Looking into buying at 3rd Gen

Heres a thought. Keep your life simple and just drive it. It's a truck, its over weight and seems under powered at times. But it's a truck. Think of it as a mule that's meant to carry shit and do work etc. It's never gonna be a thoroughbred . You mention you have a fast vehicle. You'll have the best of both worlds.

 

You can look into a supercharger if you want to add power, but you’ll void the powertrain warranty and it’s still not going to be very fast. These things specialize in going slow - crawling, off road backwoods adventuring, etc. If you keep it stock it’s a decent daily driver that can haul stuff, but it’s not fast.

 

You may find this video from CCN helpful. People often overlook the off-road prowess of this truck from the factory. This truck shines off road. IMHO it’s actually the cornerstone of this truck. On road, Toyota engineers had to walk a fine line to try and please everyone which means compromises. For some, there are too many compromises. Fast is subjective tho. For me and my family this truck more than meets our daily driver and outdoor lifestyle needs.

YMMV. At least test drive a 6M and a 6AT.

 

You can do CAI, catback and tune...and still expect to lose almost every race. You might be able to knock of a Versa though...

 

It's a truck. And out of all them push come to shove it's the best out there in the long run.

Take care of it and it will go 300,000 miles or more.

Another thought...
In Australia they have a saying:
If you want to go into the Outback you take a Land Rover.
If you want to get back you take a Toyota.

 

OH!!!!

 

Don’t put too much stock in slogans. There’s not much I’d trust more than a pre-Disco era Defender. Relatively reliable and you can fix almost anything in the field with basic tools and a rock

 

I currently own a 2020 F150 3.5L ecoboost, prior was a 2017 Tundra with the big V8. My 2020 TRD off-road has been the slowest truck/vehicle I’ve ever driven. That being said, I didn’t buy it for speed. Im 6’ 2” and it’s still comfortable for me to drive, I can fit my wife and two kids (my thirds ones away in college) and our Boston Terrier in the back and everyone is comfortable. I can park it anywhere, driver skills pending it’s a very very capable off-road truck (even in stock configuration , hell I drove it off the lot straight to ocotillo wells) which is why I bought it. My F150 has a dirt king long travel kit on it and I still prefer to drive my Tacoma on trail runs. Gas mileage sucks around town and it feels gutless sometimes but god damn I love it. They’re super cheap and easy to work on yourself as far as maintenance and repairs go too. You should def get one but please don’t expect it to be “fast” , my wife’s Telluride would smoke me two times over and I’m okay with that.

 

better to get a new one

 

It’s slow, but not that slow.

Push the gas pedal down and it moves (V6).

 

Mine has 50k. Most of those miles have been with 35’s or bigger (currently 38’s). It’s been modified pretty much since I got it. Ran stock size tires for maybe two days? Has an exhaust, intake, and tube. It’s an auto. It’s not a race car (I’ve had plenty of high hp cars in the past) but I’ve never once really ran into a situation where I needed more power. Would 500hp be cool, sure. But not actually needed.

I’ve had zero issues with mine other than spending way too much money.

For what I’ve done to my truck I should have just bought a raptor. If I had a Time Machine I probably would.

Anyway I think it’s a great truck. No real regerts.

 

Raptor’s were cheap during early COVID. Saw some nice certified ones in the $50k’s. Might have even been low 50s.

 

Growing up I’ve always hated fords (no real reason) so when I bought my Tacoma I didn’t even look at them. Lesson learned that’s for sure. Plus I would have had to have gotten a loaded one and spent way to much. Haha

 

I mean your Taco will certainly outlive a Raptor. And you would need to own a gas station to fuel that thing up. So you didn’t make a bad decision.

But…

 

You might think it's pretty slow to be honest. Test drive one and see how you like it. They make most of their power on higher RPMs. If you're driving an automatic maybe press the ECT button on.

I don't really have an opinion on these, but there are various tunes you can consider. There are also two supercharger kits if you're willing to spend more cash. They're California legal too if you care about that.

Not much around. Mostly V6 4x4 TRD Double Cab short beds. Some access cab TRD Sport (US) or TRD Off-Road (Canada). The 4 cylinder manuals are only made during MY2016-MY2017 on the SR trim.

 

Yup. More to life than just fast/performance cars. The truck is something different that I enjoy. I used it to tow the sports car to the race track as well.

 

Mine gets around 12-13 now. I think mine also looks better than a raptor but a raptor is going out perform mine in pretty much every way.

 

Haha okay that might have been a little dramatic, but compared to a modified Infiniti he currently has…

 

I agree with everyone who posted a reply. The Taco is not meant for speed! It’s an exceptional off road truck. Remember. It’s a truck! I’ve had a couple Tundra in the past. Too big for most off roading. Have had a few Tacos, again perfect for tight off roading. I have two fast cars that are built for speed. But sht for camping and fishing. My Trd pro still in build stage but it’s cool, I already know what to expect. Enjoy it for what it is for a day or two as stock. Then add lift, wheels, bigger tires, make it your own, enjoy the fck out of it!!