Why do you own a first gen Tacoma?

And I was thinking about the alien shows I watched last night while in the shower.. hmmm lol

I just like the nastalgia and character they have. Manual hubs, manual windows, manual trans, just perfect size and highly capable on and off road. They look pretty awesome in my opinion as well.

 

It all started really young for me. My dad had been driving Toyota’s since before he even met my mom, and my grandpa had been driving Toyota’s since the 70’s. He had an 80 SR5 4x4 short bed when he met her in 86. He had a 90 xtra cab 4x4 22RE when I was born. My parents had decided they wanted my brother and I to have trucks when we started driving. My first truck was a 94 xtra cab 2wd 22RE that my grandpa bought in 99, and sold to my dad in 02. I got that in 2008 when my dad bought a 98 Tacoma xtra cab 3RZ 4x4. My dad sold me the 98 in 2009 when I was a senior in high school. I guess between having my 94 pickup and my 98 Tacoma, I developed a love for small Toyota trucks, which is ironic cause I’m a big guy (6’2, 275lbs). When my 3RZ Tacoma started really showing it’s age when I was in college, I traded it for my 2000 xtra cab V6 4x4, and it was the first car I ever had a loan for. Had it for 7 1/2 years. I ended up buying my 04 double cab 4x4 in Jan 19 just after I got married cause I realized a car seat wouldn’t fit in an xtra cab very well, and it was the perfect time to buy it while I didn’t have a mortgage or a kid on the way. I sold the 00 xtra cab and my 94 xtra cab 6 months later. And those 4 trucks sealed my love for Toyota mini trucks and for first gen Tacoma’s

 

All of the above. These trucks simply can go places others can’t. I’ve been in a few situations even a 2nd gen would have made me too nervous to proceed. Can we say narrow!

mill find it very difficult to move on from mine. I am very attached...

 

had 2 Toyota trucks prior and liked them. Currently in the stable #3 was running, rust free and 3K bucks (mine), #4 is a second gen (wifes, brand new).

 

I have had many Toyota pickup 4x4s and it all started with a 1983 4x4 I bought in 1984. My 2003 reminds me of that styling which I fell in love with almost 40 years ago.

 

2001 xtra cab lunar mist for the wife. Started a family in 2003, like others mentioned car seat not a great fit so in 2004 we swapped to the dbc. Got one in the same color with 100 miles on it (pretty sure the poor guy ordered from the dealership and his estate returned it a year later). In 2006 we expanded the family and got a 4Runner. Now up until this point, I’ve only driven cars. Grandpa had a Toyota in the 70’s, my brother had an ’86. So I inherited the 2003 which was my wife’s. Fast forward to 2016? I decide wheels and tires might look nice. I haven’t had a payment since 2007. So here I am still with a truck that’s been good to us. I parked next to a new TRD Pro this weekend. Wife says go get one if you want. I don’t want. And at 110,000 miles, I know I’ve got at least another decade with my truck.

 

I happen to own a 1st-gen because that's what it was when I bought it new in 2001.
You thought this question up in the shower which is understandable-most of my cerebral revelations pop up while I'm setting on the pot

 

Was sharing an old F250 with my Dad for truck stuff in 2014, then it kicked the bucket with electrical gremlins. I needed a truck for my gardening and landscaping, so I started looking for used Toyota trucks. I wanted a small 4x4 stick shift with at least a V6.

I had previously owned a 1st gen Tundra, and they are great trucks. But they feel so big compared to our Tacos. Also the cost of filling a tank on the Tundra was brutal. Had a couple of $80+ tanks in 2013.

I looked at one V6 6MT 2nd gen Taco but the transmission didn't shift good and it was a smokers truck. The extra gear and 4.0L power would be nice, but I wanted to spend around 10k, and 4x4 2nd gens were still going for 18-20k+. I like the look of the 1st gen better anyway, so was happy to save the money.

If I found a nice T100 I would have considered buying one, I love the 8ft bed, but they are fairly rare and usually in rough shape around here.

After a few weeks of searching I found my current Taco at a local dealer, V6 5MT 4x4 in lunar mist metallic. And that's why I own a first gen.

 

Simplicity

 

Because it's small, simple and I like it.

 

Dam we just screwed ourselves Prices will rise another 25%!!

 

After I bought and paid off my 93 4x4 Reg. cab pu, Toyota sent me a brochure for the new Tacoma and I have been hooked ever since. I kept the '93 until 1999 and decided the regular cab was too small and found my '96 on the dealer lot. Still have it after 21 years!

 

Goddam that's a sexy truck.

 

I bought my first generation Tacoma because prior to it I owned a Chevrolet truck........EVERYTHING, I MEAN EVERYTHING had to be rebuilt or replaced by 120,000 miles.
My 8 year used 135,000 mile Tacoma has been virtually trouble free.
( It needed 1 axle seal, 1 shifter bushing, 1 O2 sensor & 1 exhaust valve adjusted )

 

Why, thank you! Is it the dark eye shadow that makes it look sexy? ;-)

 

That maybe the best way of putting it.

Smaller = Economical = Easy to Wrench = Simple

I go through vehicles like every 1.5-2 years...and generally I have a good list of "reasons" for swapping out vehicles within the first 6 months of ownership...but when I think of UPgrading, I just cannot seem to convince myself its worth it.

I mean these little trucks have more OEM payload than a 3rd gen, its really hard to better their MPG significantly with anything else close to its size, I Paid $10k for single owner 150k mile TRD V6 manual transmission w/ a locker...where else can I get that much capability/durablilty/resale for $10k....its old enough that you pretty much know what the problem areas are and the online resources are available for the DIY'ers, its an older truck so you never feel bad using it like a truck, ...

 

I suppose in the truck world, it can be considered "small" but to me, although it's only 70" wide, it's still quite a substantial "vehicle" at just under 17 feet long. I feel like it's really "mid-size" at the risk of sounding like I have small vehicle syndrome

 

Well let's see. First Truck was a 1980 Toyota regular cab pickup truck with the 22RE engine manual transmission. loved that truck but so under powered. Truck #2 74 F100 with a straight six that ran good but looked like shit. Truck #3 was a 69 El Camino that I regret to this day ever getting rid of. Shitty story connected with it.
Truck #4 was a 1988 For Ranger, and I have to admit, I really liked that truck, V6 auto, push button 4x4 with all the bells and whistles at the time. But I sold it to buy a house. Truck #5 was a 1979 full size GMC Jimmy 350, auto, manual hub 4x4. Rebuilt the Engine, went over everything else, and it ran like a top. But it only got 9-10 miles to the gallon, which was okay when gas was 98 cents a gallon. My kids called it the Big Big Truck when they were little, and I drove that thing everywhere.Truck #6 was a 1972 Chevy with a souped up motor and tranny, that my Dad gave me. Horrible gas milage but ran like a scalded dog. Didn't keep it very long, it was either burning oil, or blowing it out somewhere, so I sold it. And now to Truck #7 which will be my last. I purchased a 2004 DC V6 auto limited edition back in 2010 with 80k miles. I've always liked the toyota trucks, but man the money people wanted for these things, and buying a new one was out of my reach. Well I found this one at a wholesale place in Winston Salem NC, and purchased it after taking it for a test drive. Love this thing, Rungs great, looks good for a 16 year old truck. Doesn't burn any oil,and gets okay gas milage. As of right now it has around 136k miles on it and I expect it to live longer than I do. Everyone thought I was off my rocker for trading in a 2007 mini cooper S, but hey, I've always been a truck guy, and I couldn't throw a dead deer into the mini hatchback. I have some maintenance items to tackle, valve cover gaskets, a burnt out light behind the gas gauge, break job later this year after my body heals some more. Extending the rear diff breather mod, but mostly just little things. I know the valve cover job isn't exactly little, but I'll manage with a little help from a few friends. I know Long Post, but I thinks its kinda like karma that I started out with a toyota and will finish with a toyota. Yes they have some issues like the lower ball joints, but as long as we keep up regular work on them, hell they run almost forever.

 

I guess it's big compared to a miata! Def not a midsize, that's reserved for the bloated turd 2nd and 3rd gens

 

I needed/wanted a third vehicle as a backup and I wanted a truck. I started looking around for a Toyota 4x4 Tacoma. Honestly, they were more money than I had. I didn't know they kept their value as well as they do even though I should have because I've owned Toyotas for years. (My wife's 99 Sienna has 290K ish miles and is running strong. The only issue is it's starting to leak oil. I have a 86 FJ60 my son has an FJ40.) I decided that I really didn't need a 4x4 since I have a Land Cruiser so I started looking at 2x4s.
I found a 97 extended cab 2wd with almost 321K miles on it. It had been sitting in his field for about 10 years. I knew the original owner. I offered him $1K and he took it. It needed new tires/battery/alternator. I replaced them all and still have cash remaining for the AC work and a few other odds/ends. I discovered 14 inch wheels really narrows the options for tires but I can live with that. I've owned it for about 9 months. It's fun to drive, good on gas, parts are affordable and it meets my needs.