What truck did you come from and how does the Tacoma compare - Not bashing

2000 Dodge Dakota, Single Cab 2WD
I needed 4WD and wanted a bigger cab, so I sold the 2000 and got a 2006 Quad Cab Dodge Dakota, 4WD MT
I think Dodge gave up trying on that generation of truck, because I still see more of the earlier (2000) generation trucks on the road than the later ones. And my 2006 was really starting to fall apart. Not enough power with the V6, but I was in the market for something that I could commute with and needed the gas mileage at the time. It was always a huge disappointment to have absolutely NO aftermarket parts for that truck, but I still drove it and loved it until it died in January when I got the Taco I'd been shopping for. 2019 TRD Sport Access Cab. I LOVE this new truck! Plenty of power for my needs, all kinds of interesting tech, the bed grew into a much more useful size, and it's like a lego set for adults will all the stuff I can do to it.

 

I came from a high mileage, well used, slightly lifted, 2001 Tundra V8 AC 4x4 Automatic.

My Tacoma is better is absolutely every way. It drives nicer around town, it is more enjoyable on the freeway, it is cleaner, more techy, more comfortable, and looks much much better. Sooo many more mods fro the Tacoma as well (to my wallets periodic downfall).

The only downside, which has to do with it's new-ness, is its ease of usability, outside of day to day driving.

Old truck was well, old. So it was easy to load it with tree branches and stoves and whatnot, because it had already been severely abused. Toss it in the bed without a care! Doing that type of thing with the Tacoma takes more time because I simply wont chuck stuff into the bed.

Also, I had a lot easier time thrashing my Tundra on dirt and rocky roads. I would take it places I would not think about taking my Tacoma, currently, just because it had already been dinged up by PO's.

 

from a 2nd Gen Tacoma to 3rd Gen Tacoma.


3rd Gen > 2nd Gen

nothing about the 2nd gen is better except radio knobs!

 

This is actually my first truck my Tacoma, but I came from a '13 Mazda3 hatchback. So far loving every bit of the truck life. I wish I would have bought a truck sooner.

 

1979 Toyota PU (2WD)
1985 Renault Alliance - worst car in the history of cars
1985 Toyota Ext Cab PU (2WD) with 2.4 litre diesel - engine is still running an irrigation system
1992 Toyota Ext Cab PU (2WD)
1998 Toyota 4 door PreRunner
2003 Toyota Matrix XLS
2008 Mazdaspeed 3 - the one I regret getting rid of
1988 Mazda RX7 convertible - still owned as a summer toy
2016 Tacoma TRD Sport
2018 Tacoma TRD Sport - current and a much better truck than the 2016!

So I've owned a bunch of Toyota trucks and am pretty loyal to the brand...but my Speed 3, oh man! It was soooo much fun.

 

I had a 2012 F-150 SuperCab XLT with the 6 1/2 foot bed and 3.7NA engine.
I had it for just under 6 years. l must admit that l loved the truck. Never had one issue with it. I just did oil changes, air filter, and plugs.
It did absolutely everything that I ever wanted it to do. It was a great truck!!

I them moved down south and it was financially impossible to bring it down with us. So l had to sell it. The import duties on vehicles are absolutely insane when it comes to bringing in a used vehicle.

I looked at what was the best vehicle to buy doen here, and Toyota was recommended to us by several different mechanics, as parts are made my everyone and are much easier to find at parts stores.
The list was narrowed down to either a Tacoma or a Hilux. Definitely getting a pickup!!!
We searched around and had a mechanic look at several vehicles, until our 2012 Tacoma came up and we grabbed it.

I never owned a Tacoma before. l was always a Big Three kind of guy. I heard bad things about the seating position in the Tacoma, but l sat in one prior to moving down south so I knew that wasn't any issue for me. l thought it was very comfortable.
I was surprised how quickly l fell in love with the truck. I liked how it drive and how capable it was.
I began wishing that l had bought a Tacoma years ago - Which surprised me all to hell!!
I soon realized why the Tacoma had such a huge following and was so popular.

Because it's a damn great truck! !!!!

 

1985 chevy iroc got caught going 103mph when I was 16
1995 chevt s10 had a 4.3 possy rear end. Totalled
2000 chevy cavalier
2000 chevy impala
2010 tacoma sr5
2017 tacoma trd sport
I am done with cars and driving fast. Trucks just make more sense. And I'm here cause that tacoma is a panty dropper and for the resale

 

2004 Xterra lifted and armored, and I should add slow
2013 F-150 FX2 Supercrew, great truck, low on options
2015 F-150 Lariat FX4 Supercrew, great truck lots of options, lots of space taken up in driveway
2018 Tacoma ORDCSB, great truck, missing some options
2019 Tacoma ORDCSB, all options

Had the 2018 just over a year and had the right opportunity to upgrade for no additional money down to the 2019. Didn’t realize how much I missed heated seats an the sunroof that the 2015 FX4 had, Tacoma has been a great move.

 

It's wild seeing a modern photo of one of those. They were ubiquitous in the Northeast in somewhat decent shape until the early 2000's right after I graduated HS and then one day they were all gone. I think most outlasted the 2nd generation ones as well.

I always thought they were handsome trucks.

 

I had a 2003 GMC Z71 that HAD 11,000 miles on it when Katrina hit and it didnt float
Then a Golden Eagle Jeep for about a year, then a 2006 Ridgline. Loved that truck. Took it Offroad, a few times. Just had to be careful and not just have at it. Got 23mpg on the HWY and would get 500 miles out of a tank. Super practical vehicle and would have another one. Sold it when I was given a company car. My friend has about 180,000 miles on it now without any issues.
Got my Baja taco on 2013 and have 117,000 on it today. Like it, however I really do not like the cruise control and the 16.5 mpg average. It has been a great vehicle overall and I have been Offroad with it on occasion with zero issues. Plan is to keep it until 200,000 or 2022-3.
I do not need a full size and am less than impressed with the little truck offerings. The frontier, same truck for 20 years, kinda like Joan Collins, lots of face work, but still an old shagged out chassis beneath. The Chevy and GMC, jury is still out as I haven’t driven one. The 3rd gen taco, not impressive to me at all, same as the 2nd gen, with a new buzzy engine and dodgy auto. The new ranger, is also another old truck. I’ve driven them overseas with the diesel and the engine package that is in the US package; screams unreliable over time to me.
So I will stick with my trusty old 2nd gen, as to me there is nothing out there better for me. Not to mention the prices, holly crap. I paid $34 for mine in 13 and now it looks to be a $45+ to change...
Just my opinion, not looking for a fight...

 

In no order
1994 toyota pick up full prerunner build
1975 chevy fleet side
2002 chevy Silverado mid travel and built motor
2004 tundra double cab mid travel
2015 tacoma mid travel


I would say the tacoma was by far the best all around truck.
I loved my tundra deeply. It was perfect in so many ways but the mpg with the 4speed and no vvti was terrible. I shouldve got the 05. But size wise and power was great.
The 2015 tacoma was a huge improvement. Better mpg, actually felt like more power, looked better, and wasnt as long so parking was never an issue.

I'll be looking for another truck this week and late 2nd gen tacomas are first on my list, if not maybe a late 2nd gen tundra. It truly was the golden year of toyota trucks 2013 and on. The new taco is decent but first model woes have given the 3rd gen a bad rep. 2017 models seem to be better and I haven't heard much bad news since the original trans and diff issues.







That's all.

 

From a 2008 JK Unlimited Sahara.

Offroad, the Taco is more comfortable - the Jeep was a kidney puncher. The Jeep was better balanced front-to-rear; the Taco is light in the rear and slips climbing steep hills or rocks. The approach and departure angles of the Taco are just horrible, but it’s a truck - not a Jeep. The Jeep was far more capable and competent in the dirt and big rocks.

Onroad, the Taco is more comfortable. The Jeep was a constant micro-steering event. The Taco is a little quieter, but not by much.

I love the Taco, and I’m building it into the truck I want. I feel like it’s more reliable than my old Jeep, but having said that, the Jeep never stranded me off road.

 

went from a 2013 ford f250 xlt to a 2015 tacoma limited
i miss the 250 though for carrying capacity and room inside the truck
i do not miss trying to park it on street and packed parking lots lol

 

Went from a 2015 Toyota 4Runner Trail to 2019 Toyota Tacoma TRD OR DCSB manual with all the gadgets.


Driving Experience: The 4Runner wins here. Way more space. The infotainment system is a wash. The Tacoma has heated leather seats and a sunroof but if I had to road trip I’d take the 4Runner hands down.


Gas Mileage: Slight advantage 4Runner. I believe if I had the automatic transmission it would be a slight advantage Tacoma. The Tacoma is averaging around 18 and the 4Runner is at 19.5.


Interior: Tacoma, it’s nicer but it’s the options. The 4Runner has more space which trumps the advantage.


Off-road: I have done some truly stupid things in the 4Runner. I plan to do some in the Tacoma. I haven’t had the Tacoma out in too much yet. The 4Runner behaves better in the snow but I didn’t have any weight in the bed so that’s not a good comparison. I think I will enjoy the Tacoma more so far. I do sometimes think I goofed getting the manual. The crawl control was pretty nice.

Utility: This is my first pick up. It’s nice having a bed.

 

Do you have a bed cover? Get one it helps with the space a lot.

 

Oops I meant that the Tacoma feels cramped

 

I came from a 2012 F-150 4dr eco-boost with the lariat package. I got suckered into thinking I needed all the bells and whistles it had on it. Before the F-150 I had an 03 TJ. The Ford had some nice things about it but I was only able to get the advertised MPG one time on a long road trip. It was not 4x4 and never seemed to have enough power. I got a 19 DCLB OR and am in love with it so far. To me in the seat of my pants, I feel like the Tacoma has more power where I want it. Maybe not more on the dyno but it seems to fit my driving style better than the eco-boost did. The Tacoma reminds me more of my TJ in the way it rides and the size of the cab (I really didn't need all the room I had). So far I have gotten better than advertised fuel economy. I have not towed with the Tacoma yet, but it's not advertised to do V8 towing with a V6. I suspect it will have similar if not slightly better towing ability than the TJ.

 

The last 10 years of my life has been tacomas. 2 3rd gen 3.5 v6 4x4 trd or dcsb. 1 2nd gen trd or 4x4 dcsb. So tacoma's are best.

 

Past vehicles:

1994 Mazda B300 with the 4.0 V6. Truck was tough as hell

1997 Chevrolet Cheyenne (trim below the Silverado) only owned for exactly 2 weeks and rolled it. I was really stupid back in high school. I probably would still have it if I didn't roll it only had 85k miles give or take

1994 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab. Wasn't a bad truck only major issue was getting the transmission rebuilt and the defective water pumps I kept getting. Good work truck and super easy to work on

1988 Buick Regal. Bought it for $250 in high school for insurance reasons (had about 5 car accidents at the time because my insurance was super high on my Silverado) gave it to my uncle

Current vehicles

1997 Ford F150 xlt 4x4. I still own but now it's role is primarily the work horse/back up vehicle. Wanted to sell it but the body is just riddled with rust and gets about 8-10 mpg. Needs a tune up but it'll cost about $500-600 for cpils alone. It's not worth it so it's just going to be driven until it dies

2003 Subaru Impreza WRX. Bought as a toy/possible future project. Fun car to drive. Has Forester suspension on it so it has a little lift. Thought about just making it a rally car but I've decided to put it up for sale once it's payed off to fund my mods for the Taco

2010 Tacoma Access Cab Long Bed TRD Off-Road. I LOVE my Taco. Always wanted one when I first saw my uncle's 2005 Sport Access Cab. Definitely a capable off road rig at stock height. I plan to make it into a wheeling/touring rig in the near future and plan some trips out West

 

Ram’s, Silverado’s, Rangers, and 1 F150 (only one because lesson learned real quick). I’d say this one is much more practical except I miss the responsiveness, ride, and just overall better materials used on the interior of the Ram.