Advice on Purchase - 2011 Tacoma

Greetings. New member and new to Tacoma's. I have several friends with Tacoma's and they have nothing but positive things to say regarding them so I'm looking to purchase a used Tacoma for my teenage son. The vehicle I'm looking at is a 2011 Tacoma 4X4 Access Cab 4 cyl with manual transmission. 150,000 miles. ARE cap with Thule racks. 1 owner with clean Car Fax. Any concerns with the 2011 model year? Maintenance items for a vehicle with this mileage? Is the 4 cyl with manual trans a good combination? What MPG can we expect? We will tow some with it. A small aluminum boat and a utility trailer. Majority of the use will be driving without towing. Thanks for your feedback.

 

I'm in a 2010 DCLB (Double Cab Long Bed) 4.0L 6cyl 4x4. So...not an exact match by any means...but at least I can get the conversation started. All in all, it should be a pretty bomb-proof truck. If your kid is anything like I was when I was his age, putting him behind the wheel of a 4x4 might not be the best idea in the world. I remember absolutely trashing my dad's 1985 Brono II. Just sayin'

Have you run the VIN through Toyota to find out if the various recall work has been done? Leaf springs, frame (your bio doesn't say where you're at, so if you're not in the north, this wouldn't be an issue), etc. Not sure about mileage with the 4 cyl. I get +/-17 city and +/-19 hwy.

Wish I had more to add. Hopefully you'll get some others replying!

 

I have a 2010 dcsb 2011 is a great year also . Just basic maintenance and you should be good. I think its smart getting a stick shift for a beginner driver. Keep them focused on driving and not fumbling with there phones and radio. Im so glad someone taught me when I first got my license. Good luck and enjoy

 

2010 Regular cab, 4x4, 2.7 w/5spd reporting in... Only have 65k miles on mine, so can't report on a truck with that mileage. 2.7l with the 5spd has been great for me, I have a ~30mi round trip commute 3x/week combo hwy/surface streets, usually get around 22ish mpg if I don't drive too aggressively. I have never towed with mine, but have hauled pretty decent loads (~700-900lbs) in the bed for good distances without any issues. I prefer the manual for driving under load, easier to stay in what power there is with these trucks.

 

2011 access cab 4x4 5speed and 4 cylinder here, exact match I reckon. I've got 125k on mine and no issues to report other than a door lock actuator motor going out awhile back. Original clutch, and otherwise basic maintenance - diff / tranny fluid every 50k, spark plugs and coolant at 100k and oil every 5k. Can't think of anything else, been problem free and gets a consistent 19 mpg with a permanent 300 lbs in the bed.

That being said, I've seen a few reports of the oil rings on the pistons failing on the 2TR-FE requiring a complete rebuild of the engine. Seems to affect the entire 2nd generation range of these motors although it seems to be rare cases. Just something to be aware of if you find your motor burning 1+ quarts of oil every 1k miles or so. On the other side of the coin I've seen several reports of these motors exceeding 400k miles with basic maintenance so who the hell knows how it'll shake out.

 

This guy only made 1 post, a week ago. It's not likely he's coming back to this thread.

 

I have a 2011 access cab, and I think it's a great truck. No problems, and I have been able to do a lot of work/mods on it myself. Mine is a manual, but it's a V6. I like that V6 too much - I definitely shouldn't have had that as a teenager. I had a Gen. 1 Tacoma with a 4 cylinder and a manual, and that was a great truck, too. Go for it.