New buyer....first truck ever.

Buy a Tacoma and...

 

Buy a Ranger

 

This!

 

I'm in the same boat (never owned a truck, looking at getting a Tacoma, hanging out here to get ahead of all the unknown unknowns). Here's what I think I've figured out so far:

- I'm going to wait for the 2020 model. The changes for 2020 model year don't look earth shattering, but they do seem to be meaningful updgrades to the user experience (as opposed to the basic truck performance). Since I'm the kind of guy who buys once and drives it into the ground for the next twenty years, I want the truck to be as close to right-for-me the first time I buy.
- For toppers, there's the usual hard tops (Fleet, A.R.E., Snugtopper). These seem to run in the $2k to $3k range. SofTopper is an intriguing option you might want to check out if you want to be able to remove the bed covering easily (~$800). As for tonneau covers, as far as I can tell the general consensus on this board is that the Toyota factor tonneau is a strong choice (~$650), but I'm also interested in the DiamondBack tonneau (~$1200 to $3000 depending on the model). I really like the aesthetics of the DiamondBack, and it looks more functional than more traditional tonneaus.
- Get the Toyota bed mat.
- WeatherTech floor matts seem like a popular choice.
- Test driving seems like good advice. Things to look for: seat comfort (especially if you're taller than average), and automatic transmission "feel". (There's A LOT of whinging about the way the auto transmission shifts, but I can't tell how much is legitemate complaints, and how much is truck nerds fixating on details that the average person wouldn't care about.)
- Don't expect much of a discount on the Tacoma, because it sells well and there's not much incentive to cut price to move them off the lot. Again, from what I can tell, you can expect a discount of ~10%-12% off MSRP as a rule of thumb.
- Best time of year to buy seems to be September/October if you're going with an older model year (new model year is coming out around end of FY) or late November/early December (Christmas sales) or December 31st (if you can catch a dealer trying to hit sales goals for the year). Best advice I've heard is to have all your research and testing done, know PRECISELY what you want, have your financing ready, and then plan on spending December 31st at dealerships until you find someone ready to make a deal.
- There's a thread here titled "Accessories that changed your life for under $200" (or something along those lines) which has lots of suggestions for small upgrades that you might not ever know you needed until you saw it. Worth checking out.

 

I'll also add that, of the other mid-size trucks on the market, the only other option that looks interesting to me is the upcoming Jeep Gladiator.

I like that it has a pretty significant towing rating, the styling/aesthetics are appealing, and I like the ability to pop off the doors and roof for fun.

That said, we'll see what the mileage is compared to the Tacoma, and how competitively priced it is. I'm also a little leery of buying the first year version of anything.

(The 2020 Tacoma is the fourth year(?) of the Gen 3 Tacomas, and I just feel better knowing there's been three iterations of this model live tested under real world conditions.)

 

It’ll be the fifth year of the 3rd gen.

 

Ryan, I hope your ready for the mpg difference, compared to your Subaru

 

Definitely wait for the 2020 model, it has a lot of great upgrades.

Besides that, and as other have said, don't believe everything you read here but don't discount it either. Go test drive them as much as you can. What some people hate about these trucks, others don't mind. You should also go drive other trucks, the mid-size market is huge now and you might find one suits your needs better than the taco or vice versa. If you plan on keeping your new truck as long as the subie, definitely make sure that it checks all the boxes. I love my truck! but don't limit your self either. Had I known about the gladiator back in 2017, I would've waited.

 

i'd go with husky x-act contour floor liners. i have always had the weather tech but got in on a group buy here for the huskys. i like them much more then the weather tech. the material and looks are better in my opinion..

as far as the automatic goes... there is defiantly something funky going on with it. get it on the highway for some time and try to hold 65ish mph. you'll see it needs to constantly down shift and up shift at the slightest incline and before you know it you've still lost quite a bit of mph. around town it doesn't seem bad to me though..

 

Gladiator is going to be lot more $$ equally equipped out the door than a Tacoma. A Rubicon Gladiator loaded about same as trd off road with tech and Premium pkg will be about $58k msrp and dont expect much off them either

 

and its a damn FIAT..

 

If you have been okay driving a 96 Subaru all this time you will be ecstatic with the truck. My wife has an 06 WRX wagon and I fucking hate pretty much everything about it. So if you have been happy with the 96' the truck will be like a Maserati to you lol

 

i test drove the 19 jl rubicon hard top and although not fully loaded it had 55k msrp and they say the Gladiator will be about 3k more. They ride and drive real nice and I think they did great job on them. Out the door price I could get about 5k off . So my guess is on the Gladiator expect at first maybe about 3 to 4 k off at best and msrp about 58k and as said that isn't fully loaded but pretty nice. I figure it will be nice truck if that is what you want for sure. With longer wheel base than the JL I imagine will ride even little better. I think it is going to be about the same length as a Tacoma dbl cab long bed.

 

problem is its a fiat/chrysler product. pure junk and thats coming from a life long mopar fan. i'll never buy another new chrysler product. the dealer network is horrible.

 

After you pick your trim level and get your truck and the very necessary bed mat take a deep breath and enjoy your truck before you get mod fever.

 

JFC, that much?!? At that price point it had better fellate me on long road trips.

 

couldn't say I never dealt with them

 

hey that isn't even loaded one. A JL loaded is over 60k so expect a loaded one to run about 63 to 64k. But it is cool and if it something that works for your life style and area you live and is what you want go for it. I am 56 and taking the top off where I live isn't something I care about and don't see paying 53k or so for it for my needs but others it will fit what they want and that is cool

 

Wait a few months if you're able, then get the 2020. It's a nice boost of changes from the out-going models. Then you're going to have to decide if you want a TRD Off Road, or TRD Sport, or if you got the cash to burn, a TRD Pro.

 

I agree with @Boosted_Carrera and the only thing that I can add to this is that my rig did have the transmission shifting issues, but TSB 62-18 took care of that and wording it the right way to the service adviser should get it done without any hassles. Also, as with Boosted_C, I love my rig and have ZERO complaints about it.