How does the 1st gen handle high speed highway cruising?

Currently truck shopping and I'm debating between 1st and 2nd gen. I have a 5 hour drive to visit the gf in grad school that I do a few times a month. Generally set cruise at 80mph on the highway. It's a hilly drive through PA. I'm coming from a BMW 335i which eats up the highway miles like they are nothing, but seems to break down on me every few weeks these days.

When I'm not doing 350 mile highway drives, I'm usually in the city, congested parking lots, parallel parking, etc. Just bought a house, and getting tired of strapping stuff on the top of the bimmer in the Lowe's parking lot, hence Tacoma.

So, how does the 1st gen handle highway cruising? How loud is it at 80mph? I used to drive a 4 cylinder Mazda Protege which drove me nuts on long highway drives b/c it sat at almost 4,000 RPMs at 80mph. Same thing with my e30 318i that I'll occasionally make the trip with when my 335 is under maintenance. Am I better off going with a 2nd gen or a 1st gen Tundra and just dealing with the inconvenience of driving a big(er) truck in the city?

 

its a truck not a lexus lol for highway noise
and it all depends on the pavement?
I know going through Iowa on I-80 there are stretches where the pavement changes
sometimes the tire noise is so damned loud and other times its quiet as a mouse I can drive with windows open


also you can turn the radio up a bit to drown anything out

 

it will like 60 better. My 5 spd is at 3K rpm at 80.

 

My 4 Cylinder sits at 2700 rpm going 75-80mph. The cheap universal fit muffler has a tad more drone than the stock one did but its nothing I or anyone else has ever complained about. Its definetly fun to drive on the interstate, the passenger experience not so much lol. The weird cupholder hanging off the shifter console (not a prob if you have bucket seats) is in the way of your legs, and the seat isnt great for catching a nap in.

 

You serious Clark? Im just shifting into 5th at 55-60 lol.

 

damn, mine likes to putt-putt, it gets like 13 mpg at 80.

 

It depends. If you have all original ball joints, tie rods, steering bushings, control arm/leaf spring bushings, shocks, etc... It will drive like it's 20 years old because all that stuff is very likely worn out (as to be expected).

Replace all that stuff and it will drive like new.

But, it's a truck... even with my $1000+ front coilovers it still rides like... a truck... Coming from a BMW, throw everything you know about how a vehicle rides out the window.

It also depends on what other types of driving you do. If you want the truck to be capable off-road, your tire choice will be different than if you just want to set it up for smooth highway driving. If you're just concerned about highway miles, get some C load range all season tires. The lighter less aggressive tires will ride smoother on the road. Whatever tires you choose will always be a compromise, though...

A 2nd gen will most likely be quieter, but it's not like you can't throw some added insulation under the carpeting and firewall area of a 1st gen. Plenty of people do that. Or the just get a better stereo/speaker system, lol...

You post in this section you'll get a bunch of "get a best gen", and if you post this in the 2nd gen or turd gen forum, you'll get obviously different answers, lol.

Just take all our suggestions with a grain of salt, and do what you feel fits your needs best. I can certainly see issues with buying an older vehicle, especially a Tacoma. Good ones are harder and harder to find. We in the 1st gen section feel it's easily worth it, though...

 

Tundra.

 

21.5 mpg out of my 3RZ at highway speeds. Heck, even my old 22RE doesnt mind 70, although I wont push it much harder.

 

I have done a couple of 10 hour trips in my truck and it did fine when stock. Even managed about 23 mpg with some all seasons and the hubs unlocked driving across Kansas.


Now I get about 15mpg highway with bumper/winch/skids/sliders/recovery gear

 

I've done multiple ~1500-2500 mile road trips, 8+ hours a day, in the Tacoma with wife and kids towing a small popup trailer. It does fine.

Not gunna lie tho, the '17 4Runner is a lot smoother and quieter.

 

Whatever I get is definitely getting some highway all seasons. Test drove a newer low mileage 2nd gen with all-terrains and it was too loud for my tastes. I'll take unpaved forest roads in PA, but thats about the extent of my off-roading currently, although considering I've had lowered BMWs for the past 10 years, I couldn't go much further off the beaten path than that.

Definitely not doing 60 in these 70mph zones lol. Aside from my destroying my sanity, the trip would take 30% longer.

I like the idea of the 1st gen Tundra, but hate the gas mileage. And am still unsure about how much I'll hate parallel parking that thing downtown. And I definitely like the looks of the Taco better, interior and exterior, both 1st and 2nd gen, but I'm trying not to factor that in too much. I'm looking at a Tundra with 300k miles, 4.7L, new frame... think that's too high to be reliable?

 

I've owned a 1991 XtraCab (22R-E, 5 speed MT), a 2001 XtraCab (3.4L V6, 5 speed MT) briefly and now a 2008 Access Cab (4.0L, 6 speed MT).

The 1st gen is about the same size and weight as the older truck was but the V6 does help make highways tolerable. Merging on an Interstate with a 22R-E is a risky situation. Otherwise it was similar, kind of loud and definitely felt like a small Japanese truck. For long drives the 2nd gen is less tiring, though it doesn't feel any bigger inside. It just rides much better and doesn't get buffeted as much.

In all my trucks I've done and still do plenty of long road trips so I may be just getting soft as I get older (47 now, was 29 when I bought my 1991) but the thought of a trip longer than about 4 hours in my '91 or '01 would make me cringe now that I have been corrupted with my '08.

 

If you're looking into one, check into how it's geared. Mine has the 4.30 gears and while it pulls pretty hard, it runs 3,000 rpm in 5th gear at 70ish.

I think with taller gears or tires I'd be good with it on the highway. It's never going to be a BMW, which is a good thing in my book. If you want a nice highway car, pick up a Lexus from the same era.

 

Tacos aren't exactly known for their gas mileage either. 5 lugs do okay, but you're lucky to get 18 hwy (some people claim more). Most people get 15-17.

300k is starting to get up there, but as long as it was properly cared for, it can last another 700k. Do that and Toyota will give you a brand new one, lol

If you're driving in the city, stay away from the Tundras. Even the newer Tacomas are as big (almost) as the older Tundras. Stick to something smaller, but if you find a deal on one, don't feel like it's the end of the world to drive a bigger truck in the city.

 

My 02 DC Pre Runner that has a supercharged 4cyl cruises nicely at freeway speeds . At 75 mph I'm at 2600rpm and when I'm climbing the 4k ft Cajon pass I usually see a 10mph drop and some steeper sections it drops down a gear

 

Ok, which Lexus model comes with a 6 foot bed?

Come to think of it, if Lexus gave the GX/LX treatment to the Tacoma and Tundra they’d be rich...

 

Yea I don’t really know what to make of the gas mileage. Some people claim Tundra’s with the 4.7 aren’t much different. Others say they are getting 22+ with their 2.7 Tacoma’s.

The 300k Tundra honestly looks to be in better shape than some sub-200k ones I’ve seen. And the new frame is huge. But part of me thinks it’s crazy to get into a 300k vehicle, even a Toyota, in search of reliability.

I can afford to spend more for a lower mileage example, but in the $10-20k range I’m looking at a lot of trucks with the CRC frame coating treatment done, which I’m just not sold on the long term longevity of. Or “minimal surface rust on the frame” (yea right)

 

Meh, how good are you with a welder?


As far as mpg goes I just got 16 pulling a uhual trailer yesterday. Usually somewhere around 22 thougg empty. At the age of the 1st gens I think it really depends on how they've been maintained

 

The 1st gen does fine on the highway - my 2003 w/ 3RZ and catback exhaust purrs along at 80mph happily and isn't too loud. But as others have said it's an old little truck not a Cadillac. The majority of vehicles I've owned have been mini trucks, 4 bangers, or both so I'm used to how they drive.

The 22RE is great motor too, my buddy's 1990 had a ton of miles on it and would not quit even after putting a turbo on it.