Having second thoughts.

I have just over 1k miles on my new 17' DC LB OR. Around town mall cruiser...no issues. Pulling my RZR (900lbs) on a lightweight trailer (600lbs?) up mountainous grade roads....its a joke. I didn't expect it to pull like my recently traded-in Duramax, but good hell its anemic at best. Hell...even without a trailer behind, its a struggle to get over steep grades and keep up with traffic without being it being in 3rd and rev'ed out.

Love the info here, but also makes you paranoid hearing the same shit over and over. Yesterday I had myself convinced my truck was starting to get the "howl". I'm hoping Toyota finally steps up and takes care of those with all the know issues posted up here.

 

I was looking hard at the Tacoma before I bought it. Got it in January. I am a die hard Toyota fan. Had 7 including this one. I chose the TRD SPORT without all the tech poop. At the time I already sold my 91 4runner so I had no ride. So found one at one dealer (just off the truck) and another dealer got it from them for me. Color I wanted. I'm still getting used to it (its a automatic) im used to a mt. If I had it to do again I would have ordered one with a manual trans just because I'm used to them. Other than that I love it up to this point. I bought it before finding this forum. Glad I did not find this forum before buying. Had only one problem so far and was cometic dealer fixed it. Any more problems I will just get them fixed and keep on trucking!

 

5k miles on my 17 TRD OR, no issues yet and my diff is dry.

 

I'd buy again in a heartbeat. If you like driving a manual, I don't think you can buy a better truck. Have a buddy that bought a Limited at the exact same time I did, he complains non-stop about the transmission; I let him drive mine and he has major regrets about not going MT. If I had to get a vehicle in automatic, I'd have gotten a 4Runner. Hell, if they made the 4Runner in MT, I would have gotten one of those.

 

A large majority of members here have owned multiple generations of Tacomas, so I think a lot of the complaining comes from comparing their old trucks with the latest generation. In their minds they remember the best things about their old trucks and expect the new trucks to have all of them plus be better in other ways. In an ideal world that sounds great, but in reality no vehicle has ever been produced that didn't have something to complain about.

Here's where I'm coming from... My truck is the first Tacoma I've owned, but I have wanted to try one for at least 20 years. I have driven a full sized Cummins Ram, two F-150s (one EcoBoost and one V8), an early 90's Ranger, late 80s Trooper, V6 Fiero, current gen Mitsubishi Evo, early 2000's Ford Focus, and many other vehicles my friends and family have owned. The Tacoma is my favorite of the bunch, but not for any one specific reason. Of course I miss certain things about all the vehicles of my past, but I wouldn't trade my Taco for any of them. Many TW members whine about the auto transmission, and I get it, but honestly I don't notice it. Compared to the transmission in my Evo, it's a win by almost every measure. Sure the dual clutch transmission is awesome when it works, but when it doesn't it's insanely expensive to fix and equally expensive to maintain. Keep in mind everything is relative to each individual.

I say if you want one get it. I've had zero issues through 25K miles and if a few things pop up along the way, well so be it. If it turns out to be a plague like my Evo was, I'll get rid of it.

 

Dissatisfied people are more inclined to vent on the internet than satisfied people.

 

I'm still waiting on my truck, but it was just assigned a VIN--so not much longer!

I'm actually in NEED of replacement vehicle, and I wanted to make the move from car to mid-sized truck. I shopped around some, but steered clear of Ford and Honda. However had the new Ranger been out, I would have definitely tested it.

The twins were nice, but something about the Tacoma's design & history of longevity got me. The atypical "Tacoma resale value" was a nice perk. The vehicle I test drove was fine. Many newer vehicles have that "gutless" low speed acceleration issue. That test Tacoma was not much different. Hell, I'm in a rental (Jeep Renegade) right now and it is freaking ridiculous with its gears and poor acceleration at low speeds. Found myself in 5th gear doing 20MPH...

OP: If what you test drive works for you, then game on man. If you felt like it was missing something aesthetically, mechanically, or you have a gut feeling to walk--then do so. You can always add-on/replace with aftermarket items, but you should factor those future expenses in when choosing a vehicle.

 

Every time I drive my truck I am amazed at the different perception you get on TW.

0 issues.

 

Take everything with a grain of salt you read here. I've owned 6 tacomas all gens and configs, my 17 OR is by far my favorite. Step back from TW and buy your truck man.

 

I'm hanging on to my second gen until the wheels fall off. So that might take a while.

Extremely bummed about the chicken tax or I would buy the new VW Amarok in a friggen heartbeat. Dusts all others in this class. New V6! Turbo diesel churns out over 400lbs/ft of torque in stock form.

Edit: yes, I realize this isn't helpful but fuck it

 

Ditto

 

Honestly I'm still on the fence. But then I always get buyers remorse. The whole power/trans complaint is huge for me right now. But I'll learn to get used to it. But I also drive a BMW 550 that has a crapload of power/speed. I know, totally different animal. But my older 95 or 96 Tacoma (whatever the first year model was) had more get up and go with the 6cyl engine. Well at least until the did the head gasket recall, then I got rid of it because of the power loss.

You'll be fine. Just takes a week to get used to it.

 

I'm happy with my Tacoma. These posting here can make you neurotic. When I first got my truck I noticed the ticking noise from the fuel pump. Normal. The auto transmission is geared for economy. Normal. Both took a little getting used to, but my truck has been problem free. Oh, rear diff, mine not leaking, but I'll take it in for a re-torque. Bottom line, my Taco looks great, drives great, and it gets 21 mpg (I calculate it on every fill-up).

 

Oh forgot to mention my trans shifts smooth as silk barely feel it but does change gears alot.

 

I regret not waiting for an OR in the color and config I wanted. Got a Sport instead. It's been a blast. I don't love the pedal response in std mode. I have had to have a couple of dash rattles fixed and a driver's door seal queefing problem fixed. The only other issue I have is self-made. I need a needle bearing/bushing swap because of a lift. Otherwise this thing has been good to me on-road, and great off road. And I think it is easily the best looking truck on the market now.

 

I like the looks too!

 

23k miles. '16 TRD SPORT DCSB. No issues besides diff howl. Greased zerks and torqued U-bolts myself. It's my DD and it still drives like new.

 

I don't believe I would do it again.

 

4 Runner.

 

.
So far had a very good experience at about 11,000 miles and a year old.

This is maybe my 10-12th Toyota truck and one of the best so far.

Had better luck with 4x2's than 4x4's too. Less stuff to spin out of balance and break I guess.