New guy looking for a Taco

I've had a 4x4 just about as long as I've had a driver license, my first one was in 1976 and haven't been without one since. I've been a motorcyclist, gave it up so I could hopefully die of old age, and am a sports car enthusiast, but as I get older and slower, I'm giving that up as well. I'm looking now for a Tacoma to replace my aging, too large, too thirsty and too expensive to maintain, K3500 crew dually GMC. I'll miss the 8 foot bed, but in all actuality, I didn't haul stuff very often in it that I needed that much space. Should I need the space after selling it, I still have a 14 foot flatbed.

Hoping the Tacoma will step up to the task. I've had quite a few Toyotas over the years, my first was a '76 Land Cruiser FJ40, bought new. Next Toyota was the live-in GF's '76 Celica GT. Quite a few years later, and married, I've been through three Camry's and the wife still drives an '06 Sienna; I also own a '99 Avalon, was my Mom's but I don't let her drive any more, she's 91. All but one of the Camry's have been reliable as rain; the one that wasn't still saved our lives with its toughness, we got T-boned by a drunk who ran a red light at 50+ mph, but we all walked away (me, wife and two very young daughters).

So, another Toyota is a logical choice. I was turned on to this forum by a guy on another car forum. I've lurked a bit, reading a few things, but want to learn about these nice trucks, what to look for and what to avoid. Hope to learn a lot. I live in the western part of NC, north of Charlotte, great mountains to my west, ready to explore.

 

Welcome to TW!!

 

Welcome to the madness

 

Welcome!

 

Howdy

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Welcome from Concord, NC

 

welcome! find a low miles 2015. I think you'll be happier with that over the current generation.

 

Welcome aboard

 

Welcome! I have a '77 Celica GT Liftback in the garage, mechanically restored but needing all cosmetics. It's a slow process.

Lots of hate for the latest gen in here, and they've had their issues just like the 2nd gen did early on (that people tend to forget). I've had a '92 pickup (sent south across the border to do hard labor after 130K miles), 2004 Tacoma (last year of the 1st gens, rear-ended), 2006 Tundra (too big), 2009 Tacoma (2WD base, not capable enough), 2012 TRD Off Road Tacoma, and now a 2018 TRD Pro. All great vehicles, but love the Pro the most.

My thoughts, take them or leave them:

I waited for the 3rd year of the new gen so they could work out some of the kinks. So far so good. Just don't hang around in the 3rd gen forums too long, get what you need and get out. I personally don't like the way the long bed drives, but you are used to a giant vehicle and may like it. I think you can get the TRD Off Road in a long bed now. If you will be upgrading suspension with aftermarket, you could go with a 4x4 SR5 to save some cash. If you'd like a better suspension and don't want to mess with it yourself, see if you can find a Pro (lots of other small extras, too). Not sure if they are hard to find in your neck of the woods, but I picked one off the lot here and paid 3K under MSRP. Lots of hate for Pro's on here as well, and definitely not a great value if you pay over MSRP. The Fox suspension is well-executed, better than the previous Pro's IMHO. Otherwise, if you are fine with stock, you can go with a TRD Off Road and just replace the shocks with 5100's when it comes time, they are very capable in stock form but do benefit from a small upgrade.

There's still some 2017's on lots that you might get a great deal on, but remember that it's only the 2nd year of the new gen. The Entune and dash on the 2018 seems to be a bit nicer, and there are more electronic safety features (I have them all turned off, though, other than the crash protection system that just beeps and tells you to brake if it thinks you are going to hit something).

Anyway, good luck on your hunt and enjoy your new truck!

 

Welcome !