Worth trading in my short bed for a long bed?

I don’t really know what you’re hauling, but the extra foot of space would be nice. However, I wouldn’t necessarily trade the truck in like others have said. I use a 5x8 trailer for small lawn care. I have to put the trimmer in sideways on the SB, but it also keeps it from sliding around. At the end of the day, do whatever makes you happy. Is it worth losing a couple thousand for the extra foot or would a trailer give you more bang for buck?

 

(This is an opinion based on what most people deal with. Depending on how much cash you put down, your current interest rate, term, condition of truck, etc. your mileage will vary)

You are very likely upside down on your loan. Tacomas hold their value, but they are nastily overpriced when new. A dealer would love to trade for a newer one and then bump up the cost of the one you are buying to compensate for not making a profit yet.

Then when financing sees you are looking to finance more than what the truck is worth your interest will go up.

Trading in a vehicle almost NEVER yields a benefit unless you hold title in hand or the vehicle is just about paid off.

*Side note* If your state doesn't give you a tax credit on trading a vehicle in, you are better off selling your truck beforehand and coming in with cash. Cash money gives you much better negotiating power than a trade ever will.

 

I went from a 13 long bed to an 18 short bed for 6k. You should be able to do better than that, so is less than 6k worth it to you?

 

No
If u must, sell private and buy another
Also, use factory financing rates or a credit union

 

That is a smoking deal for upgrading a 5-year old vehicle! Did you downgrade trim level or was the 2018 high mileage? I was looking into it and it’d be more than $6k for me to trade in my 2016 DCSB for a 2019 DCLB in the exact same trim (TRD OR), although I was looking for a new one, not used.

 

Have you made all your payments on time? If so you probably can refinance or get a lower interest rate if you trade it in.

 

I went from a 15 dcsb to a 19 dclb. There were multiple reasons that I made the switch. The bed length was not a deal breaker but the thought of having the extra bed space was nice. Now that I have the extra bed space I’m not sure I could ever go back to a short bed. I haul a 11ft and a 10 ft fishing kayak regularly and I don’t even need a bed extender like I did on my short bed. All of this is my personal experience and is not a guaranteed result. I owed $15k on my 2015. And sold it for $25k. So I was $10k towards the new truck. Only raised my monthly payment $40. And I do plan to refinance in a year. At the end of the day you have to do what is right financially for you.

 

I don't know where you are getting the fuel mileage is the same. My '18 DCLB TRD Sport 4x4 Auto gets 27mpg highway and about 20 mpg around town. I regularly get over 27mpg on my 26 mile commute to and from work which is mixed country driving (15 stop lights, 1 roundabout, 7 miles of real highway, 10 miles of 55mph country road, etc) . Hell this morning I set a new record of 30.2 mpg coming into work and last week 30.0 mpg going home. Last tank showed 25.9 mpg on the computer and hand calculation showed 26 mpg.

So while your other arguments are valid about stepping up to 1/2 ton; implying a DCLB Tacoma is less fuel efficient then other V6 Tacoma's is not valid.

 

4x8 folding trailer kits can be built out nicely for well under $1000. They take up almost no room when stored. I'd either buy that or just suffer with a SB for a couple more years. It isnt worth going upside down on a trade, even with a better interest rate. I would definitely look into refinancing the current loan though.

 

Sport to OR. 18 had 2 miles on it. Put the dealers against each other to see who will give you the best price then haggle your trade in value.

 

I've always been able to get creative with ratchet straps and the tailgate down when moving larger items. Also bought a cheap hitch extender to move my kayak, way easier than lifting it by myself onto my roof rails. The driving decision for me when deciding on SB vs LB was manual trans availability (or lack thereof) on the LB. Also to my eye LBs don't look proportional unless they're lifted with bigger tires, but thats highly subjective.

 

Spend and lose thousands of dollars to gain 1’ of bed space? Hang on to your truck and wait for the 4th generation Tacoma and THEN purchase a long bed.

 

Thank you everyone for your help. I walked into my bank today to look into refinancing, it looks like I can drop my rate several points as my credit has increased and I've made many extra payments. I think I will refinance, pay this off and see if I still really need a long bed, and if I do make the decision at that time. I would be stupid to not wait at least for the 2020s

 

This is how dealerships have been able to upsell like crazy. They don't say you're paying $30,000 more on top of your trade. It's only $40 more per month!

 

I was a Finance Mgr and/or Sales Mgr for 25 years in the car business. I worked at stores that sold 300-500 cars a month and had 25 salespeople. Do you know WHY they use the terminology of 'only raises your payment X amount of dollars per month'? It's because that's all 99% of the buyers care about. If you tell them 'I'll trade ya for $12,000 difference', the first thing out of their mouth is 'so what's that make my payment? So they just started referring to it in payment terms or increase in payment terms...

 

I got the longbed because it looks the best!

 

I can believe it. It’s sad that so many car buyers are financially uneducated when it comes to a major purchase like an automobile. Did I read correctly that 72-months is now the average length of a new car loan? That’s six crazy long years and chances are they will purchase another car within that period of time and start the cycle all over again and have perpetual car payments.

 

nope

 

I agree. And 72 months is about the norm now. One thing dealers will do is start the payment talks at a shorter term. Then when the customers start the 'it's too much' talk, they can use the longer terms to make it more affordable, without giving up profit or price.

 

I've hauled 16-foot lumber in my short bed, how much lumber you talk'n? And I moved my step sons apartment furniture. Just gotta stack it high.