Considering buying a Taco, a few questions...

Hey guys, I imagine this topic has been done to death already, so let me apologize in advance.

I really want to pick up a new Taco to replace my aging '07 XC70. I don't really NEED a truck ,but I'm sure the bed will come in handy here and there, and there are no current SUV's that interest me, other than the Wrangler, but with the model change coming up this year I think it's wise to avoid them for a while.

I love the Jeeps, but to be somewhat responsible, I know the Taco will be more practical/reliable, with better resale at higher miles.

I know I want a Double Cab, and I know I want the TRD OR pkg. I probably won't do much wheeling with it, so the OR pkg is most likely overkill. I don't care, I want it to have it, and I know if I don't get it I'll look at every OR I see with envy. So, since this will be my first brand new car I'm going to get what I want! haha

I'm stuck on bed length though. I keep going back and forth:

SB will be easier to park and more maneuverable offroad. Also much easier to find with color/options I'd want.

LB will be better at being a truck, though I don't do much truck stuff. Would be nice to have it if I needed it. Sometimes I think it looks better (I kind of think the SB looks a little squished).
Harder to find though, so color/option choice will be limited. Other times I think it just looks really long, though it's only about 13" longer, right?

I drove a beautiful Quicksand DC LB OR the other day, it had the roof rack and looked SO good!, but it also had the tech pkg and a bunch of TRD extras that no way would I want to pay for, for a sticker just under 41k. They're listing it at 38.5k, which is better, but still a bit much.

I like to mountainbike and camp, generally at the same time, so there's lots of gear. I measured it, and at 75" I don't think my 29er will fit in the back of a longbed with the wheels on (I was hoping to be able to just lay it in the bed, wheels on with tailgate closed) Looks like that won't happen.

Will camping gear, cooler, 2 bikes, fit ok in a SB?

What about the bed extender? How much additional length would that give? Maybe the bike would lie down then?

Any one get one or the other and regret it?

Moving on from the bed...

Any suggestions on how much discount I can expect, and is there any good time to buy them? (end if month, etc)

Should I wait for the 18's to roll out to try to score a leftover? I've never followed Tacoma pricing, I don't know if they blow out the previous years model? I know Toyota tends not to do any incentives or finance deals on them...like Jeep with the Wrangler.

The one I drove felt kind of slow. It only had 150 miles on it, do they wake up when broken in or as the transmission "learns" the driver? My Volvo 2.5T is actually quite torquey, it makes 236lbs @1900rpm. I tend to drive that with a light foot, and it moves along nicely. Driving the Taco like that made me think I left the parking brake on. Maybe ECT helps?

Any options that are must haves, or ones to avoid? I like the sunroof and heated seats, but the rest of the tech pkg I could care less about, for instance.

And 499 for a TRD skid, and 90 bucks each for an air filter and exhaust tipe...how about NO. (The one I drove had that, also the roof rack was 399, but I actually think that's not bad).

Anyway, thanks for any info, and I just realized how long this is! Sorry for the long read
Sometimes these posts just give me a chance to kind of think out loud.


Mike

 

Only my opinion here...

I park in a garage downtown every day so opted for a short bed. Were it not for that, LB all the way.

You WILL NEED to change your driving style with this thing. A light foot makes the truck up shift when you least want/need it and it will be maddening. You need to be a bit more generous w/ your throttle inputs to make it go the way you want.

Dealers generally deal at month end...probably your best bet. Likewise, you can save a few extra bucks by getting a 2017 later on this fall or early next year. Just be aware that the longer you wait, the fewer of them there are around for you to chose from.

Options are totally up to you. I have an SR5 that I've added everything I want. I couldn't justify the extra coin for the factory package.

good luck.

 

29ers in the bed with the tailgate up.

Beach cruisers in the bed with the tailgate up.

You can leave the tailgate down and get them in the bed with a shortbed but the backup camera is now useless.

Had a shortbed for 12 years and always wished I had more room, with the longbed I never think I have too much.



Longbed tracks better on the interstate and is a better platform to tow with the longer wheelbase. After owning both, I will never go back to a shortbed.

Does it need to fit in the garage?

 

You want a truck for practicality but then are entertaining a cumbersome and unnecessary option in the Long Bed. Huh

They won't break in. The drivetrain is perhaps the biggest criticism on this truck.

 

Don't listen to him OP, he has a problem with longbeds, can't seem to drive one without high centering it all the time. That's why he's afraid of them. Probably high centered his shortbed too, that's why he has that detailed but excellent writeup in his signature for lifting.

Man up and drive a man sized truck, get the longbed.

Don't be a smitty99.

 

Go with a longbed you wont regret it. Mine is a street princess so I got a sr5 and I do not care about heated seats etc. Once in awhile I go on a gravel road lol. I went with a longbed because I do a lot of fishing and dump runs. As smitty said the powertrain combo is the biggest complaint. Me I am fine with it... I am not in a hurry anywhere 99% of the time

 

I've got short bed. I fit a 50L roto moulded cooler, plano large tote(tent sleeping pad and tarp are all in here), my kitchen thing I made which functions as storage when not being used as my work table and holding the stove, two 20L water containers, one 20L jerry can, one of those stanley rolling tool box things (the ones that are like 16"x32"x22") full of recovery gear, hi lift and some other gear. All packed in with a little bit of space left not much but this is all under the tonneau cover. Once I get the bed rack should free up some space since jerry can and hi lift will be mounted on the outside of the rack.

Bed extender just gives you the space of roughly what you get with tailgate down (you loose a little to the way it angles in)

Depending on climate (dunno where you are) but the block heater is fucking amazing for the winter months (i'm in canada so its important)
don't waste your money on the TRD skid, the ones from Mobtown are so much better. The dealer I go to always mentions how its so much stronger built than what they offer with the TRD one.
I love having my tonneau as well.

It is a bit slow and takes some getting used to. If you put your foot down it is more responsive or driving with ECT on. I came from a Jetta TDI with work done to it so I'm no stranger to low end torque. It definitely is different but I've gotten used to it now.
The tsb for trans also helped a lot.

theres times i want a long bed, but for trails and camping the sb is much better.

 

the shiftsense pro helps a lot too (I have it and love it) look at that or the ov tune

 

OP - Tacomas never go on sale. Period.

It is about the only product Toyota can make poorly and still sell the shit out of them.

They have no reason to discount them.

 

Thanks for the info! I'd like to be able to leave the front wheel on, but I see what you did with the toolbox there. I like that, the lockable gear storage must be nice.

Awesome looking truck, too, other than the wheels it looks just like what I drove.

How do you like the roof rack?

And no, I don't ever garage park. I street park at home, and there's a huge open lot at work.

 

Thanks for the info. Garage parking isn't an issue for me.

Good to know about driving style, next time I drive on I'll have to get on it. On paper the motor looks good, but the fact that peak torque isn't till 4600 rpm is pretty disappointing. Seems pretty unsuitable for a truck, but what do I know, I'm no engineer. And engineers tell us drum brakes are better too...

 

I'll throw out some shortbed love! I have a 2017 TRD OR DCSB with about 7600 miles on it, i came from a 2005 S60 and ill never go back. I always looked at the Tacos and knew I wanted one and when i got xfered to Colorado for work it was time to do it. The SB is great around town, on the trails, in parking lots and parallel parking. These things all matter bc i do live just outside the city. I thought about a long bed for a long time but got a WAY better deal on the SB bc they are abundant. there is plenty of space for all the gear as long as you have half a brain and know how to pack. i did 4 days in Moab with 4 grown adults and my puppy and we had plenty of room to spare!

 

Even past years models?

But yeah, it seems like Toyota really phoned it in on this update, but for some reason I still really like the damn things, haha.

 

My advice, definitely get the TRD OR. Rather have and not need, than need and not had. Ask me how i know.

I camp, mtb, and kayak. My SB fits my needs perfect. The oem rack looks great also. Here are some pictures. The 1up bike rack solves the problem with hauling bikes. I can run my kayaks on the roof, RTT above the bed. All camping gear in the truck bed, and two bikes on the rear with the 1up rack, oh and carry 4 poeple in the truck comfortably. Only regret, not getting TRD OR. So I didnt skimp when i got my T4R.

 

They just had a $1000 Rebate on Tacoma's on the 4th of July, looks like you missed out on that deal but you can probably due well at the end of a month and end of the model year.

 

don't lay your bikes down in the bed, they'll get trashed sliding and bumping around - get a rack or a tailgate pad.
i've a tailgate pad and could manage two bikes and camping gear no problem. and if there's only two bikes, there's only two people which means the entire back seat is available for lockage storage, or quick release snacks!

 

Man, I wish I could get xfered to CO! I was in Moab the first week of may on a mtb trip, and we drove down from Denver. I really liked what I saw of CO! I rode some in Grand Junction, and was psyched to ride in Fruita (esp Horsethief! My bike was named after it).

I'm in RI, no real wheeling here that I would take either bed length on. All the trail pics the local clubs post are more hardcore, they mostly all drive built SWB Jeeps. Mine will be a mall crawler, except for maybe some forest roads and bombing around in the snow.

Your truck looks really sharp in white, btw. And good point about SB being more abundant.... I see a ton of SBs listed, there's a few with msrps of 36 and change marked down to mid 34. That's more reasonable to me.

OTOH, if there's not much demand for a LB, maybe they'll be more willing to deal to get rid of it?

 

I like how you think with the snacks! Haha

Actually, the two bikes is just me...my trail bike and my downhill bike. When we camp we tend to do a day at a lift serviced bike park, then a day on the trail.

I'm sure the bikes would be fine laying down, I was thinking I'd go with a rubber bed mat, and they're mountain bikes...they're all scratched anyway. I tend to crash them...a lot

I actually have a hitch rack on my Volvo. I just figured it'd be nice to use the truck bed for stuff like that.

 

Thanks for the insight! And that's a great looking truck, too. I'm torn between Quicksand and MGM. That rack setup is cool too.

I have a nice Kuat 2 bike rack I could use, it's prob the easiest anyway. It's a snap getting bikes on or off it.

I'm def going to get an OR if I get a Taco. I probably won't need the capability, but Id rather have it and not need it than the other way around. I like the look of it, too. I know if I didn't, I'd feel bad every time I saw an OR.