Milestones: 250,000 miles as of today.

Bought this truck in August 2007. It was my primary daily driver for 9 years before it just got too small. By 2016 we needed a 1/2 ton truck. At the time I could have traded my 180,000 mile Tacoma on a new F150 crew cab. OR... keep the Tacoma and buy a lightly used (17,000 miles) 2014 F150 crew cab. It would have been about the same money out of pocket either way. I chose to buy the used Ford and keep the Tacoma.

For a few years my wife drove it, and I drove the Ford, but 2 1/2 years ago we bought her another car and once again decided to keep the Tacoma. It's been my daily driver ever since, but I don't take it on long trips anymore. It's perfect for around town or trips within 100 miles.

It would probably be fine for longer trips, but I have newer, more comfortable vehicles for that. Its had it's share of long road trips. Driven it from GA to CO and back 3 times. Once to the Grand Canyon and countless trips all along the east coast from FL to VA.

It's also been a loaner anytime my adult kids need to drive something while one of their cars is down. My 16 year old granddaughter drove it for most of July.

It's been remarkably trouble free. I had an alternator put on it at about 170,000 miles. I did screw up and neglected to replace the serpentine belt and let it break on me recently which caused some other minor damage. But's that's on me, not the truck.

I have the typical peeling white paint. I taped off the worst part on the hood and painted it with white Flex-Seal. And the headlight housings were pretty faded after and those have been replaced.

 

That’s a great story to hear you have kept it through all those vehicle changes. Congrats on the milestone!

 

How old was your truck and how many miles did it have when your serpentine belt broke? I’m at 110k and wondering when I should replace my belt. No noises as of yet and the belt looks fine for now.

 

You are driving the best midsized truck that will ever have been produced. Hang onto it as long as viable. There is nothing that will replace it.

 

I know I replaced it somewhere around 100,000. I THOUGHT I replaced it a 2nd time at about 200,000. About every 100,000 is advisable. But that was about the time it became a 3rd vehicle for me and I didn't keep up with things as well as I should after that.

It broke about 500 miles ago, so somewhere around 150,000 miles on that belt. I'd advise replacing yours if you're at 110,000.

I usually pull our small travel trailer with the bigger truck but on a whim decided to use the old Tacoma on a camping trip a few weeks ago. It was about 50-60 miles one way. I was about 1/2 way to the campground when it broke. I managed to get off the main road and onto a side road. We called another couple who we were meeting at the campground. They came and pulled my trailer along with my wife to the campground.

I stayed with the Tacoma and waited on a tow truck. Cost me $200 to have it towed to a local garage in my hometown. My granddaughter picked me up and took me home where I got the Ford and met my wife at the campground.

When the belt broke part of it got wedged in between the pulley and engine block. That broke the seal and started an oil leak.

It cost me $200 for the tow, about $200 to install a new belt and about $100 to fix the oil leak. While they had it in the shop I had the radiator flushed and new hoses. I've spent $600 on it in the last few weeks. If I'd replaced the belt before it broke I'd have saved $200 on the tow and $100 for the oil leak.

 

Congrats on the milestone. The truck looks great

 

I sure hope so.

250k is impressive.

I often wonder if I went wrong getting my truck. There’s so many other options.
But then again, people are getting 250k…

 

Not just conjecture. I drove one for 15 years. 3rd gen was disappointing on basically all fronts, in comparison. As far as what you get for what you spend...the 2nd Gen was a world beater.

 

There have been quite a few with 400,000+ miles reported here and on other forums.