If Buying Today, Would You Still Choose the Tacoma?

I haven't bought a N.A. truck in over 4 decades, and won't ever again. Every new competitor that tries to dethrone the Taco, always falls short. And that's not even mentioning the Reliability.

NO BRAINER!

OFF ROAD for the Win...

 

I don't think, I know, I've owned them both. What does wind noise have to do with materials? All convertibles have wind noise. Mine has extra insulation, so not that different from the Tacoma. My Gladiator has soft stitched materials on the dashboard etc., the Tacoma has milk-container plastic everywhere. No recalls on my Gladiator so far, the Tacoma had one recall (Google "Tacoma low pressure fuel pump recall"). I have no idea what wheel drift is. The drivetrain runs circles around the Tacoma. That's what I'm into.

 

I briefly pondered it a few weeks ago..my 2010 single cab went in for the frame replacement.

I wasn't expecting it but I asked myself "what if they decide or if I maybe suggest them buying me out of it (as my wife got with her 96 back in 2008)?" I would buy another Tacoma..ideally a low mileage single cab because it's all I ever need for room, though 2014 was the last year for them. If not, an ext cab though I don't need one.

 

Out of all the trucks you've listed I'd still recommend the Tacoma. It's really surprising to see how expensive these Toyota's have gotten since I bought mine in 2017. Full size trucks (F150) were not in my budget with the options I wanted at the time I bought my 2017 and Tacoma's are very reliable. All Toyota's for that matter. Plus, they hold their resale value better than anything else. We also have a TRDOR 4runner that's been awesome. I actually enjoy it more than the Tacoma sometimes. Good things about the Tacoma other than already mentioned are ride quality (DCSB TRDOR 4x4), gas mileage, and composite bed. Not so great are factory speakers (rears are under powered) and the factory headlights which are halogen and not led. (Wasn't an option at the time) Get the LED headlights from the factory! Aftermarket fixes are available for both of these complaints.

I don't know what you're planning on towing or how far (hopefully something light), but none of the trucks you've mentioned will be spectacular for towing. You can probably make it work though.

 

* If you were buying today, would you still choose the Tacoma? Why?
Yes, ideally a used single cab but if not an access cab. I don't need 4x4 or a lot of passenger room, married with no kids nor any to come. My 2010 single cab I bought in 2012 with 6K (now 117K) is getting a frame, but it is in excellent shape still and checks all the boxes of my needs.

* If not, why? What would you buy instead? Why?
IF I ever needed a full size, I like the Tundra but I'd consider F150. I'm a minimalist with vehicles, probably from owning mostly 10 year old ones and being at that point where toys start to break. I'd stick with a single cab truck if at all possible. I would definitely never own a GM again.

* What problems have you had that disappointed you in the Tacoma?
None really, while my frame rotting isn't ideal I knew of the situation and kept up on the inspection process etc. It was their doing the buyback of my wife's 96 in 2008 that made me choose Toyota for my next vehicle.

* Were these issues significant enough to cause you to doubt the reliability of the truck?
See above re frame, and once I knew that Toyota had the bulletin on them I made sure to do my part.

* What other trucks did you look at before buying the Tacoma?
I didn't. I owned a 2006 Chevy Colorado for 5.5 years prior as my first truck.

* What did you like & dislike about them?
I disliked that my 06 Colorado puked the engine at 70K of daily driver and that GM (both dealer and corporate) lied, denied, and swindled me every step mostly. Went through 4 cam sensors in that time and it needed U joints replaced at 40K. My truck was never used to plow, tow, or taken offroad and I'm the only one who ever drove it.

Not that anyone buys a truck for excellent mileage per se but even as a truck my Colorado was a pig for a 4 cylinder, 15mpg.

 

If I could do it all over again, I would have kept on the hunt for a 2nd gen or even bought that 2015 with low miles that was smoked in.

This offends people, my 3rd gen that I bought new, the keyword being MY was a huge piece of shit. It did look nice.

 

This might be the way going foward. This week a hefty gas tax to help fund the "Infrastructure" plan was narrowly defeated, no doubt it will be tried again. With gas prices so high now, it makes you want to reconsider what powers your next Truck.

 

I am a first and second generation Tacoma owner…been driving them since the day they left Cali. Best trucks on the road. Don’t let those a$$holes in the Rams push you off the road, you hold your ground and your head high.

 

Maybe time for some to ask if they really need a truck. I know it sounds un American, but just because you bought a house doesn't mean you need a truck. It crazy to think that 40 years ago a truck was mostly a tool for those that really needed it, now for a lot of people it's a lifestyle accessory and a commuter vehicle.

 

The new Ford maverick looks cool (and 40mpg), but after performing oil changes and rigorous maintenance every 3,500 miles only to end up with two separate blown ecoboost motors, I’d stick with the Tacoma. There’s just too much cost cutting going on in the market and I don’t need a crazy amount of power to tow or commute.

 

Much truth. I bought a truck because I have a house, but I have an old house I'm always fixing stuff on. I mean, in theory I could manage without one but my here and there need for one isn't infringing upon my daily need/use of a vehicle IE fuel mileage sucks for the regular drive. While it's never gonna compete with a Prius, my 23MPG city is acceptable and I only fill up every 2 weeks even when I'm in the office every day, unless I do a lot of extra running around. Haven't done that kind of driving since March 2020 and it's not looking likely for at least 6 more months.

I remember in the mid 2000s so many people I worked with were single and drove these huge gas pigs just because they liked them, not a need for space or towing etc. Even when fuel was cheap they still bitched about the cost at the pump..I laughed at those fools back then.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...river-side-wheel-well-not-the-battery.484715/

according to this thread seems to be an issue across all generations. i should take a look at mine

 

While you didn't mention it on your list OP..

I've been driving a Nissan Frontier for about 4 weeks now while my 2010 is waiting for a new frame. It is a 2019 or 2020 (I forget), double cab short bed with the V6.

It is more powerful than my 2.7 I4 in the Tacoma (of course), not sure I'd care enough to pay more for a V6 though. Mileage is around 19-20 city, mostly short trips though since I'm working from home.

If I was to buy one I'd be looking extended cab long bed.

On what amounts to a long test drive so far it's not bad, though I'd research the brand more if I was to contemplate a purchase just because I don't know what I don't know about it.

 

I swear the people who bitch about how awful the interior quality of new-ish Chrysler vehicles are have never actually sat in one. The dash and door panels in my 2006 Dodge Magnum and 2011 Durango were a million times nicer than the plastic Toyota uses in the interior. And it's not just the Taco, I test drove new Rav4's and Camry's too. The fake grain pattern on the interior plastics is awful to the touch. My wife calls the front portion of the window sill a cheese grater, and I can't say I entirely disagree. And that Toyota fake leather crap, softex, terrible. It made the Camry a complete no go.

Is the quality of the brand better overall? Sure, no argument there. But the interior materials suck ass.

 

was it a lemon or what?

 

The dealer had it too many times and the quality was just shit. I've had lots of vehicle regrets, but my 2018 Tacoma made my buying a used R53 Cooper S back in the day look like a good purchase.

 

I have 5500 miles on my loaded 2021 Offroad. I would have bought a Pro if I could get 10% off MSRP.

I’m probably going to upgrade the front shocks and raise it an inch, but other than that, I like it just fine. It passed the sub zero snow test in February, massive rains in May. Now we are working on the scorched earth test with the AC (Texas). So far so good, but I really don’t know about a particular machine until I’ve had it at least a year.

All the nagging stuff has been fixed. Except the backup camera but I could care less about it.

Buy with confidence.

 

I got my 2021 TRD OR AC a few months back (before prices went nuts) and am super happy with it. The only thing I don't like is the surprisingly low payload, but I knew that before buying of course. Also, I wish I could lower the entire rear window, but I don't think any modern mid size does that (?) I love driving it and the interior etc feel great to me at least.

 

There wasn't anything else available other than the Frontier when I bought my 2016 Tacoma and the deal the dealer offered me for my 2018 was too good to not take.

If I was looking today I'd probably end up in a Ranger. When I bought my truck I was doing a commute through town and using my truck to go camping and get to various resorts to go snowboarding. Now I have a 30- 45 minute flat highway commute of 100km a day and this Tacoma is killling me!
I can eet cruise at 100km/h and the truck won't sit anywhere other than 3500rpm unless I'm manually adding throttle input. I don't even have any crazy mods just a canopy and sized up to 265/70r17 tires from 265/65r17 that were stock.
I'm LUCKY to average 16mpg to a tank! My last truck, a Hummer H3T w/ a 5.3 v8, 35" E rated tires, an ARB bumper and a winch did 16-17 mpg and I traded in for a newer tru k that shouod have gotten better mileage.

I'm dropping $80 CAD in fuel every four days.
With resale values so high right now and importers buying Tacomas at nearly 10k over dealer offers I'm legitimately looking to sell it off and find a 2015 TDI Sportwagen or Allroad.