Did you trade your Tacoma in? Do you regret it?

Wife and I were at the dealer getting the Tacoma serviced and she sat in a Tundra and wae amazed on how much room was in there, now she won't stop bugging me to trade the Tacoma in for one .

 

We had a CRV for years, and it started falling apart. My wife wanted to look at a new one, but she also wanted something that we could do housework with and still easily haul dogs/groceries. With the bed divider, it's basically a body on frame CRV with a bed. She loves it, and doesn't notice the same shifting or hesitation issues I do. I keep my mouth shut and she loves it to death. No way I'd go to a hatchback, especially a VW with as expensive as they can be to maintain after a warranty.

 

Traded in a '18 OR for a '19 Subaru Crosstrek. I really enjoy the Crosstrek, and it's the kind of vehicle that allows me to still get to most of the places I could in the Tacoma. Life things got in the way of me really utilizing the Tacoma the way I used to (in my previous 2nd gen), and the lower payments and much better mpg made the Subaru more practical for the moment. And the Subaru is way more fun to drive.

But... I do miss that bed. I've tried camping in the back of the Crosstrek and it's a much worse experience than sleeping in the bed of my truck. And in the several months since I traded in the truck there have already been a handful of times where the bed would have been useful.

So, I will likely end up with a truck again at some point. I don't even do any real towing or hauling a ton of stuff, but you do realize how much you actually used the truck bed after a few months without one. Crosstrek actually has a lot of useful space with the seats folded down, but it's nothing like the truck bed. That said, not sure I'd go back to a Tacoma. In an effort to not rile any feathers, will just say that I absolutely regret trading in my 2nd gen for the 3rd gen....

 

If I could afford it, I’d trade my Taco right now for a tundra.

 

Sold it to buy a Ranger Lariat

Not sorry

Still like Tacomas but from the outside in. I will have another look when the design is redone and the Drivetrain is enhanced to at least perform as well as the 4 Banger Ranger

 

Tacoma’s have 3 things going for it; it’s a good looking truck that appeals to both sexes, it has amazing resale value and it enjoys Toyota’s enviable reputation.

Some of the cons include driving enjoyment, hunting AT, thin paint, out of breath 3.5 Atkinson motor, poor fuel economy, etc.

It boils down to the fact that a 3rd generation Tacoma is not a clean sheet of paper redesign. It’s basically a refreshed 2nd generation model that came out in 2005.5 with a new dash and drivetrain.

 

Just traded my Cement 2019 Tacoma TRD Sport DCLB 4WD in on a new Sierra Denali 6.2L and I'm thrilled with the new truck. The Tacoma just had to try too hard to get moving, especially up any sort of grade, and needed to be in 4th gear (with the associated RPM's) to get out of town (Grapevine, Cajon Pass, I10 heading east).

Sad because I loved the truck and it certainly looked awesome. But the looks belied the lack of grunt. I'm the guy that would rather have HP that I never or rarely use than not have it at all. I want to cruise effortlessly at highway speed and up grades. This 6.2L pulls so smoothly it feels like it's always walking. And on my first 60 mile drive on mostly flat ground this truck got 21.5mpg! I NEVER got that in the Tacoma.

The old:

And the new:

 

If your trading for a Land Cruiser, sure. For me, my truck is fun to drive and I look forward to driving it every day. If you don't feel the same way then it's time to switch up.

 

Nice truck! They got be giving those away now that the new ones are out.

A few months ago I test drove a loaded SLT with the 5.3L V8. It had a sticker of $56,000 and they were listing them for $38,000. MPG was rated at 18/24...which is better than my Tacoma.

Nice truck. It was tempting. But I don’t need a full-size truck, and it didn’t fit in my garage.

Enjoy!

 

They are giving them away right now. Some dealers (not the dealer I had to buy from to get the Mineral color I wanted) are selling these 2018 Denali's for $17,000 off MSRP. (FYI many of those $18-19K off deals include rebates that folks may or may qualify for so your deal will vary) I got almost that price so I was happy with it. Softened the blow of trading in a 3 month old Tacoma. I also wanted a mid-sized truck but there just aren't any with the power I desired so I had to move up in size.

It also worked out well for me because I wanted the OLD body truck and they were discounting them the most. I'm not a fan of the new tailgate and the hugeness of the front bumper and grille of the new body and this Sierra's stance is perfect to me. Dimensionally it is 6 inches wider and 6 inches longer than the Tacoma but doesn't feel that much bigger because the hood slopes downward instead of being level like the Tacoma Sport (because of the hood scoop).

 

Please come back here in 10 years (or stay around idk) and tell us how happy you are with that 4-banger

 

I use to drive sports cars. You can't off road a sports car.

 

Ten years? I struggle to stay happy with a vehicle for more than 10 months.

 

Yup. What sold me on Tacoma was (1) the feeling of solidity; (2) a quiet and refined cabin; (3) off-road capability; (4) resale; (5) Toyota’s reputation and my local dealer’s online reviews.

Is Tacoma perfect? Not by a long shot. But the only midsize truck that came close was Colorado/Canyon: they offer a more comfortable cabin; more carlike ride and handling; better MPG; some great deals. But the 8-speed automatic has a pending class-action suit for “shudder” issues; and the styling is...how can I say it...a little more “mature”.

Ridgeline and Frontier were not even on my list. Ranger’s interior looks cheap and the truck has been getting mixed reviews at best. Gladiator...I am not insane to go back to Jeep.

Tacoma is by no means perfect, but was the only one left after I looked at the entire field.

 

Maybe a used raptor?
you get all the power but still a truck..

I did the car thing for 10 years and although I miss it, id miss having a truck (any truck) much more. You can only drive so fast on public roads which for me made having a fast car somewhat pointless. In all honesty Id rather keep my truck and buy an old car to have fun at the track. Eventually I'll buy a Miata and use it as a track car, towed by my truck.

 

i sold my 17 pro for a 17 raptor. Enjoyed the raptor for awhile but was a waste of money. A lot of fun to drive but was too big. The eco boost was nice but still didnt get great MPG even if i was driving like a "grandpa".
Went back to a 19 pro and couldnt be happier! The size is great for driving around town and the trails. Fits ever where! I would just buy a project car, build it up and enjoy the speed. I am probably going to buy a fuck around car after i build this truck up.

 

I don't drive like grandpa and average about 20MPG hand calculated on my 2019 SuperCrew with the off-road package, and got a solid 23MPG once on a long trip, there and back with city/highway driving down in Cape Cod. The Raptor is about as aerodynamic as a brick...lol. The best I ever got with my 2016 6MT Tacoma, driving like "grandpa", was 19 MPG.

 

Honestly, an additional 50HP and no buzzing from the engine at 1800-2100rpm and I probably would have kept the Tacoma. The looks of the Canyon/Colorado were a non-starter for me. I don't do Ford. And that Jeep looks stupid if you ask me.

A couple things I don't like about this Denali that I did like about the Tacoma is it doesn't have push button start (I actually have to use a key for crying out loud) and it lacks the laser cruise control that I had already grown to love.

 

I sold my 2017 Civic Si for this and regret it at least on a daily driver basis. I thought the manual would make the experience better. My dream car is the Type R but center exhaust does not allow for trailer hitch (bike hauling) and the back seat is for 2 (I have 3 kids and a wife). In a perfect world I would have a Tacoma and the Type R because you can't beat the utility of a pickup which is why I got the thing. I would recommend a WRX (not the STI). It's fast, all wheel drive, relatively fuel efficient and you can mount a trailer hitch for added utility (cargo rack/box, bikes...). There is plenty of after market support and you can safely lift it 1" if you need more ground clearance or want a rally look.

 

Not going to lie, I got bored of fast/sporty cars. Fun to drive, but you can't go anywhere off road or travel. Usually lack room too.

But dear god was 550hp in a 2700lb Subaru fun as hell, especially when it shot 4 foot flames out the back and sounded like a gunshot. 0-60 from a dig around 4 seconds and turbo noises