Deciding between 2 completely different Tacomas

You are probably referring to the "transmission gear hunting" thing but that's more of a performance thing and not a leak. It gets talked about a lot here. There was a TSB early on to address it. And it was not an issue for all 3rd Gens.

 

You gotta get under the truck with a flashlight and look for oil or coolant stains anywhere... valve cover, timing cover, water pump, rear main seal, rear coolant bypass pipe, transfer case, steering rack, cv axles, etc.

Above all, test drive them and listen for weird noises or vibrations etc., keep an eye out for white or black smoke from the exhaust.

If you are not familiar with this stuff, it's best to have an independent inspection done.

Some of these types of leaks are super expensive to fix. And those 3rd gen tacoma 3.5 V6 are known to be leaky.

Buy the dry one.

 

Ouch, danger Will Robinson. Option 2 is only 5k less then I paid for a brand new 23 PRO..

Option 1 all the way.

 

You going to keep farting around on here and miss out as both are going to be fast sellers. People are wanting a good 3rd gen now. I have a dear friend of mine wants my truck bad, came with 50k to buy it. I passed on selling it because I can’t replace it. Long story short he got a new off-road in 22 then got a 23 pro and still wants my truck as he gives them to his grandkids. He just bought a 24 4runner pro for his granddaughter. Anyhow OP buy a gently used 23 Sr5

 

3rd gen tacomas are selling like hot cakes where I live. I wouldn’t call the 4th gen a flop, but they missed the mark.

 

First 1-2 years of a new model typically don't sell great. Most people want to wait and see if any major issues pop up. I'd say too early to know if they missed the mark or not.

2015 was the worst sales year for the 3rd Gen, although it outsold the last year of the 2nd Gen. The 2024 roll-out has also been a bit awkward with models rolling out slowly.

Not saying they hit the mark, just saying too early to tell.

US Sales volume 2012 to present.

 

You passed up $50k for a $35k truck that is easily replaceable since they built hundreds of thousands of them?

 

I did and remember this was 3 years ago during Covid. I wouldn't take it today but remember you have never seen mine either. My truck is set up very nicely. garage kept. seen no rain and looks beyond showroom condition, plus its never going to be for sale.

 

OP - what did you end up doing?