1 year of ownership: My thoughts

2012 DCSB (TRD-Off Road) with full OME suspension, LR UCA's, 285/65/18 Nitto Terra Grapplers.

20k miles

Likes:
I like the way my truck performs off-road.
I like the look of my truck, by far the best looking truck on the market.
I'm pretty confident my truck will never leave me stranded on or off-road.
I like the interior styling of my truck, it has all that I personally need.
When I've towed things, it's easily done the job.
I average 16-19 MPG, I'm ok with that.
I like that the Tacoma holds it's value.
I'm pretty sure I will get 60k-70k out of my tires, they still look new after 20k.

Dislikes:
I dislike my small takeoff vibe. It's the only vibe I have, I'll live with it. At least it's not a high speed vibe like some people have.
I do not like that I can feel a lot of things in my steering wheel, every change in pavement, the engine at different RPMs. The drivers side needle bearing issue (installed the ECGS bushing about 2k miles ago, better now).
The interior cabin is louder than any other vehicle I've driven, just turn up the radio!
My truck makes a lot of noises when it is cold (suspension wise) compared to warm weather.
Engine shift points can sometimes be annoying, but I guess it's for gas milege. I can live with that.
Sometimes this website! Sometimes I read things and get worried an issue will arise on my truck. The mod bug, you can easily spend a lot of cash once you become a member on TW.

Overall I love my truck and hope to have it for many miles and years.

Thanks for reading!

 

I could basically copy and paste this and I'm at 4100 miles lol

 

^x2 @ 25k ... love my truck

 

Road feel/feedback was a big part of my decision to buy a Taco. Most of my past vehicles lacked power steering. I dislike how numb so many new cars feel while driving. This was especially true of the colorados and frontiers I've driven. If road surface/condition changes or grooves suddenly change direction, I'd prefer to know before I end up tangling with a car in the next lane.

I do agree on the noise level in cab. I expect to pull panels and carpet to add sound deadener before too long.

 

You've obviously never ridden in a ranger
My AC is as quiet as a mid grade SUV, quiet cabin on the highway.

 

I had a Ranger and my 2nd gen Tacoma feels like a Rolls-Royce in comparison. Sometimes it even slightly annoys me how car-like it is on the freeway.

 

Exactly what I would say about my truck. I have 15k right now. However question to the OP. Did you have the vibes on take off before the suspension upgrade? I wonder this because I am stock. I want to do a suspension upgrade but I am unwilling to if the vibes get worse.

 

I hit the one year mark Jan 5th and am at nearly 11k miles... I guess I don't drive much lol.

A few months ago I test drove a 2012 4x4 4Runner and when I pulled into the dealership I saw my taco parked there and said "Nope!"

I don't know why, but I assumed the runner would drive and feel just like my tacoma and it was just too different for me. I liked it, but it wasn't for me. I got back into the truck and fell in love with it again.

So many mods I want to do though...

 

Same vibe before and after

 

Congrats on your first year. Just did a quick 1 year update as well.

 

I'm confused....you're complaining about the suspension/steering?
You're not even running stock suspension. ????

You're still under warranty... Have you made any attempts to contact the dealer about your complaints?

 

I just completed my 1st year also. 8,053 miles and I am very happy with this truck. No negatives worth mentioning. I find the ride and the drive train performance smooth and refined. The bucket seats are very comfortable and the cabin noise is minimal. My last truck was a 1st gen Taco I owned for 10 yrs. Before that I owned an S10 which was a P.O.S.

 

Complaints huh...?! DERP

 

Wut? The Tacoma cabin is anything but quiet on the highway. Road noise & especially wind noise are my biggest complaints about the taco. The noise when it rains is even worse.