2013 TRD or SR5 please give input

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I would spend the $30K + dollars in this order ...

(1) Get a TRD (better seats & rear locker) ... or

(2) Get a SR5 (have $3.5K more money to spend on mods, but w/o seats & locker) ... or

(3) You could buy over 30 (64G) iPhone 5s (at retail list price) ... and you can talk on a different iPhone 5 each day of the month ... ... and get a couple of 512G Mac Airs to boot ...
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The point of my statement was: Why spend all the money upgrading A SR5, where he can just buy an Off Road and have what he already wants on the truck. Minus A front locker.

and isn't that the point of his purchase? To make the truck capable?

 

I had an SR5 for two years...and have had my Sport for 3 months...

I can not say the TRD seats are any better. More bolstering...different material...yes. Better...not really.

 

haha awesome response, way out of left field but classic. In all seriousness I really appreciate all your input on this matter. After a long day a work with this question brewing in the back of my mind I think I may go with the OF package... at the right price. Def not paying 31grand for it dealer cost is 29500 so Ill see what the dealer says. The other issue is that these cars are absolutely impossible to find here in NY, but seems they made more TRD packages than SR5, or at least the dealers ordered more. My one last question to you guys is,
Do all the fancy "e-lectronic" functions of the Off Road package work with Manual Transmissions? This would be the deal breaker for me.

**Side note I have been looking specifically for Mag. Grey or second choice black and my local dealer decided it would be funny to order a Silver from south jersey and try to get me to buy it. No offense to all the silvers out there...just not my thing and there is no way I will Rhinoline a silver truck and have engine bay and door jams glow. Why do Stealerships always; 1. think they know best, 2. prove themselves to be completely INCOMPETENT!?!?!**

I digress, Krimson and ManMan, it seems the both of you have the strongest arguments for and against. Honestly I wish I could say I dont care about the seats but after 7 years in a Scion tC... I always wished it had nicer seats. Lumbar support is actually pretty important to me as I find when doing heavy clutching I tend to sink my lower back into the seat(abs arent as strong as should be, like most humans) and plain seats end up annoying me after a short time. So this I will keep in mind when climbing into the TRD. I have not yet had the chance to sit in the TRD but have test driven the SR5.

Now to the functionality. Yes I want the vehicle to be as capable as possible but I dont want to make a mistake by going with the e-locker. Some say the air lockers are stronger, others say the e-lockers are better? someway? If I end up with buying the TRD for the Locker, will I find myself regretting it 5 yrs down the road, when im "off-road"(no pun intended lol) and stuck due to some electronic malfunction or other issue where the e-locker wont engage or disengage. In this sense would an Air Locker be more reliable?
(please dont say I would then use a winch...cuz then how would I drive it home if locked... then please dont say at 3mph....) Im just trying to think of hypotheticals that are probable and may result in a "D'oh" moment--> and then the flaming of someone on TW.

 

think re-sale.

then think "would it be worth more as a used SR5 or used TRD?"

then buy a TRD, and mod

then sell when toyota re-designs the tacoma

start over.

 

I'm actually not trying to argue either way, I have no vested interest in either option. Just giving you food for thought!

 

Get the SR5. If Workman could do it over again, he would have bought the SR5 package and threw ARB lockers front and rear. Workman loves his TRD though, 91K and not a single issue...still running the stock battery!

 

Understood, and much appreciated. You pointed out very valid points that have made me decide, if I cannot get a low price on TRD then the SR5 would suffice for my needs. The TRD would only prolong mods for up to a year instead of right away.

Workman pound chest when angry! lol sorry the third person post gave a caveman feel to it. I was at the same decision up to the beginning of this week, but I feel the right/best choice would be to go with the full package, and resale is always there but I dont see more than a grand resale value over SR5(650H1) If I can get the truck at dealer cost then TRD all the way but once over 30 grand I will feel uneasy. SR5 was quoted at 27900 and dealer cost for TRD OC(offroad) is 29500. Today I will meet with sales manager and see if the headache he caused be will justify a deal.

 

$1600 difference between the OR and SR5? holy balls get the OR

edit: never mind i thought those were actual prices for a second

 

I bought my SR5 for under 24k brand new in 2011, nothing fancy. Manual trans 4x4.
My payments are about $80 less than if I had bought the OR at around 30k. So not only did I have a few extra bucks up front for mods, I have a few more per month to do more if I so chose.

Besides the air locker is better than the OR electric locker.

 

of course a used TRD is going to be worth more than a used SR5 (in simular cab and driveline configurations)...

but it also costs more on the front end.

 

those are the two prices I was quoted, different dealers. SR5 at 27900 and the dealer i just closed a deal with in Mass. got me the Mag. Grey Access Cab TRD OC(OR) for 29500(giving me dealer cost). so yea 1600 difference.

You got lucky, the prices from then til now have jumped considerably. Used 2010 even 2008 trucks are going for 24grand up here in NY with 50k+ miles. its ridiculous!
They are extremely hard to find...as you can see Im going to Massachusetts to buy mine, and it was originally located in New Hampshire. If the case was 24 grand verse the 30 it wouldve been a no brainer for me to buy a SR5. Unfortunately the circumstances are not those, and since I'm getting a pretty decent deal I think Ill take my go at a TRD. For a while I was going to buy a used truck in the low 20grand range but the condition of the trucks I saw was horrifying. Most were completely rusted out after only 2-3yrs on the road.
Seeing that you have successful experiences with air lockers does give me hope for the future. In case of malfunction with e-locker, I may consider converting the rear to air locker, but for now this deal seems reasonable. keeps me under 30k like i wanted and gets me in the truck i want, plus some.

 

BTW could you give me a list of your mods by any chance... just interested to see which brands people go with...

 

The sr5 will get you where you need to go to start then you can mod as the off roaring gets more intense.

 

i say TRD. because i like the seats better. you get a locker. also i think the come standard with tow package,(witch includes trans cooler, bigger alternator, bigger battery, maybe a few other things. but not sure.) also i like the power inverter/ plug in the back of the bed. it’s pretty nice. i have used it a few times.

 

Okay, with driving 40 miles round trip to work each day (not counting trips around town, etc), adding bigger tires, changing the gear ratio, and throwing in body armor is absolutely going to eat your gas mileage. Are you really sure you want to do that, Kosta?

Anyway, the TRD Off-Road is quite capable as is. Certainly not a hill climber or mud bogger, but decent enough for pretty much anything less extreme and darn comfortable on the road. Personally, I haven't felt a need for anything else (bigger tires, lift, etc). My only major addition was a winch as a precaution.

 

the towing package is a stand alone RPO. although most TRD OR, TRD Sport...and even most SR5's I've seen have the towing package.

 

Its 20 miles round trip so not so bad. The long hauls will definitely be dreaded tho but hopefully Obamya(not likely) or better Romney will do something about getting the rate of Oil to reflect at the pump... makes no sense how oil can drop $10 and gas goes up $.10.

You are correct sir. Tho every truck I have looked at minus pre runners have had the tow package. Think dealers like to order these trucks like that to make the extra money... It is a $600+ pacakge.

 

$650.00 to be exact. And probably the best equiptment value available on a new Tacoma. IMO.

 

yeah. i have seen some SR5 with out it tho. but not really any trd off road or sport with out. maybe 1 or 2. thats one thing i HAD to have along with 4wd.