Truck shopping to replace my beloved Tacoma

Funny thing, I went and looked at another one this morning, and now I know what frame rust REALLY is (photo below). I passed on that one, for sure.





On the way home, we stopped and took a look at another '07 sitting on a small lot. It's really clean for its age, and is now sitting in my driveway.

 

Glad you found one, hopefully it's a great truck for you!

 

This place is a wealth of information. My new truck has some minor issues that I've been searching up and reading about on here.

I found a couple threads about cabin fans that only run on high, and how to fix it. Yep, mine has that problem, but at least I know how to fix it now.

Thanks everyone!

 

Oh no you can't tease us like that, pics of the new ride!!!!

And yes that's some crusty rusty going on in that other one

 

It's just an old truck, nothing special, but its in good shape and if I'm lucky and take care of it, I hope it will last another decade or two.

I'm hoping that the looks grow on me over time. I'm not much for the looks of four door pickups, but there's no denying the practicality. We took a 150 mile trip yesterday, my wife and I, two teenagers and two dogs, and it was quite comfortable. Up and down hills, through the woods and over the mountain, and it averaged 20 mpg. I figure that's about right. My old truck got slightly better mileage, but this one has noticeably more power.

 

Good luck with the new truck

 

Smart move picking up a clean 2nd gen, should treat you well for years to come.

 

Very nice, good colour too

 

Did you end up getting manual transmission on this one?

 

No it's an automatic, and I'm fine with that. I grew up driving tractors, farm trucks, all kinds of equipment with manual transmissions, so I was fine with a manual, but my wife has had many surgeries on her left foot and ankle. She has trouble with a clutch and strongly prefers an automatic.

 

Here's a question: anyone have opinions on running boards? Any practical value to them, beyond just looks?

I'm all about practicality. I bump my legs on them every time I get out of the truck. Looks is a very subjective thing, but to me they make it look a little like an "old man truck". I'm thinking about just taking them off.

 

Another question- one of the reasons that I got a good price on my new (to me) truck was that the rear bumper is trashed. I can drive an hour or so to a wrecking yard and buy a used OEM bumper, or buy an aftermarket one on Amazon or Ebay.

Is a used OEM bumper better than a new inexpensive aftermarket one? I'm not picky, don't need anything fancy, but don't want junk either.

 

Both of those are a matter of opinion.

I love my running boards. Makes it easier to get in and out of the truck, in part because it's far too tall for my preference, but that's the market.

As far as the bumper, OEM typically will have a higher quality fit and finish when new, where aftermarket generally cuts corners on material or coating thicknesses, and their tolerances are far broader, to create a lower rejection rate, which means it might need extra time to make it fit, or might not last as long.

That said, any used OEM is going to have 10+ years of road grime and use into it, wearing the coatings thickness down, or introducing a layer of corrosion.

I wouldn't say either is fundamental better or worse, just a difference of personal goals.

 

I have owned a 1gen and 2nd gen..honestly the 1st gen is biult better !... but value wise the 1st gens in good condition are $20,000... i think you could find a good 2nd gen $20,000 milage/ age/personal preference

 

That makes sense. This truck doesn't seem particularly tall, and I'm average height, but I haven't even tried to actually step on the running boards. These don't stick out very far and don't seem practical for anyone but a child to step on. Either that or I'm just used to getting in and out of my old truck without them. I'll try consciously stepping on them the next few times I drive it, see what I think.

If they're not practical for me, I'll just remove them and drive it for a while before disposing of them. I could always put them back on. Maybe a wrecking yard would trade them for a bumper. Probably not though. One side is missing an end cap, and it appears that replacement end caps for old running boards are pretty much unobtainable.

 

Keep an eye out on marketplace or CL for a good used takeoff bumper.

 

Yes, I do too. However, they are a pain in the ass when getting in or out of the truck. They are functional for many other things tho that make up for the annoyance of my legs rubbing against them.

 

Interesting. Maybe it's just because I've never owned a vehicle with running boards before, but I can't think of a single practical use for them. We went for a drive this afternoon, and we all tried getting in and out by stepping on them, and we all felt that they were more of a nuisance than anything else. Stepping on them lifts my whole body way up, and then down into the truck, whereas for me it's much easier to just step into the truck. Even my young daughter says she doesn't care for them.

Looking around, I see that more pickups and SUVs than not have them. I guess I can see the practicality on taller vehicles, though I think it would take me a while to get used to using them. For the most part I have to think it's more of a style choice. Personally I don't like the looks of them. They just make a vehicle look bulkier. I'm going to go ahead and take them off and scrap them.

Added: absolutely no offense intended towards those who like running boards. To each their own and all that. Mostly I'm just not used to them.

 

I bought step bars for my truck, never owned a vehicle with them before. I did like the look but mostly that my father in law was still with us and I took him to appointments routinely, even having a 2WD they helped him getting in and out of the truck.

Depending on the particular height of your rig and such it might also deflect morons flinging their doors open in parking lots.

Shop around a little more for a replacement OEM, mine needed a new rear about a year ago and it was only about $150 or so. I think OEM but I can ask my brother in law if he recalls the specific.