Hello to the forum members and a few intro questions

Greetings,

I am new to the forum. New to tacoma. New to the truck world.
Have had toyota cars before, but never trucks.
Looking for another toyota.

Not looking for a truck because I need it for work or towing anything. Need a new car. Simply want a tacoma to be fair. Nothing else to it.

Few questions:

1. The main reason for tacoma is the Toyota brand. Looking for a daily drive for the next 10-15 years at least. Need a very reliable car. Hope it would run 200+k miles without any "major" issues. I typically take good care of my cars, with all routine maintenance and no abuse. Usually keep them until they are literally falling apart. Are there any major "known" issues with the 22/23 models that should turn me away from buying one?
2. I am looking for a unicorn. Double cab TRD sport with MT. Base without any packages. Nothing in stock within 250mi from where I am, Chicago. I know I can order it, but would prefer one on a lot so I could try to negotiate a bit. Willing to wait. Since this is a "want", not a "need", I am open to waiting even until the end of the year.
3. Any other suggestions/comments are welcome.

Thanks so much for having me on this forum.
Vlad

 

Welcome to TW. Just to clarify, you can't "order" anything from Toyota in the traditional sense of putting in a factory order and having the truck built for you the way you want. With Toyota you put in a request for the vehicle you want with a dealer. The dealer will then try to match your requests to the trucks they are allocated and will get as close as they can to what you want. The more flexible you are the quicker you'll get something. If you want a unicorn you could be waiting for months. Best bet is to expand your search area and see what dealerships further than 250 miles away have in stock. We've had lots of members fly out to pick up their new trucks and drive them home in order to get what they were looking for.

 

Thanks! Did not realize that.

 

Welcome to the TW

 

I'm hoping the supply gets a little better. I'm looking at replacing my Nissan Murano (my beater with a heater). It is a 2009 with 80,000 miles and run good. I have noticed than some Nissans are starting to show up unsold on the lots. New Tacoma's and other Toyota vehicles not so much. I have seen a couple new Toyota's now and then in the last 3 weeks here in northwest Indiana. I think that supply will continue to increase. I'm probably going to wait till summer in the hope of a better deal on a van or 2024 Grand Highlander. This waiting because I can is challenging.

 

Yea a lot of people don't realize that. You might find this thread interesting: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...2-order-request-whatever-it-is-called.724431/

There's a lot of pages but it will give you a good idea of how far people went to get the exact truck they were looking for.

 

Welcome to TW. You can put in a request at multiple dealers, and they will let you know if they get an allocation that matches (or closely matches) what you want. If the Sport package and MT are your main desires, you will likely have to accept whatever packages they put on whatever may pop up in your area. The MT seems to be available on about 1% of the stock out there, so it's pretty rare. Most Sports will have a few packages.

 

Hi, Vlad and welcome to TW. Eyes closed head to your nearest dealer and make a deal on something on the lot. Whatever it is. I’d be looking for a 4 banger but that’s just me, I guess

 

Welcome, and good luck on your search!

 

A lot of Sports & Off Roads are coming from the factory packed w options to pad per-truck profits. Another option is to find an SR5 4x4 sitting on a lot right now vs a stripped Sport. All the rig you’ll need and save you $$ to budget the inevitable mods you’ll want to install.

The greater the unicorn you ask a dealer to find, the greater the markup they’ll try to wrestle out of you. Be prepared to walk if they try. Good luck!

 

My only advice is to test drive a Tacoma many times in many situations before you buy. Too many people come from the car world to trucks thing they will be as comfortable, as efficient and as practical as a car. Nothing can be further from the truth.
A truck is a good tool if you need a truck. It is going to be:
Louder
Poor gas mileage
Rough riding, especially the sport
Poor handling compared to a car
You want a manual but it won't be the same as a car manual. Throws are long and clutch is vague.
Part time 4WD versus All Wheel Drive. Probably the biggest difference. The Tacoma is not a vehicle you can put into 4WD and leave it.
And a whole bunch more differences.

I have had trucks most of my 59 years so I am used to them and I use them as trucks. Please test drive multiple times under multiple conditions.
Do not buy one and it two weeks come here saying you hate it like many do. You have been warned.
There is currently a thread from a guy who bought a PRO and is now complaining it rides too rough. How the fuck do you not find this out on the test drive? Did he magically think it would get better?

 

Do a nationwide search on AutoTrader with the exact package you want. I did a nationwide search for Double Cab TRD Sport 4wd manual's and came up with 90 new. You may have to fly and drive for the truck.

Curious enough 18 of em were within 200 miles of me...lol

 

Welcome To TW...

 

Are you buying a truck or buying a deal?

dealers know that inventory is difficult, it’s not going to get you a better deal at all. If you’re fine with MSRP there’s plenty of dealers out there. I’d just search on your preferred engine (cars.com, cargurus, autotrader, etc) and start calling dealers that show pictures of the truck on the ground. Say you’re willing to buy now and fly out.

 

Friend of mine was looking for the same thing in New England. Couldn't find anything and most dealers wouldn't even attempt to get one. He eventually gave up and bought a Gladiator. Toyota will likely be winding down production of the "niche" models while they prepare for the all-new 2024.

 

welcome!
FYI: some (many I'd believe) dealers have $ in their eyes when you have demands of a specific color, trim, model, optioned vehicle. Furthermore, if this combo is rare; you are essentially alerting them of this and they are going to want more, of course to find it, they have more work too.

GL

 

My experience is a little old, because I'm driving a 2016... but, I do have some experience in looking for a very specific Tacoma configuration at a time when they were in high demand, and here's what I can tell you:

People already mentioned the "you can't special order, but dealers can try to trade to get it." The thing is, the dealers aren't inclined to do this work if they're not getting paid for it. I went to several dealers in my area, and only one was willing to try. For the rest, they would just sell me something from their inventory or nothing at all. When I found a dealer willing to find my truck, I paid sticker. I'd never paid sticker for a vehicle in my life, and it was a shock. I'm still a little embarrassed about it, but hell, I got the exact truck I wanted and I've had it for 7 years, and I still turn around and admire her every time I park. So I don't regret it. tl;dr for a dealer to find a vehicle, they gotta make some money. And since you want a truck that's not likely to be sitting on anyone's lot, you're probably gonna have to pay for that privilege.

So, like, how bad do you *want* it?

 

The other thing to keep in mind is that this is a bad time to "want" a truck if you need to finance it. When I bought my 2021 I financed it with my credit union at 3.49%. Right now that same loan would be over 8%. My truck isn't going anywhere and my loan isn't being touched except to get paid

 

Welcome to the forum!

My new favorite term for my car "My beater with a heater..." LOL!