1st gen vs 2nd gen

wife's daily driver '05 TURD......auto w/4.0L

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PS.....changed my vote.........

 

Depends what you want. On the street, the 2nd gen has a lot more room, the AC is way more convenient than the old extended cab, the crew cab is more roomier than the old crew cab, it's got a decent bit more power, at least with the 4.0... never owned a 3.4, but I drove them a good bit and they never impressed me that much more than my 3RZ did. I've got 265/70/17s on mine, almost the same as the 32x11.50s I used to have on my '01, and the improvement in streetability is incredible. OME 884s, 5100s and a 3-leaf, and it still drives almost like a car... far cry from the glorified tractor that was my '01.

If you want balls-out reliability and offroading, 1st gen. Mine was made at the NUMMI plant, which had about the worst rep in the world for turning out quality vehicles, and it still lasted me 14 years (after buying it at 3 years old) with minimal issues, most caused by me & my abuse. I did the same 5100s and OMEs, but with leaf packs, UCAs, shackles and a shock relocation, and short of mud or flexing it out it was almost unstoppable, even without lockers.

Personally, I wouldn't want to go back to DDing my 1st gen, but if I were still into offroading, I would've loved to keep it around and do all the crazy shit I hadn't done before because the on-road cons outweighed the off-road pros.

 

yeah, kinda what i figured. tbh, while i love the idea of the hard-core off road stuff, i also know that i sadly wont be getting out that much. we'll see. i'm leaning second gen now (despite what the voting tells me i should do). i wont be in a position to go and get either truck for about another week though so i'll continue thinking 'bout it. if the second gen isn't available anymore at that point, then i'm sure i'll be pretty happy with first gen.

basically what i'm getting from all this is:

2nd gen= better DD, on-road handling, and power
1st gen= straight up reliability and off road performance.

 

funnily enough, soon as i posted this, i went back and checked out the original ads. 2nd gen looked kinda bleh to me (polar difference to literally 1/2 hour ago). still too close to call; didn't give me that feeling that i get with the first gen. at this point i still have absolutely no idea.

 

Looks like it comes down to how deep your pockets are.

 

at this point i'll have to save more to mod anything that i buy. i can currently afford either one though.

 

The 2nd gen. It's a bit more modern feeling, and still tough as nails

 

another note for the second gen, look at Expedition Overland's Alaska and Central America expeditions. they took a (heavily modified) second gen. with them and it stood up to almost everything they put it through. still undecided, but just thought that i'd throw this up here for other people using this thread to research.

 

I hate Timing Belts.

 

so i take it that puts you in the 2nd gen category...

 

Depends what you plan to do with it. I had a 97 and now a 2007 and IMOO the 97 was designed to be an off road vehicle and left no doubt you were in a truck. The steeper sloped front hood gave me better visibility when picking a path through rocks and narrower cab meant less chance of hitting tree branches. Also I preferred the manual Hi-Low shift lever, less things to go wrong and when you want 4Low, you got it immediately. The current Hi/Low switch is a PITA as it has way too many safety features that seems to delay engagement when you want it. 1st Gen also have the rear leaf springs with shackle hanging down which some say gives you more flex. But agree, the lack of access to the kiddy seats in the back was a real annoyance. By comparison, the 2nd Gen seems to be more designed for comfort with fully padded interior and wider cab, probably to compete with the growing SUV market. For a daily driver, get the 2nd gen, the 3rd door will make a world of difference.

 

well, after thinkin' on it for a bit, i'm pretty sure that i have it down to one big question. once built, i far prefer the look of the 1st gen to the second gen and the 2nd gen doesn't have the bulletproof reputation that the first gen does. this combined with the fact that parking is (realistically) easier with a 1st gen (smaller truck). on the flip side however, that doesn't mean that the 2nd gen is unreliable and it doesn't exactly look bad. i also know plenty of ppl who drive full sizes (bigger than a 2nd gen taco) in the city and wouldn't do it any other way. plus, the 2nd gen will be a better DD. i don't realistically need the extra power and towing capacity that come with the 4.0L V6 and i really want the off-road capability that the 1st gen offers. it's also worth noting that i test drove an '02 on Friday and, while i didn't buy it (clutch was almost gone), i really liked how much power the 3.4L paired with 4.10s on 31s had. plus, as much as i want the rear doors (a lot), i didn't use the back seat too too much on my '99. plus, parts are cheaper on the 1st gen. not by that much but it does add up.

all that being said, this truck will be, first and foremost, my daily driver; getting to and from school for my senior year and back and fourth to college after i graduate.

my main question is... how much better is the 2nd gen as a DD? i get that it will be better and there are trade offs to everything, but how much? is the 1st gen really that hard to live with when compared?

 

I had a 97 Access Cab that we sold after 18 years and now drive a 2015 DCSB (actually it's my wife's daily driver). The 97 was the 3.4 with the five speed and the 15 is the 4.0 with the six speed. The folks on this thread are right on. I loved the 97, but it was not fun to access the rear of the cab, and it was a truck. The 15 is way more comfortable, drives a lot nicer, and is better at towing. I do miss the floor mounted 4WD lever on the 97 and it seemed like it would run forever. Tough call to decide between the two, but I agree with the previous posters....gen 1 if you are mostly off-road and gen 2 for overall daily drivability. I don't think you can make a bad choice!

 

that's kinda what i have been figuring.

to be blunt, i really just don't want to spend over $11,000, then find out i made the "wrong choice" (i know that there really isn't one but i don't know how else to put it) and spend even more money rectifying it. i also admittedly have a fair bit of anxiety about buying the wrong truck because after i bought my '99, i found i was unhappy with the amount of power that the 4cyl had and i ended up selling it just a year and a half later. right now i am leaning towards the 1st gen just based off personal experience. my '99 wasn't exactly a Lexus, but it wasn't a bear to DD either (i drove about 15 miles/day on hilly city roads (with an underpowered engine and Manual trans.) to and from school this year). i don't think that i can make a bad choice, but i know from personal experience that i wont hate driving the 1st gen as my dd. i don't have off-road experience in a second gen so i cant speak to how it'll perform.

 

2nd Gen because I am also looking for one HAHA

 

Neither option is wrong, man. I understand the desire for offroad-ability, but urge you to consider long term, too.

There is no doubt that the 1st gen will serve faithfully no matter how long you keep it, but understand its limitations. The 1st gen, extended cab especially, leaves little room for growth.

The 2nd gen trucks are absolutely no slouches, at all. My brother (@Fiddlestring) has a '13 DCLB PreRunner that he absolutely loves, and I find myself a bit envious of.

My desires for the future are a pipe dream. If we get property and the equipment to manage it, we'll need something Toyota doesn't make: a truly HD truck like a Super Duty or Ram 2500 and up. I think Toyota is never going to try for that market...

 

going with the 1st gen. two reasons: the second gen that i had in mind sold and the 1st gen is plenty luxurious. the first gen has everything on my list of wants/needs and is plenty luxurious. i would rather have a older vehicle with everything i need and want than a newer vehicle where i'm making sacrifices.

i test drove it today and everything looks good, going back tomorrow to seal the deal.

i'll throw up a picture tomorrow after i get it home.

 

If I can the same 400k miles on my second gen as I did my 02 first gen. I call it even. Although I do like the larger size of the 2nd gen.

 

here's a picture of the truck after i got it home. i ordered the specialty "Washinton Elk" plates at the DMV so i have a paper plate taped to the back of the canopy until the new plates get here. the Mechanic that i had inspect the truck said that cylinder 4 was misfiring and it needed a new air filter. i picked up a new air filter today and will put it in this evening when it cools down a bit. as for the misfire i didn't notice anything while driving it the 30+ miles home. we'll see if it develops into something more noticeable or not. even though i do have plans to throw a lift, bigger tires, an ARB, and more on it, i think that i'll drive it just as it is. it's so nice that i just can't bring myself to do anything yet. the pictures honestly don't do the truck justice. it looks sooooo much cleaner in person.

more pics on my build thread that will be made as soon as i post this.

 

How is the 3.4l oil change a pain? Just reach inside the wheel well and take the filter on/off by hand, it's not nearly as bad as some other vehicles. 2nd gens are only easier because the filter is right there on top. But I wouldn't say the 3.4l is a PIA.

OP - I have pretty much that exact same 1st gen as you posted in the listing, v6 5speed 4x4 except mine's supercharged (also a lot of other mods done to it since I bought it). My only regret is the back seat space. I hope you never plan on having more than one passenger because putting a person back there is akin to human torture.

I would have preferred the double cab 1st gen but they never made those with manual transmissions....thanks Toyota.