NEW purchase trd OR manual or SR5 long bed?

OK.. new member. Always wanted a Tacoma. Never bought brand new vehicle but about to put down deposit. Have always owned Toyota. 02 4Runner. 89 pickup and recently sold 08 Tundra to buy a new Tacoma. Just didn't need the size and gas burn is horrible. I am almost convinced to pull the trigger on a TRD OR manual. Pretty excited about the manual however I could also get a SR5 DC LB. for about 200 more. Don't think I would need extra space that often and I would be driving manual daily. Any advice or thoughts would. E great. I know that a lot comes down to preference but paying same price pretty much just to have 12" of length and the manual?? Not sure if it's worth it. Anything I'm missing? Thanks. And excited to be a member of the Tacoma fam!!

 

Whatever Tacoma you decide to buy, if it is a Third Gen, make sure you test drive the hell out of it first. I'm not talking a 20 or 30 minute chit chat, roll through the strip mall with the sales guy. I'm talking about finding a dealer that will let you take it for 3 or 4 hours or even better, overnight or a weekend, so you can really understand how these perform and if there are any annoyances that crop up. Also make sure you check it against the most recent and massive recall on leaking rear differentials.

Honestly I'd probably just recommend a nice used 2nd Generation. The fuel economy on the third gen is not going to be significantly better than the 2nd gen.

If you do get a third gen make sure you get a manual as the automatic transmission gets a TON of criticism.

 

Whatever best fits your needs, I gave up the bed space just so I could have the manual.

 

Thanks smitty 99 def will contemplate. The main reason for new is I get a deal with usaa with 16-17' model vehicles and a 2015?is so close to price as new but with 4-60,000 miles. I'm in Alaska and prices are out of control and very few if any private sellers of anything under 100,000. Thanks for the great advice.

 

TRD Sport Access Cab with 6 Speed > OR

 

I love my 17 SR5 long bed.

 

Manual over long bed all day. You can get a TRD Sport ACLB MT so long bed with MT but its access cab so.

 

Go with the longbed

 

Early on, my biggest decision was manual or long bed (I sure wish DCLB MT was an option).
Having 2 trailers, I decided to go with the manual. My next hardest decision was SR or TRD. Ended up with DCSB MT off road. Very happy with my decision, but I know I'd still be happy with an SR, not to mention all the extra money to blow on "stuff".
We can all throw suggestion at you and tell you why we chose the truck we got, but only you can decide what you want.
(Get the manual)

 

I love my 6MT OR. Decent acceleration and just starting to see the benefits of fully broken engine with MPG ranging from 22 to 26 on mixed driving! (Despite MI highway fast driving)

 

Agreed

 

You using imperial or US units?

 

I agree with everything stated here.

 

Thanks for all the great replies. As far as access cab goes I have fam. Of four so unfortunately out of question or I would be up for that option.... I know that it's all about my own needs and ultimately my decision. Just keep going back and forth. Prob. Pull the trigger with manual since that is something I will enjoy on a daily basis over the once in a while lumber run where I can drop the tail gate. Not to mention my options for OR are inferno and blue. Thanks for the help. All comments are helpful. Just wanted to know if there was a benefit I was not looking at since both vehicles are priced pretty much the same. OR 35,100. SR5 LB. 35,300. MSRP. Not sure how much they will budge on price since the dealership has a monopoly in AK. Kendal Toyota.

 

You can drive a manual or auto but you can't bed length when you need it...

I would go long bed, after having one I wouldn't want it any other way. Manuals are nice but in a truck not fun just work especially in traffic. Toy car I would never get with an auto though regardless of how much faster they are.

Tyler

 

Don't let sticker price on a used vehicle dissuade you from working a deal. Dealer usually has a lot more wiggle room on a used vs. New pricing. They just inflate the used vehicle price to highball you.

 

Are both of the trucks 4wd?

 

Definitely go with the manual if that's what you like. The automatic transmissions have known hardware flaws, and the shifting strategies are not universally loved.

 

what are these known hardware flaws in the auto transmissions?

 

Yes on 4x4. As far as traffic. There is none where I do 90% of my driving. All mountain roads on the coast in sleepy AK. Thanks again for the advice to all. I think I am answering my own Q and will be going for the manual in inferno. To bad I have to wait till end of July. However I now have resurrected the 89 22re until then and confirmed my love for the manual. Thanks again.