auto VS manual?

I am looking to buy an older used tacoma as a primary vehicle for driving to work, and as a hunting/trapping vehicle. I have an option picked out on craigslist that I am currently considering. It is a 2000 Tacoma, v6 4x4, ext cab with an auto transmission, with an asking price of $6600. It looks like a good deal, and I am really considering buying it. The only big concern I have with it is the Auto transmission. I have been told that an automatic transmission (especially those in older vehicles) are inferior to manuals when climbing mountains, or going off-road, both of which I will be doing fairly often. I live on a mountain, so I will be going up and down it daily, and during hunting/trapping season, I will be doing quite a bit of fairly serious off-road driving. On the other hand, I do not currently know how to drive a manual, so there will be the learning curve to anything I get that is manual, and I can avoid that by getting something with an automatic transmission.

At the end of the day, do you feel like it is a big issue that I should be concerned with? Should having an automatic transmission be a dealbreaker for a truck that is otherwise what I want?

 

I think autos are better for off-road but that's just my opinion. You don't have to think about gears, you have all your attention on the trail.

For the mountain, it really depends on the elevation. If it's Colorado mountains, I'd say the manual would be slightly better. If it's just hills, auto will be fine.

On the other hand manuals are fun when you learn to drive them. Not so much in a Tacoma, but you can juice all of its power unlike an auto. I think you'll be fine with either one.

 

Manual all the way. Duststorm put it well - if you're rock crawling then auto can be better, of course if you're really into that get dual transfer cases and gears and idle up that sh!t! I've had three manual Tacomas, a precoma 81, a second gen 4Runner and I've loved driving all of them as much if not more than my first gen Honda Fit which was slow but fun with the stick. Learned on my dad's 94 Toyota precoma, learned pretty easily on it.

 

I think the auto transmissions have greatly improved since my youth if they are serviced .

Lots of city driving in big cities in my older days I would say Auto

The learning to drive a vehicle with a manual transmission could cost you a new clutch

If you can change one yourself @ $300.00 or so for a Marlin Crawler 1200 lb clutch kit

Having said that I like my Manual Transmission on slippery road conditions

Being able to disengage the drive train and decide when I want to shift is a big plus for me

There is a big difference in what people call Hard Core Off Roading .

Hard core your talking Lockers Front and Back Winch for sure More then likely lifted Larger Tires

 

I'm more worried that the Tacoma you found on Craigslist is a scam. More than a few good deal Tacoma's are.

 

I agree, look for a good deal manual I would.

 

The only people that think autos suck off road are people that have never been offroad. Let's say there are 2000 competitive rockcrawlers whof do the really insane technical stuff on a daily basis for cash prizes. You can count all of the manual on 1 hand and have 5 fingers left over. Trophy truck baja, same thing. Race cars, kind of a hybrid. Theyre generally a "manual" since you have to choose gears but it's not using a clutch pedal to do the job. Nascar, they're stick only as they require tech from the 50s.

But you're probably not going to be that level. So let's assume you really get into some offroading clubs (not talking about trail riding) and you're out with a line of vehicles. There will be a mix of auto and stick. They're usually pretty easy to id. Some will crawling over obstacles or being annoyed while waiting as others will be stinking of burnt clutch, spinning, stalling and restarting fairly often. A wheel on a hard obstacle will stop, that requires the clutch to slip or the engine will stall. Then you need to increase rpm to get enough torque to get the wheel to climb. Too much and tires spin, too little, stall, and everywhere in between burning clutch. If you're doing technical trails you need to be really good coordinating both feet and both hands to hit the sweet spot that keeps you going. You need to be REALLY REALLY good to do that while you're bouncing around.

An auto doesnt stall. The torque converter acts as a torque multiplier. Increase rpm, crawl over the obstacle, you don't even put down your "coke". It can make up for poor gearing as well. You do have to be aware of the amount of heat a slipping convertor generates though.

I learned how to drive on a stick and so will my kids. I drove a lot offroad with a stick. Up until last year i drove both depending on tbe day. Then figured out I wasn't really enjoying the trail or concentrating on the obstacles as much as I was working my butt off just working the clutch. I'm not fighting the obstacle, I'm fighting the gear I chose to bring to the fight.

Stick vs auto is still a preference thing, there is no right or wrong and you can do well with both. But once you spend a lot of time with both you will generally end up with a pretty strong preference. If you only do 1 or the other and have no experience with the other side it's hard to make an informed decision.

 

^^This^^

 

LOL, I had to do my trapping in a 1975 Dodge Dart Swinger. 4 door.

 

I had a auto in my 4runner and manuals in both of my tacomas. Manual is way better for going up and down logging roads. First gear in a auto is way to high and you will be riding your breaks all the time on the down hill. If you will be hunting and trapping you will be driving slow. I hated the auto in the 4runner so much that I put a manual in it. Sure a auto might be easier for doing hardcore off-roading and stuff but it doesn't sound like that's what you are into. sure you can put your auto into 4low for when you are going down long roads but it gets annoying switching in and out all the time and putting unneeded stress on your components. But if you do go with a auto make sure to do the TBU

 

I guess I hould clarify what I meant by "off roading." I do not intend to do any rock crawling or anything like that. Like I said in the OP, I live in the mountains, and I hunt and trap there too, so a lot of what I will be doing will be basically trail riding on a mountain. I hunt bear in Cherokee ntl forest, and deer hunt similar places. There isn't always a good roadbed, and the road is almost always going up/down a mountain. I will not always be going slow, though. Bear hunting with dogs requires trying to get ahead of the pack, so it isn't uncommon to be going as fast as possible through these conditions.

 

Choose what you think best suit you.

I have two manual, both toyota (rock rig and hunting rig). After 15+ years of constantly shifting, trying to get the trucks in the correct rpm/speed for hill climb, I was fed up. By the way, it didn't help that the hunting rig was also my dedicated daily beater. Every time I hop in the wife's grocery getter, boy was I happy.

That's being said, I end up selling the hunting rig and buying an auto taco. No regret. No more shifting, just hit the gas pedal and go.

 

The auto trans will be ok. The only thing I'd recommend is putting a larger trans cooler. Helps keep the temps down and you eliminate the risk of the dreaded pink milkshake.

 

I don't think Tacomas have that problem. I'm pretty sure it's only a 4Runner problem.

 

only if you're towing anything does it become a problem, at least that I've experienced.

$50 for a tranny cooler is cheap insurance. They're super easy to install, and anything that keeps the temps down on a tranny is a good thing.


As far as what is better (5 spd or auto) it really depends on your driving style. Sure, for hard off-roading/rock crawling, you have much more precise control over your wheel/engine speed with a 5 speed, which is important for limiting wheel spin, etc...

That said, Taco autos are pretty damn good/bullet proof. For moderate wheelin, or even hard stuff, they are pretty nice, and a tad easier to drive since you don't have to futz with the clutch, and you can't really stall an auto, either.

Some people like to poo poo auto trannys for wheelin mostly just because they are purists or "old school" or whatever the case may be.

I've driven both offroad, and at least right now, I prefer my auto. It lets me free up my other hand for my beer (haha).

 

$75 for a new radiator, which you should replace on a 18 year old car.

 

Eh get what you like they both last a long time if cared for. For my wheeling rigs I won't touch an auto. My Land cruiser 80 is an auto and is monumentally boring to wheel and lacks fine control plus it speed limits me in low. My taco is the manual rig and tons of fun to wheel but fuck daily driving that nonsense, the heavy clutch is tiresome, the throw is large, and each gear has a short usable rev range. Perfect for wheeling and all the control. Shure you can wheel an auto but I find those who say it's hard to maintain control of the clutch in the rocks didn't have a great grasp on pavement either. But I agree the manual in a truck is no fun for the road.

 

Unless you really dream of learning manual, I'd go with the auto. You have the V6 engine, I think you'll be fine. By the way, I drive a 99 manual, and I love it. But I've been driving manual all my life. In your shoes, with your lack of MT experience and because you found a taco at what seems to be a good price (which really depends on mileage, frame condition, maintenance etc...), I'd probably jump on it.

 

These threads turn out like this every time. It's a good thing to ask for advice about though since it does impact your driving a lot. Everyone is speaking from good experience, but somehow it's almost like asking blonde or brunette lol.

@Johhnyreb what's up with the truck?

 

Blondes and brunettes are both nice, but what about red heads. Maybe a manumatic taco is what we need haha. That would be okay in my book.