New to the forum; what to know before getting a Tacoma?

Hey everyone,

So, I'm brand new to this forum, so first off, nice to meet all of you! The reason I'm here is because I'm looking to potentially lease/buy a new Toyota Tacoma.

Right now I have a 2018 Chevrolet Colorado that I can say with some confidence, is a lemon. It's fallen victim to the infamous "Chevy Shake" transmission shudder for the second time after barely 12,000 miles. I love the truck, and bought it out after my lease because it was the 100-year edition. But I can't in good conscience hold onto this if it's a lemon. Now it's in the shop, but luckily, I was able to count on my twenty year old Camry to get me to work this week XD.

I'm probably going to take a look at some Tacomas this weekend. I know this might be a really stupid question (because Toyotas are indestructible), but are there any known minor or serious problems with the new Tacomas that I should be aware of before hopping into one? I would really appreciate it!

Thanks!

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld

 

No its a solid/reliable truck just keep to the scheduled maintenance in the owners manual



but only if you stop reading TacomaWorld now and never look again.









welcome to TW

 

Toyota is always the answer

 

You probably won't like the ride/shifting/power band as much as the Chevy. Understand it is an 18 or so years old chassis. Were I the type to lease, I'd probably stay on Dodges or GM's, with the huge center screens, comfortable rides, etc. Your money is not going towards that kind of stuff with a Tacoma. I don't see them as good short term value propositions.

If having a less comfortable, less powerful, less techy truck for a much longer time is appealing to you, you may like it.

 

Toyota fan hear, but today's Toyotas are not the Toyotas of yester-year. I believe they are still the better option. Just like every vehicle they have their faults.

 

Welcome to TW!

If your buying used check the frame out as that's the number one major issue that will jump out at you as these frames are very prone to rusting out. If they salt your roads in the winter, spraying your frame in Fluid Film (extensively talked about on the forum and is a great go to for rust protection) will extend the life of your frame.

As long as you do regular maintenance and make sure your frame is salt free when possible it should last forever.

 

Take it for a REAL test drive, like 40 minutes to an hour. Use everything. I think 80 percent of the owners here never even test drove their new truck before purchasing because of all the bitching they do about what a pos the truck is.

I love mine, no issues. 5400 miles cross country yrip this past summer and had a blast, 1000 miles were offroad. All good.

Hope you find a decent deal.

 

They aren’t indestructible and are under powered.
They are however, reliable and maintain a good resell value.

Don’t be afraid to take a Tundra for a test drive.
It’ll be more comparable to the Chevy.

 

Yeah I mean, I would like to buy it out, but after this fiasco with my truck, I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable doing it again. I gotta see what the lease prices are because the last time I inquired about a new lease they were astronomical...

And honestly, looking at the Tacoma online, it does have a hell of a lot more features than my '18 Colorado. XD It has a 360 camera, LED headlights, power sliding rear window, safety features, a backup sensor, and adaptive cruise control. All of which I really would like, especially the 360 camera.

Thanks!

 

Yeah that was one thing I've heard before, that the engine is underpowered. Honestly, I'm not driving balls to the wall anything. I want a truck for the capability, and to get me through these NY winters. Unless the power is REALLY noticeably different than mine truck, then it probably won't make a difference XD.

I was looking at the Tundra and Silverado, but I'm not sure how practical it would be doing mostly city driving.

Thanks!

 

Allocate 2x the cost of the Taco for mods.
Get a PO Box for part’s delivery so your wife doesn’t see the daily haul.
Practice eluding to vague safety concerns requiring suspension lifts, wheels and performance upgrades.

 

2005-2015: check frames, replacements, and warranty
2016-2019ish (early 3rd gen): wonky transmission (not a "quality" issue, just not great feeling), rear diff leak, 3rd brake light seal leak
2020+ : just test drive the dang thing - people don't like the seating position (can be "fixed" with seatjackers), claim it's underpowered (it's not a race truck). Otherwise, no major issues.

I personally owned a 2018 Pro (loved it) and a 2020 SR with TRD accessories (liked it - interior feel less than TRD, as expected & road noise seemed higher). No reliability issues - only ever in the shop for basic maintenance.

FWIW I've moved on to a 22 Tundra Pro and it's incredible. I'm a long-legged 6'3" so the seating position is superior, but that being said I put up with 2 different Tacos for 4+ years and it was fine.

 

A lot of people who complain about the Tacomas are the types of people who get new vehicles every 2 or 3 years, come from a full-sized pickup and seem to be expecting the same performance, people who are used to 3 speed transmissions, or just general nit-pickiness. However, you're coming from a similar truck with issues so most of that shouldn't be a problem. Any forum is a quick way to be convinced you have problems that don't exist or that you need to upgrade certain things right away, etc.

I came from a 2008 GMC Canyon and my dad has a 2015 Colorado so I'll try and give you my take.

The Colorado has a better ride, but that's pretty much a staple of GM vehicles in general. However, I grew up as a GM guy and went away from the brand after being annoyed with the problems they have. They're great with initial quality, but don't seem to last...well, unless you don't care about materials falling apart and a few sensor lights.

"Gear hunting" is a common complaint. However, that's a general symptom with modern vehicles which often have more than the traditional 4 speeds. This truck has 6 and 2 of them are overdrive gears. Personally, this hasn't been something I've noticed or cared about, but I also use cruise control a lot which allows the truck to be far more consistent with power than anyone not using cruise...no matter how steady they think they are.

My truck is a 2017 that was built in 2016 so it still has a lot of the early quality issues that hadn't been worked out yet. But thus far my only repairs have been based on my own nit-pickiness or outside factors such as needing to replace a cracked windshield or general repairs covered under recall.

I spray my frame every year with Woolwax and so far seem to have less rust than I see on some 2-year-old GM trucks in my area.

Some people complain about the sound system, but I have zero complaints.

 

Yeah I can kinda share that sentiment about GM. My dad and I have always been GM guys. And I know their quality started to go way down, especially after this nightmare with my transmission. That, and a few other tiny things "breaking" on a truck with such low mileage is really making me ticked off with GM. Like I said, I've been having to use my 02 Camry to get to work, and over all the time we've had that thing, not one major problem came up.

I've kinda experienced gear hunting on my 8-speed as well. It's as quirky as it is troublesome. But I take the highway to work every day, so if the transmission can get me up to speed for that, I'll have no complaints.

I'm probably going to be testing out a Tacoma tomorrow, so all will be revealed then XD.

I appreciate the insight!

 

No problem! I take the highway as well and drive about an hour (one way) for my commute. It'll definitely get you up to speed. It's no V8, but then again it's not supposed to be.

 

The engine is not underpowered. People think it's underpowered because they expect it to do what the jeep, toyota, and ford 4.0's of yesteryear did, which is build torque at 2200 rpm

The 3.5 revs like a 4 banger. Paid for the whole tach, might as well use it. I've had mine screaming at 70 mph up hills at altitude loaded down in 3rd gear and the truck doesn't care. That's where the powerband is. If it takes 3800rpms, use 3800rpms. It's got a rev limiter, engine isn't going to explode under designed load.

Only thing I would realistically change about my truck is a solid front axle and comfier seats. It's not a fun truck to drive 8+ hours in a day. But it's a truck, so I'm ok with that at the end of the day. If I was doing long hauls constantly, I'd get one of those gliding couches most of the half tons have turned into.

I drive the tacoma because it does everything I need it to do, with an acceptable amount of bells and whistles, and doesn't cut too many corners on quality.

 

I'd have to disagree about the solid axle. But on your other note, I did drive this from Michigan to Utah and back twice this year though and it did well. It did very well and was much cheaper than flying despite gas prices. But we also rented a 2022 Tundra this year and man was that smooth!

 

Solid axle would let them compete with jeep in the offroad vertical. There's no other small pickup that's as built for offroad use aside from the gladiator.