Convince me to get a Tacoma

Toyota because it is the best built mid size truck, is comfortable and reliable... nothing breaks unless you beat it, and then it is hard to break still.

I am on my 3rd Tacoma as I get them as a 5 year lease for business, and I can get a new truck after 5 years for nothing down, as the trade in value is so high, even with high mileage (136,000 on my first Taco an '01 and 102,000 on my second an '05).

My third is so good, I think it will be a keeper, and I will buy it. With business so low, my mileage is way down from the past. After 2 1/2 years, I have just 36,000 miles on it... nothing has failed... a 2010 Double Cab 4WD Off Road TRD... amazing truck! Oh, and it fits in my garage... an F-150 won't.

Look at the crazy roads my friends and I go on... first vehicle is my silver Tacoma (ahead of my truck was a 4Runner and HB Murphy's '09 DC Off Road Taco... after me is an '03 Off Road Taco with pop up camper, a Dakota with a locker, and a motorhome with front and rear lockers all 6 are 4WD):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slqyAwt6CP8&feature=player_embedded

 

No, but you also don't get life insurance with the intent of being dead soon either.

Its a factor to consider because you never know when you may need to sell to offset the cost of something else, or use as trade-in value. In any big purchase, you should ALWAYS consider resale value.

 

If you're going to be towing heavy loads frequently then I would get the F-150 or similar. I've always liked those cool sounding diesel pickups . I don't want to spend $45K on one though. Maybe someday . The Tacoma does a decent job towing my 3500 lb camping trailer, but I wish that it had a little more power when going through the mountains. I did average 17-18 mpg towing on a recent trip which is great since I sometimes get less mpg's when I do a lot of city driving. Payload on the Taco's is also less. I maxed out my truck when I used to carry a 1000 lb camper in my bed, although the truck carried it with no problems. I sold it because it didn't have a bathroom. Any camper with a bathroom (even the pop-ups) are too heavy. I believe that the Tacoma is superior for everyday driving and the occasional tough job. If not for the weight limitations I wouldn't think twice about another truck. As far as price, you could probably get them to sell you a F-150 for the same or less than a Tacoma.

Resale is not important if you're planning to keep the truck for a long time, but when time comes for a new truck it's nice to know that it still holds a lot of value. The 80's & 90's Toyota trucks are still commanding a few thousand dollars. You can't say that about a lot of other trucks.

 

Yea, but he's already paid Chevy and Dodge. We all have via the bail-outs. If I had to buy one of the three, at least Ford didn't take a government bail-out.

 

get the taco

 

I just bought my 06 DCSB TRD sport last month. My choices were 1st or second gen taco and the same in tundra. You should consider the tundra over the ford IMO. I decided that since I wasn't hauling anything crazy Id get the taco. It's true that fords can be reliable but it's not the norm. Toyotas are known for reliability.

 

I'm on my third Tacoma too. Before that it was Fords, F250s and F150s.

I use them hard for work and generally trade them in every two years. They'll have 40 or 50 thousand on them by then and most of that is on unpaved mountain roads. Sometimes no roads at all. They're a work rig and a write-off so I don't bother with treating them gently. I'll do required services when they're due but nothing much beyond that.

I'm not concerned with how they look...I am concerned with how they work.

So far the Tacomas have been absolutely bullet proof. I've had the rear spring TSB done but other than that once I drive off the dealer's lot I never see them again 'til it's time to trade for another new one.

The last four or five Fords I owned seemed to spend as much time in the shop as they did working. Nothing major, just an endless procession of little things...hoses, wiring, fuses, belts, cracked wheels, a door that fell off, four windshields in the same pickup in four months that cracked because the cab was off center and warped the window frame, broken cab mounts...you name it, it went to the shop for it.

If I don't totally thrash it inside and outside the resale value is much better
than Ford. The Toyota dealer I use seems genuinely interested in repeat business and it shows in the way he treats me.

If you're buying for flash get whatever you think looks good. If you want a tough little truck that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to run I think Tacoma is the way to go.

 

This. Is. Awesome. I think I'll make this a signature quote.

While I agree this isn't the only reason, for me its a big one. Everyone says that cars are the worst investments. However, I bought my 08 SWB DCSB TRD OR last year, have put 20k miles on it so far, and its still worth exactly what I paid. I don't plan on getting rid of it, but it gives me huge piece of mind knowing that if I had to get rid of it I would more than make my money back.

Too funny.

 

Completely untrue. I love it when assholes with jacked up V8 trucks blow by me on the interstate at 85 and at the next gas station I see them stopped for gas, and I keep going along for another 200 some miles before stopping for fuel. I have fun in my truck every time I drive it.

 

I get anywhere between 20-24 mixed highway and city with mine, worst I have gotten was between 13 and 16 towing 2580lbs across the country.

 

Every minute you do not have a tacoma in your garage, a baby seal gets clubbed. Think about the long term consequences...

 

Keep in mind that because the ecoboost is a turbo charged engine you will have to run premium fuel so it wont knock. If you factor in the extra mileage at the more expensive gas it is really a wash in the fuel expense area as the tacos dont need the higher octane. So if your fuel is a wash go with the quality of the toyota, they have been proven to go the distance without problems, the Fix Or Replace Daily not so much.

 

I know a rear locker is better than not having one and can help you get out if you are stuck in the mud or snow but from my limited knowledge, it wouldn't be good to drive around in the snow with it locked all the time.
When I used to have a 4x4, I used to always put it in 4wd when the road was covered in snow. It won't help you stop or from sliding sideways but I always liked preventing myself from getting stuck rather than getting stuck and then hoping that 4wd could pull myself out.

 

Thank you for the info. After reading for a couple weeks threads on a ford forum, I never once read that you are required to use premium. This does help my decision. I read that Ford's 5.0 engine is very close to the Ecoboost in terms of mpg. If the 5.0 doesn't require premium, then my guess would be that the that gap in mpg would go from small to none.

 

Premium isn't required on the ecoboost, nor is it in the "recommended but will run on lower octanes" category. Regular gas is recommended across the lineup. There was a time when turbo engines typically usually always required premium, that's not the case anymore many are made to run on regular.

As far as the locker, they're available on several trims of the F150 as well if you're that worried about having a locker.

 

Thanks, that what I was thinking since I have read numerous MPG threads on the Ecoboost and not once did anyone say it required premium.

I would want LSD for the F150 but if I can't get that I will get the locker.

 

You are comparing the Tacoma and an F-150... The F-150 is a full size, Toyota's comparable vehicle in size and features would be the Tundra. When I was looking at trucks (I already knew I wanted a Taco), an F-150 with all the options I wanted made the truck nearly $40K before rebates and such. My Tacoma came with stuff I didn't even really want and was essentially "fully loaded" for my needs and was $12K less, and below MSRP.

 

Does anyone else think its funny that there is a ford in the background??lol

I would stick with Toyota or Nissan, both make excellent full size with the tundra and Titan, both get basically the same mileage as the 4.0 Tacoma. Both the Tacoma and frontier are nearly unbreakable, and have great resale value.

Maybe I'm biased but I love my reg cab 4 banger gets great gas mileage, and as long as nothing's hooked to the bumper it has got a lot of get up and go.

 

A Tacoma will make you want to skip.
















Out of work and GO PLAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Buy an older model Tundra. They weren't quite full size and the mileage is about the same for many, but you get a V8. Find one in good shape and you'll save a shitload of cash, so much so that gas mileage won't matter nearly as much.

I came from an F-150 5.4 4x4. That truck and I did a lot together w/o any issues. I just wanted to downsize and get a DC.