Any Former Jeep Owners Out There

I currently have a 2013 Jeep Unlimited Sport JKU that is lifted with 35's, tube doors and all that good stuff. I am thinking of trading it in on a 2017 Tacoma TRD Off Road. I know they are awesome trucks, but a little worried I am going to miss my Jeep taking off the top and doors, and going pretty much any trail I want to go. I love my Jeep but I Tacoma's are very capable off road. I am missing a truck bed although I have a small trailer I pull when needing extra room in my Jeep. Amy former 2012 and up JKU owners that went to Tacoma have any input??? Oh and I would probably go with Quicksand

 

Owned a 2009 JKU Wrangler for four years.

How's that Jeep at hauling a fridge, or a 800sqft of oak flooring, or a load of crap to the dump? I enjoyed my Jeep but as for moving stuff it sucked. Granted, doors and top off cruising around is tough to beat... but doors off sucks when a summer thunderstorm comes up sudden. Been there done that.

Buy a Tacoma and a Miata. Done.

 

I don't. Bed mat FTW

 

No, thank God

 

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed my Wrangler JKU. Had tons of fun in it on and offroad. As for general use of hauling stuff though it played second fiddle to an old 4runner and was a pale shadow to a truck bed. Yes, you could load stuff with the rear door swung open and rear seats down, but the roll bars got in the way of anything with height like furniture. I'd love to have both a Wrangler and a Tacoma but to choose just one, for me, the Taco is the better all around choice. Provided I have a funcar convertible too. If it was a either or, that'd be a tough decision and depend on what you need/want to do most. Some of this may be affected by the 2009 MY's PITA soft top setup vs later years easier version. Still, tonneau with locked tailgate >> zip-open-fabric&plastic-windows.

 

I had a 2011 jku with 35s 513 Gears full armor 3 lift I don't know if I will ever own another jeep

 

In February of 2014 I bought a brand new 2014 2 door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. I spent a lot of money building it, Teraflex lift with Bilstein 5100s, AEV front and rear bumpers, Warn winch, 35s, etc. I LOVED my JK! Off road, the connection to the trail was incredible and the ability to take off the freedom tops and doors was a lot of fun. But, living with it was awful. Before I can get off-road to the trail I had to drive on the highway and driving on the highway was exhausting. So much road noise and it felt like I was driving a roller skate. I learned that rock crawling wasn't my thing and overlanding was more what I was looking to do. I wanted the utility of a truck bed, a comfortable ride on the highway, but also be able to hold it's own on the trail. With that said, the 2016 Tacoma TRD Off-Road was the vehicle for me. My girlfriend and I do a lot of 8-12 hour road trips and because of that on road comfort is very important. Over the weekend, with some help, I was able fabricate a drawer system/sleeping platform. It fits the needs we have.

 

They are both great just different. I had an 03 tj, Loved it. Then got a 2013 Tacoma loved it. Then got a 2016 jku and love it.

They are all great but like you said different. When I had my tj I wanted more room but still wanted to off road. When I had the Tacoma it was great with camping and hauling all the things I want but was a little bit limited in comparison to the jeep off road. So I got a jku more room and amazing off road, but I will say I do miss having the bed.

There are trade offs to both. Do a pro and con list and chose the winner.

 

I've owned 4 jeeps. All Tj no jk, and 2 mj comanches.
Also have owned 3 toyotas

These 3rd gen tacomas lack an aftermarket scene as popular as jeeps. I mean jeeps are the cream of the crop when it comes to aftermarket parts options... That is my only "complaint" if you would even call it that, but these tacomas are new model. Still even 1st and 2nd gen tacomas got NOTHIN on jeep when it comes to parts... I want a quadratec type company for toyota. Thats my favorite magazine to look at while I shit.

I absolutely love my tacoma although I have the 4 cylinder 5 speed manual 4x4 combo so I am a rare breed on here. The only people complaining about their tacomas on here have the v6/auto combo.

 

Ever have the Death Wobble?

Not. Fun. At. All.

 

You're right, not fun at all. Especially in high wind areas. If I had all the money in the road, I'd own a Jeep again. But, only as a play vehicle.

 

This thread makes me a little sick to my stomach.
I had a jeep. I had this awesome little YJ my dad and I built. Started with a Warn winch and a tomken plate / mini brushguard. Then a lift and re-gear. Then F/R ARBs. Then a Tera 4:1 and short shaft kit. Then nerf bars. Then a tomken rear bumper and tire carrier. Then custom saddle boxes. Then I started carrying extra D35c axles. Then more some trimming, TJ flares, bigger tires. Then a PSM full cage welded in. And some custom padding. Then an 8.8 rear end from an Explorer with disc brakes and another ARB and gears. Then off went the nerfs and we made custom high clearance rocker guards. Then away went the tire carrier for a storage box in the back with the spare tire on top. And a bunch of extras from the quadrabling magazine mentioned above. Then custom warn front alloy axles and manual hubs. And somewhere along the way, this became such a dog to drive I got a 3/4 ton CTD. Then a tow dolly. Then a 1 ton CTD with a MT. And then I didn't even really drive it much at all. Maybe 1,000 miles in 5 years. And my wife told me we could get a new jeep if we sold it.

So, I practically gave the thing away because she wanted one of those JK Rubicons. All I wanted was a hardtop, 2 dr, MT. I got the hardtop. She got the 4dr and auto. And I HATED that fawking car. It was a third car, so, basically we didn't use it for much. I was going to lift it and start again, but then I spent the money on a mtn bike instead. And then I got cancer, so mostly I associated this cancer war wagon with chemo days. And I HATED that fawking car. And more - it had a lifetime powertrain warranty - but that was useless, because the damn thing broke down ALL the time. The [stock] tires wouldn't balance. The transmission would miss. The plugs were mis-gapped, and after 3 tries, they still couldn't get it right. And finally one night I almost missed a baseball game because it died on us. So, I took Monday off from work, and against some mild objection - I traded that POS for a little E91 wagon that has been awesome, and which I love to drive.

My wife also had a 2003 TJ Sahara. I had an 86 XJ in college, then a 95 ZJ later. I also had a 99 TJ Sahara with a hardtop and MT. That might have been the most fun of the bunch, and really what I was trying to re-capture with the JK.

Mostly I hate how that JK made me absolutely loathe jeep, which was previously my favorite thing. I'm pretty sure I'm done with jeep. I'd love a TJ with a hardtop and MT...but it isn't going to happen. I love my Tacoma. Hard core trail "fun" became a wrenching mess, and I'd rather just take a nice trail to a spot maybe for a mtn bike ride, or some camping, or maybe fishing, or some photography. When I was in the midst of jeep ownership, one of my jeep buddies was getting ready to dump his XJ and said he'd never mod another vehicle, which I thought was crazy. Now, beyond some very minor cosmetics, etc, I'm pretty much there as well...I could have had a really nice 997 for what we spent on all this.

Here is a much younger CO Taco Boy with a YJ partially along its mod journey, either Terminator or Predator just north of Phx.

 

@Sixgun CO

 

I sold my 2000 Xj for the down payment on my truck. I also have a 2 door Jk parked in my driveway. My OR goes everywhere the jeeps went without hesitation.

 

You'll miss taking the doors and top off. I like them both though, different in their own fun way. I got rid of the JK because I didn't want it to turn into a rock buggy like my TJ, and now I've gone and cut up the Tacoma

 

Buy a truck and have a dedicated beater trail pig.

I've got a 98 XJ Cherokee that is my '4 wheeler'. Cheap, reliable 4.0 and I don't care if it gets thrashed.

 

Do you want a trailer queen or a DD?

Jeeps make horrible DD's once built properly or become stupidly expensive. Plus a pretty Jeep or Tacoma hurts when you start smashing it into stuff. I am all for older trailer queens (older as in you won't cry once you fold that tender under and straighten it with a sledgehammer) that you can have fun and not need it to get you to work on Monday.






Most people try to DD a full blown wheeler. They suck as far as MPG. They wear out quickly due to the added commuting miles. I say get a dedicated wheeler and a dedicated DD.

 

Tacoma>jeep

Loved my jeep, but the Tacoma is just as capable and 100x's more comfortable and useful.

 

I've had 3 TJs, and for sure will have another Jeep when I can afford to have a dedicated trail rig. Tacoma is much better for daily use, but I sure miss having the top down and doors off...