Should I get a tacoma?

Alright so check it out, I'm in a band and in a year we're going to go on tour, and my Daily Driver right now is a 94m miata, I had a XJ for a while but then me and my girlfriend moved in together so I was using her truck forever, sold my jeep. We never had a single problem with the colorado, and man that thing was HUGE.

So I've had a couple cars in my time, yet I'm still young.
I know how to do basic work on a car. But I couldn't do a transmission on my own ;/

We're on a break for a bit so we aren't living together, but I don't want to drive all the way to hers, drop off my car, get hers drive it to where I need to go, haul all the equipment... and you get the idea. It's a pain.
So essentially I'm asking if you believe I should get a Tacoma for daily driving, and then occasionally use it for touring, and hauling the majority of my equipment around.
Should I get another truck, maybe a van?

In my XJ I could fit two 1x15 ampeg cabs, and a v4 head, a 7 piece drum set and three people.
Her colorado could fit my XJ honestly. Hahahaha

Assuming I can do this with the tacoma?

Right now I like the look of the earlier year tacomas, but as I've grown, having a 94 miata looks and sounds cool but if you don't have abs it starts to get annoying. I'd rather have a safer car than a cool looking car.

So, yes I can go read reviews on this and that.

Is the 2nd gen better for what I want?
I only want the 2 door, 2wd stick one, should I look for a different model, do I really need 4x4?
I just need it to be able to clear a curb, with and without the full load of the gear, Maybe pushing 90kg (200 lbs) for the drumset, 115kg (250lbs) for the bass gear, 90kg(200lbs) for the guitar gear. So lets say, 300 kg(700 lbs)?
Will It get death wobble?
How much security does the truck and camper have?
-If we're touring with 7k$ of gear in the trunk could I feel safe parking it and knowing it would be a bitch and a half to get too?
Is the mileage actually 18? My xj claimed it was 15, but I never saw more than 11, or 12 out of that 4.0, mind you, i had a lift and a 'straight pipe', oh what we used to love when we were 16 hahaha.

Anything else that would come to mind would be fantastic, no I won't buy it anytime soon, just trying to hear what's out there.

Comparing a 12k$ with 3k$ in registration for a 2005 2door 2wd 5spd, aiwht 83k miles.
From carmax.

 

The 2nd Gen Taco is a fantastic truck. Will it do what you want? Well hauling the equipment is easy for the taco but you would need a shell to protect the stuff and the weight of the cap with the 700 lbs of gear you may want an add-a-leaf. Also the Taco is not known for fuel economy (yes 18 mpg is realistic) so touring in it could be a bit spendy. The 2 door model is not that common and you may find it hard to locate one unless you go with the 5 lug model which has a greatly reduced ground clearance. You dont need 4x4 for what you want to do, a Prerunner would do fine.

$3k registration?? WTF

 

Tacoma FOR THE WIN!

 

Agree with all that and have an AAL. May be better security wise to go with an enclosed trailer. Out of sight out of mind. A pre runner would suit you well. I'm guessing with a registration fee like that you're in California.

 

Reading a bit into this, pre runner is the 4.0?
I was hoping the 2.7 would work wonders, considering i've also toured in a honda element, and a camry wagon, both fantastic. Speed doesn't matter at all, neither does the over taking when I'm fully loaded.
Considering I have a 1.8L anything would be worlds faster, hahaha.
Is there a larger difference on MPG with 2.7 vs 4.0? does it bump down to the supposed 15 again?
Trying to stay away from the high displacement v6, makes me think of the 4.0 in my XJ, sounds cool, lots of torq, but when we're late to a show 2 hours away, and i'm flying down the interstate getting 8mpg, kinda sucks. hahah
I would have the camper on ALL of the time, would that increase aero and have better mileage?

5 lug, huh completely missed reading up on that, so it's a stronger design just has less clearance for the bigger diff? Are they solid axles?
Or is this something everyone stays away from, at that point i'd look for something else rather than to convert it.
Add a leaf isn't that big of a deal, actually I was quite fond of the leafs I had on my XJ.

Trying to stick with the I4 2.7 5spd 2wd.
Hows the long term reliability? Besides basic maintenance. Prone to failure anywhere?

I'm in florida by the way.
This is direct from carmax
And I've never had a payment plan, so going to carmax, 5k$ down on a truck, with 140$ payments is no hassle.

Registration:
"SALES OR USE TAX - 6%
Up to 1.5% on First $5,000 County
TITLE - $75.75
REGISTRATION - $1.60 to $91.20
PLATE TRANSFER - $7.85
CM processing fee $299.00 (not required by law)
TOTAL $1,400.00 TO $1,550.00"


I had the info on the calculator wrong, my b.

And I don't want a 4runner, I was reading on those, and went on tour on one of these also, that's what sparked my interest in a tacoma, same platform right? I just have no use for the back seats or anything.

 

You can get a 2nd Gen PreRunner in the 2.7L 4 Cyl or the 4.0L V6.

 

A

Oh wow, just did a quick search. I was thinking they were 4 lugs!! Silly me.

5 inches of ground clearance is crazy. Would definitely need to get one of those.
Due to where the leafs mount?
I don't care about the flares or any of that. So 6 lug is 'safer', or just more available in the after market.

What interests me, is the ground clearance, and the larger breaks.

Good shit, thanks man I know what i'd be looking for then.

 

Nahhhh... Get a Honda Ridgeline

 

Hell dude, maybe someone would've said nah you don't need it, get a ford transit.

Edit: They don't come with a clutch, that's wack.

 

If you need to mod the truck for something then the 6 lugs have more parts available out there. More ground clearance and with the v6 you will have more available towing ability.

 

Ha! That's actually a pretty good choice for hauling band equipment!

If you get a Tacoma just but a topper and have the Windows tinted dark. Don't want people seeing what ya got in the bed.

 

Yeah that and safety and reliability are the major concerns.
The problem with the trailer idea, is that there's been situation where we're touring in the element or something, but then we can't go over a curb, and we're indefinitely stuck, I doubt a trailer could go over a curb, just seems easier to fit everything the truck with me.

Mad tints all around, maybe even some protection inside the camper aswell. And what's a better alarm than three people watching the truck constantly. We never let the cars leave out sight, too many unfortunate events with coming back and the windows broken and my friends 82 sg standard is missing. What a drag.

 

You can lift a trailer you know?

 

Hahaha, thats crazy.
I'd rather just stick to inside the cab.

Trailers just sketch me out.

 

I don't really see any allure to having a truck as a band vehicle.

But whatever be the case if you go with a Tacoma I'd bet investing in one of those rollout platforms would make life a hell of a hole lot easier unless you get a shell with opening side windows, but still. Crawling into a truck bed to reach something is a pain in the ass.

 

I'm 23, the drummer is 23, and my gf is 24.
We're all healthy and in good shape.

I've been playing music and gigging for maybe 3 years now, shows and jams twice a week and to be honest, the best vehicle besides a huge cargo van is a truck so far.
Competing with having to shove shit inside, finding the right way to fit in the backseats, scratching the paint on your dads sedan, ripping the seat fabric in your friends car, ripping your headlines because the cymbal hardware was rubbing the wrong way. Dude you could definitely put 2 1x15 cabinets a huge tube head, and a bass case in your average Honda civic, have a fucking blast. Where does everyone else sit? That shit sucks dude. Not to offend you at all!

Through my experience a truck is definitely the way to go, what about when I want to haul some shit to my girlfriends house or visa versa.

I'd be mounting casters (wheels) to the bottom of each amp, and we already have a dolly for everything, yes it's a lot of work, but like I said with my experience it's definitely the way to go.
So then what, I just have to lift a 40kg (90lb) cabinet once in and out, there's three of us, we've been doing it for a while. We're used to it, it's part of being a musician on tour, we don't have roadies or anything.

I like the idea of a Tacoma, because it's 'reliable' supposedly, gets decent mileage, and comes with a stick. And there's still room in the front, without having things in our face or on her lap.
I can still drive to school, and drive to work with a truck too, I won't be tracking the car like my miata, or getting anywhere as fast anymore, but it's better than most alternatives I believe ?

 

Id buy a 6 lug 4banger and a small, used enclosed trailer (you will be able to secure your gear more easily and loading/unloading will be much easier). Much more versatile that way and if you shop around you can probably find trailer for just a few hundred more than you would pay for a shell used. You will get decent fuel mileage and better when not towing the trailer. Makes sense as a daily driver and has the ability to take care of your band business.

 

I like the Ford transit idea to be honest. Touring in a Tacoma isn't going to be that much fun and it's going to be more expensive than a more purpose built vehicle. You could also sleep in the transit if necessary and that will be much more comfortable than the Taco. I love Tacos but I think you are stretching its usefulness for this purpose.

 

OP is TLDR but I did catch a few tidbits that I'll respond to.

1. ABS is bullshit. Whoever thought that shit up should be punched in the dick. You should be pumped the Miata doesn't have it.

2. If you and your girl a are taking a "break", its already over. By a Tacoma because eventually you won't have access to her truck anymore.

 

Colorado is huge?

That's a compact truck. If that was huge, then.. prepared to have your mind blown with a midsize truck.

I'd still get a van or an enclosed trailer and room for asses in seats.

Good luck..