Beauty and the Beast

Decision time. Im currently on a 7 month journey to find a used Taco.
My 2 final options include:
2013 Prerunner ACLB 2.7, 4 speed auto, 2wd, 77k miles, $18k otd
2009 Prerunner DCSB 4.0, 5 speed auto, 2wd, 71k miles, $19k otd
I dont have kids, I like the look and not driving people around factor of an access cab. No plans to tow and I would like to be able to sleep in the bed when camping.
However, im very hesitant on the power of the I4 and for the money a 4 door may make more sense.
The look of the 2012- is so much nicer imo.
Just wondering if these are both overpriced or if only one is?

 

Sounds like you're leaning toward at the 13. Both of those prices sound fine as long as everything is clean and orderly.

How tall are you? You could probably do okay sleeping in the short bed if you built a little platform to get above the wheel wells. Looks like it comes with a cap already.

 

After some research I found that tents like this exist for short bed tacomas. Im under 6’ but Ill be camping for my old lady so I doubt both of us can sleep sideways comfortably. Paying more for something ill only do once a year doesn’t make sense but if I have no plans on driving more than 1 or 2 people I dont see why Id pay more for a 4 door. The engine is all im hung up on and I guess the price as well. $18k for a 4 cylinder is high on kbb but that’s the cheapest I4 I could find that wasnt beaten up as a work truck.

 

DCLB, you can haul more than just people in the back of a double cab...

 

Finding a DCLB is half the battle, the other half would be convincing whoever is selling it to lower the price of a unicorn.

 

I've got a dcsb and it's nice to have the option to carry more people if I need to. Also, when I carry more than people in the back seat. Groceries, gym bags, a couple of suit cases. Stuff that wouldn't fit as easily in an ac. Plus the under seat storage is great. That's where I keep all my emergency and recovery gear.

 

+1 DCSB vote. I have a ‘13 but like the looks of both front ends. There are a lot of things you can do to make it more visually appealing to you. Also V6!

 

1 vote for the DCSB here as well.

 

I'll vote for the ACLB, maybe because I have one, but the 6' bed is handy to have. I have no use for the extra set of doors but then again this was bought as a spare vehicle. The OP needs to consider whether or not there will be times he needs to haul people too... the jump seats in the AC are waaaay too small for adult humans.

 

The old lady has a Corolla so like you this would be a spare vehicle. The only reason i'm considering the double cab is because of the V6. If both vehicles had the I4 I would go with the access cab, no question.

 

are those the exact trucks pictured? if so, the DCSB comes with a shell it looks like, would save you some money if you were going to purchase one anyway.

IMO if the years were swapped it would be a no-brainer. But now I am not sure...can't really go wrong either way

 

The interior space you gain with the double cab will serve you better than the extra foot in the bed. Plus you'll have power. That I4 is slow as shit. You can sleep in a tent or get a roof top tent. Sleeping in the bed is over rated and you would really wish you had more interior space to store your stuff.

 

Exact photos, so yes the shell is included. A shell on a 4 door seems less necessary than in a 2 door or access however. The years are what's making this difficult as well. The only V6s I can afford are all pre 2012 and most either have high mileage or are well over my budget of $18K. I have other plans in life than just having a cool truck. Both of these trucks have everything I want, one has the year and body style while the other has the engine I think i'll need.

 

It really comes down to how fast you want to get paces, I've had two 2.7L single cabs over the past 12 years. If you're not in a hurry the 4 banger is great but I'd honestly recommend a 5speed over the auto and the mpg comparatively are about the same you won't get much better with the 2.7. Lastly, depending on the gear, you take camping might dictate the size bed you'd prefer.

 

Single guy, kids gone, currently one dog...me and clutches dont get along.

Im kind of biased but ac all the way.

Think of it as a sports car.
Room for one more human and the hottest chick just called shotgun, jumped in and turned up the volume on the system.
Win!

 

Love the 4.0 but for a 2wd gas mileage mobile Id do the 4cyl.
Buddy has a reg cab 4cyl 4x4.
It still gets it pretty good for a 4cyl.

 

Can you afford to wait until you find a 2012+ Tacoma with the V6?
Even where I live (Big Island), where Tacoma's are so damn plentiful, I spent months looking for what I have. I ended up buying from a different island. In my case it was the condition that dictated my search, not the configuration (since I could always find the config). Finding a DCLB here is not that hard. If you're willing to travel some and drive it back, that may help expand your pool.

If you have to buy something now, my vote goes to the one with the V6, providing condition of the vehicle inside and out is similar.

 

I recently purchased my first Tacoma after thrashing my 2004 Frontier, manual, 4cyl, XE 2 door, 2WD. The criteria was V6/auto/4wd and a Frontier, not a Tacoma, because of the $$$. Planning to do plenty of camping and sleeping in the bed. Saw the tents above for the 5' beds and almost went that way. Then I started thinking about bears and hellacious storms. Nice to have the solidity of a tailgate up with hard shell. Finding a DB with 6' bed Frontier is next to impossible (in SoCal). I was driving a 2019 Frontier DC rental for three weeks. Not a bad truck, but the turning radius was TERRIBLE. Took a lot of effort to stab a parking spot.

I considered DC 4WD, but the wheel base is 10"? longer than AC. Then found a 2010 auto 4wd V6 Access Cab Tacoma at a not so cheap price, but it was everything I wanted. It is one owner with all the records, 105k - really clean truck. I got my 6' bed and a Tacoma at a higher price (19k) than expected, but I'm a happy camper.

BTW, I'm really pleased with the 2010 TRD Sport compared to the 2019 Frontier. Not only a better (much better) turning ratio, but more comfy seats and I like the dash layout. Overall feel is GREAT.

 

In my opinion the V6 is barely adequate. I couldn’t imagine driving the rig with the I4 unless where you live is flat as a pancake. So the 2009 gets my vote.

 

Doesn't get any more flat than the sunshine state.