TW Scaring Me Out of Pulling Trigger on a Tacoma

I don't want to turn in my man card and get a ridgeline - currently have an Xterra which is pretty much identical to Frontier. Dream car has always been a 4Runner but need to tow more. Also love the redesign , in and out, of the Tacomas

 

No time like the present..... the 18's are on sale.

 

Where are you located? I know someone who was looking for an Xterra.

 

I've owned CHEEP and it self destructed within a few year. Many more old Toyotas on the road, still trucking. A old jeep that is still running has a ton of after market equipment and many beak down stories.....buy a good tool bag if you go with a j
Cheep.

 

He needs to tow.... I can not remember the last time i saw a jeep tow anything. Usually they are being towed.

 

I wouldn't waste the FUEL towing a CHEEP

 

Ya Jeeps for many reasons are not in the picture

 

South of Denver Colorado

 

Agreed, heard it all after purchasing a new 2nd gen in '05.

 

This. TW peeps are enthusiasts, 95% of tacoma owners have no complaints and never come to TW. We are the 5% that are very particular and passionate about making our truck run exactly the way we want it to. I think you'll enjoy the truck. Just remember it's a truck and drives like a truck

Also: 6'5" here and while the seats arent the most comfortable in the world, I've found a good seating position

 

If you read any thread u will never buy any vehicle .I have had 14 different cars in my life everyone one of them had something that needed to be fixed . But that's what warranty's are for . If they start giving me to much grief after warranty runs out I boot them to the curb and get a new one . I have had minor stuff with mine nothing the dealership didn't fix . Over all I love the truck wish I had got the manual one but I really love the crawl control option .

 

2017 AC TRD-OR auto.

Most of my driving is county roads with the occasional run into the city with myself as the only occupant. No complaints about the transmission or anything else. Once I get on the hwy I sometimes get a bit of shifting with headwinds or inclines. I won’t say it is hunting because it isn’t. It is just trying to keep from lugging and therefore is running a lower gear which makes for more engine noise.

So 98% of the time I have no issues at all. Now when towing I have a different story. I have a 7x14’ enclosed trailer with a 2.5’ v-nose. I run way below the tow rating of 6500lbs for my truck. It is a huge parachute and I run in S5 as per the owners manual but it realistically doesn’t run in anything but a maximum of 4th gear unless downhill and will often downshift to 3rd. In terms of actual towing no issues but in terms of noise it is annoying. I really wish it could hold 5th for comfort and sanity. As far is this is concerned I am due for my 32,000km service in a week or two. The GM of my dealership has agreed to do a full on proper transmission level check to ensure that what I am experiencing is just the nature of the beast (characteristic of the vehicle) and not low transmission fluid levels. So at the present time I can’t say if I need to live with the noise / rpm / fuel economy when towing or if there could be some improvement from proper fluid level. IF I towed daily or was travelling cross country I would find a different vehicle.

For my actual use the Tacoma is the perfect truck for most of the time. Towing is less than perfect with my trailer but since that is a half dozen times a year I will make due. My last 2 trucks were a 3/4t and a 1t so it isn’t a fair comparison. The Tacoma is a more enjoyable truck all around vs those other 2 monsters which are a pain to park and negotiate on tight roads. I don’t want to go back to a big truck for those few days when I tow.

 

I don't know most of the time I think about trading my truck in because of stuff on this site I just go back and drive it and probably wouldn't be able to trade it in. I have a 2016 manual OffRoad and while it has it's flaws it's an awesome truck

 

Your trailer is much bigger than mine, but you describe pretty much my experience. Since 5th is OD though, I've never thought too much of it.

 

One further note:

I drove 4 hours each way just to test drive a manual transmission 2016 before making my purchase decision. I found the shifter too far forward for my personal liking by 1.5-2”. I have a shoulder problem as a result of a motorcycle accident and subsequent operation. Add into that I am 5’8” but all of my height is from the waist up. I have my seat forward due to my short legs but due to my torso height I have to lean my seat back or hit my head on the headliner in most vehicles. I found myself reaching uncomfortably when shifting to 1st, 3rd and 5th. Maybe with more time I might have been able to find a setting that would work.

As a further manual transmission review with low power down low and then a rush of power as you rev it out it feels even more out of place compared to the auto transmission. If I had a local dealer with a stick and could have done multiple test drives I might have a different opinion. With so many claiming the manual trans is the solution for all things third Gen I have to disagree and say you need to drive it and compare it against the auto and make your own conclusions. My feeling in the first 2 blocks was it drove like a 5 ton service truck instead of a slick shifting Japanese transmission. Add in the power rush as you rev it out I had no idea whether to lug it or drive it like a drift car. Nothing I did made it feel right.

 

I was an accountant, have always loved flannel ( well before it was cool), and only wore loafers with my Dockers at work. So

 

If I had to do it again, I would have waited two years instead of buying a brand new one. There is always issues and they have been worked out, albiet 2 years after the truck was released. Speaking specifically about the transmission issues.

 

Have we eased your mind, OP?

 

no sir! I've been here with my popcorn bucket the whole time

 

nah - don't know what it is, but just have never liked the fit/finish with chevy/gmc. Or the designs for that matter....