New Taco owner.

Well I read reviews and reviews for week and weeks. I drove four trucks and ended up with a taco. First truck I drove was a Taco extended cab 2.7L with no SR5 package. It was bumpy as heck and the brakes rattled like hell. I was not impressed. I drove a 4 door V6 and boy it ran and rode much better.

I drove a 2.5L Colorado and I have to admit it was peppy a had a good ride. Noisy at cold idle. I read so many bad things about it but I had it on my list as a possible. Next I drove the Nissan Frontier 4 cylinder. Well I read that it was heavy up front. It was. It had a little pep but the drive was rough and when ever I hit a pump I could see the hood jump up. Well the whole front end of the truck jumped up.

Right after I drove the Frontier I went and drove a Taco 4 cylinder with the SR5 package. Wow the ride so so smooth and AC real cold. I did notice for a 2.7L it does not have too much pep. In fact from a dead start it has the slowest acceleration. I think Toyota gives up on power to make up in gas milage. I think the motor is strong enough but it's geared to start slow. Anyway I bought the truck because I was tired of getting 13MPG on my F-150 also it was 11 years old with 150K.

I did find out a few disappointments with my Tacoma after I bought it. First off the bat, no beep when you use the keyless entry. Second not tailgate lock. I'm going to fix these two problems next week.

I have a $1.50 mod for the locking the rear window. I went to Lowe's and bought a 12 inch 3/8 piece of all thread for $1.50 tax and all. It slips in the window channel perfectally. I even left the barcode tag on so all I have to do is pull on it to get the all thread out. No cutting no grinding just lay it in. I think I might paint it black tomorrow.


So am I happy I got the taco.. Yea... I set the cruise control to 65 and ran it down the hy-way. I have one of those scan gauges and it said i was getting 30mpg. I hope to average 24mpg. Compared to the 13 and 14MPH I got on the Ford. I'll be happier at the pump. I like my sunglass holder and all the cup holders too. Only bad thing is i'll be driving like grandpa now..

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld. Post some pictures of your new ride when ya get a chance. Oh, and another Air Force member!!

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld!

From your intro I'm wondering if you were looking at new trucks?

The standard truck and the SR5 have the same brakes, suspension and drivetrains. The only differences are cosmetics, stereo and convience items. Unless there was something wrong with the first truck you tested there would be no difference in the ride, or the AC. (I bought my truck because after driving my last toyota pickup 14 years I wanted AC )

Anyway, gratz on your new truck!

 

congrats

i also dont like the fact of theres no "chirping" of any sort when you use the keyless entry, is there any cure for that other then an aftermarket alarm?

 

I just bought one from this guy last night.
http://www.moerse.com/Products/Taco/Buzzer.htm

I paid $33.50 shipped. It's $30 plus 3.50 shipping. I think it's a fair price. Just looking at the outside componets, Beeper $10, Switch $2.50 Fuse holder $1.50 Box $5.00 I'm guessing a relay inside $3.00. He gives you everything to wire it up so figure another $1. About maybe $23 in parts. He's charging $30. It's a fair price.

Now the only down side to it is if you put your hazard lights on it will beep. But there is a shut off switch on the box to deactivate it. I've been driving for 30 years and have never used my hazard light.

It is easy to hook up. I can't wait till it gets installed..

 

slow first gear is for bigger tires ,,raise it up and slap some on..

 

Welcome to TW

 

Hi and welcome to TacomaWorld,

Just got my very similar Taco 10 days ago and my first real tank of gas I got 25 MPG. BTW Grandapa's are cool. The best compliment I received so far was today from the 16 year old kid loading my groceries at the store. He called it a way cool truck. Just drive like a Grandpa and get the mileage, no one will know. I just love the way my Taco goes down the road so relaxed and smooth. 2300 RPM's at 70. Hell the thing rides better than the '05 Accord that I traded in, and gets almost as good of mileage. Next week I will be doing a 350+ mile trip, so I can see what it will get mileage wise at 65 to 75 MPH.

Live long and drive Taco's