If Buying Today, Would You Still Choose the Tacoma?

I have owned a 2015, 2017 and now a 2020. Only issues I have ran into are running over nails - or accidentally ripping out my valve core on my tire lol

but to answer your question I’d get a 2021 Pro if I was you

 

I was ready to buy in 2018, but waited it out to see what the Ranger and Gladiator had to offer. I was disappointed in the Ranger, and the Gladiator didn't interest me. I was actually interested in the Ridgeline first, mostly for the bed size and shape, and the interior room. The Tacoma ended up winning out because of the deal I was able to get(December pre-pandemic). Not every customer has the same experience. I have no Toyota brand loyalty, and my last Toyota was a money pit, but that's not all Toyota's fault (MKIII Supra Turbo that liked to blow head gaskets.)

Now, big changes are coming to the midsize truck market. The new Maverick is cool for the price, and the electric startups like Bollinger and Rivian are going to put pressure on Toyota, Ford, and GM to account for fuel efficiency. So 5 years from now, this will be a different discussion.

 

It's my first truck so definitely a little ignorant.

Love my taco and definitely picked what I wanted out of the taco options, no regret there. Only thing that I kind of think back on is how slow it is haha. But again, my first truck and I'm also coming from a turbocharged Volvo so might just be dumb.

For the price range definitely would stick with the taco, but I wonder how I'd feel if I shelled out 20K more for a Raptor.

 

Ridge line? I can’t believe people buy those or put a cap on them

 

* If you were buying today, would you still choose the Tacoma? Why?
Yes. None of the other midsize trucks interest me and full size trucks are just way to bloated these days. Not a fan of the interior on the GM twins, the Ranger looks like it should've been out competing with the 2nd gen, the Frontier (until this year) WAS actually originally competing with the 2nd gen, and I do my best to stay away from anything Fiat-Chrysler.

* If not, why? What would you buy instead? Why?
N/A

* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Tacoma?
My 2017 TRD OR had the rear diff whine and a few rattles that were annoying, but not enough to make me dislike the truck. No real issues with my 2016 Sport or 2020 Sport. Also no issues with my 2008 TRD OR.

* Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck?
Nope.

* What other trucks did you look at before buying the Tacoma?
I've always kept up with the other midsize trucks, but I couldn't get past certain things to really consider them. I did have a 2019 Tundra for 6 months, but traded for my 2020 Sport. Truck was just overkill for my needs and felt too much like I was whippin' a charter bus around town.

* What did you like & dislike about them?
Wasn't a fan of the interiors on any of the midsize trucks and that's important to me. Nothing against them, but none of them provided a compelling enough alternative to consider. I've had great luck with my Toyota's, so it would take something pretty awesome to get me jump ship.

 

Bought a used 2020 Tacoma 6 months ago. Have owned every truck make but a Dodge. Love it. Would buy another in a heartbeat.

 

Maybe... on my second one with no issues.
Probably drop the extra coin and get the 4Runner

 

* If you were buying today, would you still choose the Tacoma? Why?
Yes. Still the only truck on the market with all the features I want. Mine's a '16 and I want the android auto and surround view camera.

* If not, why? What would you buy instead? Why?
If it were this year: New Nissan Frontier, Ranger Lariat or Canyon Denali with baby duramax

* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Tacoma?
No mechanical or electrical problems. Engine response/transmission response is disappointing (ovtune required) Directional stability on the highway is not great.

* Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck?
No

* What other trucks did you look at before buying the Tacoma?
In 2016 the GM twins and Frontier were the only other game in town. GMC Canyon, but they weren't interested in giving me a test drive even after I asked

* What did you like & dislike about them?
It was a GM (my first car was a Chevy and it was crap), didn't have a sunroof, and had that terrible American make dealership experience. Interior felt more roomy.

 

if my truck got totaled tomorrow, ide buy a 4 runner or a f150

 

No, I am buying today or rather bought a week or two ago. I couldn't wait for the Tundra upgrade that I don't think will be seen in dealer lots until mid to late 2022 at best. I went GMC AT4 w/ 6.2.

* If you were buying today, would you still choose the Tacoma? Why?
No.
* If not, why? What would you buy instead? Why?
Outdated, too small and not of a fan of the new engine. Bought a GMC AT4 6.2
* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Tacoma?
No real problems, great truck.
* Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck?
No
* What other trucks did you look at before buying the Tacoma?
Everything.
* What did you like & dislike about them?
The pull to Tacoma was reliability and value over time.

 

You think a Gladiator has better materials than a Tacoma? You must be into wind noise, recalls, wheel drift, and poorly built engines.

 

I’ve owned a 2018 zr2 loved the truck the interior was nice power was good and lockers front and rear. The only thing was the reliability at 6k miles it had the infamous transmission shutter they all seemed to get was in the shop for 2 weeks getting a torque converter. Even after that was fixed the shifts still weren’t right. After that I got a check engine light a couple of times so I eventually traded it with 15k miles for the Tacoma. The Tacoma has been trouble free so far.

 

The cap on the early version looks pretty silly, the newer one looked better in the rear, but worse in the front. The ability to fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood between the wheel wells and 600lbs of extra payload made me give it a hard look though.

 

i bought my taco right before i found out i was having a 2nd kid. 9/10 times i'd say yes, but part of me thinks the tundra would be a better size for everyone overall.

 

* If you were buying today, would you still choose the Tacoma? Why?
I purchased recently enough to say yes. Reliability, looks, and aftermarket availability were nice. Not to mention my trust issues I developed with GM after my last truck (and several other family vehicles). I didn't like that the Ranger was brought over from a 10 year old platform from overseas and barely changed. FCA is a joke and I didn't want the gladiator. I wasn't interested in the Ridgeline or the Frontier.

* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Tacoma?
Nothing, really. A bit of rust in the door sill that is covered by a TSB, but I'm not covered by it. A broken door seal clip that was likely broken before I purchased it. Nothing major, though.

* Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck?
No, not at all. Things happen with any vehicle. None of these affect the engine.

* What other trucks did you look at before buying the Tacoma?
Several full size pickups and I was sold on the F150, but ultimately didn't need a full size pickup.

* What did you like & dislike about them?
Full size and space, MPG, EcoBoost, and aluminum body. Plus it wasn't a GM or FCA product. The Tundra had reliability, but I don't like the look and it is/was so far outdated that MPG and power were severely lacking compared to the competition. The Titan was just plain "no" for me.


Also thanks to @vicali for creating the templet I stole.

 

get a unimog

 

I'm gonna say it, the 4x4 switch sucks. Switching to 4hi can be a headache at times and switching to 4lo is finicky, seems to activate better on flat surfaces. Being the 4x4 is electronic, the front diff acuator fails often by water getting into them.

I wished we had a FJ manual transfer case or some cable leaver to activate 4hi and ect.

That is my only true complaint about the truck, everything else has been awesome.

 

1. If you were buying today, would you still choose the Tacoma? Why?
No, I would buy a Tundra. However, out of the trucks you listed I definitely would select the Tacoma.

2. What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Tacoma?
The transmission tuning was disappointing. It likes to be in the highest gear possible.

3. Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck?
Nope. I never questioned the reliability of the truck.

4. What other trucks did you look at before buying the Tacoma?
None.

5. What did you like & dislike about them?
N/A

 

* If you were buying today, would you still choose the Tacoma? Why?
If I was buying today? If prices weren't out of wack from COVID, yes. But I wouldn't want to buy *any* vehicle today because of that.


* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Tacoma?
Zero problems. My 2013 had 100k and 5 years, absolutely zero issues. None of the Chevies I've ever owned prior could boast that.

* Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck?
Never. Reliability is the top reason I went with a Tacoma in the first place.

* What other trucks did you look at before buying the Tacoma?
As previously mentioned, before my first Taco I had a few Chevies. Nissan Frontier would've been my 2nd choice, but I held out for a good Tacoma to come up on the market.

* What did you like & dislike about them?
I have nothing really to complain about. Both of my Taco's have been well-built, got me where I needed to go, and hauled everything I've asked them to haul.

If I had to pick something; sometimes the driver's side rear passenger seat belt buzzes in the wind when the windows are down...

 

* If you were buying today, would you still choose the Tacoma? Why?
Yes. 90,000 plus miles in 3.5 years including many thousands of miles of off road abuse.
* If not, why? What would you buy instead? Why?
Maybe a Wrangler/Gladiator, but probably not. On a related note I would not buy a ZR2. A buddy of mine switched from an FJC to a ZR2 and in a year/about 15k miles has had multiple problems. It currently is running funny and getting 13 MPG because of a variable valve timing issue. He cleared the code because he was on a road trip and it hasn't come back, but it continues to run funny and the dealership won't do warranty work without a code.
* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Tacoma?
I lost my alternator at about 80k miles. I had it rebuilt and the guy said it was extremely dusty in the brushes(which figures from my usage).
* Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck?
Nope.
* What other trucks did you look at before buying the Tacoma?
Wrangler(Gladiator wasn't a thing yet, wasn't set on a truck necessarily but wanted a proper 4x4 with a stick).
* What did you like & dislike about them?
Used JKs were priced too high, and I was buying on the first JL model year. I did not want to buy an FCA product on a first model year.