Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Toyota Tacoma

I'll be getting a new commuter in the next couple of years and really want a Tacoma but know I shouldn't considering the mpg. Currently drive a Corolla as a commuter and will probably go back to another one....but it's full of hay from putting it out every morning on the way to work, feed sacks, etc.

What I could really use is a front wheel drive Tacoma geared like the Corolla with the option to switch to 4x4 on the back tires...but that's an odd bird that ain't likely to be hatched.

I have a 2010 with 105K on it, no issues.

Someone mentioned bad back, yes the seats aren't great for that, my wife literally can't drive my truck any longer without it messing up her back (2 bulging disks), I can but have to play with lumbar support a bit (2 compressed disks).

Other than that, love the truck, but would like a better seat.

I see plenty of good used tacomas for sale. If a guy was patient enough he could probably find one with low miles.

My 07 dble cab TRD just rolled 185000. Only thing I've had to do to it other than the usual oil chge and filters is had to replace one rear axle seal and ujoints. Still has original brake pads. Never had to do an alignment. Depending on which tire I run, I get any where from 17. up to 21 avg. mile/gal. Been pretty damn reliable.

Earlier pic of the wife's '05 Tacoma......4.0 w/auto....

now with new wheels & new BFG AT KO'2...has 142K or so...

bought it in '06 w/7K on it...I would not have the auto tranny..

other than one wheel bearing...normal maintainance...

2009, now with 75K I bought w/42K a couple years ago. I detest automatic transmissions and this one is no different. However, I am confident that this one will break my automatic transmission record of 76,000 miles before it needs a rebuild, fwiw.

The hood scoop looks cool but the sun glares off it into your eyes so I had some flat black truck wrap installed covering it and added some stripes on the hood.

I get a hesitation at stop lights then the truck lunges forward. Hate that.

Don't like it when the 13 pound dog jumps on the passenger seat and the seat belt warning beeper starts going off. You either have to listen to it for 30 seconds going thru it's psychotic little routine or you stop and buckle the seat belt.

It's got electronics that limit wheel spin, which on a 4x4 is just about stupid.


Unfortunately, I'm an old truck guy and this new sheit isn't for me.

I set the seatbelt alarm to off in all my vechicles Google how to disable seatbelt alarm Tacoma and you'll see several links showing the steps. It takes a few seconds and is similar to the steps for turning off your maitance required light after an oil change.

Holy smokes I gotta try that! Thank you! Now If I could disable all the traction crap...

I have a '14 TRD off road crew cab with a 6-speed manual. Mostly I like it. There are only a couple issues.

According to my right foot, it doesn't have the guts my 2008 Nissan Frontier had. I feel it especially when I'm towing. The Nissan handled, comfortably, trailers that push the Toyota around a bit. It also doesn't have the top end speed the Nissan had .. comfortably.

I don't think the A/C is quite adequate. It doesn't cool as well on a truly hot day as I'd like.

Gas mileage ... about 16 mpg compared to 18.5 for the Nissan. That's running 265x75-16 Toyo Open Country MTs on both trucks on the same roughly 1000 mile freeway trip at 5 over the speed limit on cruise control .. a pretty apples-to-apples comparison.

I'm not that fond of the 5 foot bed. It's not big enough to sleep on. It's 80 inches with the tailgate down which is marginally usable but not ideal.

The big thing, though, is one that scares the hell out of me now and then. I like to drive ... assertively ... at times. The roll / "G" / sway sensor will trip and lock up the brakes.

It's done it at 85 on the freeway cornering. I managed to save it, didn't eat concrete divider or hit the truck that was alongside me .. but for a sec I was looking right in his side window and that mo-fo's eyes were HUGE!! Another couple times it's locked on twisty backroads and thrown me into the ditch ... fortunately, nothing there (that time) to hit and I recovered. The dealership says it can't be fixed, they've got 2 company execs there who have the same problem only their trucks are lifted, mine is stock.

I'm slowly / tentatively shopping for a replacement. I do want a stick shift, I can't drive an automatic, which makes shopping more and more limited every year. If I wind up stuck buying an automatic, it'll probably be a Ford, but maybe a Dodge .. that "rambox" looks incredibly utilitarian, maybe enough to return to a standard cab with a shorter wheelbase and better visibility without losing functionality.

I've got an '04 Tacoma TRD V6 5 speed that I bought used in '06 with 18,000 on it.

It now has 157,000
I replace the radiator at 120,000 and the factory clutch at 150,000

Still running the factory brakes.

I added a 3" lift kit, for tire clearance, and am getting a traction bar put on the rear end to eliminate wheel hop on my steep driveway. (I gain 300 feet elevation in 1/2 mile)

I figure this will be my last truck, but IF I wear it out, I'll get another Tacoma.


Virgil B.

My boss has had 3 Toyota's he has run 500,000. He makes a 225 mile round trip to work. He has one that's 3 years old. 200,000 on it.

proving that Consumer Reports is about as reliable a source as Snopes. The criteria they judge by don't cover the real world.

Apparently the guy that wrote that is some kind of puzzy azz urban cowboy. Seriously, it's a frickin' truck. If you want the ride of a sedan then buy a frickin' sedan.

I drive a 2008 Tacoma 4x4 SR5. It has a manual transmission, crank windows and a bench seat. I have General AT2 Grabber tires on it, which are E wall tires. Hit a bump and you feel it.

I bought a 4 cylinder, don't need any more. I live on flat ground here in northern Ohio and I don't go muddin'. The only time it gets any kind of challenge is when I go to southern Ohio and run a few county roads. But I bought a standard because I want to manage the power, so I drop a gear or two on the hills and go slower, who cares.


I had two water pumps replaced inside the first 60,000 miles. I now have 110,000 miles on it with no issues. The mechanic told me that the coolant spec'd by Toyota ate the seals. I had the old coolant put in, regular coolant, no problems since.

On my next go-around, I could see doing a V6 4x4 Double Cab with manual transmission and stepping up to 4.56 or 4.88 gearing. Once had an ARB Bumper with winch on a Tacoma and liked it, so I'm thinking the ARB and 33x10.50 tires with a mild lift and the gear swap would make for a rugged little daily driver and hunting buggy.

Checked out Tacoma World, seeing some of the same complaints there that I'm seeing on this thread. Need to take one out for a spin I suppose.

I recently bought a used 2013 when my 2012 Ford 150 self-destructed.

I have owned a lot of trucks - Tundra, 3 Ford F-150s, and more. So far I like the Tacoma. I decided that I am done dealing with Ford and I was interested in another Tundra but it was a gas pig. I settled on the Tacoma since I don't tow anything over about 2,000 lbs and I wanted the better fuel economy. So far, so good.

I have run a 95 Tacoma with 2.7liter ,5spd, 4x4 for the last 13 years. It now has 243K and the clutch is slipping. Not bad for the original. 21-23 mpg hard to argue with ,it never left me anywhere. Will have the clutch replaced this spring.MB