Wrangler or Tacoma?

Buddy at my work has an f150. He bought a new Rubicon for camping with the family. He took the Jeep camping once. He still takes the f150 because the Jeep has no space. Now he uses the Jeep as a daily driver so it doesn't sit with occasional offroading.

 

Would be close, a built Jeep can be around 5500 lbs which doesn't leave a lot of room for trailer weight

 

If money was no option I wouldn't mind owning a jeep again, but not as a daily driver.

 

This OP. If you need to scratch that itch I say get a pre-loved wrangler on the side. Plain and simple the Tacoma just checks more boxes for me. It gets more things done.

 

jeep hands down

 

Having an open bed, regardless of size, is very beneficial to me in almost every way. I can atleast sleep in the back. Sleeping on rear seats is the aweful.

 

I have both... 16 Tacoma and 16 JK... The JK is the wife's. I prefer my truck for commuting, but the jeep is fun in the snow and does have more room for the kids. Usually if we drive with the whole family. Two young kids we use the odyssey.

 

I traded in a 2015 JK 2 door for my current SR5. The jeep fit me like a glove, but with family it is pain beyond 2 people. I finally just removed the rear seat at least then I could use the area behind the front seats for something practical. I can't say after all the issues I had with my SR5 that the jeep was any worse. I did have to tow it to the dealer for a coolant leak and I suspect I was going to have a cylinder head issue at some point as there was a noticeable tick. One thing I can say about the Jeep at least I could adjust the drivers seat. I think I like the 4wd better in the Jeep. I like the practicality of the Tacoma. Having it has been more useful, but then there is no longer the excuse I could use I can't really fit all of you in my Jeep so why don't you drive this time. Oh there was one more thing I hated about the jeep. I hated to have to clean all the bugs off the windshield each time I returned home.

 

I've had a wrangler and a taco, I miss the wrangler look but not much else, if you're looking into a taco I'd say go second gen until they work out all the third gen issues, Tacomas are versatile meaning you can haul and crawl, gas mileage is another thing, unless you're getting a 4 cylinder renegade you're never gonna get the same gas mileage as the Tacoma. In the end it's up to you, jeeps are a bit easier to modify as that's what they're made for but in my honest opinion tacos are the shit!

 

I had a JK for a couple years, didn't mod it much but all vehicles have their quirks. I ended up rolling it, was going to keep it and fix it back up but insurance didn't ask any questions and ended up have it totalled and getting a payout for it. Got a Tacoma since they can haul more and seem to work better for most weekend warrior camping.

Anyone saying a Tacoma can follow a Jeep anywhere is out of their fucking mind or has never owned a Jeep. $10K in a Jeep will out crawl $10k in a Tacoma any day of the week. And WAY less wrenching/mods to get it there.

If your more into crawling get a Jeep.
If you're more into multipurpose or dicking around speeding through the desert get a Tacoma.

 

Jeep was a jeep until it became a chrysler.
I would not buy a chrysler product these days.

 

Ridgeline Brah!

 

The first vehicle I ever financed was an '05 Rubicon. It was bad ass, plain and simple. It would literally crawl up anything and everything. There's a new definition to "convertible" when you take the doors off and drop the soft top, and if the weather is right, it's so awesome. I armored it and put a 4' lift on it and ran 33's. In 4-low, with the lockers engaged, it would literally climb vertical telephone poles on the front or rear.

In 2010 I traded it for my 2011 Tacoma. It immediately felt like a mistake and seeing it in the rear view mirror of the Tacoma when I left the lot was damn near heartbreaking. However, the things I'd grown accustomed to were also immediately apparent. I no longer had to carry a spare toolbox to go buy beer. Hell, if i wanted to drive to Alaska, all I had to do was put gas in it! I didn't have to bundle up because the truck actually had insulation. With full doors and no soft top, I could hear myself think and listen to the radio even. The Tacoma never had the DEATH WOBBLE!

I know the newer JK's are a step up in comfort and convenience to the TJ's but they lack the practicality of the Tacoma, for me at least. I regularly do truck stuff and can fit 4 grown adults without issue. In the TJ, I just removed the back seat entirely because getting anyone over 4' tall in the back was a joke. Again, 4-door JK's resolve that, I know.

My current Tacoma may not crawl like the Rubicon could, but with the right line on a trail, it will go anywhere you want it to. The locker really makes it a capable rig unless you're looking to do massive rocks and very technical trails; some would argue that, and there's plenty of evidence here to back it up.

I'd love to own another Rubicon, but I think it would be an LJ and it would be a dedicated trail rig. For every day use and mild to moderate trails, I'll stick to the Tacoma. It does everything I need it to do and it does everything I want it to do as well.

This is the last picture I took of my Rubicon before I traded it in.


Taken right after I lifted it.



In the end it's your call. Get whichever you like the best and be happy regardless of what anyone says! After all, you're the one that gets to drive it every day

 

Tacoma for me. I have a family of 3. If I wanted a dedicated off-roader, I wouldn't even bother with a Wrangler, and would get a RZR 4-seater to tow with the Tacoma. Faster (off-road), more capable, and more fun.

 

I own a Jeep XJ and a Taco, something something about cake and eating it too

I'd advise against the wrangler. Save the Money, get a Taco. But if you're a fan of repair bills and poor ride quality, get a Wrangler.

If you really want a jeep, get an XJ that's in good condition. They are not that expensive.... Then take the savings and still buy a Taco.

 

My vote: Taco and Defender. Been meaning to get a pic of them side by side....

 

I do love my XJ... even though I've been thinking of selling it.

XJ's are great, especially with the inline 6. If you go this route, the golden years seem to be 97-99 with the Chrysler 8.25 or elusive Dana 44 rear axle and the Dana 30 front. Stay away from the Dana 35 rear at all costs.

 

my wife had a slightly modified 2007 - I loved the thing, but it wasn’t practical (and we worried about reliability) so we sold it. Truth be told, I like wranglers a lot, but I’ve never been able to go without a truck bed, so I wouldn’t buy another one.

@11Bguy

 

Man I love Defenders. I miss the old Pinky Defenders in the desert. My favorite is a Defender 130.

Admittedly though they are pretty unreliable. The running joke in Africa was if you went out in a Land Rover, expect to sleep in it.

Dana 35s are awesome, they are perfect for pulling out and swapping in a Ford 8.8! the 8.8 is an easy swap and much stronger than the 44.