Possible new Taco owner, confused about the options

So, after having my 2005 4Runner for a couple years now, I'm wanting a truck again. Looking at the 2016 Tacoma and not liking it, so now seems to be the time to get a 2012-2015 while they are still around. I was initially looking at used trucks, but after finding a couple that I thought were decent deals, and turns out they have significant rust from salt, and the prices aren't that much better than new, I'm looking at new now.

Here are my requirements (stuff that I won't buy without:
Double cab (kids)
Long Bed (motorcycles)
4WD (obvious reasons)
Auto (I'm lazy)

Wants (as in the stuff that if I don't get it now, I'll be kicking myself for later. My wife has already said I better get one with all the stuff on it, because she doesn't want to hear me complain later):
Leather, prefer heated
Navigation


So this pretty much points at a Limited, which are pretty hard to find, but three of my local dealers have 1 each, in a color I'm indifferent to (black). I really wish they still made the green mica from 2013, that color was killer.

Obviously the limited comes with nav and heated leather seats, but I hate the chrome. I've seen a couple of the TRD Sport models with navigation and the leather (some heated, some not). Seems to me that I could either buy the Limited and de-chrome it, or get a fully loaded TRD Sport and get everything I like with better suspension (looks like the Limited has the base suspension).

Does anyone know of any differences between a "loaded" TRD Sport and a Limited? The only thing I can tell is the home link garage opener, which I don't care about. I'm looking for differences besides the obvious stuff like the chrome wheels/grill/mirror caps/rear bumper.

Thanks for your time.

 

Additionally, does anyone know if there are any big differences between a 2013 limited and a 2015 limited?

 

I don't really have the answers to your questions (sorry) BUT I'd just go with the limited. You can just replace the suspension with bilstein 5100s all around for about $400 - $500 and de-chroming is fairly easy.

 

But what about the SKEWP ? sport has skewp effect, and no chrome.

 

That is what I am leaning towards. I (really shouldn't have) looked in the classifieds here and obviously anyone putting coil-overs on a trd is going to sell off the OEM shocks, and for cheap. De-chroming would be easy at first with some plasti-dip, but eventually I'd probably replace the grill, mirror caps and door handles with the painted stuff.

I guess I'd like something more concrete to really push me over the edge (an example would be something like heated mirrors or power seats in the limited 4runners, but not the SR5's).

The chrome wheels aren't horrible, but the other stuff just kills me. I really wish the Limited had the hood scoop. As dumb as a non-functioning hood scoop is, I die a little inside every time I see a 4runner with one (mine doesn't have one).

 

I may be wrong, but I thought the leather seats on the Limited were based on the SR5 seats. While the Sport seats are a "TRD" seat with a different shape. If that's true, I would spend some time sitting in both before choosing. To me, the SR5 seat was very uncomfortable.

 

Go with sport. Ive had my truck for over 2 years and I still have chrome. Really a PITA to dechrome. And plastidip can only be so good before chips and peeling

 

Like you said, just keep an eye on the classifieds on here and you'll be able to piece together your truck just how you'd like it. Plus if you tow frequently, you can just replace the chrome mirrors with power/heated/turn signal towing mirrors.

 

The 2013 limited will have a slightly different radio and a clock in the dash. The 2015 limited has no clock in the dash because the clock is displayed on the radio. Other than that they are pretty much exactly the same.

 

The Toyota site gives you a pretty good comparison with details on the different models.

 

They look very similar from what I've seen. Here is a Sport and a Limited:
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...rId=628185&searchRadius=0&listingId=400722829
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...Id=6134479&searchRadius=0&listingId=404497160

Yeah, plasti-dip would be only temporary until I replace things with painted OEM stuff.

That's good to hear. The new 2015 limiteds around here are running around $37k, and the used 2013 limiteds tend to be about 33-36k. Obviously paying $1k less for a used one doesn't make any sense, but saving $4k just might make getting a 2013 worth it. I think I might go look at the gray limited I posted above. I like the gray better than the black anyways. The only thing that worries me is the window vent things. The only people who I know that have those are smokers...

 

Oh, and one other thing. IIRC the rearview camera and temperature display in the 2013 is in the mirror. On the 2015 there is no temperature display and the rearview camera display in in the dash.

If I was looking to spend big money I'd want a new truck. Almost no point IMHO in spending $4k less to have a truck with two years of unknowns attached to it.

 

True, but the issue is just looking at the spec sheets sometimes misses things, and after adding certain things to the sport, the lines get blurred.

One thing that caught my eye was this:
Limited: "variable-speed wipers"
Sport: "variable intermittent windshield wipers"

What's the difference between those? I remember being pretty dissapointed when we bought my wife's 2009 Corolla and the wipers didn't have an adjustable delay in the intermittent setting. My '92 pickup had that, and I'm pretty sure my '91 Corolla had it too, but in 2009 they can't put that on a Corolla? WTF?

That was something I was going to ask. I noticed that some have it in the dash and some in the mirror. They must have changed it in 2014 or 2015? I haven't seen any 2014 Limited's so I don't know.

Honestly I hate the mirror display enough to have that influence my decision towards a new truck. I've never actually owned a new vehicle (I don't count the wife's corolla), and that would be nice considering how many used one's I've had that turned out to be pure shit. Sure $4k seems stupid for something like that, but I would be reminded of it every single time I put the truck into reverse.

 

I've driven my friends taco with the screen in the mirror, and my '15 has it on the dash. It is SO much better on the dash.

 

Alrighty, problem solved. Picked up a 2015 Limited in white.

 

Have you found the screen on the dash is near impossible to see on a sunny day??

 

It's not too bad. I'd say out of a week of driving with maybe an hour or two per day, only like 10 minutes total (all week) is spent where the screen is kinda hard to see. Then again I have 5% tint on the rear and 35% on the front, so I'm sure that helps. The only time it's bad is when the sun is hitting it directly.

 

Congrats!

 

That was my original thought. Issue is where I live it's illegal to have the driver and passenger side windows tinted. People do it don't get me wrong and get the fine, just wondering if there is another way and not get the fine every time I go through a road block or cross the border.

 

I've seen one guy on here who basically made a sun shade for his screen out of some sort of cardboard and velcro. It looked really good; damn near professional.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...es-lets-hear-them.217759/page-26#post-8806553