First time Buying a Taco, Excited about Toppings

RedWings44 · Aug 14, 2020

prodigal son[OP] said: ↑

It is still my first time buying a Taco, and I'm still excited, but I no longer know when it will be. To make a long story short, I had three separate reservations come up short. Congrats to whomever scored the last three manual Army Green Pros coming off the line this production year! Not even sarcastically, seriously, congrats.

I'm not all-in on Army Green or the Pro. Toyota just doesn't make any of this easy with color limitations. For 2020, color options on the Pro were their special color (Army green), white, black, and gray (MGM). No quicksand or cement (both of which I like at least as much as the green), etc. For the Off-Road models, if you load them up with enough options to accommodate the Mrs., they're about as much as the Pros but lose the Fox shocks and probably lose a little bit at resale(?).

I'm new at this and open to ideas from the great brain trust here. I'm not trying to put too much weight in the color, but I do drive on a lot of gravels, field approaches, rough grated spots, creek beds / crossings, mud, etc. for goose hunting, trout fishing, kayaking / camping, and we get a lot of snow and ice here, and so black is out, the lunar rock color is a wild card / unknown just in terms of whether I am going to drive it or give it to my wife, the MGM seems like it doesn't hold up well to dirt and dust (?), and so I'm left with white on the Pros. I don't rock crawl, so I'm thinking the Off-Road would be sufficiently durable for what I do? I did manage to break both front coils on an F-150 just doing what I would consider light/medium-duty, and that's why I'm here buying a Taco in the first place.

Appreciate all the support and advice so far!
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The TRD Off Road is 99% the same truck as the Pro with exception of the Fox shocks and some cosmetics that are also largely available on the TRD Off Road. It has all the same bells and whistles available on it, many of which are also standard. Keep in mind you won't get crawl control with any manual option if that's what you're looking for. But the TRD Off Road also comes with the rear locker. In my mind, if you buy a TRD Pro, you're just buying the name. You can get a TRD Off Road and use that extra cash to upgrade your suspension and likely be more capable than the TRD Pro if done right.

The TRD Off Road still comes with some very capable Bilstein Shocks. Allegedly the TRD Pro has a 1" lift, but sitting them side by side, I couldn't notice a difference. $10k is a lot for something that is only marginally better than the TRD Off Road. If you want to do any mods, your money is better spent on a TRD Off Road.

Just my 2¢. That being said, check out the Voodoo Blue. That was last year's TRD Pro color. I was looking heavily at them, but like my black color just as much.

boogie3478 · Aug 16, 2020

prodigal son[OP] initial post: ↑

I've always wanted a midsize truck with a manual, ever since Tacomas were offered with the TRD superchargers back in the day. Now I'm old, have kids, do some outdoors stuff, and it's more about durability and functionality than performance. But ... I still want the manual. Can't help it.

I've already searched and read dozens of threads on this forum and have seen so many great ideas and opinions. Looking forward to getting rid of this unwieldy and gaudy old F-150 and stepping into my new Tacoma. Should be a breath of fresh air!

I have to decide on dealer options by Monday morning. I'm going to forego the tonneau cover while I research toppers, including the Softoppers that I'm just learning about. I am thinking I will go with the floor mats (unless I'm better off with Weathertech or whatever?), bed cleats, bed lighting kit, bed mat, cargo divider, door sill protectors, mini tie-downs, roof rack, and bed D-rings.

I think even the kids can get in the truck just fine without the predator tube steps, but if anyone has found them handy, please let me know. I do live in the rural upper Midwest and have read that running boards can help reduce gravel chips and keep snow and ice sludge down -- not sure if true. Same indecisiveness with the bed step -- I'm an old Marine with a bad back, but at 6'1" it seems like the bed should be easy enough to get in and out of? I'm all ears on those options.

Definitely open to other advice on dealer options. Looking forward to joining the cult -- uh, I mean the crew here soon.
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