Tacoma Not what they use to be.

Cheap trucks don't sell unless they're fleet. Blame the reviews that constantly say how trucks don't steer, accelerate, have the mileage, or the soft-touch leather as the soccer-mom-on-stilts Lexus that they really wish they were driving. Blame the people that read the reviews.

If you want a good, cheap, rugged truck, they're everywhere. Just find a plain white F150 that was built to be a crew runabout for a construction or mining operation.

 

I just purchased one also. The plastic bumper and no driver side grab handle are completely ridiculous and Toyota should be ashamed for doing so. But, I do enjoy the rest of it. Once I get the OTT, I will likely not care about the previously listed as all I want to do is fix the shifting issue.

 

Same here...with my 2021 TRD Sport AT/DCSB...and I'm 58.

Came from the SUV class...2003 Honda Pilot EX/DVD--it was great for transporting the kiddos and it lasted 200K+ miles until a lady decided to ride suicide lane and hit me in Oct 2018.

My transition vehicle was the 2010 Mazda CX-9 which was great but not the vehicle I was going to keep forever.

Initially I wanted the Tundra but wife convinced me to go for the Tacoma...she regrets me getting a truck now! lol

I'd been a Honda owner beginning in 1996 (Accord)...prior to that, a 5-speed Isuzu Rodeo which my wife could not drive. (Teaching her was not successful)

I've known Toyotas to be a dependable/well-built vehicle and that's why I selected it.

 

What, about 1.9 million 3rd gens were made. Far majority love their trucks including me.

Life is too short and dump yours asap. Test drive a bunch of trucks and then purchase what you truly like.

Good news is the Tacoma holds its resale value really well.

 

As a natural born Hoosier, I condone that television program.

 

You’re not riding the bus in China, at least.

 

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And you never noticed the evolution from Gen 1 like yours to Gen 4 over the last 20 years?

 

If they still make the bed the same way they did back in the day, it's probably one of the things you really don't have to worry about. We have a 2005 Tacoma (240,000 miles) in the family, and my 2014. (136,000) Both purchased used. The 2005 was used (but not abused) for work and the bed looks good for 20 years of age: No issues at all other than some light cosmetic scratches. The 2014 has lived a relatively easy life. Some signs of home-owner projects wear and tear, and runs to the dump filled with all kinds of stuff and junk, but again, absolutely no issues other than some minor scratches. Not bad for New England climate trucks.

They both look better than the 2016 F150 with the aluminum bed that's in the family that works hard as well. The aluminum is tough: Just minor scratches with some accompanied paint loss. No dents or dings from throwing stuff in it.

 

Sell it

 

I had an 81 and 86. The difference between those and my 17 is; The EPA and whoever is running our government.

 

my brother-in-law has a 97. Bill quality is definitely pretty good on that. 27 years old and it still is pretty solid

 

I recently ran across the term "soy boys" in something not related here. At age 71 I looked the term up and learned something new! I like Soy Sauce, does that make me a "Soy Boy"? How about "Soy Grandpa'?

 

YUP.

OP, you sound like me. You know what you want and it ain’t it. I was severely disappointed with the ‘22 I searched 8 months for and bought new, but I made the mistake of holding out trying to make it work. All that did was put miles on the odometer and the sands of time eroded the bulletproof resale. Granted I am in Big 3 country and the market here is weak, but I probably lost $8000 or so if you count sales tax and the “fixes” I attempted to patch it up with. That would have been about $1000 if I had just realized after the first two weeks that I bought in to all the defending of a high/ham-strung engine with nonsensical gearing in a “heavy-light duty” truck.

Unless you need to finance, with my own hindsight in clear view, I’d sell it and start over in a better shape 1st or 2nd gen. It’s not perfect, but as Sr. Lobster pointed out, nothing is - but I couldn’t be happier with my 2G. I miss a couple of the modern things like adaptive cruise, heated stuff, sunroof and power rear slider but that stuff is pretty minor and can be retrofitted in some capacity if I really wanted. That said, I probably would have gone first gen if I were still single..

 

And what is wrong with a C-10 with Le Three on Le Tree, Monsewer?

 

Are you equating a hilux with a 3/4 ton truck? Clearly a Tacoma is not a 2500 and I think Toyota is fairly intentional about it.

 

It can carry 750 lb of soy sauce, for sure. In correctly baffled carboys, of course.

Edit: minus the weight of the carboys, of course.

 

Nothing but a hunch to back this but I think they know we’ll buy anything with a bed, and then barely use it compared to most (all?) other markets. I bet it’s not insignificantly more costly to make the Hilux, so they made a cash cow model just for that sweet, sweet US lifestyle market.

I have other hypothesis there like having a separate model to update when DOT/EPA/ETC keep rolling out new stuff that only affects us here, but that does circle back to financial motive as well (just one that disses a little less on the ‘Murcan consumer). Any way you slice it, vehicle development is incomprehensibly expensive, so someone was able to sell a move that turned out to be a good call there in the early-mid ‘90s..

 

Wouldn’t know because I’m not sure I’ve ever weighed soy in these soft boy hands.

 

Mr. Flintstone just sell your truck and buy something like a Jeep instead. You’ll be happier…

I’d love to meet one of these bums calling people soyboys IRL. My soft little delicate millennial soyboy hands would slap the taste out their mouth post haste. And then I’d replace the old taste with soy. I’ve hauled over 1,200lbs of gravel in my bed with upgraded leaf springs so I can surely haul a fine abundance of soy or soy products to satisfy my needs.