Reasonable Expectations on a Tacoma's Lifespan

I'm interested in some thoughts and past experiences on the life expectancy of a Tacoma.

I've got a 2018 TRD OR DCSB. It will live a fairly easy life as a daily driver and occasional beach vehicle on the hard sand beach in Saint Augustine, FL. It is parked in a garage and routinely washed and waxed. It gets a complete washdown after being on the beach though it never gets close to the water and the sand is usually dry and hard-packed.

It will be serviced at least on the recommended intervals if not more often.

For all intents and purposes, you can say it will be babied. We'll probably put 12K miles on it for the first few years and then it will drop down to less than 10K after that.

At that rate, I'm assuming the truck will outlive this just-turned 60 year-old.

Is that a reasonable assumption? I LOVE this truck!

 

It will last as long as you are willing to keep fixing it. I'd say a reasonable expectation for a well-maintained Tacoma is 15 years before anything big might come up, or maybe the little things start to drive you nuts. Maybe even 20 years.

We gave our '06 4Runner to my daughter, so it's 12 years old now and less than 70k miles now. It was garage-kept most of its life. Mechanically solid, but rubber and plastic parts are aging. I expect it will go another 8 years easily, but will be showing its age.

 

Yeah these trucks last forever. My 05 with 120k on it has been beaten it's whole life and never garaged. Still running like a champ and looks brand new.

 

It’ll really come down to how good the trucks corrosion protection and the various soft bits hold up to the salt air. 10 years isn’t unreasonable, longer if you’re willing to keep keeping up on it.

 

I hope I don't find out what the life expectancy is on my 17 Tacoma. I am retiring and 59. I'm betting the truck will out last me if I take care of it. I have no plans of buying another truck.

 

Me too!

 

About 18 months ago I traded in my 2003 Tacoma for a 2017 model. The truck had about 250k miles on it but still had a lot of life left in it.

I expect you'll replace your 2018 with a newer model only because you want to, not because you have to. Cabin comfort and lots of other advances is what motivated me.

 

85% of TOYOTA vehicles build 20 years ago are still on the road today. You're in good hands

Cheers!

 

Yes, without a doubt. In that time frame you’re not going to be doing much fixing. It will certainly outlive you, if it behaves like the Toyota’s of Toyota’s past. I can’t speak on the v6’s longevity, though, compared to the I4’s, but it’s still a Toyota engine.

I bought this 17 new expecting to keep it on the road until my grisly end.

 

My father's 2000 4Runner is still in amazing condition, 400k miles later. That's my expectation for any Toyota.

 

I'm more concerned about engine life of not only Tacos, but other engines using 0-20 oil.
Duane

 

No worries about the oil, that has been said about all the oils before. Ask me how I know

 

Most modern vehicles will do 200/300k easily, with proper maintenance and care. That’s not to say you won’t have any problems. Stay on top of the issues that come up and have realistic expectations and you will be fine.
Keep the salt off of it the best you can, the paint and undercarriage.

 

I would guess 300k miles. But you have to understand, clutches, water pumps, belts and belt tensioner, timing belts, seals, those are all friction parts and therefore are considered consumable. They will wear out.

 

I just traded in a 2005 Dodge Dakota for the 2018 Tacoma. If I got 13 years from the Dodge, I expect a whole lot more from the Tacoma, I am shooting for twice as long.

 

It's useful to think about this in terms of mileage converted into time. Toyotas are well known to go past 300,000 miles without major repairs. If you put 10,000 miles per year on the truck then you're looking at 30 years (double check my math LOL).

I read recently that Ford F-150's are just now hitting the 200,000 mark without major problems. I had a 2001 Ranger that was outside 100% of the time and had it for 15 years. Once it reached 120,000 miles it started falling apart. By the time I traded it in the head gaskets we're close to blowing, heater core needed replacing, etc...

As long as you keep up the preventative maintenance, you should have it for as long as you want it. I believe in holding on to a quality vehicle because once it's paid off, it's money in the bank.

 

There are still vehicles on the road from the 30's, 40's, and 50's. It will last as long as you are willing to keep spending money on it. Most people dont give up on vehicles because they wont go anymore, but because the prospect of keeping fixing them outweighs the vehicles worth. Plenty of older guys give up on 15-20 year old trucks that younger guys will eagerly buy and keep running another 5-10 years so on and so forth. You only "kill" a truck by being unwilling to keep up on maintenance.

 

Main or most frustrating thing that can happen on vehicles as they age is oil leaks!
Nothing you can do about (oil) hoses, they get old leak and you replace them. Engine oil leaks are another matter and I would say that generally if you don't see any in the first year, you can do a lot to make sure they don't happen for a long long time.

Jut by changing your engine oil, all filters regularly or according to schedule and even though its not mention, change that PCV valve. That will keep those pressures from building and leaking oil thru gaskets.

Hope that helps
Cheers!

 

So do toyota trucks hold their value so well because they last so long or do they last so long because the value they hold makes it worth it to keep fixing it?

 

At some point in my life I’m going to buy my last vehicle... nice to know I have one that can outlast me now. I usually make a decision to sell or keep new purchase vehicles at the second “sell milestone point” (<60K miles), and I’m sure I’ll do the same with this truck. By that time I’ll know if I’m happy with continuing to own the vehicle, or if I get the new car bug again.

My sell/keep decision points:

First - while vehicle is still in warranty, somewhere around 34 months & <34K miles (usually only when I’m not happy with the vehicle)

Second - before major preventive maintenance, and the “perceived” peak return point, somewhere before 60K miles (my typical trade in point)

Third - before the dreaded 100K point, “old school thought” as to vehicle end of reliability (i.e., for long distance driving)... this is when I decide if I’m keeping the vehicle until only salvage value remains (I’ve only done that once)

Fourth - newly discovered sell point... NEVER, because I’m modifying the heck out of my truck..!