PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

I think that the stereo that my friend and I installed in my poverty-spec RC blows anything you can get in a brand new Tacoma right out of the water; I am fine with buying a base truck and installing my own killer stereo...

 

And I’ll probably catch some flak for this, but I think the MT in these Tacoma’s is crap for daily driving. Deep clutch, long throws. It’s a truck.

Not sure your familiarity with stick shift, but I could see you getting frustrated with daily driving one.

 

I can drive a stick shift and enjoy doing so, but I've never driven a stick shift 3rd Gen. I've driven a 1st Gen 3.4L/5-speed and a 2nd Gen 2.7L/5-speed and I found both to be just fine...

 

For an SR 4x4 with access cab the V6 costs $2650 more than the 4 cylinder.
It also includes the tow package which has more cooling and electrical capacity, that is a good upgrade even if you don't tow.

 

It's greatly improved over the 2nd Gen, the very first thing l noticed in my 2017 was how much smoother it was.

 

This just arrived!

 

These 3rd Gens are on the heavy side, the 4 banger AT is working overtime to push it around.

 

I had a 1999 Civic Si
Loved driving that car.
And I DROVE it.
8,000 rpm redline. And I was there frequently.

 

I'm leaning towards a V6 if I get a new truck...

 

But it's probably going to be automatic. Also, Helen's Ridgeline does not have the safety features that are making me even consider a newer vehicle; I am still going to test drive it to see what I think of the Ridgeline in general, because Helen is a lot more pleasant to deal with than some pushy salesperson.

 

Carmax

 

And also, a Ridgeline is out of my price range at the moment; Helen would give me a "family discount" if I bought hers.

 

I didnt care for the early V6 AT, but l understand they changed the tune around a little. The one l drove was extremely shift happy, going up hill it constantly cycled through 4th, 5th, and 6th gears. It also had issues on flat ground with the cruise control on, it would never stay in 6th and start that crazy shifting again.

 

You'd take $32K for yours?

 

My truck doesnt have all that safety stuff.

 

A Corolla is one of the few non-trucks I would consider; I am looking at used Corollas right now, and Peruzzi Toyota near me has a 2021 LE with 16K miles for $28,990. A brand new 2022 LE with all available options has a suggested MSRP of $23,300...

I acknowledge that I am very lucky to have my dad helping me out, but if I were doing this myself, I would take out a personal loan from my bank to fund the head gasket replacement before I paid almost thirty-fucking-grand for a used Corolla that is more than three quarters of the way to 20K miles! I could actually afford payments on a Corolla SE with a manual transmission, but they are unicorns.

 

I toyed around with the idea of grabbing a Corolla Hatch MT or Civic Hatch MT, but just couldn't go through with it.

 

Peruzzi has really gone down the shitter in terms of business practices. My dad bought my Tacoma at Peruzzi in September 2009, brand new with 20 miles on it, for like $15K. This same dealership is charging almost thirty grand for a year-old Corolla with slightly-higher-than-average miles for its age, when the same car has a suggested new MSRP of just over $23K!

 

I'd rather support my independent mechanic than pay some stealership's overinflated price. Used Tacomas are actually a better deal than used Corollas in my opinion! And some poor bastard is gonna pay almost $29K for a Corolla, and get a genuinely good car, but they're gonna end up owing more than the car is worth when the recession really hits.