help choosing first tacoma!

well i'm selling my 1979 F150, which is a classic and i love, my first truck. but it's just not practical anymore, and i don't have room or motivation to restore it. so i need a replacement and these new tacomas are beauties. i use my truck mainly for commuting, and hauling building materials like hay bales or 2x4s occasionally. i also haul 2 kayaks, which fit easily in the 8ft bed. so that makes me want to go access cab/6ft bed. but i like the looks of the doublecab, and i plan on having kids in the next 5 years (none yet). but that bed is really tiny. i am also considering the 4cyl for fuel economy, but from what i've been reading on this forum the 4cyl's aren't doing much better. and then there's the 4x4 decision. right now i'm in GA, and i don't do trails. but i plan on moving to PA in the next 3 years and getting some country land. but even when i used to live there i only used 4x4 maybe twice in 5 years. ahhh...this shouldn't be stressful. i'm terrible at decisions. ha. any input would be great. right now i love the all black look, paint and rims. but that's about all i've decided!

 

welcome to tw!

i have a double cab and love it. if you are worried about the bed length, get a double cab long bed. if you are moving to pa id say you are going to need a 4x4 due to winter snow months

 

those longbeds are just too much truck for me, they are monstrous. i've been looking into racks for the doublecabs, but so far haven't seen anything i really like. it's so nice to just throw the kayaks into the bed.

 

Based on the fact that you currently have a 79, I'm guessing you plan on keeping your Taco a long time. In that case, do it right the first time. Get a Double Cab (you'll want the extra space for when you have kids), get the long box (it never hurts to have the most box available), get the V6 (it's a really SWEET engine and gets decent mileage as well) and get 4x4 (good to have in the snow and much more flexible if you decide to venture offroad for kayaking, fishing, etc.).

I'd also suggest going with White

Edit: Just saw your comment about the long beds. They really aren't THAT bad to drive. The truck still feels very nimble and it's a breeze to park and maneuver. I'd definitely suggest a test drive before you make up your mind.

 

its simple, get the double cab. because if you dont, later you will wish you did.
as far as the long bed / short bed thing, it sounds like you use your bed alot. so go for the long bed, personnally i dont so i went with the short bed.
as far as the 4x4, thats always a yes up north

 

I agree with getting the double cab. The extra room comes in handy. They aren't hard to drive at all. Just got back from a vacation with the family and we were all very comfy due to the great room. Mileage isn't bad either. 4x4 is worth getting. The thing is awesome in snow!

 

thanks for all the advice, i'm slowly coming around. i guess i want everything, i was really looking for something with around 25mpg, and the 4x4 doublecab longbed is as far as you can get! but that may be what i need. the thing is, 90% of the time i will just be commuting to work, which at the moment isn't far. so i'm getting the 4x4, doublecab, longbed options for the other 10% when i'm doing something in the snow, with friends, and hauling, or a combination of those three. wow that sounded dirty. ha. anyway i'm looking for a compromise, but maybe there isn't. i'm starting to lean towards a regular double cab, and maybe i'll be alright with a bed extender or some other contraption when i'm actually hauling my kayaks.

 

I say that if you think you even might want or need something then you should definitely get it while you can because a little ways down the road you WILL wish you had.

Common advice for someone buying a new vehicle is to get exactly what you want and don't make sacrifices or you'll regret it. And why should you? A dealer can get you what you want exactly like you want it for the same price as anything on the lot and if they tell you they can't they're lying and just want to move their inventory and if that happens go to another dealer or tell em you are (because they're idea, and how it usually works out, is that you'll eventually give in and get what they have on the lot. They want you to because the longer they have something the greater the chance of them making less money on it)

Make sacrifices when you're buying something used, but even then try your best.

For example my last car I was deciding between a WRX and a WRX STi. I test drove both and the WRX felt great and plenty fast and very fun and more practical and I ended up getting it, but after the newness of it wore off I never quit wishing I had gotten the STi.

 

that's good advice, i am looking for a used tacoma, and i was hoping to spend less than $20K, so that's another reason the mega-tacoma, ie doublecab, longbed, 4x4 may not be my tacoma, even though it might be what i need.

 

I can't comment on the need for a double cab as my '95 and '09 are both regular cabs. But if you need inof on mileage the '95 was 4x4 2.7 w/automatic and got 22-24 mpg in regular driving to work and back. The '09 is a 4x4 2.7 manual and gets 23-25 mpg no matter how I drive it. I even got 24.5 mpg driving 90-95 mph on a freeway trip.

 

Are you after a TRD Sport longbed or an SR5?

 

i'm after the best deal/price, probably the SR5. for all you doublecab guys/girls, what do you do when you need to haul lumber or ladders or kayaks or anything? i've seen those crazy things that go into the hitch and extend out and up like a field goal, and i've seen the thule xsporter system which isn't bad, but it's expensive. throwing stuff in the bed at that low height is so much simpler. i guess the double cab, long bed, 4x4 is everything i need but seems too big, too much. kind of like my rucksuck in the army, by the time i had it packed with everything i thought i would need, it was way to heavy and cumbersome, so i had to cut stuff out. so what do i need less, the longer bed or the bigger seats? ha, i like to drive myself crazy, i'm just rambling now.

 

Double cab short bed with the bed extender or DC long bed. The new ones with the backup camera may not be so bad to drive around. Load up the kayaks in your Ford and head down to the dealer, toss em in the back of both trucks and see how they fit. Better to find out at the lot than at home.
I'm not sure you can put a baby seat in the back of an access cab, no center seat. Somebody will know for sure. Good luck and keep us posted.