I'm a wanna be taco trucker

Hi everyone, I can't believe the hassles trying to find the truck I want. Compounding the problem, I won't settle for any color but Barcelona Red. I won't say any more now 'cause the rules say not to post my wants here, but I'll find the place to post that, I guess. I've been looking on Craigslist like forever, and just found this awesome site!

Alan

 

Welcome. I'm new to this site, but not to the Tacoma/Toyota world. What is it that you are looking for, new or used?

 

Welcome. Are you wanting new? I don't know what city you are in, but I'm friends with a purchasing manager at a dealer in our area (I'm in Sonoma county). PM me if I can help.

 

I'm looking for a low mileage (isn't everyone?) 2010 and up V6 4x2 TRD Sport Short Bed Barcelona Red. A couple options I'd like, but those can be had later. What I definitely don't want is someone else's build to undo. I want a bone stock truck and I won't settle for less than the best truck out there.

I almost bought new, but the dealer jacked me around so much and delayed installing the options that i pulled the plug on him. I'd much rather deal with a private seller anyway, that freakin' dealer just reconfirmed my negative feelings about all car dealers anyway. Sorry if there are any dealers reading this, of course i don't mean you.

Alan

 

Bummer. Can hook you up with a good dealer if you change your mind. Good luck!

 

Why would you want to undo someone elses lift? Why not just get a stocker? Look online out of your state. Maybe in Arizona or the midwest as everyone in SF knows what they have. 4x2's are not easy to find in all areas. Most people want the 4x4 north of Vegas, or even Needles for that matter. Look in the Phoenix area, there are a ton of PukeRunners around there. I know the largest car dealership owner, Earnhardt. They are straight shooters. Believe me, I used to work for them. If you look in that area let me know, I'll tell you who to go see.

 

I can drive 400 miles in a day and pretty much split 50/50 with TRD Sports and V6 Prerunner DCSBs.

Tons of 4x2s around in the bay area.

 

HOLY SHIT !! THE FAT LADY HAS SUNG !! You read & followed TCBob's wishes about this thread "Introduction's only." I knew I wasn't the only one... God bless you & Welcome to TW.......

 

Mack, You advise exactly what I've been doing for a couple months. I check CL in all the major cities except the Midwest cause they use salt on the roads in the winter. I've looked all the way to the East Coast and what I find is plenty of nothin' close to what i want.

The main reason I don't want someone else's build is i don't want a beater or a build that doesn't make sense. For instance, you see lots of Off Road builds with long boxes for sale. Those guys didn't stop to think that a long wheelbase truck doesn't make it in the wilds. That's why they are for sale now. Me, i don't want to off road, but i do want to find a parking space i can fit into, and being able to make a u turn in the city is kinda good too. Most of what i'll carry will fit into 5 gallon buckets, so a short bed works for me. Look and you'll see that nobody wants to sell their short bed Tacos.

Alan

 

What city are you in Alan?

 

Just gotta be patient, especially if your firm on Red. It took me about 7 months to find the Tacoma I wanted and even then it was in the color I wanted. I wanted MGM but got BSP. However, the BSP was a TRD O/R with almost every option offered for that year other than 4x4. Plus it only had 36K miles on it and the price was awesome! I got what I wanted for the Frontier I was trading in, got them down in price, and also got a military discount. Got the the truck out the door with taxes, titles, and fees for $22k. Just gotta do what I did and keep looking at all the local dealerships and AutoTrader almost every day or every other day.

 

Fiend, you must be a highway robber to get away for only 22k. I expect to pay a premium 'cause I want the finest truck I can find used, and when I find it I'm not gonna pass because of price.

Pee, I'm in Castro Valley Ca. I can travel, but don't like wild goose chases.
What is this obsession you have with Beavis's wood?

 

The truck I got I found at a Ford dealership. It was on their lot for about 3 months for $24,999 but online it said $21,999. So I went in there and got $14,000 for my Frontier but still owed right under $12,000 so the positive equity went towards the online price of the Tacoma. I asked about a military discount and they took off another $750. I told the guy that I noticed it was on their lot for a while now and said that if they knocked off another $250 which with everything would be a total of $2200 coming off the price that I would take it right then and there and they did. I knew they wouldn't come off too much so I took it. Only drawback was that it came with 20" chrome wheels, lol. I tried looking at brand new 2013 MGM Tacoma's but it was like $28k just for the SR5 package and most used ones were around $26k and at the time my budget was $23k. Sure i could have waited another year and bout a brand new one but I was getting impatient and I dreaded every day I drove my Frontier, lol. Worst truck ever! I almost gave up looking but then I came across the one I have now and since I got it for $1k under budget I was able to use that $1k for my toytec lift. Now I just wish I had saved a little more and got King's. Oh well, like I told my wife, I bought this truck with every intention of keeping it forever so I have plenty of time to do what I want to it unless I get a really good raise years from now and want to trade it in for a newer one or unless I need a full size truck. If that's the case then I'll get a Tundra

 

I misread what you wrote, it appeared that you said you wanted a lifted truck, but it was also 01:00 when I read the post.

It is also apparent that you don't understand that a long bed Tacoma is not a long as you think. There is only one foot between the bumper to bumper measurements on the long bed and short bed. The reason Toyota stopped making the TRD Off Road in the long bed config. is because they already make 14 configurations, and decided to cut one out. A couple of inches does not limit the trails or wheeling areas you can go. Look at the Jeep Wrangler configs., and you'll get the answer.

As far as driving in the city, I just moved from Seattle, Wa. to New Orleans, La. and let me tell you the roads in both areas are tight. I don't have one problem driving, flippin' bitches or parking. Don't be scared of the machine. There are one ton dually's on the road that get around as good as I do in tight places.

As far as who is selling what, I know there are 6 4x4's sold for every one 4x2 Tacoma. So it's not so much about the long/short bed, as they are sold almost equally. And it definitely doesn't have anything to do with wheeling capability as they are both as equal as the driver makes them.

As far as salt, federal mandates state that vehicles sold in the United States must be able to withstand corrosion due to salt and other factors. If the vehicle you want is less than 60 months old, then there shouldn't be rust, and if so, it is under warranty.

 

You can look in the Seattle/Tacoma/Yakima/Spokane, Washington ads or Portland/Eugine/Bend, Oregon for pre-runners for sale if you don't mind driving north.

Heck, I just looked on CL in New Orleans, and found a ton. Here is one just like your wish list describes. http://gulfport.craigslist.org/ctd/4651124880.html Only $27,995.

Phoenix, even closer to you... http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/ctd/4673908468.html , http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/ctd/4672623559.html ,


Here is one in SANTA ROSA, Ca. http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/ctd/4674169329.html ,

And you don't have to worry about salt on the roads in either location.

 

I wouldn't buy something free from any Manly dealers, but good catch Jmack!

 

Well, Sarge, it appears that you got a good nights sleep and dreamed a very good answer to my post. I thank you for your insights into the average driving skill of the breed, but must remind you that your optimism isn't shared by the Mother Company, nor even by the industry as a whole. To wit, we have backup cameras, parking assists, even robot cars to replace the waning navigational skills of the motoring public. Did I remember to include trash talking navigation screens?

To choose the right vehicle for the job at hand, we have everything from little square Cubes to Hummer stretches, yet we see jacked up TRD ORs that never crawled and never will, we see plastic Hot Rods driven by men with clean fingernails and coiffured hair, and we see motorcyclists wearing polka dot shorts and sandals. We all drive what we want and look the look that we want to present to the world, so who's to judge except that guy looking back at us from the mirror?

Me, for instance, I picture myself in a red TRD Sport pulling up to Home Depot and parking in the handicap spot nearest the door. I use the backup camera, and stop an inch from the retaining wall, step out confidently without dropping to the ground, and swaggering into the store while listening to all the grandmothers give me a wolf whistle, pointing to my bitchin' truck so near the wall.

Sarge, you can't tell me that Seattle roads are tighter than San Francisco alleys, or that U turns are tighter in New Orleans than they are in Sausalito. Traffic and streets are tight everywhere, and especially including National Parks. I'm not a race car driver, but appreciate flat cornering due to age infirmities and a chronic bad back. I'll opt for the Tacoma that's a foot shorter and can pretend I'm a foot taller when I hear the whistles.

Oh, by the way, I did see those three examples you found so easily: Two were merely Prerunners, not TRDs, and the third was an Off Road not a Sport. I also saw them before you did. I'm tellin' ya, I'm picky and i know what i want.

Alan

 

It's hard to find a nice used Tacoma in the color you want. It took my 9 months.

 

If you're that picky about what you want then your better off lookin at new Tacomas, otherwise, kick your feet up and get comfortable cause it may take a loooooong time to find it

 

I understand you want what you want. I have been selling Toyota cars/trucks for years, and hear it all the time. That is why I tell all the people to buy new and get what you want. Otherwise, continue to look, and look, and look. Many times I find that they settle for something in a different collor or configuration. Or they wait for ever and get so upset about not finding their dream ride that they call me and cry to me like it is my fault.

The "mother company" as you put it only stopped making the TRD Off Road in the long bed because they already had too many different configurations and needed to cut several in order to keep the build sheets a little easier to maintain. It has nothing to do with how it handles off road. Expecially since you see just as many LB's off road going through the exact same places a SB does.

I've taken my Jeep Wrangler places and had Tacoma LB's follow me through the same stuff.

I can tell you that the roads in all three places are extremely tight in certain areas and not so much in others. I have been and driven in all of them, as well as many on the east coast, where they were not designed for cars to drive on, but horse drawn buggies. And let me tell you, it all comes down to the driver, not the car.