2008-2009 Tacoma questions

I'm looking into a 2008-2009 Tacoma V6, Auto, Double Cab and I had a couple of questions concerning these 2 years:

- Is one year better than the other? If so, why?
- Do any of these years come with black interior? If not, can it easily be swapped to black?
Not a deal breaker, I can live with gray.
- Toyota no longer covers the frame from rust, 10mm hole or larger I believe (correct me if I'm wrong), does that mean every single truck had this problem? or it was a certain VIN range?
Has anyone gotten one that falls under this defect and hasn't gotten the frame replaced?
- Those that have it, how's the gas consumption when it's in 2WD?

I'm finding high mileage (170K+ miles) ones right now for about 10K CDN (7K USD), when they're up there in the mileage, is there anything in particular that I need to get checked on it?

I won't be using it for towing and the most that I'll carry around in the bed is ~700lbs.

On a side note, things I'd like to add eventually (open to recommendations):
- Upgrade the screen/stereo + back up camera
- Heated seats

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

I always try and get the newest year possible.

all frames suffered from the issue.

No idea on black interior.

Fuel mileage in 2WD will depend on many factors. But be prepared to be disappointed.

 

Ok thanks!

How bad is it in 2WD?
I had a RAM1500 V6 and it was always in 2WD and it was averaging 11L/100km which is good considering the size of the truck.

 

I have a 2.5” lift and 235/85/16 LT tires. I do more city driving than highway and I get. Like 17-18 mpg on average. I also drive normally, I don’t floor it or think I have a sports car so I’m pretty conservative with the pedal.

 

Frame rust should be your biggest concern in Montreal. I have an original frame 2008 6MT that has some surface rust but is otherwise fine, but I'm in GA.

Would be worth knowing where the truck came from and if the frame is original before making any decisions.

 

I have a (mostly) stock 2009 TRD Off Road Access Cab with 4WD, the 4.0L (redundant I know, but maybe not to the OP) and an auto transmission. Around town I get ~15MPG, on the highway I can get ~20. 2009 should have a backup camera. I don't think that 2008 was available with one. Today, it is not a big deal to add one.

I had a RAM 1500 double cab while my frame was being swapped out in 2018. I was able to get ~25MPG on the highway, but I understand that the transmissions tended to grenade at about 80K miles. This truck was too big for my needs, and I hated that this truck DID NOT HAVE A BACKUP CAMERA!

 

Get the 2009.
It will have Auto-LSD.

The 2008 either had open diff or mechanical LSD.
The mechanical LSD is getting hard to find rebuilds. And it is expensive. (TRD Sport had the mechanical LSD).

Auto-LSD is an open diff that simulates an LSD using the brakes.
It works pretty good. And it MUCH better that an Open diff.

Fuel milage will be 18ish on avg.
Maybe closer to 20 on the highway if you drive it EASY. (This is not realistic)
There's never been a Tacoma made that got good fuel milage (comparatively)
Well, maybe the 4th Gens, but they are a whole different animal.

 

08 has no secondary air injection to go wrong. 08 also has fold flat rear seats and rear speakers if access cab. They deleted those features in 09+ for some stupid reason. 08 also has zero forms of traction control or atrac.

 

This^^^^^. The auto lsd makes a tremendous difference in traction in both 2wd and 4wd H.
The 2009 has a back up camera but the screen is small, it’s on the rear view mirror. It’s not very useful but it is great when hooking up a trailer. I can put the ball perfectly under the trailer hitch. It’s not hard to install an upgraded camera and screen.
I have not seen one with black interior, they may have them but I’ve not seen one.
Frame rust is a problem dependent on the state the truck operates in. For example I live in California, there is zero frame rust. My frame looks like new. In the
salt states it’s a major problem.
Fuel mileage pretty much sucks for most all trucks. It’s a truck thing. I don’t know what my mpg is and I don't care. I aint selling my truck cause of the mpg.
Overall my 2009 has been an awesome truck. I bought it new and only had to replace a front wheel bearing. Zero other problems.

 

SAIS was not added to the 1GR-FE until 2012, and it had a lot of issues in 2012 (why I would not want a 2012).

 

Knock on wood, my 07 mechanical LSD, nearing 230K, is still working fine. I’ve always used Valvoline full syn gear oil, but on a used truck, you never know how it was treated before. When mine fails, I’ll look into a locker unit.

To OP, some little issues to look for:
Thermometer/compass display - if it has it on ceiling, a resistor’s soldering tends to break and need resoldering. Not sure what year they changed but pretty sure up to 08 had them.

Fan speeds - make sure they all work. A bad connector tends to corrode. Sometimes the fan will work only on high or one of the speeds will not work.

Clockspring - they go bad, make sure horn and all steering wheel controls function.

Rear sliding window - the lock mechanism tends to break off - mine broke years ago. Not much you can except replace the whole window, but something to look for to help drive the asking price down.

 

Ah, that’s nice. Would be annoying to have to deal with that.