If Buying Today, Would You Still Choose the Tacoma?

It seems that the only solution to this is to fully cage the truck and do a solid axle swap up front and then full fiberglass fenders/hood and such.

 

I have an 07, had a 17, and trade the 17 for a 21 4x4. So yes, I would do it again. If not, it's gonna be a 4runner.

But asking such question in a Tacoma forum. Very high chance people will say yes. Or change to a tundra or 4runner.

 

That makes more sense

 

Hope the new frontier works out for you. I drove the previous generation/ current (since the new one is not out yet

Try owning it long term I can assure you from personal experience that it will wander... and you mentioned your truck is lifted. When you lift the jeep it will wander even more. Still love the Rubicon (we shipped it to Dominican Republic ).

 

Not at all

 

* If you were buying today, would you still choose the Tacoma? Why?
Maybe. It'd be a toss up between the Tacoma and Tundra only because the price is about the same. The Tacoma I can fit in the garage in the winter, the Tundra I will not be able to so I'm not sure. I would not buy the manual trans again. The late 2nd gen had just enough technology for some creature comforts but not enough to constantly cause issues if something breaks. I'm looking at a 2014-2015 DCLB automatic trans.

* If not, why? What would you buy instead? Why?
Tundra, I want a pickup for home renovation and landscaping projects and the access cab Tundra whatever their marketing name for that is, has more leg room in the back seats then the double cab Tacoma and now that I'm married and not single (I was single when I bought my 2014 AC LB MT) I could use more room, but not being able to park in the garage in the north Idaho winter would kind of suck.

* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Tacoma?
Transfer case 4x4 actuator went out at 95k miles which was $800 for the part and $900 in labor for diagnosing and dropping/splitting the t-case to replace the actuator. It also took the dealership 3 weeks to figure out what was going on. That was very disappointing, but the new actuator is working great and no issues so far but it definitely was surprising as I didn't realize it was broken until I needed 4x4 and it didn't work...

* Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck?
Not the truck but the 4x4 actuators are a weak point I believe.

* What other trucks did you look at before buying the Tacoma?
2014 F-150, Ram 1500, Colorado.

* What did you like & dislike about them?
At first glance the F-150 was nice but I've had too many friends with Fords have issues usually with fit and finish issues with rattles and such and transmission issues with their trucks. I really like their turbo engines though. Ram 1500 was fine, ride was super plush with the coil suspensions but I grew up in Detroit and am not crazy about Chrysler products, my Dad has had three Grand Cherokees since 2012 and each one has had issues with minor but expensive items. His latest has the diesel and I'll never buy a modern diesel, the emissions systems are maintenance nightmares.

 

* If you were buying today, would you still choose the Tacoma? Yes Why? Reliability, resale value
* If not, why? What would you buy instead? Why?
* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Tacoma? Only one that really bothered me, the wiring harness for the tow package had one wire not pinned correctly up under the hood. Had no running lights at trailer. Took dealership 2 weeks to track that one down. (Trucks a 2017 TRD OR, 6 spd manual)
* Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck? For a while I did. But 117,XXX miles later we're still rocking right along.
* What other trucks did you look at before buying the Tacoma? Tundra, GMC Sierra
* What did you like & dislike about them? LIKES - Interior room, towing, power DISLIKES - Price

I don't pull anything of any significant weight (16' trailer, zero turn and/or ranger is the heaviest), but I do find myself wishing for more towing power. These folks that say their tacoma pulls their 5,000lb camper like its not there, have a very skewed view of reality.

 

Some folks are having trouble with their reading comprehension, although that post was written in a kind of confusing way. They said the tundra doesn't notice the 5k trailer, not the tacoma

 

I'd actually wait to see if the Tundra hybrid gets released. If it does and gets good enough mpg I'd go with the Tundra.

 

I would buy my truck again in heartbeat. So much versatility. Don’t want a SUV, don’t want a full-size, don’t want a Fiat. I would entertain the idea of a Tacoma access cab. That’s the only dilemma I would be plagued with.

 

I understood his quote. But I've lost count of the number of threads I've seen, with outlandish statements like "....28' travel trailer, 5200# dry, the tacoma pulled it like a dream...."

 

only thing I dont like about the Taco is you cant get it with diesel; which I wanted.. so I went with the ZR2.

 

Or even worse: I put a yard and a half of gravel in it and had no problems!

 

oh and the real front locker

 

In the past 6 months I have went from a 2020 Tacoma trd sport to a 2021 4runner trail to a 2021 Chevy trail boss and finally to a 2021 trd off road. Prior to that I owned a 2015 trd sport and a 2017 trd sport. I have also mixed in a couple other 4runners and even a RAV4 ( the rav wasn’t my proudest moment). My point is I always come back to the Tacoma and the one I have now isn’t going anywhere for a very long time. The 4runners that I had were great but for me they felt too domestic. The trail boss was very nice and a smooth ride for an off road suspension and aggressive tires but it felt like a school bus and wasn’t enjoyable to drive daily. IMO, there isn’t anything better than the Tacoma. With the DC you have quite a bit of room but you also get the utility of the bed. The interior is both nice looking and it’s utilitarian as well. One of the biggest complaints I see is the transmission “hunting for gears” but it really doesn’t bother me. I get that it’s real and I’ve noticed it on all my 3rd gens but once you get used to it it’s really not an inconvenience IMO. I have never had an issue with any of my Tacoma’s….just standard maintenance is all I’ve ever done. For reliability, resale, looks, and usability I’m not sure you can go wrong with a Tacoma. Do yourself a favor though and think hard about the pro vs the OR. Unless you absolutely love the look of the pro or you are doing hardcore off roading for the money saved the off road is probably the smart money, just my 2 cents

 

Owned Chevy, Ford, Nissan trucks. I like the Tacoma the best.

 

which Nissan did you have?!?! how crappy was it?!?!

 

I bought mine in Feb and sold a 2015 F150 platinum. I would choose the Tacoma again because it's what I need right now. Its small and fits in the garage with my other car. That was the reason I got it. If I have a child I would get rid of it in a second and go full size, as the back seat and the car in general is a lot smaller that I am used to. Having a family of three or even four to me would be unacceptable in this small of a vehicle if I had a choice. I know people do it but I don't want to be cramped etc

 

* If you were buying today, would you still choose the Tacoma? Why?
Yes, mine has been reliable and it's good in all conditions. I drive frequently in bad weather and have never had issues. Example the snow storm that some others on an EMS shift called in for... yeah... I was between a wrangler and tacoma, my mechanic friend had a nice wrangler but he said its not as reliable and as a first car when I started I didn't have as much fix it myself knowledge.

* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Tacoma?
Only things that have been not so great for me have been the dealerships and service in my area... They love to argue and pretend to be know it alls.. Tried getting a new tailgate key cut and they said that part didn't exist and that it was the valet/emergency key in the fob.. then tried weird angles to shove that key in my tailgate infront of me... Didn't take me trying to purchase seriously and ignored me when I tried to ask them.

* Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck?
I have had no significant issues. I killed my battery this past winter when we dropped below 0 degrees a bunch but I was also communting about 2 miles to work and have aftermarket lighting(but have it on a breaker and everything has its own fuse). Upgraded the battery and haven't had any issues.

* What other trucks did you look at before buying the Tacoma?
as my family owned hondas and CRV, Civic I was interested in a ridgeline... until I found out the older ones were based off the accord platform... wasn't in the market for a full sized truck.

* What did you like & dislike about them?
chrome... most of what I dislike I replaced. Being a first car I was pretty excited that I was able to save up for a taco and didn't have many high expectations. I bought a used 2016 in 2018. The newest car that my family owned was a 2014 civic so I got a nice upgrade. the 2016's are a bit annoying though because my tailgate has a seperate key...

I have a trd off road, double cab short bed with the moon roof/heated seats and the tech package. came in quite a bit lower than what they are going for now.

 

No.

And it's not because I'm unhappy. I can honestly say that my 2007 has been the best truck I've ever owned. But at this point in my life my needs are different than they were 14 years ago. I need a bigger truck. That said the Tacoma still has a place on the driveway as a 3rd vehicle. It just isn't the daily driver it was.