Hello, sell me on a Tacoma

And BTW, "off-roading" means a LOT of different things. For my type of off-roading, which is extended back country travel, the Wrangler sucks because it does not have the cargo capacity to carry lots of fuel, water, and gear.

 

Fuck free fall we have hit terminal velocity!!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFTvNPLkB2I

 

I've been here since post 1.

 

Its not smart to go on a forum and trash talk the guys on there. We were trying to help him but I guess he just wanted to cause a problem or something.

 

I'm not a brand loyal type of gal but think bamatoy hit the nail on the head. When you narrow down the market in the mid truck range, your choices are limited. Yeah I guess you could roll the dice on that new canyon/Colorado whatever it is that is coming out but first year buy? No thanks.
Honestly, I bought my first Toyota truck back in 1987 because Michael J Fox drove that badass one in Back to the Future. God I loved him and that truck!
Since my first one treated me well (100k no probs), I bought another in 1990. Than another in 1995. That 95 was a keeper & went to hell & back 250k when I sold it 10 yrs later to a friend, he squeezed another 90k out of it until it literally rusted away.

Rust seems to be the biggest Toyota issue though Toyota Motor Corp does stand up and buy back at 150% or replace the frames. They also did a National Campaign back in the 90s for head gaskets that were poorly made, not many other manufacturers stand up in such a way that I know of.

Now my 2006 & 2013s have been great trucks with the little quirks, seat belt retractions sux, missing switch lights (4x4 & windows), no freakin heated mirrors stock (yes OZ gotta mention that), some driveline vibes & the infamous valve tick but I absolutely love them and work them to pieces. Oh yeah forgot I had a tundra in between that was too darn big but was pretty sweet.

So yeah I feel its worth dropping 30k on one..yep use USAA pricing it will be a great deal. Lastly I did have a Jeep Cheerokee once that was a great rig too. Good luck with whatever you decide, welcome to TW, you fit right in

 

Page one. I got in at the end of that one. Before.. All of this..

 

Very true on resale value, but one never knows..

I'm a "drive it into the ground" type as well, especially if I'm financing. I bought a 2006 Chevy Colorado as my first new vehicle after 15 yrs of owning GM only. 5 yrs in right after I paid it off the engine died at 78K gentle and well-maintained miles. The headaches and lies by GM at all levels led me to get rid of it..among others, GM telling me it's normal. I got a decent price for it thankfully.

Also, value in general will matter if it gets hit or totalled. Not something one can plan for but it can happen.

For me, Toyota buying back my wife's 13 yr old Tacoma for double the value showed me that Toyota cares about a customer.

 

True, but name anyone of them better than the Jeep can do. With the right money you can certainly make a Tacoma a mean off roader, but how many people would put their own money on a stock one to go the Fordyce trail? I won't even get into the top 5 Jeep trails as you need to lift a Jeep for them. This isn't a knock on the Tacoma, its just what it's made to do. This is more fitting to saying a Jeep can't haul the same load as a Tacoma. It's not an insult it's engineering.

 

Wondering why the OP doesn't just buy a trailer for his Jeep. Saves a lot of money. Not exactly sure what he needs to haul.

 

Dude as we said earlier the jeep is a totally different beast than the tacoma but the tacoma has more flexibility than a jeep does.

 

His ego....

 

We have a winner!!

 

What he said,,,

 

I'm proud of you! I knew you could talk without cussing at me.

So, aside from the obvious price differences, you need to think about what you are going to be hauling with your truck. Lumber, atv's, etc. Our beds are not steel, but made out of some synthetic type material that is strong and light. Knowing what you want to get out of the truck will help you out more. Also, your location is a factor. Where do you live, i.e. snow, desert, mountains, beach and if you are still stationed somewhere, how long will you be there, and where will you go next. Everyone on here has nothing but good things to say about our trucks. And we all pretty much dont like the Nissans. Maybe you should check out the nissan frontier forums as well. I notice they spend alot of time bashing tacomas and we rarely ever mention them here, unless someone brings them up like you did. They are very defensive about their frontiers and show alot of buyers remorse in their posts. You dont see alot of buyers remorse here, unless it has to do with color, cab size, bed size...personal taste issues.

 

I don't know why, maybe scotch maybe not, but this had me laughing. I love my Jeep and will always own one. I don't want to buy a trailer, I need a truck. If I mention trailer my wife may get ideas... She gets a new SUV and the old Jeep for summer, I get the Truck and boat. The new Colorado is supposed to have a diesel option but I won't touch one for 2-3 years, once they work out the kinks I'm sure it'll be bad ass.

 

Did your Jetta have a transverse mount motor? That would be the first big obstacle to overcome during maintenance. No such issue on the Taco!

My '03 was bought in 2006 used after only having one owner, and I've had it since. I love my little truck! Working on it has never been much of an issue, and there's a huge community of enthusiasts standing by to offer up advice; similar to the Jeep community. I am unaware if there is the same following for Nissan, since I have never needed it.

I will say this, it has been an absolute pleasure owning and operating my truck. I highly doubt you will be disappointed if you pull the trigger on a Taco.

Can't and won't dig on the Jeep folks. Every person has their own flavor. Welcome to the forum, btw. Hope you find the info you're looking for.

 

I've "wheeled" with countless people in easy to moderate off-roading, nothing like some of the guys in here. It's just my opinion but I think my Tacoma with about $2,500 in mods is better at a few things: Sandy beaches, snowy/icy forest roads, deep snow, Ice around town and it's FAR more comfortable doing all of those things. Oh, and I drive it back and forth to work 80 miles round trip every day and it's comfortable as hell.

Plus I have a family of 4, so I can fit everyone with all of our gear .. easily.

 

Because I can buy a new truck? A pontoon boat from the launch up 100 yards up to my parking spot (said somewhere around 16th post, as I use my neighbors tractor now) and also when I want to go skiing or up to Canada to with the sleds... I need a truck to do what trucks do otherwise I wouldn't be here pissing all you off. Jeeps are good at one thing, that one thing is not what a Tacoma is good at. That is the reason I wanted to learn more about a Tacoma.

 

Very true, I usually go into the mountains and pack up 20-30 miles, I don't carry much with me because whats in the car goes on my back eventually. Very good point.