Why did you pick your Tacoma over another choice?

reliability and looks.

 

My first Tacoma was bought used in 2012 - a 2004 Extracab TRD Off Road that had 27k miles on it. I was looking for a mid-sized truck to do light hauling on our property. I'd owned a '90 4Runner that had performed well and so that experience, the history of Toyota reliability and the condition of the 2004 led me to buy it.

And then I fell in love with it. it was nimble, sure- footed and did everything I needed it to do....from hauling dirt and mulch, to metal recycling and stone. Several years later, my wife and I started crewing for a hot air balloon company and we started to use the Tacoma as a chase vehicle. It was then that we both realized how much fun it was to drive the Tacoma. We loved that truck and it never failed us. It never failed to get compliments on its looks, either.

As I got closer to retirement, I knew the truck would become my daily driver. And, I was going to need rear seats instead of jump seats for our grandkids. I looked at full size trucks - F150s, Silverados, Rams and Tundras - but I just didn't need the full size. In mid-size the only real players in the game for me were the Tacoma and the Ford Ranger. Although I liked the look and feel of the Ranger, my love for my 2004 Tacoma and it's reliability kept me coming back to the Tacoma.

And then, Toyota announced Army Green as the special Pro color for 2020 and it was all over. Sadly, I sold the 2004. But, it went to a friend who absolutely loves it and it is still running strong...with under 50k miles on it and still the original brakes. Reliability, style, a fun ride and an awesome color choice for a retired Army guy. My new Tacoma is perfect.

Still an awesome chase truck when we crew and a head-turner anywhere we go

 

When you put it like that, I see the dude leaving in the ElCamino

 

My choice was between a new double cab Ranger and an equivalent Tacoma. The Ranger had cushier seats and felt like it accelerated a little harder than the Tacoma. For me it came down to interior storage. The Ranger has one small compartment under the rear seat. The Tacoma has a lot more. There was no where to store things like jumper cables, tow strap, ratchet straps, receiver hitches and other stuff in the Ranger.

 

My reasons:
I wheel with my kids and as we got older the Jeep wasn’t going to serve us any more. Sure we could tow a trailer but blah blah daily driver and here we are, in a truck.

Since it should be a truck that would replace the Jeep it made sense it would be capable off-road, be comfortable, affordable, and easy to find aftermarket parts for.

All told, the Tacoma hits all the right spot.

My first Toyota, by the way

 

Truth!

In this case, she got the house, he got the Audi.

 

Owned nothing else as far as trucks being a toytota since the 70's. Could always count on toyota being good to me as far as reliability for many years.

 

Bottom line for me is I think the Tacoma looks super cool. The hood scoop just looks awesome! Sport FTW!! I'm on my 5th one and will always drive a Tacoma.

Edit #1: I’m 5’-8” and the full size trucks are just too big for me so the size of the truck plays a part too.

 

- The size of the truck is ideal for my lifestyle - I seldom carry passengers - when I do it is to a business lunch with another person and the truck is plenty comfortable for that task.

- Drives comfortably in the city and on highways.

- Relatively simple and utilitarian truck - comfortable without the overkill of bells and whistles.

- It is easy to maneuver and park in cities (as opposed to today's full size trucks).

- Very capable (stock) off road - we have a small horse farm (on a river) and it can go on the same trails our Kawasaki Mule goes (again a full size truck could not). It is able to handle mud, hills, etc.

- I drive a lot (67K miles in my first 19 months of ownership) - so while gas mileage is NEVER great in a truck the Tacoma gets an average of 20-22 MPG on the road for me.

- It is convenient to have a truck - trips to the CoOp, Lowes, hauling kayaks, etc

- I'm older and it is easier for me to get in and out of a truck/SUV as opposed to a car (my son is 18 and he drives a 2002 - lifted - Tacoma - so age may or may not be a significant marketing point)...I also like the driving visibility of a truck/SUV as opposed to a car.

- Toyota reliability and reputation of the Tacoma in general

Good luck on your meeting

 

Owned a truck as my primary 4 wheeled vehicle for the past 25 years, all full sized American made. Last one was a 2003 Ford F-150 I bought new. Tired of replacing parts and fixing stuff, putting money into it every year and crappy fuel mileage. Wanted to continue owning a truck as they're always handy to have when you own a house for hauling all the stuff you invariably need to haul. Tacoma offered same HP, torque, and towing capacity as my old full size with about a 50% increase in fuel mileage. Toyota reputation for durability narrowed my search field.

 

This is how I made my decision:

1. 6MT - I detest automated trannies, I'm a driver not a passenger so that eliminated Chevy Colorado and the Ranger wasn't out yet.

2. "Tacoma" - For some things, its all in the name. The Tacoma has a long history of durability and longevity. Since my choice was between Tacoma and Frontier, I began doing my own research. Not in magazines or internet forums but by asking random Tacoma and Frontier owners that I came across out in public. After a few months it was getting clear that Tacoma was the way to go.

3. Mods/Aftermarket - Since I'm a car guy/petrol head, I knew there was almost an unlimited amount of aftermarket things available and new things were going to be coming out later down the road. Please note, this was 2015-2016 and I was looking at the "new" 3rd gen models so I new mods would be on the way.

 

It’s almost the same size as full size trucks before 2004. I test drove a Silverado, F-150, and a Ram and they were all too damn big.

The current Tacoma is nearly the same size as my 2003 F-150, which is weird cause it’s a modern midsize compared to an older full size.

Other than that - the looks, the reliability, and the ease of basic repairs and maintenance were big selling points.

 

Pretty simple for me, my first truck was a '93 Toyota T100 which I still own and drive regularly. It's grown-up with me and I haven't been able to kill it so now that I'm 'grown' I figured it was time for another Toyota. In fairness my Taco is not my daily driver, nor do I tow with it very much; I have other trucks I use for those tasks. The factors which led to me buying a Taco were:

Reliability
Re-sale value (I'm not planning-on keeping this one for as long as I've had the T100)
True off-road capability
Able to get a manual transmission
Styling
Had the Tundra been offered in a manual trans and had a nicer/updated interior I likely would have bought one of those.

 

Because of the 3 I had before.

 

What most everyone else has said above. I've been in all gens but recently in 3rd gen. I witnessed them as work trucks/beach wagons in action back in the 80s...quite indestructible. Again in the 90s while working my way through college and made a plan to by new when I gradiated. I did and put almost 300K on a '96 MT access cab in black going back and forth to the texas coast...got so friggn ripped off on this truck but I knew no better. Remember those "balloon" loans? It was rock solid when I sold but AC was iffy and actually starting to rust out. NEVER owning black again either. Tried Nissan Frontier(arse ugly in gold of all stinking colors)...285K and it was falling apart...except the motor. Even went to a stinking car during the time frame of our oil crunch in the 2ks. Got another gen 1 4x4 DC and sold with a bit over 200K with ZERO issues. KICKED myself on that one. Gen 2 repeat x 2...last one was a prerunner as deevorce took 4x4 funds and boat. My gen 3 is what I've been after for quite some time. Exactly what I wanted and it will see 300k for sure...or more. If I could get my son to stop listening to his Pawpaw on how great Fords are, he might get the tacoma as his first ride. Or my daughter...while Daddy gets a gen 4.

 

I love the multi tool comment and your last sentence is a great summarization - for me at least.

 

In 2018 I needed a vehicle that would tow up to 3700 lbs travel trailer in the summer, 4x4 for winter, be a reliable daily driver and fit into my underground parking spot. Ranger, Frontier and Colorado/Canyon were considered but Tacoma won on size (DCSB), capability, reputation and looks good. Plan to keep my ‘18 as long as possible.

 

I know i am not 3rd gen, but will weigh in anyway. Bought my 2nd gen about 5 or 6 years ago barely used. Live in SW Oklahoma and have to have a truck. 20 acres, tractor, horses, goats, chickens, all that jazz. Have had Nissan, Chevy, Ford, and Dodge trucks in the past. Some of those trucks didnt even get out of 36k warranty before i was constantly working on them. So i wanted to give Toyota a try for the reliability. Now at 137k and no real issues (chirping TOB) and i use this thing like a full size truck. Towing tractor and animals all around, well past its tow rating. Pulling stuck tractors, skid steers, F250, etc out of the mud. Tacoma is light and glides right over, lol. Winch helps too. I also didnt want turbos or a bunch of electronic do dads that will constantly need replacing. The dumber the truck the better for me, if you are going to keep them for a long time. Ask me about the parents $70k f250 that constantly has something electrical that needs replacing. Its also loved that its really easy to service, with drain plugs on diffs, trans (manual 6spd), oil pan, and oil filter super easy to get to (sorry 3rd gens). I wanted a manual trans, as well, which is why i didnt go with a Tundra. Grew up driving sticks and just prefer it. Keep offering them in a standard, please god! Its fun to drive and beat on, knowing it wont leave you stranded.

Recap:
Reliability
Easy to service
No turbo's or a bunch of electric nannies. I know the 3rd gens are starting to lean this way, but please dont turbo them. Keep the engines simple and reliable. Fix that auto tranny. Move the oil filter back up top, lol!
MANUAL TRANSMISSION!
Its fun to drive

I guess also re-sale played in there initially, but 5 years later i still love the truck and plan to give it to my oldest son and get me a new one at that time. I frequently tell people, this is one of the very few, if not only, vehicle i wasnt bored with and wanted to sell a couple years later and really have a hard time seeing myself ever getting rid of it. When its time comes, maybe i will just park it in the field, as a piece of yard art or tribute for years of reliable service, lol.

 

.

 

I had a 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser. Then I had two different Jeeps. Overall I liked the FJ Cruiser better than the Jeeps so when it was time for a new 4-wheeler I went with Tacoma which I like better than the FJ mostly because the better tech and the bed comes in very handy.