To third gen or not to third gen... that is the question? (And is 2.5 gen the answer)

The 2nd gens, while great truck's, are a ripoff. They are selling the used trucks for more than I could have gotten them for new. If you have patience, buy from a private party. If you don't, buy the new 3rd gen. The 3rd gens have problems, but they are still nice truck's. The 2 main problems are the piece of sh!t automatic transmissions and the noisy rear axles which I think will be a problem down the road. The best option, if money is not an issue, is to buy a 2018. I would recommend a long warranty as well. Too many things are too costly to fix on these rediculous trucks.

 

I've recently went through the same scenario as you and went '17 DCSB OR and couldn't be happier. The interior is absolutely more refined, traction control is pretty darn cool, and I haven't had any of the issues people are complaining about *knock on wood*.

I say you try to throw in a couple options with the dealer on the '17 - TRD exhaust, all-weather mats, even the platinum "comprehensive" warranty.

IMO, tacomas hold their value too well to go used.

 

On my first three Tacomas (1986, 1996, 2007) I bought them all used. Put a combined 250k+ on them and when I sold them it only cost me 3,000/3,500/5,000 respectively (purchase price minus sale price). That's $11,500 for 250k miles. All those trucks had 50,000 to 120,000 miles when I bought them and no warranties. My point being if you want to save funds by buying used you have to buy more used. If you are buying a 2016 or 2017 with under 25k on it the sale price will be so close to a brand new one that I doubt you will save much in the long run. My two cents.

 

My insurance went up roughly $50 a year from my 15 to my 17 but i think that was just do to the value difference between the 2.

 

27,700 or 28,500 for a preowned taco coming up on 3 years? Similar 16 ac v6 4x4 sport i paid 30,500 for new 2 years ago. Seems like a no brainer to me. How long will you keep it? 5 years from now id imagine in similar condition a 3rd gen would command more than a 2nd gen.

 

No one is denying reliability of the 2nd gens but the people want the latest and greatest, the 3rd gen will bring you more return on investment if you can all it that, since no vehicle is an investment.

 

This looks like a decent price on the 2017, depending on how many other fees they try to tack on at closing.

 

I don't think you know how depreciation works, it depreciates more when new, not the other way around...

Honestly OP unless you need the latest and greatest (I am a fan of buying new and keeping it) I would go with a second gen. The OR unless fully utilized is pretty useless (meaning you hard core off road regularly) and you won't have nearly the problems these tend to have (not all but it seems a good amount do). Best of luck.

Tyler

 

I definitely do understand, but thank you Capt obvious. This is mostly true with almost every vehicle, something like 10% off sticker the minute you drive it off the lot, but Tacoma's and Jeeps for that matter are kind of unique when it comes to this (I'm on number 7). Old vs. new generation, new generation will always depreciate at a slower rate than the outgoing older generation. Tacomas hold ridiculous residual value, have you see the used market? It usually almost always better to buy new with these trucks. I.E. you get $2k off a $34k new truck you can sell in a year for $32k, net loss of $1000-2000, or you can buy the older generation used without the new benefits that will depreciate at a faster rate than the current. In short if you can get a good deal new your net loss will be less than buying a used Tacoma when it comes time to trade/sell, especially when comparing 2 different generations. Its really a numbers game.

 

I disagree at the cost of what they want for the 15 model and the 17 is 2 years newer.

 

What do you want to do with the truck? I like my '16 TRDOR a lot, but if I was going to do it again, I might have looked more at a used truck that someone had already put the effort into building out - suspension and armor and other goodies, so I didn't have to deal with it all myself. If we're talking "mostly stock" trucks, I'd get the new one.

 

Well just an update. I drove a 2017 after driving a 2015.

Wow, world of difference, and all mostly positive.

Dealer talked about safety sense and the possibility of it being implemented in the 2018 models.

Anyone here think it's worth waiting for a 2018? Or possibly waiting for a 2018 to get a "better" discount on a left over 2017?

The best deal I've been able to get so far on a TRD Sport 4x4 Access was $32,450 or a TRD Off Road for $32,850

What do you all think?

 

I love the looks of the 2.5 gen, but the interior is terrible, and agree have owned all gens and versions, there is nothing wrong with the way the 17 drives and handles. I wouldn't wait just to get safety sense, it will add lane departure, collision avoidance, adaptive cruise control the 18s also have a price increase around $488 I believe was quoted because of it. If you can get $2k or more off MSRP you should be good. Check out the invoice thread that's sticked. Not that it matters but I got my 17 DCSB OR 4WD with JBL/Tech/Prem, Tonneau, Tow and some other crap for $36.5k before TTL, sticker was $40.8k I believe. Just a point of reference. But some areas are better than others, like in NJ the best I could get was $2k off both my 15 and 16. Good luck!

 

TRD Pro grill will fix that nose

 

Or make it worse...

 

But from the side, it still sticks out like a sore thumb. I like the TRD ALOT better than others but man thatl front end is out there. I'm scared of hitting the bumper poles at the gas station with the loaner.

 

I was debating whether the pro grille looked better or not and decided to go with it. I don't like how the pro grille protrudes outwards but I can't stand that chrome.
OP, I believe the 2018s start production in November so that is probably when you can snag a great deal on a 2017 model. The 2018s will get safety sense, new color options, and leather include in the technology package. There won't be any powertrain updates until mid cycle refresh time.
Waiting until the 2018s hit the lot also means you can save up some more cash for a larger down payment.

 

I'd say that's a wash in the end. Value gained/lost either way will be minimal. Get whatever you want.

 

Having driven vehicles w/ adaptive cruise control, I really miss not having it in the truck, especially for those long boring stretches of I5. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that '18s will actually have it, or that it'll work with aftermarket front bumpers, or that you'll want to pay for it.