Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives I may have lost my mind

I have been looking for a new truck to replace my 2000 Super Duty. I was going to get a loaded up F150 since they are rated to tow upwards of 11,000# and I never haul more than that ever, anymore. I can't seem to let go of this truck so I put a deposit down on a new Tacoma to use as a daily driver. They are $7000 cheaper than a 1/2 ton Ford or Dodge and I can keep both by doing this. Haven't bought anything other than a US named vehicle in about 13 years.

You'll love it Dennis....

+1.

Agreed with both of the above posters. I was always a Ford truck guy , then I bought a 09 Tacoma 6 years ago. I love the truck, don't do much hauling with it but it fits my needs perfectly. Mine has almost 190k miles on it , replaced the battery , rear leaf spring (recall) headlight bulbs and just last week rear U joints. Not bad for the mileage, i don't abuse it but I do use it for a truck. If its 2feet of snow between me and the hunting camp I'm going. You can't go wrong with a Tacoma, i have friends with the same trucks 300 -350k miles no real problems.

I think you did the right thing. The new F-150's can be equipped to tow a lot, but the problem is payload capacity. You can pull the trailer, but not put anything in the truck other than the driver. Which doesn't get mentioned a lot. And the ones rated to tow much over 8000 lbs are unicorns that usually have to be ordered. Most of the Tacoma's will tow 6500 lbs, not really that much less than most 1/2 tons.

I traded a 2002 F-150 for a Tacoma almost 10 years ago. It has been the best truck I've ever owned. I'm approaching 174,000 miles with no problems other than normal stuff like brakes etc.

When I bought the Tacoma I no longer needed a full size truck. But that was 10 years ago and things have changed. Last spring I started looking at F-150's and Tundra's. We don't tow over 4000-5000 lbs, but needed the interior room. But I just couldn't part with the Tacoma. Instead of trading for a new 1/2 ton I decided to buy a used 2014 F-150 and keep the Tacoma.

OK, you forgot to tell us... Options? Colors?

It's all in the details... ya know ?

I had a tough time finding one I would be happy with. They found me a Magnetic Grey Metallic (charcoal grey). By the time I got home they called to say that someone bought it before they could get it. They called me a couple a more times with two other trucks they found (I want a 6-speed). The trucks they called me about had moonroofs etc. I don't want that crap.

The manager called me back and said he was able to get Toyota to take special order at the production line and get the one I really wanted.

TRD- Off-road, Quicksand and typical options. No freaking moon roof either!

6 week wait though.

What do you have against a moonroof?

Best thing about a Taco - they're like go karts.

Easy to park, drive and you can fit them down some trails that would have a full size looking for a paint job.

When I had mine - I'd run that sucker down ATV and Snowmobile trails on the property to cut wood and deliver feed etc.

I know on a 2007 Camry the moonroof drain lines will come off of where they hook up to the drain port and have you googling for days to figure out why your carpet is soaking wet and smelling sour.

You don't live in Phx do you??

Care to share roughly what you're paying?

I was half considering a new truck this year, have a 3/4 diesel I'll keep so don't need to worry about hauling/towing.

Really liked the thought of a GMC Canyon, but a person could get into a F-150 XLT for low 30's that's pretty well equipped (quad cab) along with 0%.

Toyota's I looked at were quite a bit more and the GMC/Colorado's were quite a bit more with no incentives and no zero percent.

No, no I don't. That does explain it.

If you want an XL trim F150, you're right, you can get into it in the 30s. I priced out a Lariat trim with 4x4, super crew, 3.5 ecoboost and a few other things. It was well into the 40's even with a good deal. The Tacoma was $10,000cheaper with similar equipment. I tried building several different trucks. Using the XLT trim ,2.7 ecoboost, very few nice options and couldn't get a real price below about 39K. I think the Tacoma figured out to be $6000-$7000 cheaper than I could get an F150 for.

A few months back when I was looking, you could indeed get an XLT in this area for low 30's after all is said and done. That wasn't including taxes, etc. Maybe they were super cabs and not quad?

Have the dealer line you up with a Katzkin re-upholstery under 1500.00 and a guy would be good to go (in my opinion)

Haven't looked in a while as I figured I was/am going to wait another year or two.



I'm intrigued by the new Ranger coming back, rumor of a 5 cyl diesel option.


Today I'm picking up a '00 Ranger to replace the '87 I just finally had to part ways with. It'll be my run around/hunting truck. Daily driver is a Grand Cherokee and I have a 3/4 Cummins in the garage for when I need to haul/tow anything. One of these days I plan to be down to two vehicles.





In regards to the other topic (moon-roofs). Used to love them as a kid, but on two of the four vehicles we have sitting at my place we never use them and might as well not have them.


Regardless, enjoy the Taco. Think they're nice little trucks, just wish they had the diesel option over here.

Moon roofs are hot here. They break (my wife's car has had her's replaced and it is acting up again and she only opens it when she wants to ahh the grandkids.


I find out Wednesday if they were able to pull one off the assembly line for me, if not, I am in for a 6 week wait.

Moon roofs are hot here. They break (my wife's car has had her's replaced and it is acting up again and she only opens it when she wants to ahh the grandkids.


I find out Wednesday if they were able to pull one off the assembly line for me, if not, I am in for a 6 week wait.

I wish I fit in Tacomas. My dad bought a '13 2wd XraCab, and it's tight for me to drive... driving while wearing work boots is essentially out of the question.

I liked mine in my F150, coyotes are used to windows rolling down, but when you pop out of the moon roof with an AR, they usually end up proper [bleep].

OP. Be sure to post up some pics and a quick review when you get her. Been contemplating the same thing. TRD,off road,Quicksand. Double cab. I love the power of my 2012 5.7 Hemi RAM crew,but its more of a sport truck. Chaining the front wheels is problematic.I guess wheel spacers will help. Not crazy about the idea. Should be lifted,or at least leveled. Lots of rake. Got a good deal on it new,and have had zero problems. Cant justify the cost of what I really really want. A 2500 Cummins RAM. My first house cost considerably less! Anywho,be sure to give us a quick run down on the new purchase!

I've only had one moonroof and it was nothing but problems and not needed in Alaska.

I just ordered a new Taco in L48 and will drive it up in April when we get a bit more daylight.

I also have an 03 Taco for woods running and a 4runner for Walmart trips.....

You'll love it.....I don't tow anything heavy either.

Don't the Tacos get lousy mileage?

Define "lousy"

I'd say 19 average depending on driving style and hwy/city percentages. Comparable to many 1/2 tons if that's what your asking.

I am pretty disgusted with Toyota. I have tried to order a truck twice and the first time they turned it down and the second time they made major changes to my order- like adding heated seats, changing the color and adding a technology package. The general manager of the dealership promises me that Toyota policy is they will make it exactly like you want on the third request if they were not able to accommodate you before.
Sounds pretty stupid to me. What ever happened to trying to make the customer happy?

Car dealers are all about up-selling, 'cause they make the most margin on the add-ons. They probably changed your order specs with the expectation that you'd buy it with the additional options that you didn't want.

My opinion? The dealer is a incompetent buffoon, making excuses for his mistakes

I have bought a couple of Tacomas. What I found out and I beleive is true is that if you see one on the lot you can live it, buy it right then.It most likely will be gone tomorrow. Be ready to compromise

Dennis, I kind of ran into this with the Jeep I just bought.
I was planning to order and was told that the factory may not accept the order at this time. That they, if turned down, have to reorder in Jan 2017, after Christmas break. I guess the workers get long time off and maybe orders are different than sitting on the lot. Don't know.

Also, my son ordered 4 Toyota's PU's for his company by getting the exact model/model number ,very important, figured the price they would pay, them checks on the phone with dealers through out the state. Says this is what I want at this price, do you have them or will you get them. Of course they get commercial pricing and know exactly what they want and will only buy that one. It worked.
Dealers will want the sales numbers up as far as they can get them in Dec. Maybe just start dialing with a build number/model. No telling what you will find.

I would call the Toyota zone office. I think they will square up the dealer. Changing a customer order 2 times does not sound like a corporate policy. Hopefully the zone office helps you out.

So I bought '16 Tundra CrewMax 1794 and as nice as it was, I wasn't thrilled about it. Great power (especially with the tow/haul mode turned on), decent mileage when it was still warm out (averaged 18, though I dropped to about 15.5 once it got cold and the winter gas?), awesome luxurious seats. But... it's gone now.

Have the '17 Tacoma TRD Off Road, double cab with JBL premium technology package, tow, tonneau cover, all weather mats, and the Predator side steps which I took off (selling them if anyone is interested). MSRP of $40,857 and got it for $36,307 for $4550 off (with $500 military rebate).

First off, it seriously lacks bottom end power, but rev it up and it goes pretty well. That's the bad. No other issues or complaints.

The rest of the truck is fantastic, so far. Quiet, smooth, comfy, almost as much luxury as the 1794 but only missing the cooled leather seats. Looking forward to playing with the crawl feature as well.

Have about 285 miles on it and am averaging 20.2mpg on it's first tank. Haven't done too much freeway driving, but saw 22mpg one way (slightly uphill) and 25mpg on the way back, mostly at 65mph.

I don't miss the Tundra at all. This is actually a better truck

That Tacoma is a nice looking truck.

Skip the Phoenix dealers, unless you go thru something like Costco....and their connections...

That Toyota dealer up where Darby lives ( Show Low?) has a real good reputation for price and working with customers....

those small town guys ALWAYS love to get big city customers...

They'll undercut the big city guys every day of the week....and won't be trying to soak you with the upsell crap...

Stopped for gas for the first time.
326 miles
20.3mpg average indicated
20.69mpg hand calculated

Funny, the Tundra always claimed it got more than it did. This claims it got less than it did.

I spent an hour trying to find a phone number for Toyota that would help me.

I don't think this is the dealer screwing up. I saw the order sheets, Toyota just wants to do things their way. If I wanted a truck like Taco just bought I could have it. I don't want charcoal and all the extra options. I told the dealer I wasn't ordering an Avalon. He is as pissed as I am. I have been dealing with the lower level manager AND the general manager of the dealership. They have hunting far and wide for a truck, pulled the list of trucks scheduled to be built for any candidates. Found one headed to Massachusetts but that dealer would not let us have it since he had a guy who wanted that exact truck.

I have ordered trucks before- twice- both times it was very easy and I got exactly what I wanted. For some reason, Toyota thinks it knows what I want better than I do.

THey sure do not make the car or truck buying process easy. They make almost all their product in the US and still have issues ordering. This is one time they could learn something from the big three when it comes to getting exactly what you want.

Finally got through to some folks. Regional office mocked me and hung up on me. Absolutely refused to talk to me. Gave me a bogus number for customer service, refused to give me her name etc.

Found the national hotline number. After wading around for 40 minutes and getting transferred to a local dealer!, I was able to pin them down to the fact that I could NOT order a truck. I can only request a preference and they would try and find me something close to what i want. They basically said "how dare you tell us what options to put on a vehicle".
I'm going to get my deposit back this afternoon. I am SO done with Toyota.

That's absurd...what the hell is the point of offering any options if you're not going to let the consumer pick and choose which ones he wants!?

Also, the title of this thread is now pretty ironic - I bet you have lost your mind trying to deal with Toyota!

Irony comes full circle for sure. I would be embarrassed to be a Toyota dealer if I had to face customers like me who have been through this wringer.

I have thought about replacing my vehicle with a Tacoma.
I would want the long bed with manual transmission.
I wonder how long it would take to find one?

I did a 500 mile search from my location on Autotrader and it shows at least 20 4X4 Tacomas with a manual. Most were extended cabs, some were crew cabs. I couldn't find a way to search for the long bed.

Well, based on your experience, they lost any chance of sale to me too.

I think I will just keep my GMC for awhile.

My son has one 2006 and it was pretty easy to find.

Toyota does not make the long bed with a manual transmission.

I did the search several times for a TRD-off road with Manual transmission. Zero results each time.

First two tanks in my Tacoma, 20.79 and 21.3mpg, overall regular driving.

Check with a salesman. I found one.

Dennis, no wonder you are frustrated.

As you may recall, I recently came back after working in Japan for 25 years. A good friend here bought a new Tundra and is happy with it, but while there are many benefits to Japanese vehicles (I have had several), I am now looking for a late model RAM 2500 4wd diesel, myself.

Like a 2015. 2016 is still too expensive and dealers are notoriously treating them as greater profit opportunities even than new cars, with real prices very close or equal to new. 2500 and 3500 diesels from 2011-2014 are on the Consumer Reports list of "used models to avoid." Like Goldilocks, I pick the middle.

Living in the NM mountains, with roads ranging in quality, some snow, etc. and a desire for outdoor uses including hauling trailers, a RAM with Cummins diesel best suits my needs. They have good longevity and you can't beat American cars for ease and cost of repairs. Also, in the Albuquerque area, there seems to be good inventory. Of course, YMMV.

Dennis,

You are not looking at Ford's in the right places. Look at the really large dealerships with massive sales. They have internet prices listed right on line. I was just looking at some at Mac Haik Ford in Houston the other day and if I recall correctly I saw 4x4 XLT's crew cabs at 36k or so. This was with the 3.5 motor. They are a little less with the 2.7. I purchased a truck from them four years ago and walked right in and picked up the truck at the internet price.