Debating going from Ford to Toyota

I'm a Ford guy, but I'm seriously considering a Tacoma. I currently have two trucks: a 2005 F150 FX4 5.4L flare side supercab and a 2003 Ranger XL 2.3L 4x2 regular cab with a glass topper. I like both trucks and have had to do little other than normal maintenance on either. I have been thinking perhaps I could save some money by going to one truck. Iowa winters and steep trails on my acreage mean 4x4. Since I can no longer get a Ranger with a 4 banger and 4x4. I have been leaning Tacoma. I had a Ranger 4x4 with a 4.0 and the gas mileage sucked. I only averaged about 1 mpg better than I do with the F150. I liked the size of the Ranger and it had plenty of power, but 17 mpg average was about it. I get 30 mpg summer and 26 mpg winter with the Ranger, but no 4x4. I used to have a camper that I pulled with the F150, but sold that, so now most of my towing is my 18' aluminum bass boat and a small utility trailer. The Ranger pretty much sucks for towing anything. I can get 18-19 highway with the FX4, but probably average 15-16 all around. Towing is obviously another story, particularly in wind, but it's not something I do all that often.

I had hoped I could pare down to one truck that would average 20 mpg or better, tow my boat once in a while, and have 4x4 when I need it in the winter, launching the boat, or climbing the trail to my food plots.

After reading a lot of mileage threads and checking out fuelly.com, I'm not sure the Taco would really save me any money, just some garage space. I'm usually pretty good at squeezing mileage out of whatever I drive. Is 20+ mpg realistic with a 1st gen 4x4 Taco? Which engine/transmission combo would most likely do what I need to do and still be economical to drive? I'm probably looking at the extended cab. I don't know that I could like the short box on a double cab, though I do like the looks of the inside of the cab. I like the looks of the 1st gen, but would a 2nd be more likely to do what I need?

I'll post this in the 2nd gen forum as well.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

I get ~18mpg mixed, and about 23mpg highway with my V6 5sp 4x4. How heavy is your boat? It's not going to tow like an F150.

I don't know how the 4.0 2nd gens tow, but if you want a Toyota and tow over 4000lbs often I'd consider a Tundra.

 

I almost went with the generation of f-150 you have, but i decided i wanted a smaller vehicle, plus i didn't want to have to learn a bunch about the fords also (i already knew a good bit about the tacomas).

You won't get much more than 20 out of a 1st gen, i'd go with a access cab with the v6 (3.4) and the 5spd manual, or a double cab and swap in the 5spd (the 4 door was not available with the manual trans)

I personally don't like the 2nd gens, to car like for my tastes, and the interior feels small compared to the exterior size, but the power from the 4.0 is good.

 

The boat weighs 1250 pounds dry, so I'm guessing 2500 to 3000 loaded with the trailer. I'm not wild about the looks of a Tundra, nor would I gain anything in terms of mileage over my F150. The boat tows easy. I think I get better towing mileage with the boat than with my 5x9 utility trailer with my John Deere 318 in it.

Thanks.

 

I like the looks of the 1st gens better too. What kind of mileage do you get with your truck with the auto trans?

 

I have a 2013 toyota tacoma TRD sport 4x4 I get 19 city and on the highway I get 21 at 70mph I watch my mile per gallon on my OBII port display all the time. I had a 2007 2wd toyota tacoma before and as well as a 1999 dodge ram crew cab. I saved alot of money on gas by switching from my dodge to the tacoma considering I got 9 miles to the gallon on my 318 magnum v8

 

~15-16 mostly city or short (15 minute or under) drives, i'm also a aggressive driver.

 

I've got a first gen with the 3.4/auto, normally get 18 mpg mixed, 20 mpg hwy. my wife is a super passive driver and can get up to 22 mpg hwy. I've never towed anything in the taco. I made the switch from the ranger a couple years ago (had a 99 4x4 with the 3.0 auto and a 00 4x4 with the 4.0 manual) and have been way happier with the Tacoma! Plus a taco will last twice as long as the ranger...

 

They stopped making rangers for a reason! Tacomas were a big part of that

 

I test drove an '04 Extended Cab SR5 TRD 4x4 V6 this evening. It's a nice unit with only 65000+ miles. Size wise, it's pretty much the same as my Ranger, except for the extra cab of course. It felt smaller than I anticipated. It drove very nice and the cab noise was very low, with a nice 6 cylinder rumble out back. It was a lot peppier than the 2007 Ranger 4x4 I had. I suppose the manual transmission helps that somewhat. I liked the Ranger, but the mileage just plain sucked.

My impression of the Taco was that it's a nicer version of a Ranger, quieter, quicker steering response, quicker overall. It also has a much smaller turning radius. I think this one turns as short as my Ranger 4x2 regular cab, if not shorter. I know it would beat the Ranger 4x4 turning radius by a lot.

The truck just got the frame replaced...nice shiny black paint...no rust, new exhaust and new tires (Goodyears, but at least they are new).

I'm still a little torn. The PO said he rarely checked the mpg because he used it around town and to and from a small farm about 5 miles one way. The one time he drove to Mankato and back (loaded with college stuff for his daughter on the way up) he got 22 mpg. I guess 22 is not that bad, but the FX4 has been a good truck and has gotten decent mileage. Still I limit its use and it would be nice to get back to one truck that would do everything I need and cost less doing it.

Pluses for the Taco:

better mileage
tires are cheaper to replace than the FX4 tires, plus I can get one set instead of two
easier to park both in the garage and on the street than the FX4
plenty of power for what I haul/tow
cab noise is about the same as FX4 (way less than 2.3L Ranger)
6 quarts of oil and one filter instead of 12 quarts and 2 filters
better resale value
hopefully fewer repair $$$ (the FX4 has been great, just maintenance. The Ranger: new clutch, new clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder, new upper A arms, new shocks, new brakes, new plugs, plug wires and coil, needs tires...what's next?) Suddenly the higher mpg doesn't look so good anymore.

Minuses
way less cab space than full sized about like the Ranger
not an access cab (but then again, I won't be climbing into the back anyway)
no power seat (okay I'm spoiled by the FX4 seats)
small cargo box (can't lay a sheet of plywood between wheel wells)
it's black (Looks great when clean, but how often is that? My acreage is on a gravel road)
That's about all I can think of. Hopefully they will be willing to deal. If not, I'll keep looking I guess.

 

I'll be honest it looks like the pluses outweigh the minuses.

most of your negative comments about the taco you learn to work with like the seat and color. very miniscule items of attention. the space is an issue tho. but I'd just buy a small utility trailer and call it a day

 

Seems like you would benefit from a 2005+ Tacoma

 

I went from a 2000 ford ranger to a Tacoma.. and I must say.. I love the extra room and the more capability and versatile the Tacoma is... can't speak of a f-150 but it def beats the ranger ( I was a ford guy)

 

How often do you need to haul plywood, and if you do you have the trailer to do it with. MPG it would be a little better but not enough get rid of your F150 over. But when you look at all the pluses, I would do it and it will have fewer repairs than your FORD if you take care of it which it sounds like you do with your vehicles.

 

Yup, but I'd also benefit from more money.

Going down to deal now. Wish me luck.

 

I have been a Ford guy my whole life. Started with a 70 Mustang, then a 67 F100, a turbo charged 89 Ranger, a 2000 Ranger, then a 2007 Mustang GT, then a 93 F150 Lightning. Those are long gone and now I am in love with my 96 Tacoma, the savings in gas money is incredible!

 

2nd gens FTW!

 

Well, it's official, I'm a Tacoma owner. I'm picking her up tomorrow.

2004 Xcab SR5 TRD, 3.4L, 5 speed manual, black sand pearl, power windows and locks, tilt and cruise, sliding rear window (that my arms are too short to reach from the driver's seat), 65k miles, new Goodyear AT tires, new frame, new exhaust, AM-FM CD/cassette player, tan interior. I gave more boot than I wanted to and the dealer got less than he wanted, so while I undoubtedly got screwed, it wasn't as painful as it might have been.

Will I miss the FX4? Oh, yeah. In the four years I've had it, it has been a great truck. Other than service, I think I've changed the emergency brake cable. Nothing else broke. I hope I can say that about the Taco in four years.

It hasn't been detailed yet, but here are some pictures they sent. Hope the pictures work.

 

Damn, nice truck.. hard to find with that low mileage.

 

Tell me about it! I did a search on Autotrader using the same basic specs (not including color and minor options) as my truck and under 75000 miles within ANY distance from my location. The result: FOUR! Four in the entire freaking country.

That didn't exactly work in my favor in the negotiations. Obviously there were a few more of "the most popular truck in the U.S. for the last 35 years."

Still, they had the Taco listed a little below book and gave me a little more than a grand over top trade in for my truck. Basically they had the same miles (F150 had about 2000 less) and the Taco is a year older. Options were similar except the F150 has the rear suicide doors and an automatic, so I had to cringe a bit at paying them boot.

My wife asked, "Do you think you'll regret not having a full sized truck in the future?" I said, "Yup, but not all the time."