Considering backing out of my trd OR order.

You could always gear down. The 2nd gen Tacoma is a dog with anything larger than 33's. It's probably true that this truck is a dog with anything bigger than 31's because of it's design but a regear would give the engine more effective use of what torque it has.

 

That's great advice. I have bought two new vehicles in 42 years of driving. The first was an 85 Plymouth and there will never be a bigger POS than that car. The second was my 16 Tacoma (not comparing to the Plymouth). In hindsight, I probably would have waited for the 17. In the shop now for a week waiting on parts that are not available. Another week minimum according to the service advisor. I was spoiled by my 04 that never had an issue in 12 years.

 

Not really nitpicking. Its just that the tech features are supposed to be more convenient and I feel like they tried to pack so many features into the system that some really basic functionality got overlooked.

As for the Audis, they're not as bad as their rep. I had 4 of them in a row and none of them required major repairs. They drive great and they're a ton cheaper than other high-end brands. Hell I've already had to have the blind spot monitor system replaced twice in this truck w/ only 5k mi on it!

 

I ordered my new 4 door TRD Sport 4 X 4 in October 2015 and finally got it the first week in December. I was a died in the wool Nissan fan but decided to trade in my '99 Frontier for the Tacoma, based on some bad reviews on the Frontier and the favorable review on the Tacoma. I've got about 3500 miles on it now, with only one "minor" complaint. The hard tri-fold tonneau cover doesn't sit flat behind the cab and the bed gets soaked when it rains or I take it through a car was. I'm sure it's just an "adjustment" that needs to be done and it'll be all good.

Other than that one minor thing I love this truck. I call it "My Country Cadillac." The ride is great, power from the v6 is more than adequate, interior is quite comfortable for my 6' 01" inch frame, and very quiet. The grandkids love the full rear bench seat compared to the jump seats in the old Frontier. I intend to make this the last truck I'll need to buy so I made it my very own by ordering just about every "extra" I thought would keep me happy! The wife loves it too, but has been hesitant to drive it, as it is larger than that old Frontier. She looks out over that hood and won't even try to get behind the wheel. It's OK, with me!! Gas mileage has been better than I expected. I keep very complete records, both mechanical and fuel mileage, on the truck and the wife's car. I've been averaging a little over 20mpg. and this week it's starting out at 21mpg.

This truck is the very first vehicle in my 50 years of driving/owning cars and trucks that I actually have to read the owners manuals.
The dash and all the information it has at my fingertips is just mind boggling. I have yet to even try and figure out that 7 inch screen with all it does. Thought I was losing my mind the other day. While waiting at a red light a voice came out of the dash and read me a text message the wife had sent!

 

Hahaha, with technology in modern Tacomas what it is, you can't hide from the wife anymore

 

Uh, Oh...No politics for me today!

 

When you get up in age you have your own built in "Whoppie Cushion" and usually no control for when it decides to "work!"

 

I can see where the OP is coming from. Toyota has taken a conservative approach to getting more MPG. Other vendors went with diesel magic, aluminum body, turbo chargers to increase their efficiency. Toyota on the other hand tried to go with a different approach using a Atkinson' Cycle and a bit of an overactive transmission. The end result is a truck that does not take the risk of the other tech but still gives you better efficiency AND horsepower than previous Tacoma's; I honestly don't know what more I can ask of them, it was a perfect set of trade offs for me.

• It has pulling power when I need it. It might run at high RPM to get that power, but the engine is specifically built to handle that. I can pull my 6k lb up that hill just fine on the occasion I want to.
• I live in a city, I like the trucks dimensions, any larger, and WTF might as well get a Tundra.
• It rides smooth. The transmission shifting does kind of bother me, but this truck is a smooth shifter, and when I want power, there is plenty. It also rides quiet.
• It confidently goes off road. It is just a matter of time before I get myself in over my head
• Most important thing for a new truck. I sat in many other brands and they were pretty good; As soon as I sat in this one it was like, I am your Dog, you are my people DONE. It just fit, it felt like a truck, not like a Cadillac, but not like an old teeth shaker. It was the perfect blend of utility, fun, and comfort.

I honestly feel that other vendors are taking a bit more a risk with their new trucks. My old man does not trust turbo chargers and some of these new diesel builds. He is a old wrencher and does not feel they are going to stand up to the years well. I mean look at some of these Fords, as much as I like them, they don't add up; More weight, power and MPG and cost just seems a little too good to be true, I feel the other shoe is going to drop on them when they need repairs (aluminum body) and or service (turbo chargers).

The Tacoma is definitely no longhorn Cadillac 4 wheel drive, but it does truck and commute well.

 

You should and get a 16 4Runner

 

I guess it depends on what your are coming from driving too and needing something new. I picked up a DCSB off road yesterday. We bought my wife a new Chevy Cruze about a year and a half ago, so I've been driving the 08 Malibu we bought new and I also have a 95 f150. The Malibu has been having some issues with a lot of miles. I really like the truck and think it was a good decision for me.

If someone is in the position to wait, then wait. I was in the 'in between' on needing something or drop a lot on my old car, so I pulled the trigger. Yes, I did have to top off the u joints and the trans is probably low, but it'll all work out. Our Malibu was the 1st year of new style and we had little to no problems with it. The 13 Cruze on the other hand, took about 7 or 8 trips in the shop to get everything worked out. Just my 2 cents

 

Well, thank you for all the posts. I took the fiancee' the other day and we drove a 16' RAM Eco diesel crew cab Big Horn. MSRP of about $48k. Also, took a TRD OR for a test drive one more time with the fiancee'.

Thoughts:
Price...
They got the price down to $34,500 for the RAM and its $34150 for the Taco.
They offered me $750 more for my trade than Toyota. Financing is 1.9 for Ram and 3.9 for Toyota.
Financially the RAM is the better choice.

Quality...
The RAM is very well built. Very nice interior, not too plastics. Navigation, dual zone, heated seats, basically the whole package. It fits me a bit better in seating position than the Taco.

The Taco is nice inside and I actually really like the updates. It's tighter but fits very nicely. I hate the seating though and no adjustability really ticks me off. I do like the standard navigation though.

Ride....
The Ram wins this one hands down. No further comment.

Reliability...
RAM has had trouble in the past with this. I've also heard horror stories of the way Chrysler goes about there service. Also, diesel can be a lot more expensive to fix after warranty. Evidently they had problems with it when they first introduced it but now 2 years later it does t seem to have that many bugs left that they didn't fix.

The Taco, always known for reliability. However, this new model is unproven. I hear horror stories about this new model as well. Let's be frank, Tacos and that frame issue will still probably exist. I'm also worried about the transmission. The test of the taco the other day did the same thing with the sales rep in the car on the highway. It would not shift back up to a higher gear when in cruise control after it shifted down. This is a huge no no for me. I also heard a lot of wind howling. So to me, the new Taco is not proven yet and shouldn't be compared to the old reliability.

Overall thoughts...
The RAM Eco gets better mpg, rides better, has a nicer interior, more room for the family, and costs about the same.

The Taco OR fits me better for my city driving and parking. More off road capable, looks better IMHO, and even though it's not proven yet, but prob will have a better resale value.

Overall I'm still undecided. I'm not getting an SUV and I'm not getting another other full size truck because of MPG. I can't wait any longer so waiting for the 17 to come out is too far away. I'm still torn and just need to figure out what's best for me.

 

Factor in rust....Dodges are the worst of that. My friend is a used car dealer and man he's had some newer dodges just rusting over the wheel. Also, dodge doesn't release patents on most of their maintenance parts, so they are always 3X more than they should be.

I respect your research as I've been reading about taco's since October or so, along with various other makes and models. Like my dad said, just make sure you like it enough to keep for a while.

Hammer Toyota on interest, I got 2.9 for 72. They should be able to do that for you pretty easy I would think.

Good luck, I know it's a hard and not cheap, decision.

 

Honestly, you aren't going to find a golden answer here.

 

I believe to the OP needs more help then this forum can offer because to me the choice is clear. Either that or he is trolling.

 

I assure I am not trolling. Just simply looking for opinions from people whom may have been in a similar situation as me and what was their deciding factor. It's my choice at the end of the day but I always like to hear from people as I may be overlooking some things.

 

Buying a diesel is a bad idea ever since the EPA ruined them after 2007. I had an 06 TDI, loved it, put over 100k on it, even kept it while diesel was 2 dollars more than gas for awhile since i was getting 45mpg who cares. Now though diesels need to have way to much crap on them to make them "green" just look at the BS VW had to deal with because they gave their customers better power and mpg but the epa would rather less power and less mpg and cleaner exhaust. I dont really see how buring more fuel is better for the environment, it's just worse for your wallet. So unless trump wins and eliminates the EPA fingers crossed, id stay away from anything diesel.

 

Turbo and Diesel: each cost more to fix than regular NA gas motors in general. More parts = more risk something will break. However the average owner will have no problem getting 100K+ out of any of those options mentioned and few will own the vehicle long enough to put those kinds of numbers up.

A vehicle is a poor investment, resale should not be a significant driving factor for this reason. Finance through dealer for incentives and rebates -- then turn around and refinance a few months down the road to get payments and lower interest. This is the best way as you will be able to negotiate in other dealer stuff, lower prices, etc. as they make money off of your financing through them. When you're ready to finance elsewhere, you can almost always finance as a "New" vehicle rather than re-financing as a "Used" vehicle as long as there are under 10k to 20k miles and it is at least within 2 model years old. Each lender will have clear rules on this as it is a common thing for people to do.

 

This is my first Toyota Truck. Like you, I'm used to vehicles with a little more creature comforts. Some of the replies in this thread that say you're nit-picking, or whatever...it kind of goes to show the difference in the main demographics the Tacoma is aimed at. It's why the Tacoma has had this damn drive-line vibration for so many years...it's not THAT noticeable to most drivers...it was driving me crazy...I stayed on Toyota until they fixed MY TRUCK. The market for $55K+ trucks would't bear that.

I've gotten used to manual adjust seats, and seats with no height adjust. No heated seats in my TRD OR 4x4. I miss that still. No leather... I miss it, but I'm OK with it. Overall, I love the truck. For trade value alone I wouldn't get a Ram. Oh, and if Mileage is an issue...My buddy's Ford F150 FX4 4x4 with the Ecoboost V6...it gets better mileage than my Tacoma, and has shitloads more power. So, if you can afford the price on a big one, mileage is not an issue...you can find one these days that gets as good as the Tacoma, or close enough to not be a big deal.

 

Test drove the f150 with the new 2.7 Eco turbo. Great power and it's like a little rocket. However, the interior is very very cheap to me. It's all hard recycled plastic. Also, the aluminum body is about $400 more per year to insure than the Tacoma and RAM. Believe it or not a Sierra was the cheapest to insure. Go figure. Ford says the give you lots of incentives. They don't, I qualified for about $4k off of msrp and they wouldn't go any lower, that's from 3 different dealerships. So Ford is out of the question, plus I was treated like crap at two of them.