1st gen or 2nd gen?

96 4x4 easy motor to work on

And it looks Classic

b K

 

I still look at pics of my 2000 model reg cab and get sick that I sold it. Stupid move on my part.

 

I really like the 1st gen Comas, but I was looking for a black 1st gen 4x4 dub cab with 50k miles or less and the best price I found was $22k and it was beat up. Ended up buying a new 2nd gen b/c I got a good deal and the 1st gen I wanted was too hard to find in good condition with low miles.

IMO, the 1st gen looks better than the 2nd gen.

 

I have both. Bought my 98 in 2000 and my 06 new. Still like my 98 more. Still can't explain why.

 

1st gen trucks looked classy and 2nd gen looks like some whacked-out batman movie reject. Why can't manufacturers just leave stuff alone and refine the trucks in the areas that need improvement? Oh well I have a 2009 taco and it runs good while getting totally crappy gas mileage. I should have kept the 2000 model and screwed up there. Oh well can't take it back.

 

Sell your truck to someone, then buy a 2000 model. Just checked my KBB private party value for my 09 Coma and it's only depreciated $2000. If you're really unhappy with the looks and mpg, then why did you buy it? Were you blindfolded when you bought it? Maybe a really awesome Christmas or birthday present?

 

If by "classy" you meant "wimpy", then yes. 1st gen Tacos are very capable, but the droopy headlights and rounded grille and body lines make them look out of breath and exhausted, much like the 1990s F150s.

Toyota vastly improved the styling with the second gen, which is a portion of the reason second gen sales have outpaced first gen to such a degree.

Don't get me wrong - 1st gens are great trucks, but if Toyo hadn't changed the styling in the 05 redesign, I likely wouldn't have bought one.

 

I bought my 2009 taco because I had to sell the 2000 model as there was no more space to park it (wife's changes) and I did not need two trucks. So I sold the 2000 model and traded the 2007 taco on the 2009 4wd. I surf, fish (needed to be able to tow my flats boat) and the 2000 4-banger would not tow my boat very well with short wheelbase and a lot less power, and do photography on remote parts of the lower Padre Island National Seashore. I would have kept the '07 except it was not a 4wd. And I thought the manual transmission truck would get a little better mileage than the auto in my '07 did. I was wrong and did not do enough research before buying the truck. However it does tow better than the auto trans did due to the lower gearing. I bought the truck for what it does rather than how it looks, which IMHO is ugly. But then I think ALL the new model trucks from any manufacturer look butt-ugly. There is a definite move towards european styling which all the manufacturers are moving towards. And I wanted a dodge diesel but those trucks are so heavy that they just sink right into sand and the 4wd just digs in that much faster (I had two of those so know all about that). Of course can put wider tires on for the beach but that gets to be kind of a hassle.

So getting the 2009 truck was a compromise to try to do what I need to do with one truck and to do that I had to live with body styling that pretty much sucks. Although it kind of grows on a person after driving it for several months. It is a good truck and it rocks on the beach it is just amazing what these trucks will pull through due to their light weight.

I could not find a good-condition and low-mileage 2000 model year truck for sale (I looked for quite a while). And only losing 2000 in depreciation like that's nothing? I think that is quite a bit to lose to justify trading it for something else. So I will just keep it and use it for what I got it for. Which was not for its looks.

 

I bought my truck last March... so if I sold my truck now for $30000 (KBB good condition), then it'll be like I rented my Coma for $200/month... $2000 depreciation is nothing dude... someone out there would rather buy a near new truck than a completely new one. My truck OTD was $32000 w/ Lo-Jack and top of the line Off-Road DC 4WD.

Anyway, you have a solid truck... do what you got to do to make it look more appealing. The 2nd gens look beefier than the 1st gens. I see more chicks with 1st gens around So Cal than dudes. I've seen 2 chicks driving 2nd gen Comas.

 

this is my first post here... kinda makes since since this is my first taco... and my first vehicle period. but i gotta admit, this things problematic at best... i have a 95... is there anything that i should know about these trucks that would be causing so many problems... btw i get 17mpg on a good day and about 8 on a bad one.

 

my first toyota was a 96 4x4 good truck . Now i have the 2010 i have to say i like the 2nd gen better .

 

I have both bodystyles. I love my 2003. I like the smaller feel of the truck. I like the 2005 to present, but I really like the 2001 to 2004 bodystyle.

 

Well I would also lose the money I put into it making stuff work right like the 5100's all around, the magnaflow cat-back, the completely new sound system, the weathertech floor liners, the back helper springs to fix the crappy rear springs, the oil filtration bypass system, the AFS dry air filter come to mind. Still to do include a much stronger clutch with a much lighter flywheel and possibly later (if I keep it) a camper shell with a bed rug. So if I did sell it now not only would I take a huge hit on depreciation but would also lose all the money I put into fixing all the many things that were wrong with it to start with. And then it would start all over with taking depreciation on whatever I bought to replace it. No, I think I will just keep it and live with it.

Sometimes I fantasize about really re-making the vehicle with a solid front axle, a diesel or a V8 gas engine, fully boxed frame rails, etc. Maybe someday will get crazy and decide to do that stuff. Or maybe just leave it alone and not plow any more money into it. Probably the best thing to do.

 

kk if all you are getting is 8 to 17 mpg on a '95 taco with a 4-cyl then you have something terribly wrong with that truck. I have had three 1st-gen tacos two of which had the 2.7 litre 4 banger and both of those trucks would always get well over 20 to 23 mpg on the highway. Now my 2009 gets (if I am very lucky driving under 65 on hiway with a good tailwind) 18 mpg. I have 17000 miles on it now with full synthetic everywhere (engine and drivetrain) and driving conservatively I rarely get over 16.5 on the highway with the manual trans. My 2007 DC with an auto trans got almost 20 most of the time on hiway and if I kept it at 65 would actually get almost 22 mpg. Anyway with that 4-cyl you should be getting around 17 to 18 in town and well over 22 on hiway unless radical lift with huge tires etc.

 

Which is perfectly fine for you. But for a significant number of vehicle buyers, styling is a significant factor. Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't have bought the truck without the V6, without 4x4, without the Tow Package, without the Double Cab, or without the Locker.

Pretty much the first words out of my mouth to the salesman were:

"I want the V6, OffRoad Package, Double Cab, Towing Package. That'll get me started. If it doesn't have any one of those, I'm not interested."

Anyway, I'll buy the trucks I want, you do the same, and we'll all be happy.

 

jandrews, agree 100%. I would definitely prefer to really like the body style of the vehicle I buy that sets me back almost 30 large. Unfortunately that truck is not manufactured today by any manufacturer toyota or otherwise. I think they all suck as far as styling goes. I must be really old-fashioned or something. I loved my pre-2000 tacos. I absolutely LOVED my 1999 - 2006 dodge 4wd with cummins turbodiesels. I loved my 1994 ford with an international diesel. And if I can find another 2005 dodge with a cummins with low miles and in great condition (fat chance) I suspect my current taco will go away rapidly. So probably will just stick with what I have. It's OK and I can live with the way it looks. I look at this truck as a way to get from point A to point B doing most of what I need a truck to do. It would be nice if it looked awesome doing it but oh well...

 

I seriously doubt anyone would pay $30,000 for a used Toyota Tacoma. You can buy a new one for that price. I'd say more like a $5000 hit.

KBB doesn't mean anything. It's one of many factors. It's primarily for banks loaning money. With KBB, dealers can roll negative equity from one car to another. Dealers use whatever figure works to their advantage. Private parties should use market value (search CL, autotrader - private party) to see what trucks are really selling for.

Chicks? Guys? Actually, I see more females driving the new ones hauling their kids around with the big double cabs.

Both bodystyles have pros/cons. I am sure the 2nd gen is much safer.

 

I have a 2000 TRD 4X V6/auto with all options except power mirrors & antenae. I like the bigger, roomier cab of a 2nd gen but I also want simple, straightforward , rock hard reliability & think & say what you want but remember that everything a 2nd gen Tacoma is, was started & is based on that little ,droopy eyed ( I think someone said) wanna be F150 (OH PLEASE !!) 1st gen. Toyota . It was 1st gen trucks that set the bar for all other trucks in its & probably above its class.... I know it sold me years ago seeing a completely stock(all the way down to the pizza cutter tires) beige SR5 4X , 4 banger (22R) yank a full size Ford out of the muck around upper Otay Reservoir without much effort, just piled a few guys in the back for weight & out she came, absolutely amazed. So to knock a 1st gen. is a knock to your 2nd gen.......

 

x10

 

I think Ford is currently doing the best job with truck styling with the F150...but even it has a few missteps. Overall, the blocky, squared off, no-nonsense design works very well, but the grille is trying too hard, the chrome trim around the taillights looks like shit, and the creases across the tailgate confuse me.

Overall though, you're right, it's not a good time for truck styling.