Can you sell me on a 3rd gen? Update: You did!

All I know is that the 4.0 has a track record of being reliably bulletproof and I also raced a 3.5 rear wheel drive and smoked it in my 4x4.. Weight not being on my side..

Things I do wish I had (in no particular order):

• CRAWL Control (Because why not?)
• Projector headlights.
• Easy down Tailgate
• On board computer for real-time MPG & TPMS (I have scanguage)
• Keyless entry.

Now, do I think the items listed above were worth the extra $10,000 I could have spent for the same trim just one year newer? No. Have I been happy with my truck? Hell yes. It's a Toyota. Only time will tell I guess. I think highest mileage I've personally seen on a 3rd gen was like 65,000mi. where the 4.0 I've seen 600,000. It's just a game of odds man.

 

There’s at least one person on here with well over 100,000mi on a 3rd gen, can’t remember which engine he has tho.

 

Drag race is at about 3:54




Question is, why does Nathan own a 1st Gen Taco? While he gets to test drive all of these other cool trucks....hmmmm....

 

If you "smoked" it, the person driving the other truck did not know how to drive. At best, it will be a tie. Probably they will beat you by a few truck's length if you race to 60 mph as the Tacoma 3.5 is about a second faster than the 4.0 Tacoma to 60 mph. Numbers don't lie. People do. https://www.zeroto60times.com/vehicle-make/toyota-0-60-mph-times/

 

I think someone might be a little butt hurt. Watch the video Swollen Goat posted https://youtu.be/jbmOYTMirrw?t=4m15s Clearly beaten AND You can see the 3rd gen headlights jump up before the 2nd gen. I am many things, but a liar is not one of them. My only thoughts are that my softer off-road springs helped the rear end dig into the road for longer while I stomped that Gen3 ass all up and down 290. But what do I know.. I've only been to racing school 3 times and drive like a bat out of hell.

 

You smoked a Gen 3 with your Gen 2?
No video?
Never happened.

 

Ha!
Weak kung fu dude: "You don't even know what a graph with an x and y axis is for!", he says.

I won't enter into a battle of the wits with you, lad, armed as you are with a plastic Captain America shield and a cocktail garnish skewer pirate cutlass. I have my honor.

I will say this: If you are towing 6000 lbs. on a regular basis with either truck, you are a moron. Proffering that the 4.0L has higher torque at lower RPMs and, ipso facto, is therefore the better choice for towing a 6000lb load is like saying that a spoon is better than a spork for digging a post hole for your yard fence (In truth, I prefer the spork because I find it's able to break up the hard dirt on the surface better).

Let me anticipate your next wild assertion and say that I will not be entering my truck in any tractor pull contests at the fairground.

The 3rd Gen Tacomas with the tow package do an awesome job of towing a reasonable and sensible load down the road. I found it to be an absolute pleasure and I never once felt unsafe when taking off from the line. Nothing else to say.

Actually there is one more thing. The silly high reverse gear on the 3rd Gens makes backing up with a trailer in 2WD pretty tough, especially uphill. That is where I would prefer a 2nd Gen, but not because of the engine.

 

Bragging about racing school and drag racing Tacoma’s cancel each other out

 

look for a 2015, has some improvments/tech, but not the problems! Maybe?

 

After 3 racing schools, wouldn't a guy learn something about when its right to race, and in what vehicle, and who you are racing?

Like you said, the Tacoma isn't a good race vehicle, especially regarding speed.

 

..........

 

I did find a 2015 with 8k miles that had me contemplating pretty hard. I decided to not do that quite yet. I want to drive a 3rd gen with transmission tsb before I give up on them.

 

This is the route I took. Downgraded from the ‘07 OR to a ‘15 SR5 & I am happy w the switch. Miss having an OR but got my hands free phone which was a biggy up here in the Northeast. Test drove some 3rd gens but didn’t love the experience (I like an AT for my DD). Nothing against those that do!

I figured my next would either be a mid-model 3rd gen (2020+) or jump back to a Ranger after a few years of production. Assuming we can still buy gas guzzling trucks in a few years...

 

Good luck and test drive a lot.

 

I've had toyotas since ‘75, at least one and as many as four at a time.....I now have a 17 sport, cant live with it.....i love the truck, looks good fits nice, handles well.....cant get past the Engine/trans problem and dont think I should chuck another $750 at it....My background is automotive tech which makes it worse....Toyota is no help....offered to buy it back at a $6k loss with 3k miles on it.....buy a Tundra....
Or a gen2......
If you can do the ov tune...you'll probably love it.....

 

Queue the smart ppl swearing there is nothing wrong with your truck and put you down for finding fault with it.

 

Or the ones saying that you need to feather the gas peddle or that you have to drive this way or that way to make it work for you lol. IMO you shouldn't have to drive any certain way to make it enjoyable, you should just drive the way your normally drive and if it's not for you then it's not for you. Each experience is different for every individual and I see how some people can be as happy as a clam with it and those that are disappointed with it.