Toyota Tacoma - Your Thoughts?

[rockshaft]

I had an 87 yota p/u that served me well until I could no longer patch the frame!
Moved to a new '03 Tacoma, great truck, a lot to really like about it- but I found it didn't haul my boat really well. It had a manual trans- maybe an auto would have been better with the boat ramps, not sure. I knew I wanted to be able to haul more than the 5K it was rated for, so I sold it and bought a Nissan Titan. Its a great truck- added some air bags to the rear axle and it tows ~10k# w/o too much trouble. Certainly haven't had to get out and push it!

 

[Tollster]

I think you are making a sound educated selection. I have owned 2 new ones since 1988, driven year round in the brine baths, pothole ridden, and always in the top 10 most destructive roads in the USA, Pennsylvania without incident. Gas, oil, filters, and go..

I doubt you will tow the BX daily, and as others have pointed out, its not a V8, but for the aging folks it may be just the ticket for easy get around town, room for grandkids grocery's and the dog, four wheel drive that goes places big trucks can't, easy to handle in snow and slippery conditions, dependable long term vehicle that holds its value. It is also the only truck known and documneted to have been dropped over 200' and well..you'll have to watch here on Top Gear:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Uc4Ksz3nHM&feature=relmfu]Top Gear - killing a Toyota Pt 2 - BBC - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfZDtC9kjVk]Top Gear - killing a Toyota Pt 3 - BBC - YouTube[/ame] just one of the many attempts to kill it, be sure to check the other top gear vids.

The frame rust was due to a well know US vendor that toyota had sought to perform frame manufacturing, and coatings, DANA corporation: Report: Dana coughs up $25M to Toyota over rusty Tacoma frames
Sad as Toyota will never live it down as seen here in this thread, but it makes you think twice about any US vehicle when you know and understand the facts.

However, they DID stand behind their product and replaced many frames and or bought out the truck many times more than the worth. I had my frame replaced last year on my 02 Tacoma, regardless of mileage (100+K), that is nine years later, and as I would like to say to the chevy and ford owners, it wasn't due to it being held up in courts by the automaker.


Now I have a next to new toyota, frame replacement was done in 2 days, with a free loaner to beat around in, and I did not have to return for any "adjustments".

I do feel toy has softened them up since coming stateside, but compared to what else is available, it stands in a class by itself and is also the number one selling midsize truck in the the US
Midsize Truck Shootout: Toyota Tacoma comes out on top; Ranger flopped ? USATODAY.com

I have to ask, why buy anything else?

 

[hodge]

Stopped by my neighbors on the way home tonight. We have the same T100 4x4 king cab with V6. I checked the truck wt and it is around 6000. My neighbor does a lot of hauling and I asked him his thought about hauling a trailer with 3000# tractor. His feeling was not unless it was an emergency. He mention bringing a load of wood home on a trailer tried to stop on the level highway to turn into our drive. Ended up 30 feet past the drive. Make sure you have the stopping ability.

Good luck

According to Consumer Guide, plus other sites, the curb weight is 3550, not 6000. That is probably the gross weight.

 

[buck12]

F150? Why take a step down? There's a reason the Tacoma costs as much or more.

In September 09, I bought an f150 and my boss bought a Tacoma. My truck has yet to see the shop while he had to have the transmission replaced at 11,000 miles. He has not been happy since and is thinking about an F150.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

UPDATE:

Still have not decided one way or another. Went out and looked at F-150's today. I liked them...Don't think my mom is sold on a truck at all...

Going to be also looking at Ram 1500's and the Tacoma's...

 

[Dmace]

UPDATE:
Still have not decided one way or another. Went out and looked at F-150's today. I liked them...Don't think my mom is sold on a truck at all...
Going to be also looking at Ram 1500's and the Tacoma's...

If she's not sold on a "truck" have her look at the Honda Ridgeline too, it's about the size of the mid-sized trucks but much more "car-like" and that V6 from the Honda Odyssey is bulletproof. Plus the dual swing tailgate (drop down or swing out) and built in storage is pretty slick.

 

[some zilch]

i have almost 90kmi on my '08 tacoma 4 cyl/5spd/reg cab/4x4 truck. i have not even changed a light bulb yet. still on original brakes. gets 26mph on the highway. i can pull 2 large atvs on a trailer and hold 70mph where its flat in 5th. its been the most dependable vehicle i have ever owned. no way would i buy an f150 over another tacoma

 

[s219]

If she's not sold on a "truck" have her look at the Honda Ridgeline too, it's about the size of the mid-sized trucks but much more "car-like" and that V6 from the Honda Odyssey is bulletproof. Plus the dual swing tailgate (drop down or swing out) and built in storage is pretty slick.

You know I looked at the Ridgeline with high hopes, but concluded it was the worst of both worlds. It doesn't have the interior utility of an SUV, and it doesn't have the exterior utility of a true pickup. On top of that, the gas mileage was horrible. I thought for sure it was going to be a slam dunk for me, but it just made the F-150 look even better (that said, I ended up in an Acura MDX SUV in the end).

 

[Dmace]

You know I looked at the Ridgeline with high hopes, but concluded it was the worst of both worlds. It doesn't have the interior utility of an SUV, and it doesn't have the exterior utility of a true pickup. On top of that, the gas mileage was horrible. I thought for sure it was going to be a slam dunk for me, but it just made the F-150 look even better (that said, I ended up in an Acura MDX SUV in the end).

Your also comparing it to a full size truck...
Compared to mid sized trucks like the Tacoma, it has more room inside and out, more power, higher payload/GVWR and better fuel mileage. Apples to Apples.

 

[dfkrug]

I bought the last year of the small Taco in 2004....V6 4x4 XtraCab, and
I have towed as much as 5500# with it (1500# trailer + 4K load). That
was a bit much coming up my the hill to my private road, but 2500-3500
pounds of cargo is OK. I did add electric trailer brakes and don't
go over 55 on the freeway.

The current Big Tacos are bigger and heavier, but have a much improved
4-liter engine that makes about 240hp. My 3.4 V6 has about 190hp.

Regrets? The turning radius is very large, and the truck is still quite heavy.
I weighed it at the scales, and it was 3800#. I wish I could have gotten
the V6 with the standard cab...

I miss small trucks...none are sold in the US anymore. My old Datsuns
and the early Toyotas were less than 3000#, and actually hauled more
weight in the back. They rode really hard, however.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could get a 2-door version of the Hilux D4D
turbo Diesel the rest of the world gets? 161hp 4-cyl, and 35+ mpg (photo).