Best model of Tacoma

When I was truck shopping a few years ago, I decided tacoma, v6, manual transmission. To be used for putting around town, and the occasional trip to home depot. I didn't even know what an xrunner was when I bought it. Pleasantly surprised it has a lower bed height.

I know it's not what would suit op's needs. I had to put it out there. The xrunner is great for a city dweller who stays on the paved roads. It's really amazing how fast it can take a turn.

The only issue I have is the horrible mileage I get, most likely due to the lead foot.

 

From the research ive read before buying my 2010 . 09-11’s had the least amount of “reported “ complaints. Then skip the 12 for the secondary breather issues. But there’s a tsb on them now. For the 2.5 gens I would have to go with a 15 . Ive driven 3rd gens and the auto sucks the manual is much better. And if i had to go with a third gen I would love to get the trd pro in green. but damn $50k for a mid size truck. Can’t justify it

 

I'd go with 14 because the best hockey team in the world won that year.

 

Back before I had even heard of TW, I made my decision on a 2.5 gen based on the data here:

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Toyota/Tacoma/

I don't really care about having the most up-to-date tech or creature comforts. All I really want is a vehicle that will run without significant trouble for a very, very long time. While it's a little early to assert anything about long-term reliability (currently just shy of 53k miles), I don't regret buying my 2015.

 

Buying a 2015 was a good move. That’s why I bought a 2021 4Runner for a family vehicle earlier this year. Same bulletproof drivetrain (except for vvti). Not sure what’s next for the Tacoma when it gets redesigned but I bet the manual will get axed. I may get a new Tacoma with a 6MT at the end of this model run (2023?).

 

I somewhat agree, but i would say don't buy the first year of a model change. Just find a 2006-2015 Tacoma that is clean, not rusted and checks out with a mechanic or someone that is mechanical.
You are going to pay a lot more for a used Tacoma than you would pay for any other small truck. Shoot, they cost more than most of the big trucks.
4.0 is a great motor, just understand that gas mileage is not any better than a full size truck, especially if you add all the weight of 4x4. You'll get 20mpg if you're in top gear at 40mph using cruise control
14mpg is probably an accurate estimate

 

Depends on what your using it for. Do I get jealous some times of my buddies 01 beater trail toy Tacoma with 500,000 miles on it which is solid axle swapped with lockers and full armor..... Yes yes I do. It is nice crashing into something rather abruptly and rather than worry about what sort of damage you did to your baby, you reach in the back seat and grab another beer out of the cooler while your buddy who owns the truck is laughing his ass off, telling you to go faster/harder next time. But then I get on a paved road and try to drive over 60 and the the whole truck lets you know how displeased it is about going over 50. Comparably I Love my 2013 Tacoma. It is a good balance of a couple of factors that are important for me. For one it came in a manual, which was most important. 2 The truck with some modifications is a beast offload with long travel ifs in the front and 12 shocks in the rear, and can handle 70% of the shit I try to do with it, and 90% if i get both lockers going and ignore all the horrendous scraping sounds.. But more importantly I get on the highway and my truck cruises doing 80 in relative comfort. My 2013 has many of the amenities/accessories I need and not many I don't care for. Basic bluetooth connectivity, and a nice steering wheel, with a simple decent interior. My truck has proven to be relatively straight forward for most repairs, and seems to be holding its resale value rather aggressively. So I am putting my hat in the ring for a late model 2nd gen 2013-2015 as the most desirable years for a dd truck. If you want a beater trail toy, grab a 1rst gen Tacoma, they are smaller, cheaper, and might not run as efficiently as the 1grfe, but if well taken care of, still posses 300,00+ mile engines.

 

I don't know if the gas mileage will be quite that bad. If you don't mash on the gas or add a bunch of poorly thought out mods, you can easily get 20 mpg or better. My truck is fully armored with lightweight skinny 32s (Michelin Defender 255/75R17) and I clocked an average 20 mpg over the winter, which is decent considering winter blend gas doesn't run as well as summer blend. I regularly get 22ish mpg in the warmer months, and got just under 26 mpg on a longer highway trip once.

 

OP, If you're going to actually sit inside the truck while driving then you may want to go check out the interiors of each generation.

 

I like the 1st gens and the 2nds gens 2012-2015. Love the refresh on those. I would never own a 3rd gen unfortunately.