Why a Tacoma and not a 4Runner

I had a hard time deciding between a 4Runner and Tacoma as well. My wife wanted the 2016 4Runner, I wanted the 2016 Tacoma. End result...I got both, so the decision was easy and we are both happy. IMO, a truck in general is more versatile in that you can haul things you don't necessarily want inside the vehicle as others have said.

 

Great decision! We are both happy with ours as well!

 

To be honest, we bought ours 11 yeas ago because neighbor's wife had one and loved it and convinced my wife to try one out. It was her vehicle. It worked out so well we bought a Rav for her later after selling a Taco and I drove the 4Runner for the next 8 years. At least from my experience, women like them.

 

Blood and guts wash out of truck bed easily. Also you can't dump a yard of gravel into a 4Runner.

 

I really wish my experience with the Tacoma was better, I was hoping to keep a truck around and I love the idea of having a smaller truck and not the Denali 1500 truck that I was used to driving but things are looking like that is my only option again, I might actually look at an older Tacoma since many people love the older ones.

 

Who wants Christmas tree sap all over the back of their 4Runner?

 

Oddly enough, I followed a 4Runner with the tree on the roof over the weekend.

 

What was it about your experience with your Tacoma that you didn't like?

 

Both are great vehicles with extremely high resale value, so pick the one that is right for your intended use.
Everyone's answer will be different because everyone has different needs in a vehicle.
Sit down and and figure out what yours are and them go buy it. Who cares who other people think...
It's really that simple.

Take comfort in knowing that if you realize 2-3 years down the line you made the wrong decision or your needs changed, you can likely trade it in without losing your a$$ (if you negotiate a decent deal, pay taxes and fees in cash, and finance 100% of the agreed upon vehicle price), besides the payments you made while driving it. This can be said for very few vehicles on the market these days.

 

I just bought my first Tacoma almost 2 months ago ('16 Sport DCSB) and my neighbor bought a '16 4Runner the following day. I actually really liked how much cargo space the 4Runner had, especially with the rear seats folded down. I could easily sleep inside the 4Runner and I'm 6'2. No way that's happening with my Tacoma short bed! But I like the option to store dirty stuff in the truck bed and keep them out of the cab, and if the dog gets filthy she can ride in the truck bed. Plus my Tacoma with the tow package can pull more if I ever need to (and already have). Both seem like great vehicles and I bet I'd be happy with the 4Runner if I didn't have the Tacoma. The 4Runner does have it's advantages though. With my old Subaru Outback I could fit a 9'6" longboard surfboard INSIDE the vehicle as long as I removed the front passenger headrest. Can't do that with the Tacoma, and to get more cargo carrying capacity with the Tacoma you need to buy a camper shell, and to carry surfboards you nee to buy a roof rack. My Subie had a roof rack from the factory, but not sure if racks are standard on the 4Runner. So it's just deciding what works best for how you intend to use the vehicle.

 

Haha yea I had that a few weeks ago on my roof, not fun cleaning off.

 

I first had probelms with the truck and how it drove and shook at certain speeds when slowing down, i had posted a few threads that will explain in further detail. I also was not impressed with the power and how solid it truly felt. I did not think it was worth 38k to be honest, I think it's a great truck for longevity and holding unreal resale value but it was not for me.

 

Fair enough and appreciate the honest feedback!

 

It might be unfair to compare the Tacoma to my old truck which was a 2015 Denali 1500 with the 6.2 liter but I really missed that power and size that I thought I could live without but this experience has taught me that's not possible. I will say that I did love the inferno and it really started to grow on me towards the end.

 

I went from a 4cyl. Subaru Outback to a Tacoma, so my experience was opposite yours, but I can understand!

 

Well, I was debating this decision for a couple months. My wife and I finally decided the T4R was a better fit for us. We ordered a 16 TRD Pro in Quicksand -- color is super cool in person -- for a negligible bit more than the DCOR that I was looking at. Going to be about $2k more. I do believe the pricing on the 16 Taco is a bit too high. Only thing I preferred the Taco for was the higher towing capacity. Wife was 4Runner all the way after driving both.

 

I'm right there with you... once my wife and I start having children we will swap out here Mazda 3, and go with a 4 Runner, and I'll have the Tacoma. As of now with the 30k+ miles per year she drives, that is not something I want to put on a 4 Runner.

 

Couple of things for me like I like the look of trucks but it mostly came down to American made content % and with the 4Runner made in Japan and the Tacoma being 70% American made and assembled here, It was easy to go with the Tacoma.

 

Waking the dead thread

I needed the utility (bed) of a truck.
Oddly, our garage a year ago was a 2004 Tundra (2WD) and a 2015 4Runner 4WD)
Traded Tundra for 2003 4Runner (4WD)
Then traded that new 15 4Runner for a 16 Taco (4WD) just last month.

We needed a truck. It was simple as that.

 

Once they're in a forward facing seat it's a bit better...