SOLD my Tacoma (Toyota FAIL)

*takes ball* *runs home* *kicks the curb*

 

Don't know if they have changed since then but I did like the Frontiers too in the 2009-10 time frame I was looking for a truck. That is until I test drove one or two (used) and my head almost kept hitting the roof while doing 15 in the dealers parking lot.

Tacoma was a much smoother feel so that is what convinced me.

 

you can buy my truck, only 116,000 miles. it's different.

seriously though... get a frontier. they aren't as good as the tacoma, but they are you're best bet if you are looking in the mid-sized segment.

 

I understand you(op) want something "new & different", but I think the Frontier is definitely a "lesser" truck & the Colorado is totally untested, let alone not available yet. IMO, a '14 Taco access cab sounds like your best bet. Get a different color, set it up with a different "look", and be happy with your great reliability & resale value!!!

 

I rest my case.....

 

Let the man make the change and realize the mistake. I for one would not sell my vehicle to venture out to risk it. I have a 2003 Tacoma that I would drive till the end, however, my daughter has the truck to use now so that is out. My 2008 Tundra has a Lifetime Powertrain Warrantee on it so it will not be going anywhere either. The 2014 Tacoma I just bought is great truck and I am glad I purchased it before any redesigns. As has been mentioned, new designs equals a whole series of new problems that have to be worked out.

My friends and relatives have Fords, Chevys, and Dodges. I have watched over the years the ridiculous problems they have had with them. Buying one at this time was not even a consideration due to that.

I wish you the best of luck in your decision.

 

I had a 2011 Ford F150 FX4 Ecoboost. Before I bought it, I test drove the hell out of the Tacoma and Frontier. All 3 were nice, but the Ford was the one I settled on. It was a great looking and FAST truck. Rode well. Originally I wanted the truck that I have now, a 2011 Tacoma DCLB. I let my wife convince me I needed the Ford because it was larger and strangely cheaper than the Tacoma! After only 30k miles and a ton of warranty issues, I had enough of the Ford and got that Tacoma I originally wanted. Also, terrible fuel mileage from the Ecoboost. Ford should be sued for how badly they mislead consumers as to how "fuel efficient" that motor is. Marketing BS!

Good luck to the OP. If you get something different than the Toyota, my vote would be the Frontier. Two of my sales reps have them, and beat the hell out of them. They have held up well and been reliable. I can't think of anything worse than going from a Toyota to a GM product of any kind at this point, let alone a Colorado. But good luck with whatever you decide. I do agree that Toyota should be a bit more aggressive on updating the Taco...the TRD Pro isn't exactly earth shattering/ mold breaking.

 

This is how I feel about it too

 

Toyota also mislead everyone here with the MPG claims. I get 15mpg on my truck, I was expecting 20mpg. At least with the Ford you get 15-15MPG and some serious power, my Tacoma is a snoozefest with the hammer down.

I will side with the OP on this one, I like my Tacoma but want something new. Unfortunately Toyotas current truck lineup is outdated.

The 4runner gets crap gas mileage and IMO is old (I loved my 2004 V8).
The Tundra has an old engine with crap gas mileage
The Tacoma has an old engine with crap gas mileage.

I am one of the people that will happily pay an extra 5000 for a top end Tacoma, but the current Limited is just brutal. In no way should it carry a Limited badge, as it is nothing more than a Chrome Sport with Leather.

I am currently looking (and loving) the VW Touareg TDI. The only reason I haven't picked one up is the lack of ground clearance (8 inches) and the fact there is no lift made for them. I will probably wait 6 more month until Toyota releases the new Tacoma and Tundra at an upcoming autoshow and make a decision.

I hope they do the 4runner too, but that is unlikely now that it was refreshed for 2014.

 

Lolz

 

My last tank of fuel averaged 22.75 MPG with the 2014 TRD Sport 6 cyl.. My 2008 Tundra with the 5.7 gets about 18 and highway it will get close to 22 MPG. My 2003 Tacoma gets 22 consistent with the 2.7 ltr. I don't understand the claims of crappy gas mileage. Now my 1995 4-Runner stunk with the 3 slow at 16 MPG.

 

How about a new Tacoma and a Supercharger? Yep, there you go. It will be a 'new' experience.

 

I would love to be able to buy a Tacoma access cab but they are just too small for me. I feel rude asking people to sit on those excuses for seats. Double cab all the way!

Also heard that this morning on the radio.

Kiss my bumper

My truck is like that/will be like that after mods too. Prerunner.

x3

That's got me thinking- why doesn't Toyota offer those warranties being that they offer the near most, if not most dependable trucks?

It baffles me how it seems that every full size truck is getting 20+ while the Tundra is still getting 12-13.

HA! It's a little Tundra!

He listed out how he got to that conclusion, seems sound to me.

 

I understand the OPS want for something new. I've been in a Tacoma since January 2006. If I were to get something different I will likely get a Tundra. Can't give up that Toyota quality.

 

I've actually had 11 trucks over a 7-8 year span. I've almost owned or driven every truck out, and that has been built over the last decade, aside from the odd-ball stuff like the Equator, Mazda, and the Mitsubishi/ Dakota bastardization.

That said there are two trucks I don't ever want to drive or own ever again. Had an '08 Frontier for about 2 years, and an '08 Chevy 2500HD, 6.0 gas. If you think the Tacoma 4.0 is bad on fuel economy, the Nissan 4.0 gets 14-15 ish max. Mine was a 4x4, Crew Cab, Long Bed so I don't know if that has anything to do with it??

Also the Frontier sits almost as low as a 2wd, Tacoma 5-Lug (Not picking on 5-lugs) just using as an example to compare what Nissan calls an appropriate stock ride height for a 4WD truck. I easily got my Frontier high-centered many of times, in situations I would have no trouble getting my '14 PreRunner through.

I also hated the powerband of the VQ4.0. It's actually a very capable engine, restricted by a very conservative torque management system. The trucks ECM, restricts WOT by 30% until you hit about 30 mph. Because of this, a stock 4.0L Tacoma will easily take a stock Frontier in a drag race to about 50-60 mph. In theory the Frontier should be able to take a Tacoma, but the ECM will not let you go WOT until you hit that 30 mph threshold. However, if the Frontier catches a Tacoma on an incline or at highway speed, it's over for the Tacoma (Assuming similar configurations i.e. 4x4 & 4x4, Crew Cab & Crew Cab etc..)

One thing or factor people don't ever consider when considering the differences between a Frontier or Tacoma, is that the Tacoma gets marginally if not significantly better fuel economy .vs a similarly equipped Frontier, because the Frontier weighs a lot more than a Tacoma. This is mainly because most of the weight savings is in the composite bed, .vs the metal box + the free spray liner that comes on the Frontier. The frame is actually slightly beefier & heavier on the Frontier, because it is a shortened version of the Titan's frame. You can actually bolt Titan UCA's and struts to a Frontier because it's the same. But all of that means a fuel economy penalty and weight penalty. The Frontier if you choose the V6, requires or prefers premium fuel, or it knocks like a SOB.

I kicked myself every day for not getting the Tacoma I wanted during that period of my life. I called myself "trying to save a buck" because while I got a fully loaded Frontier, SE, Crew Cab, 4x4, Long Bed, (WITH A FACTORY SUNROOF) that MSRP'd for $29,900 for $24,500 OTD without even haggling. The dealer practically begged me to take it, and just kept peeling money off the sticker price. Back then, and even today, Toyota will barely discount anything off their trucks. After 2 years, and just 40K miles, I was only able to get $18K for the truck when I sold it, despite being in near mint shape.

It also had countless nuisances that would occur during my ownership. The motor mounts had to be replaced twice under warranty, because the truck can't handle backing up a steep driveway with a 600-800 lb load in the box regularly, or when used for regular towing well within the trucks 6500 lb limits. The carrier bearing also blows on the Frontier, compared to the Tacoma's. Mine had to be replaced twice (Look under both trucks and compare, and you will see what I mean), when it fails you get a "clunk" or vibe in the drivetrain that will drive you nuts. My HAVC control quit, and had to be replaced (again under warranty) and lastly the VQ4.0 has a catastrophic design flaw (May have been fixed by now?? but was an issue on the Frontier forums from 2005-2008??) I haven't been into Nissan since, so how knows if they found a solution?, Basically the engine has these cheap plastic timing chain tensioners that are prone to fail (If your lucky it happens before the 60K powertrain is up) or it may fail after, leaving you with a $2K repair bill, or worse if you kept driving the truck while it was broken for awhile. I sold mine, just before I thought it would be an issue, or just shy of the basic warranty.

I almost bought a 2014 Frontier, because I couldn't find a 4-cyl Tacoma for weeks on a Toyota lot. Went and drove one, just to revisit what the feeling was like. I didn't even make it a block before I turned around and took the POS back to the lot.

OP, whatever you do, do not buy a Frontier. I would absolutely get another Tacoma while you still can.



Crappy carrier bearing design, if you look at the Tacoma's it's solid all the way around. On the Frontier, that area that is crushed by the weight of the driveshaft begins to crack, then gets sloppy causing a thunk at low speeds, and a vibe at highway speeds.

Frontier carrier bearing... The red circled areas, show the failed rubber, cushioning material at just 28-30K miles. In fact while I was getting this resolved with Nissan at the dealer, I looked at no less than 5-7 "used" Frontiers setting for sale on the lot, with carrier bearings that looked the same.



This is the truck I just sold for my '14 Tacoma, 2.7 DC, PR......... 2013 Ford F-150, FX4, EcoBoost with Max Tow pkg (11,300 lb towing) with full Luxury pkg, sunroof, heated/ cooled seats, Nav, MyTouch Ford etc... Was a really bad ass truck, probably one of my all time favorites. The EcoBoost made insane power ,and towed like a diesel. But I could no longer live with the 11-12 mpg's I was getting using it around town, coupled with $130+ dollar fill ups with the 36 gallon tank.

 

It baffles me how many people think other full size trucks get 20+. News flash.........they don't.

 

And the ones that do, nobody here will buy. It's usually (as an example) A base model, 2wd, Ford F-150, reg cab, XL, 3.7L V6, with super tall highway gearing like 3.15. But just like I pointed out with my $53K, FX4, EcoBoost, Crew Cab, with 3.73 gearing, best I could do on the highway was 17.6 and that was keeping the cruise on at 65, it also better be a flat as a board highway too. In town was always a miserable 11-12 mpg's.

Anytime you used boost, it was like having a V10, or 454 BigBlock V8. Don't get me wrong, was an absolute hoot to drive (loved the turbo spool noises) Torque for days, and pretty stinking quick for a big truck. But disappointing fuel economy when you weren't towing, or hot rodding around.

 

heated mirrors can be retrofitted or made , and power seats? come on who uses power seats. FIXED MOUNTED FOR THE WIN.
jk.

 

You need to investigate the overly high maintenance cost of these VWs and the TDI Engine.

1200 for timing belt.
200 - 300 for brakes.
200 Denox tank fills.
100 for an oil change.

........