Need insight! Spam me with opinions the good, bad, and ugly

Hi everyone! I need some help and some first hand experiences and opinions on the Toyota Tacoma. My first vehicle was a 97' Toyota Camry, which I adored. We currently have a 2010 Camry, I like it but I had a HORRIBLE experience with its purchase (toyota certified pre-owned) quite certain it's been in accident, and am looking to get a new vehicle. We currently have an 88' Toyota HJ61 that we love, and just recently sold our 80' series that we loved. I would love to get another Land Cruiser, but it's not practical with my size and getting 2 small babes in the car. Please Spam with the good, bad, and ugly opioions/experiences with the Tacoma, we are looking in to a new crew cab, 4x4 (other option is a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon). TRD or no? Pre-runner or no? Gas milage? Snow/rain handaling? Carseat fit? Must have modifications? I love that our older toyotas are "heavy" inside and out, my newer Camry feels cheap (I had an A4 Quattro before the Camry, and I think it has ruined me) maintence? Frequent problems? I want a vehicle that I'll have for the next 10 plus years that I can pass on to one of my girls, I'm sick of busing and sellington cars, i want to fiND "the one". I've been on Google for weeks, but want hands on opions.

 

What do you mean by "my size?"

Before we get into your driving habits or off road intentions and all that jazz, if you're a larger person and you have two children (any size), I would not waste time looking at Jeep Wranglers.

 

I should specify. I'm 5'6 and 125 pounds. It's difficult for me to get in and out of the cruiser with out climbing and I have to situate myself on the backseat to get the babes in the car.

As far as driving intensions, my husband is in the Navy so we move every 3 years. We are currently near Joshua Tree National park, Big Near Area. Would love to take it out on some trails while we are here. My husband is from WV, where we plan on moving back once he retires. The roads to most of the homes are dirt and hilly, creek crossings.

 

The vehicle would need to be versitle from desert to mountains terrain, extreme heat to extreme cold.

 

I vote truck all the way. Much more versatile and customizable than a jeep. For a trail rig, the jeep has an advantage with size and the solid axel is nice but if you want something that can do everything, truck 100%.

If you want a good "solid" truck, they stopped making those in 2004 so I vote for a nice 1st gen 4x4.

Not sure how capable you want it to be. Some options:

-4x4 and get a 3" suspension lift. OME/Bilstein is cheap but you can do some 2.5 CO's in front and decent shocks in the back and still pay less than a newer truck. Good trail truck, good road manners, relatively cheap etc... Kind of a best of all worlds truck.
-If you want a bit more, LT travel kit in the front will still be cheaper than a new truck. It's a better all around kit than just the standard 3" lift as it articulates better offroad but also handles very well on road. Just very $$$.
-If you want to get a balls out offroad rig, find a cheap 2x4 and do a solid axel swap. Its pricey but can be done and still be cheaper than a new truck (it can also be more expensive if you want it to).

Issues with 1st gens:
-Its small. I have two kids that fit just fine in the back but don't try to fit any adults back there. Its called a mini truck for a reason
-It doesn't have a lot of power. Good low end grunt but that's about it. A s/c and/or gears fix this but its $$$. Still probably cheaper than a new truck but your approaching that price range if you add a lift as well.
-You don't get all the latest gadgets and gizmos you would get with a newer truck but this is actually a positive for me.

 

Ahh, quite the opposite of my assumption! I apologize.

Still, considering your list of must-haves, I don't think a Jeep Wrangler fits the bill. I love Jeeps and I've owned three of them. The aftermarket support is out of this world. They're fun to drive and great off-roaders straight out of the box, but they offer little in the way of family friendly amenities. Even with the four door version, the rear seats are tiny and the entry is difficult compared to most SUVs.

While the Tacoma will not be as proficient off road from the factory floor, it will likely be more reliable in the long run, has a roomier interior, offers better on-road handling, and can haul more.

 

I have owned about every Jeep in the books - besides the new Cherokee, Renegade, and Liberty (I don't consider those Jeeps anyways.)

I have had a 4-door Wrangler with two kiddos, and there were pros and cons. The con is that there's not a lot of space, either in the back seat nor in the cargo area for things. We managed it, but it's certainly not a vehicle built for families with children that have to tote around 'kids supplies' - you know what I'm talking about. The pro is that they're very fun. Take the top off, take the front doors off for you and your spouse - the kiddos will love it. Very customizable and the sky is the limit as far as aftermarket support.

I now have a '15 Tacoma - I got mine in July brand new. I chose it over a Wrangler this time around due to a few things. The Tacoma is tried and true mechanically, which is something that attracts me. The jeep's motor in it now is not, in my opinion, as reliable and bulletproof as the Taco's - others may argue otherwise. The Tacoma has better re-sale value, although only slightly over the Wrangler, which also has stellar re-sale value. The two kickers for me were 1) On-road handling and 2) Passenger and cargo space. The on-road handling will beat a Wrangler any day of the week. The Taco just rides great. Space-wise, the Taco feels like a passenger vehicle, while the Wrangler feels like the second row of seats was sort of just added as an afterthought, and I'd HATE to be back there on long trips. Cargo space wise, I LOVE having a truck bed. I can throw my kiddos dirty stuff in a box back there, throw their bikes back there, camping gear - whatever. If we're going roadtripping, I throw the bed hardcover on (or soft cover, whatever you prefer), throw the suitcases and everything in back, and the entire cab is now your space (and by your, I mean your kiddos' to throw things at each other and spill things on the seats).

I have talked your ear off. Long story short, they're both great vehicles, and you're going to win either way - it's a GREAT 'difficult' choice to have to make. However, at this time, I would recommend to you a Tacoma. Now you just have to decide b/w a '15 and a '16...

 

Please and thank you for talking my ear off. I'm glad, you have experience putting babes into the Wrangler. We have long legged babes so I don't think they'd fit well in it.


I'm happy you mentioned why you choose the Tacoma over the Wrangler. I agree it would be nice to have a truck bed for all the things that come with the babes. I'm sold on a bullet proof engine.

I see that you have a pre runner. Are they 4x4? I keep googling with no luck. And with yours being new do you feel that the electronic systems in it would be hard to work on by yourself? (My Audi needed the dealership to change the battery....haven't experienced it with the Camry yet)

Thank you again for an honest response!

 

Thankyou for taking the time to respond! I would adore an older Tacoma, heck is rather go back to my 97' Camry than this thing. But space and power is an issue for sure. I like having some pick up and go. As far as modern luxuries I'm a okay...10' Camry is the first vehicle I've owned without a cassette deck.

I'm glad you mentioned the OME. We are planning to put An OME on the HJ before the end of the year. I'll start looking into that for the Tacoma. Great ideas on all the mods. Thanks!

 

Thank you, love all the pros and of course the word reliable. You have a TRD, what do you like about that? Necessity or luxury?

 

Amd I have to ask for my husband's sake. Are they truly coming out with a Tacoma Diesel for the states? We adore our HJ and he'd murdered me if a diesel came out in the next few years after buying any vehicle.

 

I agree, I'm leaning towards the truck as well.

 

No, my PreRunner is 2WD, and it fits my needs for now. You could get a 4WD, if that's what you're looking for. There are plenty of guys on here with all the different sub-models that could give you insight on what model would fit your needs - prior to going in and talking to a guy trying to make a commission off of you.

It's not going to hold a candle to your Audi in terms of electrical complexity, although I'm no electrical expert by any means. LoL yes, you can change your own battery. You'll be able to work on it yourself - they're relatively simple - or there will be an instructional thread on here for pretty much any problem you could ever come across. Or if there's not, you could start a new thread, and one of these guys will walk you through it.

Search your area. Try to find a dealer with a '15 and a '16, and test-drive them both. '15s are going to be cheaper, as they're trying to clear them out, but '16s have been re-designed with more 'creature comforts' that you may be interested in if it's going to be your family vehicle. I got a bare-bones '15 and got it for a steal, and I love it, but I don't like a lot of electronics. On a personal level, I also think that the '16 front ends are downright disgusting, but that's just me - many others disagree.

Let us know if you get further down your purchase path - lots o' experts here that'll help you find the best deal.

Hope that helps!

 

No clue. They're also kicking around the diesel option for the '17 Wrangler re-design, as well as a Jeep pickup truck for '17-'18. Lots of 'maybes' floating around for the next few years.

 

1st gen is a great truck and very reliable. Power is an issue but a small one and as mentioned, it can be fixed with a little work. I really like the idea of built not bought as it makes the truck "yours" if you know what I mean.

Not likely and if they do it would be a modern EPA compliant money pit; not worth it IMO. You can do a diesel swap but its around 20-30k. A solid 1st gen will run you roughly 10k but if you can find a nice truck with a blown engine, you can probably get a diesel swapped 1st gen for not much more than 30k which isn't too bad for a new truck.

http://dieseltoys.com/tacoma-diesel-conversions

If you are patient, every once in a while they would have a 1st or 2nd gen for sale with a diesel swap.

 

I love my TRD Off-Road. It's got electronic traction control (ATRAC) and a rear locker that the other models don't have, which are nice to have off road. If you aren't planning on spending thousands on upgrades but still want to take the truck off road, the TRD Off-Road is the way to go.

I own my Tacoma because I needed something more practical than my Wrangler, but I wanted something that could still hold its own off road. That's pretty much the only reason. That said, it has been great for home projects, landscaping, hauling, and other things that my Wrangler never could have done. On the negative side, I really miss not being able to drop the top and take the doors off on summer days.