2010 Future service requirements?

I'm considering selling (trading) my 2010 Tacoma Prerunner with 80,000 miles. My gasoline expense has been a bit of an issue because of the amount of miles I drive. BUT......3 more payments and it will be all mine. I know not too far down the road I'll need front brakes and rotors. Does the V6 engine in this vehicle need to have the timing belt(chain) replaced at a certain mileage mark? If so, about what is the cost of that service? I remember my 2003 Tundra (V8) needed to have that done.
I guess my concern is how long can I drive this truck without too much repair cost? I love the truck but I don't want to end up dumping too much money in repairs on a regular basis. I'm looking at a new hatchback vehicle that gets 37 mpg and the savings in my monthly budget would be great. But then again, I'm back into a monthly payment

 

People trade a paid off gas guzzler for a new car all the time.

Say you drive 20k miles a year, at 18mpg, at 3.80 per gallon. You're spending $4222 on gas.

Now say you drive 20k miles per year, at 37 mpg, at 3.80 per gallon. $2054 spent in gas. Now consider your payments, we'll assume $300/month for a car for no particular reason. $3600 in car payments. $5654 is your yearly expenditure. You're actually out $1500 over the whole deal. Obviously if your car payments are lower or higher numbers will be different.

6cyl has a timing chain that doesn't need to be worried about for probably 200k miles.

 

The timing chain should last 400,000 + miles unless the truck has been abused (constant heavy towing, constant quick starts). As for changing the rotors with the bakes unless the brakes have been abused there is no reason to change the rotors. I realize that you can read of people having rotor trouble on here, but I assure you they have abused their brakes even though they deny it.

As for MPG if you need the MPG for financial reasons or just preference by all means get rid of the Tacoma and find a vehicle that will provide that for you unless you can afford two vehicles, one for MPG and the other being the Tacoma. Personally I also have a corolla which gets me an average 46 MPG.

 

Vote for keeping and payoff .. years ago I had two payments left on a F150 and thought the same as you and traded it in for a car with better mileage. Worst mistake ever because a year later I wanted a truck again, not to mention all the money wasted that could have been saved.

 

Keep it.

Plus chicks dig tacos

 

and 4runners

 

If your front brake rotors are smooth and not gouged to shit, replace the front pads, immediately.

Stay the course.

 

I would keep the taco and buy something like a 1991 Camry. Camrys are like 1500-2000$ and get 30ish mpg. Park the taco and buy a beater. No better way to do it

 

Yeh I've done the math too. I totally agree with you on that. I'm old enough to have gone down the "new vehicle" road many times. It usually ends up being a wash. The problem with keeping a vehicle several years past the payoff is as the miles add up, the vehicle is worth less. As the years roll on.....the vehicle is worth less. While you're driving that "payment free" vehicle, the cost of the new vehicles keeps going up year after year. By the time you NEED to get a new vehicle (unless you have a huge bank account) the amount of money you need to finance gets pretty costly+the interest. If I trade now, I at least have decent equity towards the new vehicle keeping the payments tolerable.
Another thing I'm struggling with is I've owned a truck since 1986. I don't know if would be sorry I got rid of a truck for a little hatchback.

I'm shocked that I've got 81,000 miles on my Tacoma and still on the original brakes.(mostly highway miles) I took a look yesterday at the front pads and there's still over 1/4" of pad left. The rotors look like they would be too far worn to reface them which is why I'm assuming I'd need to get pads and rotors. I am glad to hear I won't need to be worrying about a timing chain for a few years.

 

I've had a truck since 1986. I'm concerned I'd feel the same as you did.

 

I looked at the pads and rotors yesterday. The pads still have over 1/4" left and the rotors look pretty worn. It doesn't look like they could be turned down and resurfaced.

 

If you want better mpg maybe trade it in for a 4 banger. I mean they get better mpg and you still could have a truck.