Which Tacoma should I be looking for?

Guys,


I'm sure this one has been posted in one form or another on here, and I looked like hell for it to no avail. I'd been planning on selling my house and moving into a van full time but that never happened, so now I'm aiming for a sick daily driver/overlander Tacoma. I have an '01 now, but it's 2WD and automatic so I'm going to finally hand that off to a family member.


As you all now there are 3 TRDs out there now (2016-2019) and I'm looking for a used one I can build into an overlander.


I don't want a full on $90K Tacoma, long travel and all that, and I'm not going to live in it. But I'd like to be comfy for week or two long trips, and I'd like to be able to get around mostly anywhere I want. Doesn't everyone? I know. Ha. Anyways, after putting in months of van research, I'm hoping you all can just get me pointed in the right direction here instead of the same lengthy process the van was taking.


1) Which of these 3 TRDs would I want? Which one will I end up taking the least amount of stuff off of? I don't want to spend extra on a certain model and then take all the unique stuff it comes with off. I'm going to replace the bumpers and all that, right? I don't care about cool factory wheels if I'm going to just put some Methods on there.


2) Do I want the extended or crew? I'm guessing crew as I can use the extra inside space.


3) Pretty sure I want manual shift, right? Seems obvious to me but if anyone has a different opinion I'd like to hear it.


Any other insight you Taco guys might have would be greatly appreciated! Looking forward to hearing from you all.

 

In my opinion the Off Road is the one to get if you plan on camping/offroading/exploring compared to the sport. They are the same price, but with the Off Road you get better tires/wheels, better shocks, crawl control, multi-terrain select, and a locking rear diff. Obviously if you plan on replacing the suspension, wheels/tires that really only leaves the crawl control, mts and locking rear diff which I'd still rather have vs color matched fenders and a hood scoop.

 

SR5 4x4. It’s very capable. Save yourself some money.

 

@Cementing those are very good points. Exactly what I was looking for, thanks!

Anyone know, regarding back up camera, if I get a custom bumper would they route those cameras into the new bumper or would it be a waste to have the backup camera then?

 

From reading and personal experiences, Offroad rides the best. It comes with all the features, and you can find manual trans. Crew cab. Short bed if you want break over angle. Long bed if you want better ride and more bed space.

 

@apocataco2015 yeah I guess I'd forgotten to note that, maybe even skip the TRD altogether if most of the stuff is getting stripped off.

 

@TacoMamba35 yeah I forgot that- to get manual I have to get a TRD, correct? @apocataco2015 right?

 

For what it seems best for your needs, Off Road.

Also, welcome!

 

Golden Rule #1
Test drive, test drive, and test drive. In the end, it’s your ride not ours. Enjoy the ride.

 

The camera is in the tailgate.

 

If you plan on "overlanding" save yourself some aggravation and get the Off road. As someone has explained to me in the past....

Dual front and rear lockers > Rear locker > no locker at all.

I have been in situations where I would have been stuck if it were not for my rear locker that comes on the Off road model. From the factory, the Off Road model is better suited for off road. Obviously you can go buy yourself the SR or SR5 and add the necessary crap to it to make it as capable as the Off road but why do that? If you know ahead of time that you need those options....just go ahead and buy it. Plus...If you ever decide to resell the truck, your resale value and your buyer market will be better with the Off Road model.

 

Correct. No manual trans. SR5.
Also has to be v6 4x4 in DCSB or an ACLB sport.

 

So . . . how did you go from ". . . moving into a van fulltime" to a 40K+ Tacoma Pro???

Just curious.

G.

 

Manual vs Auto: This is personal preference and you'll have to make that decision by some test drives.

My opinion is, get an SR. Pack up stuff in the truck. Then get out. Change out tires, if needed. Lift it, armor it, etc. as you see fit. I'd imagine, most likely, with a good set of tires, you probably won't need much else. Tacoma is pretty capable in stock form.

 

I voted for the TRD Offroad....However If I could do it all over again, I would have got a 2017 SR MT With the work package.

 

While I have a Pro, I say go with the OR. If you ever plan on lifting it you’ll feel bad taking off all the expensive Pro suspension just to replace it with something different.

 

Tons of great info in here. Exactly what I was hoping for. Appreciate that, guys. Will begin digging into those tonight. Again, thanks a million for your time!

 

If you’re going to replace the suspension than it really doesn’t matter. The OR might be a good choice with its cool off-road knob.

 

Get the manual. It’s night and day better than the automatic in these trucks.

The manual is only available on certain configurations

ACLB TRD SPORT
DCSB TRD OR
DCSB TRD PRO

You don’t need to go crazy modifying stuff as people here will lead you to believe. These are very capable trucks from the factory.

I have the TRD OR 6MT. If you don’t plan on doing a lot of modifications, I’d get a TRD pro for the upgraded suspension which is very nice.

 

Wrong thread.