Tacoma Stalking, er...uh, Spotting, with Charlie™ (1st Gen Edition)!

Who let all the non-first genners in???

 

I spotted this 1995 Tacoma LX 4x4 in the customer lot at Rice's Market; It got me to thinking. Everyone knows about the "Base" and "SR5" trim levels, but I know nothing about about the "LX" trim level. It also seems to have been removed from the lineup prior to the 2001 refresh.

My question is this...

Was the "LX" trim level between "Base" and "SR5," or was it the top-of-the-line trim level?


June 20th, 2017:

New Hope, Pennsylvania



FYI, I know the year of this Taco (1995) because I typed the license plate number into CARFAX, which also gave me a bunch of other info. This truck has the 3.4L V6, just over 182K miles on the odometer (as of March 31st, 2017), has never been wrecked, and it purchased by the 2nd owner in January 2001.

@HomerTaco , you can probably tell us exactly what color this truck is. I just know it's green...

 

It was my understanding that the lx was a cheaper trim package, usually bench seat and manual windows for example. I notice your tailgate logo's are decals, and not actual emblems. Interestingly though, you have chrome wheel arches which I THOUGHT was the higher end trim packages. How is the interior?

 

Old Brett has the LX trim package. And just like him, it's pretty no frills.

 

LOL not my truck. Just know it had a beige interior...

Pretty sure it was a stick shift, and I think it had cruise/tilt. Unsure of windows...

 

You'll find the "Base", "LX" and "SR5" trim levels are all over the place after 95.5.

I had a 1996 "LX" with manual windows and locks, 2.7L, Auto, tilt, dealer added cruise, sliding back glass, leather interior (60/40) and ADD 4x4. Correct me if I'm wrong but all tailgates used decals from 95.5-97...98-04 they switched to emblems.

I currently have a 2002 "SR5" truck. It's a v6, 5spd, manual windows and locks, tilt, dealer added cruise, cloth interior (60/40) and it came with a solid back glass (I switched to a slider).

Ultimately the only trim package that has "sure fire" specs is the Limited...but that trim wasn't introduced until recent years.

 

...and the TRD... But then you now have the TRD OR, TRD sport, TRD Pro, etc... But we're talking 1st gens here...

SR5 used to be the top end trim package and meant you got power windows and a/c (among other fancy-pants stuff), but now it's practically the bottom end, since Toyota doesn't even really offer manual anything anymore (except the rare special order). It's really hard to find a "base" anything these days.

 

Stick shift was not a base only option.


Just to add some more confusion, I have the DLX. power windows/locks, sliding window, cruise, tilt, etc etc, but with the TRD package, and fender flares. I think toyota was just throwing whatever was handy on these trucks when the "packaged" them.

 

I have LX trim.



Luxury Extra it aint. Manual door locks, manual windows, manual mirrors, no ABS, no pass airbag, no Cruise Control, not even low fuel lamp. Radio is also basic (not even cassette player). It is extended cab, but it has only two speakers (on the back there is a storage where more lucky people have rear speakers). No personal lamp, no overhead console, no lamp in a glow compartment. I mean this thing as as basic as you can sell in USA. When I look at FSM, one third do not apply to my truck.

Here is side by side comparison of illumination circuit between "All options" on the left and "My truck" on the right.



One luxury item is AC, but have basic controls (all manual). Everything is manual.

No, I am not complaining. The less shit it has, the less will go wrong. I love my LX truck.

 

Imperial Jade Mica is my guess

 

I had a 97 lx and it was for sure the most basic 4x4, manual everything with no cruise or tach. I have an 01 sr5 now and the only difference is auto tranny, bucket seats and a tachometer. Oh and a cd/casset player, i can't remember what kind of radio was in my 97 as i was 16 and it was the first thing i changed.

 

The title of the thread is pretty much my question, LOL.

Also, back when I still had my learner's permit in 2006-2007, my Grandpa's friend gave me driving lessons in his 2003 Toyota Tacoma regular cab 2WD (5-lug/non-PreRunner). This truck had an automatic transmission, but I am unsure whether it would have had a 2.4L or a 2.7L. Does anyone know what a 5-lug 2WD regular cab 1st Gen would have under the hood? Was the 2.7L available then?

This ALMOST became my first vehicle, but the owner gave it to his son when he bought a new 2007 GMC Sierra 1500, which I also drove (with an EXPIRED learner's permit and NO LICENSE, by the way).

Also, when we lived in Northern Virginia from 2002-2005, our next-door neighbors had a white 1998 or 1999 Tacoma extra cab SR5 2WD. It was automatic, but it was column-shift instead of floor-shift. I'm pretty sure it was a 4-banger, but I'm unsure whether getting an extra cab automatically upgraded you to the 2.7L. Again, was a 5-lug 1st gen ever available with a 2.7L? That begs the second question...

Was the 2.4L ever available with an automatic transmission, or did getting an automatic require the bigger engine? The '03 I drove when I was about 17 was a floor-shift automatic, as I didn't learn how to drive stick until I was 25.

 

All 5-lug 1st gens had the 2.4L (2RZ-FE), automatic or stick.

All 6-lug (pre-runner and 4x4) had the 2.7L (3RZ-FE) or 3.4L V6 (5VZ-FE), automatic or stick (except double cab, which was auto only).

There was a limited run of an S-Runner in the '01-'04 body style, which was the chassis of a 5-lug with the 3.4L, but they were pretty rare as I recall.

 

Thanks for the info!

So that means the white '03 I drove was a 2RZ-FE...

By the way, my uncle owned a 2002 S-Runner in black. He bought it brand new and actually had to special order it! He owned it from 2002 until like 2007. I honestly did not think those there that rare...

 

Might not have been that rare, I haven't seen one in a long time. I wanna say they only had them for a year or two, then started again with the X-Runner in '05.

 

Not-so-random off-topic question...

My dad was in the Navy for 25 years, and I have family and friends who have been in all branches (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines). However, I'm sorry to say I don't know what the term "Sapper" means. Could you please tell me what that is?

 

Sapper is an old school term for a combat engineer. It is also used to describe someone who has completed Sapper Leader Course, an engineer-specific training course similar to Ranger school for infantry.
Look up "Mission: Demolition", I think it was on History channel or one of those. It's a short series that follows a group of soldiers as they go through the course. They puff it up a bit for TV, and some of the soldiers are kinda dingbats, but it's pretty well done.

 

Cool!

By the way, thanks for your service!

 

I stopped by the local Toyota dealer to pick up a cabin air filter for my Taco and immediately noticed this 2002 regular cab 4x4 on the used car lot. It has some rust, but it's only got 104K miles and it appears that the previous owner took REALLY good care of it. There's some signs of wear-and-tear inside and out, but the driver's door was unlocked and I was able to get inside. I'll let the people of TW be the judge...




You will, however, notice that one feature most of us take for granted is missing from this list...




A closer look at the HVAC controls confirmed it...




This truck DOES NOT have air-conditioning!




It does however, come equipped with a millennial anti-theft device, better known as a manual transmission!




Low miles for a 15-year old Taco!




No intermittent wipers!



This is the only thing I genuinely HATED about my 2nd gen. However, I would guess that intermittent wipers can be installed just as easily in a 1st gen as in a 2nd gen?



Interior is not bad for the age and miles. One thing I noticed, however, was the lack of a tilt steering column. I thought the "refreshed" 1st gens (2001-2004) had this standard...?






2.7L, the only engine which has remained in production across all three generations. This one is not in bad shape at all!




Honestly, I wouldn't pay more than $5,000 for this truck. I'll have to check the Blue Book, but I highly doubt a 15-year old Tacoma with over 104K miles, minor body rust, and no A/C is worth $7,000...




I talked to a salesman and he said the frame was supposedly replaced under recall a while back...



More exterior pics...