Considering buying a tacoma.

Yep, just look at the sales of the diesel Canyon and Silverado... oh wait.

You can't have it all; you're not getting a half ton truck with 30 mpg. And a diesel Tacoma (especially a Tundra) would be profoundly expensive.

I actually like the Ridgeline recommendation above as a "do it all", but it sounds like you just want a reliable replacement for the Dodge, since nothing is going to commute as well as the Corolla.

 

My favorite saying is that 90% of the people who go online screaming about a small diesel, will continue to want one until week #1 of actually owning a small diesel. They are not the mystical motor that gets the enthusiasts all misty eyed and romantic about.

I also say this as a Toyota fan - I can't stand the Tundra one bit. I think that they make a lot of nice vehicles, but they aren't good at full size and above when it comes to consumer trucks. I would stick to the domestics for the HD class despite what my cousin's step-brother's grandfather has to say about them or their quality.

 

Yeah. That time, I was going 55 mph and was towing a sports car, so there relatively isn’t much drag

 

The problem also is most companies will put a diesel in a vehicle, and want anywhere from 10 to 20k more for it because of the diesel. Some people especially with smaller vehicles will realize the advantage isn't there. Plus some "american" companies, will build their own and have problems like chrysler and their fiat diesel.

The reason I am looking at all my options and trying to figure what is the best for me, is because the prices are so high, I almost cannot afford new, with insurance, licenses, and everything else that has jumped up so much, it's hard to justify a third vehicle nor cannot justify replacing my current truck, it would be about 90k on up to replace it...

 

6 M/T all the way buddy!

 

On AT tires with sliders, roof rack and skids I’m averaging 19mpg. Keeping everything bare stock I got average 22-25mpg. I do drive from 60-65mph. Anything after 70 I only get about 17mpg

 

Exactly! The only people I know who are happy with Diesel Pickups are excavating contractors, because all of their vehicles are diesels and they know what to expect.

I went thru the sticker shock bit last year looking at Chevy 2500s. The one I already have has 50k on it, so I was considering an upgrade, until I saw the prices.
I daily drive a Tacoma, but I don't tow with it or move anything super heavy with it. The Tacoma is a good mid sized pickup truck with modest towing and hauling capacities.
If you want something besides that, then you have to mod or buy a full size truck.

 

Yup having at minimum 2 trucks is the way to go. One set up to camp one set up to haul wood.

 

I don't think anyone one has said it yet, but a Taco will not like towing a sxs in the mountains. If you have an alum flatbed trailer and nothing else but the sxs then it might be alright at lower elevations and mild grades, but even my ~1500lb squaredrop camper trailer pisses the truck off. 6% grade at sea level in Duluth MN, 3rd gear and 50mph and its screaming at me with trans temps rising. I see 15ish mpg average daily, 13 while towing my trailer on flat roads.

For the record, I've had two BMW. My 3 series sedan was great with zero issues for the 80k miles I had it. Sold that and got an X5 diesel. Best vehicle I've ever owned, hands down. Zero issues over 100k miles, comfortable, great fuel economy, pulled 5,000lbs without a fuss (even hooked up 6700lb skid/trailer combo and it pulled great for the short distance I needed). I do regret selling it for a Taco, but it wasn't the off-road platform I wanted.

Having a reliable BMW is very dependent on preventative maintenance. It's not a vehicle to just drive and forget about. A lot of those horror stories come from folks who see a $20k used BMW and think they've found gold, but what they don't realize is while it may have cost them $20k, it still comes with a $80k high tech vehicle maintenance schedule and the previous owners probably didn't want to pay it, so they ignore intervals and let issues start piling up, then sell it and leave those issues for the next guy. Treat a BMW right and it will be a great vehicle.

 

in case you have not seen this. many white paint problems throughout forum. no way i would buy white paint toyota.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...major-paint-chipping-possible-failure.836334/

 

If you press and hold the traction button, you activate Ken Block mode. It turns absolutely everything off.

 

It does.....until wheelspeed hits about 30mph or the yaw sensor gets mad and reactivates anyway. Which happens in about 0.8 seconds in the snow. lol

When I say "dumb shit", I mean nothing that's actually fast or useful, just making some noise and and ripping donuts, or wagging the ass end around in a controlled manner. Layin sick skidz that don't burn up my tires or strain my driveline. Y'know. Dumb shit.

 

Yup, I feel yah. We get good snow so I experiment a lot Just pull the ABS relay I've never done it though.

 

Maybe blasphemy on this forum but maybe, keep the Corolla for commute, sell the 2500 and get a good condition 2-3 year old F150 or Ram 1500 for the weekends. Saving money on gas with the Corolla to put towards newer but not brand new full size for your needs.

 

Just kind of depends what you value. There was no RSS before 2018 so if you don't want automatic emergency braking standard, go with a 2017 or 2016. Conversely, if you like having a power adjustable seat or Android Auto/Apple CarPlay (non-wireless versions) you'll need a 2020-2023 model.

I don't know if there are a ton of common problems. One thing I can think of is that the timing covers can have a leak, particularly on the earlier models. I had one and it was fixed under warranty. This engine also revs higher than what some are used to thanks to being partly direct injected, so that may alarm you at first. But you get used to it and it really isn't a big deal. Despite this there are 3rd gens with 300k+ miles that have had minimal issues.

MPG for me depends. I do a lot of driving and most of it is at 70 MPH on the highway. I've seen 23-24 in the summer and maybe 18 in the winter. There really aren't any mods to improve it since they were already striving for MPG to begin with. Mods that hurt will be the usual ones such as lifts and larger tires. A re-gear can help after a lift and tires, but that's not necessarily a cheap or simple job.

Manual transmission people will convince you it is the best thing in the world. In reality they're good but they only made up 5% of sales every year. The automatic will get better MPGs because the manual is geared differently in the rear. But they can both be pretty good.

Also, the TRD Off-road is 95% the same truck as the TRD Pro so if you're wanting a Pro, the TRD Off-road may save you a lot of money for not a lot of difference. The main differences are shocks, a beefier skid plate, and a whole lot of cosmetics.

 

I was thinking something similar. Use case seems to warrant a full size.

 

The problem is a 1500 or 150 cannot do what the 2500 does. Upgrading newer on the 2500 would run 80 to 100k. I have two options keep the corolla and get a third vehicle, or trade/sell the corolla and get a 1/2ton that gets about 27. I figured the cost difference would be about 70 a month and 800 a year fuel wise, at the most recent fuel prices. With fuel, tires, maintenance items it's probably a wash on the two decisions. The hardest part is finding something that isn't too high mileage or too new or old. Also finding something that people think are gold like toyotas, or ones with so many issues. American companies have been plagued with issues. It seems like some years are worse than others. But, I think all manufactures get that, changing motors, body styles, adding more features etc..

 

I would stay away from the 3rd gen, unless you want to spend all your time on Tacoma World researching problems.

 

Budget?

I personally much prefer a 2nd gen to a 3rd gen truck. There are some 2007-2010's out there with around 200,000+ miles on them that still have a lot of life in them. But you'll still pay $10-$15K for one that old. The 2010-2015 2nd gens will get you fewer miles but will cost more.

An automatic does EVERYTHING better than a manual. I enjoy driving a manual at times, but from a performance, towing, and fuel mileage perspective automatics have been better since the 1990's. The manual guys tout the ability to select the best gear for road conditions. I've never driven an automatic that wouldn't let you also manually select the best gear for road conditions. On level ground and open road, you can let it automatically shift. In mountains or when towing you can manually select the best gear for the conditions. If you plan to tow avoid a manual like the plague.

I don't think there is anything terribly wrong with the 3rd gens, I just don't like the engine they put in them. They need 4600 rpm's to develop peak torque and as a result the transmissions need to spend more time in lower gears and shift back and forth a lot more. People blame the transmission, but the engine is the real problem. But other than that, I believe they are a reliable truck.