A Tough Choice - Help!

Just buy a new one.

 

You said you wanted a TRD sport, the blue one may say sport in the title, but the picture is of a TRD offroad.
Either way, as has been stated for a few K more you can get new, both are priced way too high for me.

 

I think those prices are too close to new to not buy new.
That said I wouldn't worry much about a rental, I know everyone thinks people treat them terribly, but I don't think that is necessarily the case. My family has bought two rentals and never had an issue. My moms 1999 4Runner was a rental and 18 years later still has never had one problem, never been in the shop once. The rental companies take care of the vehicles, they always take care of service on time, always keep them clean, they are checked up on every time someone bring the car back. Many owners never do any of this.

You don't know what any previous owner ever does, that's why to buy used you should get a better discount than that.

I paid less than either of those for a Brand New 2016 Off Road 2wd with Premium and Tech and Tow package, but I know FL is cheaper than CA.

 

You could just get an sr5 4x4 with premium and tech. Save some moolah.

 

Just buy new OP, my first two trucks were beaters so I was looking at buying used to save some coin.
Knowing people nowadays, buying used is really a gamble. There are people out there that have never opened a hood in their life
That thought alone steered me away from used, I figured I'm dropping the coin I might as well buy new
It took a while but I happened to get a deal at Toyota of Orange after DCH Torrance and Manhattan Beach Toyota wouldn't play ball
Got my 4x4 TRDOR with Premium Tech and JBL with tri fold for 38.5 Before ttl
No problems and I am completely satisfied being a first time new buyer

 

Thanks for all the advice, guys. It's really appreciated. Well, you guys were right. I got to the Hertz lot and I showed them the ad, and how it was listed as a sport, but it was definitely an Off Road. They said they would change it. It had a nice Nav system, but something about it didn't feel right. It was really clean and looked and smelled new, but the drive was... off. I can't put my finger on it exactly. There was a lot of slop on the steering wheel. Maybe it was because you guys were warning me against buying a rental? LOL. I will say though, seeing this in person really solidified the fact that I want a blazing blue truck.

Then I went to the Toyota dealer. The black truck had only been gone for 3 weeks, and the guy's financing fell through. So it's an unwind. It was a decent deal. I even offered $33k with TTL, but they wouldn't budge that far on price. If it was blue I might have stayed longer to haggle but I just couldn't pull the trigger on a black car. So my search continues.

You guys have given me a lot of good tips though, and I am going to expand my search to Arizona and further north, and I am going to email dealers and do all my negotiating over email, that way I can just show up and sign papers. Seems like a better way to go without having to spend all day at a dealer.

 

I would advise you the following that worked for me. Wait till the end of month once you're approaching those days hop online (carguru, autotrader, craigslist) and start making calls to internet salesmen. If they are asking for 35k offer them 32k more than likely they'll counter you my Tacoma Off Road fully loaded with just about every option was 41900 I negotiated that down to 36,000 it did take a few days of negotiation but at the end of day they need to make quota. *they might ask you to fill out a credit application DON'T DO THAT! First negotiate a price after that go in person to verify all options and test drive

 

less than zero is even an option here.

 

Call Camelback Toyota in Phoenix and ask for Mo. He will take care of you.

 

Buy new and get exactly what you want , just negotiate the best price on it.

 

Do you want the tech package? Did either of those two trucks have the tech package?

 

The more I research it, the more I think, yeah I do. I don't necessarily need the JBL option, but it almost always seems to be there. I definitely want the sport, though.

EDIT: No, neither of those trucks had the tech package.

 

My local dealer has a few '17 DCSB OR's for $33,999 NEW. So neither of those seems like a good deal to me.

You're right on the money on black, I would walk just for that. And it may be because I'm from New England, but I see no point in a 2wd truck unless you actually need it to do truck stuff (or it's a classic and FAST) If I remember your first post correctly you play guiter...no need for a truck for that.

Having 4wd could be cool even if you say you don't need it... hitting the brach or dunes you guys have out there looks like fun. Plus the resale, or course.

At the end of the day though, it's your money, so get what you want. I find these are like Jeep Wrangler though....stupid high resale, so new makes the most sense. Don't forget, if you're financing, you may get a better interest rate on new.

And as far as the added maint on 4wd.... a few front diff and t-case fluid changes don't cost that much. IMO you'll lose way more in resale.

 

I do play guitar.... but I also have a half stack and gear that does not fit easily into the trunk of a car or the back of a smaller SUV. I also DJ and my speakers and equipment for that also are way too big for a car or SUV.

Yeah, I am having a hard time selling my 03 Ltd Pre-runner because it's a 4x2, so I see your point in resale value. I just don't offroad at all, though. I went twice in the 14 years I've had my current truck, but it was for paintballing in a remote area, not for off-roading specifically. Then my paintball crew disbanded lol. Anyway, I'll keep my eyes peeled for good deals and I won't rule 4x4 out, but if I get a sweet deal on a 4x2 I won't pass on it.

 

www.buyatoyota.com is a real helpful tool in just seeing what is available. Depending on what zip code is entered, it searches by Region. Seems like CA is divided into two regions being South and North. You will find a lot more 4x4's in the North. I actually had to drive 3 hours just to get mine as SR 4x4 are not usually sold in SoCal. Just doing a quick search, there are NO Blazing Blue's with Tech package available in SoCal. However, Nevada as 42 BBP's with tech package and 4x4.

My suggestion is you get exactly what you want and can afford as it would suck to be stuck paying for your second choice.

 

Whoa, cool site! Thanks! I'll check it out. Thanks for doing a little legwork up front too! Nevada isn't too far of a drive and a cheap one-way flight.

edit: how come I never saw this off the original toyota site before? I guess I don't go there much and just come straight here instead, LOL

 

No problem. If you're not in a hurry, check the site weekly. Toyota will probably be shipping trucks until late September before making 2018's. From what I've seen before, manufacturers start making the next year models in October.

 

I bought my 2017 TRD Sport, access cab, 4wd, AT, tow pkg, premium and tech package for 9.5% less than MSRP plus TTL. I did it pretty much this way:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/so-you-want-to-buy-a-tacoma.475482/

I did drive about 400 miles to get it but I got exactly what I wanted and I believe I got a great price.

Use the first couple of posts of this thread to determine the model number of the configuration you want and go from there...
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-much-are-you-paying-for-your-2017-tacoma.444691/

It is best to wait till near the end of the month (3-4 days left) to do this.

Good luck

 

Dealership I bought my truck from happens to have a Sport 4x4 in BBP. No tech pack though.

http://www.freewaytoyota.com/new/Toyota/2017-Toyota-Tacoma-633c7f800a0e0a6b3b5b9d25ddaf2261.htm

 

Dude, thanks!

There are lots of 4x2 BBPs sports with tech packs in my area, so I may go that route using the method Jyank posted.