Thinking of switching from 2nd gen to 1st gen

Saw a nice 1st gen for sale the other day and am seriously thinking about selling my 2012 DCLB. The amount of money I could get from my truck would allow me to mod a 1st gen the way I want

I’ve also always liked the way the 1st gens looked.

how reliable are the turbos on the 3.4l?

what major downsides are there to the 1st gens

thanks

 

1st gens have lazy automatics, most don't notice it but coming from a 2nd gen, you would enjoy the manual far more.

1st gens do require more maintenance, they all require ball joints now due to age, most are on the 2nd steering rack, they have timing belts, and other standard maintenance items.

The 3.4's can blow headgaskets, but its not too common. I've seen lots of injector failures, again due to age.

I would say make sure it has maintenance history and that the frame isn't rusted.

 

The only thing I’m worried about is how bad the frame can be but... my frame isn’t safe from rusting out either. The other reason I’m thinking of selling my truck is that I miss driving manual and it literally keeps people from stealing my truck.

 

I actually hate the 2nd/3rd gen manuals, the 1st gen Tacoma and 3.4 4runner were the last good manuals to drive in my opinion.

 

As an owner of both a 1st and 2nd gens, I prefer my 1st gen. I’ve contemplated selling my 2nd gen to get an unmolested 1st gen daily driver, but the room in the cab and the power for hauling, passing, etc keeps me putting miles on it.

 

1st gen suffer from the same bad frame rust issues as 2nd gen, so it's not a specific downside, but still, keep that in mind if you live in an area prone to rust or where winter salt and chemicals are used

The most recent 1st gen are now nearly 20 years old, so they require maintenance. Lower balljoints are a known weakness, but maintenance is mostly standard maintenance items

1st gen are smaller than 2nd gen, so if you feel your 2nd gen is not spacious enough, you will feel even more cramped in a 1st gen

Then I don't know if it is just me but my father hates my truck because it rides harder than his newer truck. ANd no, my shocks and suspension are not shot. It is just the way trucks were designed back in the day: utilitarian purposes. Nowadays they are designed for both a smooth ride and utilitarian purposes. As for me, yes, I agree it does ride harder than newer trucks, but I don't mind it at all

I love my 1st gen and never will I trade it. It suits my needs perfectly and the biggest reason I want to keep it is because it is small sized

@1997tacomav6

 

We always want what we don’t have don’t we? I love the 1st gens Tacos personally and I’m sad I sold mine. But the 2nd gen is really the sweet spot between the generations IMO w power, reliability, ruggedness, age and size. The 1st gens are just getting old age which is the biggest deterrent and if you can find that 1st gen that is well cared for w low mileage and no rust, you will definitely pay a pretty penny. Change is always fun though.

 

My 1st gen is better than my 3rd gen.
S'all I'm sayin.