Best 1st and 2nd Generation Model Years

I would like to know what are the best model year(s) for the first and second generation Tacoma trucks in terms of quality, recalls, performance, and reliability? I am considering purchasing either generation.

 

2013-2015 best years. They have the facelift and revised 6spd tranny if youre looking at a manual. The only downfall is that they have the air injection crap that got added in 2012, so you could argue 2011 is the most reliable..

05 & 06 models had head gasket issues so id avoid those

 

2011 with 100,000 miles and the only problem I had was with a bad blower motor at 24,000 miles.

 

2015 for life!

 

2012 had the secondary air injection problems for the most part. 13-15 gets my vote

 

01-04 for the first gen, I call them gen 1.5 and 2013-15 gen 2.5. Depending on where you live and if you are looking for something clean you'll likely be steered towards 2nd gens due to rediculously overpriced 1st gen prices.

 

I put 750k miles on a 2005.
DOP. 10.21.04
One of the very first 2TR FE's off the line at NUMMI.
There were no problems at all.

 

Welcome aboard. love my 2015

 

My 04 and 07 have been great for the time ive had them both. 04 has 185k and 07 has 110k

 

Good point, i should revise my statement saying that 05-15 4cylinders were all equally reliable. It was the 4.0 v6s that had the head gasket issues

 

2010 or 2011 it doesn't have the secondary air filter bs.

The 2012 to 2015 will have the secondary air injection problems eventually

 

12 got a recall for the air injection. So problem solved.
14-15 lost the compass
So 12-13 are very desirable.

All of them have some kind of drivetrain vibration and auto transmissions that shifts somehow hard.

 

My 2011 trd OR had the cleanest engine bay! The driver side fender had a elecro-boost brake unit, a battery and a fuse box. The passenger side had the intake tubing and a washer fluid reservoir.. So clean! No air pump or hoses in sight!

 

I'm not sure if I can post links but if you put "toyota tacoma complaints by year" in google several websites list consumer's complaints by model year. I don't know how accurate they are but after looking at several different charts they show relatively similar results.

 

2005 4cyl Manual had a blown motor at 140k miles.

 

You gotta be kidding? 750k?!!
Makes me feel good bout my 05

 

Edit, just noticed you were talking 4 cylinder..

 

2013 with 100k miles, runs great, transmission is smooth, no vibes.

 

There is something to like about every Tacoma generation so it’s a hard question to answer. I loved the compact size of the first gen Tacoma’s. I almost bought a neighbor’s 2005 (with a new frame) but ended up with a 2013 for the newer safety features. I also liked the grill and headlights way better. I don’t much about the 3rd generation but love the body lines and color choices, particularly orange.

 

2011