Ex rust owner - need help deciding on what to buy

I like the stance and height of the taco better. The hood scoop and look of the access cab are hawt, but I'm looking for a dbl cab at this point I think, and i wouldn't be getting the scoop

The taco from the side looks a little pudgy. They look better with a 2" or better lift and some bigger tires. . I'd say in general, the taco's just look better and better with aftermarket goodies, where it's harder to get the same kind of look with the frontier.

The frontier has more of a classic compact pickup style, and makes less of a statement, but it's still a great looking truck and wins on the inside. I can't stand the "blob" in the middle of the taco's dash.. .

The frontier is more refined inside, but then again, in the dbl cab taco, the way the rear seats fold up, and then the back folds down for cargo is rly nice. You have to pull the head rests off, but it's worth the effort. . you end up with a ton of interior cargo space.

When it comes to build, from what I hear the frontier is 400lbs heavier, but I think they put the 400 lbs in the right place. Fully boxed frame, heavier duty cleat system in the back, etc. Driving it, it feels S-O-L-I-D

Having lurked here and on the popular frontier forums, it seems like, with the 05 and newer taco's vs's frontier's the nissan crowd doesn't need to make as many excuses with regard to TSB's and premature failures, etc. Correct me if I'm wrong, maybe I just didn't read the right posts. . .

I LOVE toyota, and I wouldn't trade my 07 corolla for a nissan anything, and in the 95-2004 model yrs, I feel the Tacoma had the CLEAR advantage over the frontier. . but honestly I dunno guys, I feel like the strongest thing the tacoma has going for it now is the looks, resale, and loyalty due to it's strong history. 2 of those (resale and loyalty) are going to dry up if toyota doesn't stick to quality more.

I'm still undecided, but I do feel confident having driven both that they're both good trucks.

-Rich

 

i had a regular cab 1988 toyota truck 4x4 5 speed manual with the 22re engine lasted me 300,000 miles before i sold it....man i loved that truck....i just purchased a 2009 regular cab 4x4 with the 2.7L and 5 speed manual....i gotta say it's better in every way possible....more powerful and just as good gas mileage...and it looks good too...the radio was goofed but the dealer put in a new one for free so no big deal... other than that i have had no issues at all...and really it's hard to find a brand new vehicle under 20k these days...i got mine for 19,997 tax and all and the insurance is dirt cheap at a lil over 50 dollars a month...i had been thinking of getting a nissan frontier pro4x extra cab as well.....i never test drove one though...and i noticed at the nissan dealership that it still has the old style sprayed in bedliner and the plastic bed rail caps were rubbing the paint off already.....the tacoma composite bed is a great idea...it will never rust anywhere.....and the frontier i wanted would have been almost 10k more to buy....i never have liked extended cabs that much and i really don't like double cabs at all....it just makes the wheelbase too long....but some people need the space for kids or whatever....plus the extra cab models cost alot more too....i already have a car that seats 5 people so the regular cab was the way to go for me

 

I would look around for a used 05-08, especially now that the repo man is busy!! I got my '07 Sport 6 speed with 6500 miles on it for around $24000 out the door, taxes title fees included. It was a repo, and they had gotten it in an hour before I walked in and bought it.

 

Sooo. . .

ran cost comparisons back and forth on the frontier vs. the tacoma, and the tacoma ends up coming out on top.

It won't always be the case, but the features I want are:

Double Cab
Off-Road pkg
Traction goodies (locker, hill descent, stab control, etc.)
Tow hitch

On the frontier with a 3k rebate, the above works out to around 27.5k, in the tacoma with a 1k rebate, it's about 27k. To get the above, you HAVE to also spec the frontier w/the leather and better radio, but those are features I don't care about. In fact, I don't want the leather pkg because it makes the rear seats "fixed" limiting inside cargo space.

I went back to the toyota stealership, and took a second test drive in the taco I'm considering.

Here she is:





more pics here, including window sticker w/details:

http://gallery.netmagi.com/v/Other/09timberland/


Whatcha think everyone?

-Rich

 

I would pick the tacoma. The radio problem is an easy fix if it happens to you because its under warranty. The dashboard rattle, if you have it, is also an easy fix. And the little surge in the automatics is no biggy. Doesn't bother me one bit.

I love my trd double cab. You will fall in love with it. If you can swing it - do it.

 

I don't lurk around the Frontier forum but you made some valid points a few posts up. What sold me on the Tacoma, besides having a 1st gen that was awesome, was the resale value. Hell, they gave me $14K for my 2004 Access Taco TRD off road w/ 50K miles on it and a huge dent in the front end from a deer. I got my 2009 TRD Sport for $27,300 (w/ tax and title). So the difference was only $13,300 for the upgrade to 2009.

Toyota has a damn good reputation and I think the company is really going to take off during this environmentalist revolution. They are getting the best gas mileage out there (overall) and build great looking vehicles (across the board). I bought stock in the company because I feel strongly about this. The US is still building V8 mid-sized trucks (Colorado, Dakota, Canyon) that get 13mpg on a good day.

Sorry, much of this won't help you because I'm comparing Toyota to the US brands but I just felt like ranting a bit. I just don't hear about Nissan vehicles very much. Though I do love the look of the Altima. Reputation and popularity play a big part in resale value (I guess that tied my post together).

My first choice was a Timberland Mica but another dealer had a lifetime powertrain warranty and a Barcelona Red. I would probably be happy with most colors (except white, SPB and sand).

 

I would go with the taco, the frontier looks like something my grandma would drive. as for TSB's every company has them on every car its just that they call them recalls. IMO I think that toyota should have made these recalls so that people can have the problem fixed before it happens. I dont know much about the frontiers other than the fact that I think they are incredibly ugly, but I do know that my friend has a Titan and has already had lots of work done to his clunky front end.

 

alright, it's over. . .

I just put $500 down on a taco

Dbl Cab,4x4, auto, trd off-road, tow pkg, 6-disc cd-changer, floor mats

$27,650 after rebate.

Pickin her up tomorrow or friday

-Rich

 

Welcome to the club


I assume you went with the Timberland Mica?

 

Yep. . and I love the color. . seems everyone else does to. It's gotten quite a few compliments.

 

Ok. . it's been ~5 days now, so I have some newbie 2nd gen owner questions:

1) Is there no fix for the ticking sound at warm idle from the driver's side of the engine bay? If not, in the opinion of those here, is it normal and o-k?

2) WTF is with the exhaust pipe crossing over behind the crossmember and hanging lower. . I'm terrified I'll crunch that up the first time I leave the highway with this thing (which according to the wife is never : P )

3) My old taco was j-stick w/manual hubs. I would have preferred that on the 09 as well, but obviously that's ancient history. How do the actuators hold up to nasty weather, water crossings, etc., and is there anything I should know coming off of a j-stick w/manual hubs and being used to that? I'm terrified I'll end up stuck and move that knob to 4wd and it'll just blink at me all day instead of engaging Are the front hubs always engaged on these?

4) What type of system does the truck incorporate for the LSD? The manual leads me to believe the LSD is created solely through the computer controlling wheel spin with the brakes? That sounds cheesy. . did I read that right? Also, is it just rear or front and rear?

5) Can you lock the rear diff in 2wd (TRD-offroad elocker)? I'll admit I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the options for traction control and disabling, etc.

6) Just how much bigger is the 2nd gen over the 1st? It feels like a TANK hehe

7) How easy does the bed scratch?

8) Lastly. . how else has everyone managed to behave for the first 1k miles, and how important do you feel it is? I have no problem varying throttle and avoiding cruise as I don't often drive on roads that even permit a consistent speed for any length of time, but i DO have a hard time keeping my foot off the throttle sometimes I've got 400 miles on it and I've had a handful of "moments" where someone pissed me off and I had to tear around em etc

I can't wait till I hit 1k and feel comfortable giving it a good romp from standstill up to 80 or so. . The few times I've gotten on it to get around someone or pull out fast it feels DAMN STRONG.

-Rich

 

bump

 

I have had no problems with the 4wd on my 06. It has always engaged when I needed it to. There have been times when I switched to 4lo that I let out on the clutch too soon and had it beep at me. I have driven through long water crossings with no problems.

There is a mod to allow you to use the locker in 2wd

It is big enough to make you forget that it is a "small" truck

It is fairly hard to scratch the bed. I throw shovles and rakes and axes in mine all of the time.

 

I have the Sport and don't use any of the traction control functions on the truck - I stay on the road. I have used 4wd and it engages upon demand for me.

Ticking sound is normal. I first complained about it but now I can't hear it even if I try. Not sure if it went away or I am just used to it. The wife says I'm crazy and can't hear it.

I love the size of the 2nd gen compared to the first gen. That is relative to my lifestyle ~ I sold the 1st gen because I have a 2 yr old who didn't fit in the access cab. I think the truck is a great size now. It doesn't look tiny when parked next to an F150 or Silverado but it doesn't look full size like them either. It can hang with the big boys but doesn't try to be one of them. I'll still take a parking spot they can't get into!

Not much to say about the bed. It probably does scratch but so will any bed. Some have had them sprayed with bedliner if you are really rough on it. I only use the bed to haul landscape items (block, wood, mulch, dirt, sand, etc) and there is no problem there. I lay a tarp down to keep the crap out of my cubbies and away from the outlet. It's a little more effort but you get back your time when you don't have to sweep and wash out the bed...just pull out the tarp and shake it off.

There are a lot of opinions for how a truck should be broke in. Many feel the "hard break-in" is the way to go. That means getting on it right away. It helps the rings seal against the cylinder walls and keeps the oil out. Other like to baby it for the first few tanks. The factory is always going to recommend you baby it. If they recommended the hard way, some would be idiots and bounce it off the rev limiter all day long and blame the factory because their engine blew up.

 

As for the bed scratch thing. I have loaded my engine stand with my 454 in it. I was scared the small iron wheels on the engine stand woudl wreak havoc on the bed. To this day you can't tell where I rolled that thing in there. The engine is right at 800lbs and sat on 4 small iron wheels.

Your LSD will be slightly different that those on older model trucks. I don't quite remember what the difference is. Nothing bad, just different. Alot of us here wheel the hell out of our trucks and they stand out, ask the jeep guys I wheel with.
I have an 07 and have experienced only 2 minor issues both handled by warranty with not trouble. Spring TSB and Windshield Noise.

The more you engage and disengage your 4wd, the smoother it will be. At the least I do it once a month. I can now lock it in 4hi while in park, works almost every time, more often than not.

I enjoyed reading your post thanks. Welcome to Tacomaworld.

 

Did a little "light" wheeling last night for the first time. I took the truck down a little ledge and steep incline that feeds onto a little dirt side road. I've done it a million times in my old taco and know it well. I'm pretty sure that even taking the worst line possible the 09 would clear without difficulty, but as I dropped the driver's side front wheel off the small ledge and started down the incline the ABS scared the crap out of me (at least I'm pretty sure it was the ABS). At first I thought the sound was something scraping since I was crawling very slowly and I'm used to listening very carefully for anything hitting, or just generally not sounding like it should

Does the ABS disable along with the traction control when you hold down that button? I think I'd prefer all the natural feedback and not hearing sounds like the ABS when I'm crawling around in the truck.

-Rich

 

I think the ABS system on the Tacoma is too sensitive, but you will get used to it. I don't think you can turn off the ABS, but I might be wrong about that. Nice truck by the way!

 

Your answer is here: http://maine.craigslist.org/cto/1240382768.html

Buy my truck...please!

 

^ Pay attention...he already bought a truck

 

Duh!