Sorry this is going to be a long one...

I’ll try to keep this as short as possible but I’m looking for honest thoughts and opinions here.

I have a 2019 crew cab f150 and a 2011 subaru Forster I enjoy both of them however the forester is probably going to need some work soon, the exhaust will need some work the suspension is tired. The F150 is a great highway cruiser, it’s just a bear to park at times depending on where I’m going. That’s part of the reason I kept the forester just to take places I don’t feel like fighting for a spot.

I go mountain biking and kayaking and there’s been times getting to the trail head where the mirrors will be hitting the trees going in. I’m one of those people that is super anal about scratches. I liked to use my truck as a truck but I don’t want it to look like I do lol.

I don’t need two vehicles and feel guilty letting one sit and basically rust away. This has reduced the enjoyment I get out of broth vehicles because I feel like I’m not getting the full use out of either. I’ve always wanted to have a vehicle with a manual as well so all these things caused me to hatch the idea of trading both in on a tacoma with a manual transmission.

A couple things I’m concerned with
a) I don’t know how to drive stick. Sure I used to put the forester into sport mode and shift gears thinking I was cool. (Yes I was dumb as a teenager lol) I enjoyed the engagement of it instead of just pressing the gas and letting the computer do all the work.

b) I do enjoy the effortless acceleration produced by the turbos. And the gas mileage isn’t bad either I’ve been averaging 19.5.

Given all this does it make sense to trade them in for a Tacoma? I know the smart thing to do is probably just sell the forester and drive the f150 for another year or two. I’m just concerned in that time the manual transmission will be dropped from the tacoma since it seems a lot of car manufacturers are doing that. What are your thoughts.

Thanks

 

You should probably test drive a manual first and see if you even like it.

 

Stick

 

The manual Tacoma is super easy to drive and first gear is pretty low. A few hours of driving and you should be set.

 

Sound like you need a 4Runner.

 

a) learn to drive a stick beforehand
b) don't learn to drive a stick on your new vehicle.

 

Get it while you can. That being said, I would try to find a way to at least learn the basics of driving a manual before taking a new Tacoma for a spin. That can be accomplished in 30 minutes with hands on practice. If I owned the dealership and by extension the new truck I wouldn't let someone learn on it. I would stop the test drive too if I was a salesman and realized you didn't know how to drive it. This isn't to say it's hard, it's not, but learning from scratch on a brand new truck is not the way.

 

How many people roll with you? How many bikes? How do you intend to carry them in a Tacoma? How many kayaks? Why learn stick if you don’t know how? A Rav 4 Hybrid might be fine for what you’re looking to do and comes ready with a rack for your ‘yak.

 

Don’t understand the sudden desire to buy a manual when you don’t know how to drive one. Not only should you learn manual on something other than a new Taco, but you should drive a manual truck for some period on and off road to see if you even like it. You should also consider whether you would ever need anyone else to drive the truck that can’t drive a manual.

 

Hands-down my Tacoma is one of the smoothest-shifting, easy to drive manuals I've ever owned or driven, but like others have said learn on something else. Ideally have a friend teach you on a car they own then borrow it for a day or so to see if you actually like driving a stick every day. Such as do you live in a hilly area, do you frequently sit in traffic. Is there anyone else in your life who may need to drive the truck and doesn't know or doesn't want to learn how to drive a stick. To me these would be bigger considerations then actually learning to drive one.

As far as stick-shift Taco's going away, I agree. I'm guessing they will be gone with the next generation.

 

I just bought a manual Tacoma after having 4cyl and 6cyl auto Tacomas and this is the easiest manual I've driven and the most fun Tacoma I've owned. I second the comment above that mentions learning on another vehicle first ... no need to break in the new clutch by learning how to drive a manual (ouch). Find someone with an old civic or corolla and buy them a case of something tasty to thank them (and their clutch) for the trouble. Plus, you'll be able to think about the truck on the test drive vs worrying about stalling in the dealership parking lot if you learn ahead of time. Get that Taco and go have some fun!

 

Based on the third paragraph...I would say get a Crosstrek with manual trans. Small enough to maneuver around without fear of many scratches on the trails...you can get a hitch to attach a bike rack, get Yakima bars on the roof for the yaks.

 

All the above advice is valid and good, I did not hear how old you are but if you learned to ride a bike, you can learn to drive a stick. as it stands the manual trans is only available with 4 wheel drive, I actually sold a 2016 Auto to get the 6sp.Man. the MPGs are in the range you are already getting.
I can only encourage you to take someone you know and trust to test drive the Man. shift. The learning process can be a blast !!. I taught my 45yr. old daughter to drive the Taco 6sp in a couple of hours, she now mall crawls in it..
Expand your horizons

 

you gotta start somewhere.

yeah i wish i was easier on my first one.

 

Grind em until you find em.
Check out RobMotive on YouTube. He recently purchased a custom built 2020 manual Taco.

 

Talk to one of your friends that has a stick, have them teach you how to drive one. Then maybe rent a stick shift for a couple of days to see what it's like to live with one. Or trade vehicles with your friend/teacher. I grew up driving sticks, they are fun. But then if you spend much time in heavy traffic, a stick can get tedious. As I've gotten older, I prefer an automatic. As for trading in either vehicle, I wouldn't. You won't get much for them. Better to sell them yourself. If I were in your shoes, I would sell the Subaru now and put that money into a separate savings account for a new vehicle. Then save up enough to buy your new vehicle for cash. After getting the new one, sell the F150. You might think that's asking a lot, however, I speak from experience. I saved up for two years, sold some stuff along the way. Then in February this year I found the Tacoma I wanted, a 2020 TRD Pro, and purchased it for cash. Great not having a car payment! Then I sold my 2001 Jeep Cherokee. Life is good being debt free.

BTW, being debt free was not an original idea. Just google Dave Ramsey/Financial Peace University.

 

Dave is awesome. His approach to becoming debt free, is spot on and it works!

 

Currently reading his total money make over book, it’s good stuff.

 

My wife and I took his course. Life changing. Should have done this years ago.

 

This turning into a personal finance thread?

Dave Ramsey was a bit too religious for me. I enjoyed Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties by Beth Kobliner.