahead and made the jump to a DC! (this is coming from someone who has no use for a backseat, my wife's car is the people hauler (GMC Yukon))

 

Do you use the bed very often for stuff like bikes, lumber, limbs, tools, rocks, mowers, or other stuff?

 

I don't have bikes and I've only had the truck a month. I used it to haul a whole bed load of wedding decorations for a friend's wedding, they fit nice! I was glad for the extra length of the bed then!

In terms of hauling rocks, concrete, sand, pavers (last two are needing hauled soon to extend a friend's patio, I've just been procrastinating! LOL!) I actually think a shorter bed would make little difference to me as this longer bed that I have makes me tempted to pack in more weight worth of materials than I should! I used to have a full size 3/4 shortbed (6.5" bed) and would load that thing down with enough stuff to squat that truck so, a shorter bed for this Taco would be good for me as it would be less space to pack stuff in to overload the truck with!

For big limbs or lumber, yeah, the longer bed is better but, I could cut the limbs down to size, and for lumber I could enlist the usage of my buddy's trailer!

Tools, I will find out soon- I have to move a big toolbox for a friend, we shall see if it fits!

I actually am contemplating bobbing the bed eventually so, it may well be a shortbed in a few years, LOL!

 

I use my truck bed for stuff like bikes, mowers, limbs, and lumber probably the most. The whole point of having a truck is that I don't have to borrow a buddy's trailer to move stuff.

Looks like the AC or DCLB is probably the only real choice for me. That DCLB is probably too expensive, and I hate how it looks.