OK, Let’s Hear It!

How did you decide on a Tacoma?

I’ll start. It was my wife’s idea.

In Sept 2016 DW and I ordered a Coachman Freedom Express 195RBS travel trailer. At the time we owned a Subaru Forester, but knew we couldn’t tow the trailer with it. So, we researched mid-size vehicles that would tow ~4K lbs. We settled on a 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. It towed the TT with no problems and was very comfortable. I thought this would be the SUV to end our car shopping.

Fast forward to the end of April 2018, me and DW are running errands around town and out of the blue she says, “What do you think about the Tacoma?”, “It would allow us to tow the TT and haul the stuff you wanted a utility trailer for.” I love how she thinks!

And that is why I have a Taco in my garage. DW even lets me drive it once in a while.

 

This is the 6th Toyota truck I've owned in the 25 years that I've been driving. I've pretty much always had one. It was a no brainer.

 

How did you decide on a Tacoma?

Because between a Bronco II, S10 Blazer, and a ‘85 Toyota 4x4 SR5, nothing else lasted as long as the Toyota pickup.

 

I wanted a reliable truck that could last for 20+ years, So it ruled out any of the big three.

Didn't want a full size, so it put the Frontier, Ridgeline and Tacoma in the running.

Went to look at the Ridgeline, and it didn't really seem like a REAL truck.

Test drove the Frontier, but it looked outdated.

Checked out the Tacoma, and had the winner!

 

I chanced upon Tacoma World, and read about all the problems and complaints, and figured I better check it out for myself.

 

So, my wife and I have a rule in our house, only one car loan at a time. It was her turn to get a new car and after seeing how ugly the '04 Camry has become ( still runs great though at 190k and very reliable ), she wanted to go look at new Camry's and I hate car shopping with a passion. I mean I really detest car shopping. The Passat that we bought 20 years ago, she actually researched it, found it at the dealership, and test drove it to our house and called me in the house to go outside to take a look. That's how much I hate car shopping. This time around though, I was willing to go along and look for a short while, but while at the dealership, we were looking at the Camry on the showroom floor and I got really bored. So, I wondered off. My wife wondered where I'd gone to and called me on my cell phone and I told her where I was. So, she wandered over to the trucks with the salesman and found me among the Tacomas. I pointed at a few and told her when it was my turn, this was what I was getting. I took a real interest in it, found this forum and really researched it told her I was 100% and knew I had to wait my turn. As it turns out, she was so set aback by my interest in any vehicle purchase, she gave me her turn and we ended up with a Tacoma. We sold our Nissan Juke since the air compressor just seized, causing other issues, and based on the recommendation of trustedmechanics.

 

I've only ever owned Toyota's and wanted something to beat the crap out of in the woods. It was a no brainer

 

Other than 2013-2017, I've owned Toyotas since 1986ish. Between myself and my wife we have had 7. It was a no brainer to go back to Toyota. But I do like Honda cars. Still have a couple of those

 

I wanted one.

 

Your wife’s name is DW??

 

DW = Da Wife

 

I've owned full size trucks and SUV's since the 1970's. I always knew Toyota's were good trucks, but simply too small for my needs. The 2nd gens are a little bigger, more of a mid-size, and by 2007 both of my kids were grown and out of the house. I simply no longer needed the size so I traded a 2002, 4X4, F-150 Crew cab for a similar Tacoma.

It has been the best truck I've ever owned, but now that I have 3 grand kids, #4 will be here later this month, it is again too small. We kept it, but I added another 4X4 F-150 crew cab to the driveway. My wife doesn't like driving the full size truck, but still wanted something to pick up gardening and craft supplies that she is always working on. The old Tacoma is perfect for that and will get many more years of use. And I still drive it hunting when I need to drive in rougher terrain. The smaller Tacoma is more agile in some places than a full size. Of course the F-150 gets the nod for heavier duty use. Or longer drives, it is WAY more comfortable.

BTW, I'd highly recommend you buy that utility trailer too. Tacoma's beds aren't big enough to carry much volume, and the payloads so small very little weight. You can haul more in a 10' utility trailer than you can put in the bed of a 1 ton dually. About 3X more than you can get in a Tacoma and it is a LOT easier to load and unload with the lower height and ramp. Plus you don't beat up the bed. I burn a ton of firewood every winter and often haul 2 ATV's. There is no way to haul 2 ATV's in the bed, and I can haul in one trailer load more wood than I could carry in 4-5 trips with the truck alone.

 

Mine is pretty simple. I had a dream one night that I had a Tacoma, I bought a Tacoma.

 

I had 2 requirements:

1. 4×4 or AWD
2. Manual Transmission

It came down to the Ford Focus RS vs. Tacoma.

Practicality/Reliability won.

 

I've liked midsized trucks ever since high school when my daily driver was a full-sized 1965 Chevy C-10... just easier to drive. Wanted a Tacoma but they were always too expensive.

Well I was 26 and engaged to this horrible little devil of a woman that never let me do ANYTHING I wanted. Long story short I called off the wedding and, as a symbolic F-you to her, bought a brand spanking new 2011 SR5. Been a Toyota fan ever since, and am now happily married to another woman who is the most incredible human being in the world.

 

Had this for 11 years. Just got tired of driving something the size of a house around. It towed great but was just huge. Switched to this. Wife was all in and totally cool with it. So far, I’m really liking the switch.

 

I wanted a mid-sized truck which meant a Tacoma, Ridgeline, Frontier, or one of the GM twins. I knew it would occasionally go off road so I wanted 4WD (not AWD) and body on frame; that knocked out the Ridgeline. The Frontier felt "old"; looked like a truck from the 90s or early 2000s (which it basically is). I'm not convinced of GM's log term reliability. That left the Tacoma.

 

I wanted a truck for the utility. I've known for some time that Toyota's tend to outlast everything on the road. I also wanted something that I could actually fit in a parking spot in the city. I considered a 4runner, but the taco was cheaper and a little more customization due to the bed. I also knew about Tacomworld already and the overwhelming amount of aftermarket support for these vehicles.

Bigger tires, steel bumper, new grill, intake, y-pipe, exhaust, spare tire, roof rack, and tune later and here we are!

 

I believed all the hype about how great a Toyota truck was. Test drove it and thought, ok, I can live with it. 6 months later I found out I needed more from my truck and I went back full size. Lesson learned. But hey, I still like TW. It helps pass time at work, and while the truck itself is only so-so, it is a good looking truck when modded out.

 

I threw a dart and it landed in the trash. Just kiddin’

Had a old first gen so it felt natural to get another one.