I’m nervous to ask... Tacoma vs f150...

The Tacoma will be worth a lot more down the road. I paid 15.8 for my 2010 with almost 150k on it. Ford with that year and miles will be cheaper for sure.

 

Regear your Tacoma and keep it .

 

Bought a brand new 2016 f150 2.7 ecoboost and the motor blew up at 7000 miles.
Replaced that with a brand new 2017 f150 5.0 and had constant driveshaft balance issues and the coolant system was leaking at 30,000 miles. To which the ford techs told me was "normal".
Replaced that with a 2011 f350... don't even get me started on the issues there. I think I was fixing it more than driving it.

Finally now in a 2017 TRD OR, bought with 79,000 miles on it, sitting at 93,000 miles now and not a single issue. Not to mention it's easier to drive around, rides better, better mpg, cheaper than all the fords, and is just plain way more fun!

 

OP, I think your mistake is buying a Tacoma with a DB lift with 35's. You likely will not have this discussion if the Tacoma was bought bone stock or even with a properly lifted Tacoma with 285s.

 

230 hp, big heavy tires and lift, complains about mpg. Hmm.....

 

I love my Tacoma. I really do, but there is something to be said about a full sized. My buddy has a 2019 Lariat w/ tech pachage and the V8. Its gorgeous. The interior is well appointed with nice options and the V8 thumps and sounds great. BUT... he paid 65k for it, thats right sixty five thousand dollars. I'm much too frugal and conscientious of my money, and no matter how much I made/make for a living, it's a tough pill to swallow to pay 65K for a truck. Ford is smart, they pigeon hole you into certain models, want this option, well you have to pay up. VERY difficult to get a bare bones f150 around my parts.

That being said! My next truck will be the next generation Tundra. Can't wait to see what they have in store.

 

I don't think I would recommend getting an F150 that "old" compared to what you have now. If you were looking at NEW I think it would be a different story though.

Some stuff to think about:
1. Do you go off road? On most trails a full size pickup will not fit, or at least not without coming out with a bunch of scratches and dents.
2. Do you know the previous owner? That can make a huge difference. Many of the issues seen on the Ecoboost's are from poor maintenance and if certain TSB/recalls were actually done.

If you were looking at new it is hard to talk someone into buying a Tacoma over an F150, I know it's an unpopular opinion on here.... You really have to WANT a small truck to buy one and here's why:
-Upfront price F150>Tacoma (considering rebates average $10k+ on a new F150)
-MPGs F150>Tacoma
-Payload/Towing Capacity F150>Tacoma
-Interior room and comfort F150>Tacoma
-Technology F150>Tacoma
-Resale Tacoma>F150
-Off Road Capability Tacoma>F150

On paper it is difficult to talk someone into the Tacoma over the F150. You really have to want a small pickup (Tacoma or Ranger) to buy one. Obviously I own a Tacoma so I side with everyone here. But my father in law just went through this decision on the Ranger/F150. He ended up with the 2.7L Ecoboost F150 for his business runaround truck. He averages 21MPG going from jobsite to jobsite with somewhat long idle times. Thats pretty impressive to me! He tows short distances with it but has a 3/4 ton for most of his towing.

 

My co-workers husband just bought a 2016 F-150 Platinum 4x4 with 36k miles 2 mos ago. Beautiful truck and currently looking great in the service dept of the dealership for differential noise and won't get it back until late January. He paid $37k but he's paying much more dealing with an angry wife.

 

lol. theres tons of high hp 3.5s with no issues. the ecoboost is actually a pretty solid platform. maybe not the 2.3 but I think they fixed that one

 

I love the rugged F-150. Hauls and tows like a champ!

 

Tacoma will out live any Ford. Ford is a money pit. Don’t make the mistake

 

80% of Fords are still on the road today........the other 20% actually made it home

 

I've been debating between a 2002 F350 crew cab and a 2019 4cyl Tacoma standard cab. The comparison is too close for me to call. On the one hand the F350 gets a lot better gasoline mileage because it's a diesel but on the other hand the Tacoma will run forever as long as I don't put the less expensive diesel in it.

Jk lol

 

Two completely different types of trucks made for different purposes. F 350, Dodge Ram are work trucks. Ever see a Tacoma hauling hay or fruit bins? Tacomas are for transportation and driving fun. Hauling or towing, get the Ford. Nice, long lasting light to medium duty truck, Tacoma.

 

There is a jk (just kidding) and a lol (laughing out loud) at the bottom of my comment. I wasn't being serious.

 

Good one. Better than the classic Found On Road Dead. Used to race Chevys back in the day, knew all the good Ford insults but forgot them. Ford makes decent trucks, the F150 has been the best selling truck for years. Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet all sell more trucks in the USA than Toyota.

 

Increase your caster.

 

On a Ford

Lol

Jk it's on a wall.

 

It has JBA control arms currently (just stock replacement). I really don’t want to dish out another $400. I already have to replace the coil overs if I’m keeping it. Would adding caster really help the driving at all?

 

I would not do it. First, you don't need a full size, so why are you even thinking about it? Do you just want something different? Rent a F150 and burn it up for a weekend, they are available at Uhaul. (Ask yourself if there's any reason Uhaul doesn't rent Tacomas.)
Second, the F150 is a turbo/DI motor which are notoriously hard on oil.
Third, we have seen this scenario play out hundreds of times and there is a very good chance you will end up missing your Tacoma.
Fourth, there may be a lot of F150s with high mileage but mostly they are maintained meticulously with lots of highway miles. There are tons of Tacomas with high mileage that only got basic care, rode hard and put away wet. In other words, the track record for longevity definitely favors Tacoma.
Finally, there's no way a F150 will see residual value anywhere near your Tacoma, all else being equal.
Just my $0.02. Do whatever makes you happy.