2nd Thoughts on Tundra vs Tacoma

I vote to keep the Tundra. It gives you the capability of having a larger truck but not as big as what the 2nd gen Tundras are. Make yourself a pros and cons list and be honest with yourself.

Ultimately you want to drive what suits you best. So far your own pet peeve was really the size and how it felt like a huge truck. I thought the same on my 2.5 gen Tundra after coming from a 2014 Tacoma. After a few months, that "huge" feeling went away and now it's just how it is.

 

my brother has a 06 tundra and he loves the truck, but his one complaint is how long it is. I'd that's a long ass truck, but man that bed space comes in handy. he always said he'd buy a tacoma only if he could get his hands on a long bed.

 

I'm just going to buy a 2013-2015 DC Tacoma SR5 or Sport and keep them both. Play with them until I'm comfortable with the one that meets my requirements. Let's see if the right Taco shows up.

 

I'm changing all my wheel bearings after loading 3/4 ton cement, keep the Tundra

 

I often wonder if that’s the truck I should’ve got instead.

-same size as Tacoma
-more luxurious interior
-simple reliable auto trans
-power rear window
-cheaper to buy, register, insure
-V8
-similar aftermarket
-full cab still has larger bed

 

I've been searching around online and found that for off road comparisons only, the Tacoma is the way to go. It has drive-train features that the Tundra doesn't have. As mentioned in this thread, it's also lighter and more agile. And because it's lighter in weight, it'll be easier to recover in the event it gets stuck.

 

A trailer behind that Highlander will meet that need for a lot less $. If you need a 2nd vehicle there are lots of fun fuel sipping choices.

 

A trailer behind a Highlander does not a Tundra make....

Thanks for the suggestion Bill. It is the frugal/intelligent thing to do.

But a man should own a pickup truck. I bet there was a time in America when most households owned a pickup truck. Let's bring that back

 

Never said it did. You're the one who defined your minimal hauling needs (that I quoted) which I just suggested a budget friendly alternative for.

Best of luck in your quest.

 

Capster, the most I'm going to load on this is my bikes or the occasional run to Home Depot which the Tacoma is perfect for given its smaller footprint. My issue with my beloved Tundra is that I feel like I'm using a gasoline leaf blower to put out a birthday candle.

I'm also NOT going to lift it or offroad it or pimp it or any of those things. I'm an old man who drives with the elbow out in summer.

 

And that's why everyone and their brother has a crew cab that's never been used to haul or tow anything, and why pickup trucks are like $70k average these days.

This vehicle image stuff is crap. No, not everyone needs a pickup truck, especially those who "might haul something someday". They suck to be around, and are more dangerous for other cars and pedestrians.

I know that last paragraph will trigger some on this site as well. If you want a truck, that's up to you, but we don't need more people convinced they need something for that 1% use case.

 

A 60" bed is proof that people aren't really using trucks for truck things.

 

So when i moved from sports cars to my truck , I narrowed down my search based on a few items:
- total cost of ownership
- out the door price
- reliability
- specs etc

it came down to a new Taco or Tundra. Knowing that i was Not gonna tow heavy stuff and more likely be a daily driver/weekend 4x4’er (both were expensive new) and the Tundras were only getting like 11 and 15 MPG. While i like the bigger, beefier Tundra… i just wasn't going to utilize that much truck; so why dish out the $$. The Tacoma has been a perfect fit for what i need. Consider your Tundra as a bridge till you find the perfect taco!

 

Not a bad idea actually. But I still need a second car.

 

No more dangerous than your 4Runner. Come on if you are going to make a statement like that at least drive a Prius.

 

I looked at both the Tundra and the Tacoma when I was shopping for a used truck. I'm picky about interiors, so it took a while to find one that didn't have issues. I ended up with the Tacoma because it was just at the correct level for what I needed and wanted. It gave me that feeling when I was looking at and driving both. I wanted a DC 4x4 and a 6' bed on a Tacoma, but couldn't find one with the V6 and the tow package. I drove/looked a lot of Tundras, (2nd gen 2013-18 (mostly) and the only issue for me was the bigger overall footprint. I ended up with an SR5 trim V6 Tacoma DC with a 5' bed. Perfect shape and 104k on it. My son has a 5.0L 2016 4x4 F150 XLT Sport Crew Cab. Beautiful truck, but it's BIG. I get to drive it once in a while and it's plush and powerful, but my nerves don't relax completely until it's back in the driveway.

24,000 miles and about 28 months later: no regrets. I like the old-school feeling, ride and handling. The 4.0L has all the power and pick-up I need. The interior has some annoying plastic creaks that come and go that I'm always chasing, but other than that it works and I like it. I take it fishing to the Forest Service lands in New Hampshire and Maine in the spring and summer, and the Moosehead area to hunt in the fall. I never worry about or even think about it breaking down way out in the woods when I'm out there. Other than that I haul mulch and firewood occasionally, carry 350 lbs of sand tubes in the the winter, and took the cut up old massive wood swing set to the transfer station. (One trip, and I believe that thing weighed at least 600 lbs. and no sagging) I don't tow with it except the small trailers at the rental places to bring back a billy-goat brush cutter or log splitter. I mainly wanted the Tow Package for the extra goodies.

My thought is give yourself some more time to figure out if the Tundra is what you need, or more importantly: what you really want. Maybe replace just the speakers and see how it sounds and save yourself a grand? How many miles on your Tundra? Unless you really rack up the miles, I would expect it to hold its value well if you ever decide to swap it out for a Tacoma.

Good Luck!

 

Well I normally drive the Rav, but you're right.

But there's something wrong when I can't see over a vehicle's hood while sitting in a 4Runner... That's what I'm referring to.

But yeah, all SUVs / CUVs are part of the arms race and complicit in the bulking up of all cars

 

I would sell the tundra and go for a tacoma, I went from a tacoma to a tundra to a ram 3500 and now working my way back to a tacoma.