Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Went to buy a new Tacoma......

Our Toyota (2009) has the Sport package, which is stiffer suspension, presumably for cornering. I hate the choppy nervous ride. Not relaxing at all. Most of you know my solution was to give that one to my wife for driving to work (she loves it) and build an old one (1992) for hunting. I still laugh when I remember alwaysoutdoors giving me a ration of schit for spending thousands of dollars on it. Some people got an azzhole, and some people are one. But I digress.

The 92 has it's drawbacks but off road ability isn't one of them. Just camped out in it (most newer Toyotas have 5' beds) and have tagged a bear and blacktail deer so far this season. I love hunting out of it. We won't buy another new one, just keep making the old ones work. If I wanted a street truck I'd buy one for street. If I wanted an off road vehicle I'd build one using the platform that suits me best, in my case the old Toyota. I don't think you can have a nice street truck and use it for serious offroading without damaging it. Who cares if you dent a 92?

I just drove to Montana, from North Carolina, in my 2010 Nissan Frontier 4WD, with my girlfriend along.
Girlfriend owns a Lexus and an Acura.

She went on and on, about how comfortable the ride was, and the seat was, in the little Jap pickup.
Plus, at home, it is a bad ass in 4WD, hauling gravel up the mountain etc.

The poor seating position, lack of power/towing capacity, and the fact that the mileage is no better/sometimes worse, than full-size V8 half-ton trucks, makes them unattractive to me.

Honestly, they’re not that much smaller than a fullsize, either. Resale seems to be the main “selling point” to some.

As for longevity, there are plenty of fullsize half-tons that do 250k, these days.This isn’t the 1990’s....

I'm not sure I'd buy the current generation Tacoma over a decently-priced used 4.0L model of the previous generation. I bought mine used for about $25k with 50k miles on it (4.0L 4wd 4-dr)and it works for what I do, but I spend a fair bit of time in the woods. If I didn't, I'd probably buy another F150 with a couple years on it. Will be curious to see what kind of mileage they get with the 10spd auto and the 5.0L. Probably better than my Tacoma on the highway.

Had a Silverado 1500 and a F150 both disasters one with 75K and the other with 6500(buyback from Ford) and a few months back traded a Tundra to get a smaller vehicle. Out of those three the Tundra was the only one going to go 300k. .

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/gallery/80/full/109283.jpg

Love mine. Ive got both a 4runner and a Tacoma both 2019s. They are both absolute beasts off road and great in the snow. We get over 200 inches a year so that's a serious concern.

My previous Tacoma went over 500,000 miles on the original powertrain.

The Tacos are loud, gas mileage isn't great, they don't tow much...but when it comes to the woods...they OWN it. They run forever which is why they resale is so high.

Bought this one because the last one treated me so well.



The last one.



Over 240k miles, and still going strong. And put up with a lot of abuse. Always got me out and back despite some good beatings. Oil changes, replaced a motor mount, alignments, other regular maintenance. Never failed to start, never failed to go. And still tight, solid, and rattle free.

That's why I bought the new one. Not because it was quiet, plush, or drove like a car. Because it is none of that. At least not by today's "standards". Feels like a Lexus compared to the roller skate that is my 2002 Tacoma, but certainly not the most refined compared to many of today's other offerings. And it bothers me not a bit.

I would of considered a Tundra, but still too large for off road and tight spot maneuvering for my tastes.

Horsecheit..... try to take a Tacoma through the Rubicon, it would be junk if it made it. Jeeps do it by the thousands , without damage.
But then again a Texans version of offroad is probably not really a challenge to a well set up vehicle....

I have a 2018 and feel the same way.

I'm not going to complain about mine. I sure don't like the higher hood line and squared off look of the new ones though. Why are they trying to make it look like an older over the road semi tractor? For the wanna be truckers out there?

I'm happy enough with my '01, 4 cyl, 4wd, "long" bed xtra cab. Just got done with an 800+ mi round trip to the coast on mostly 2 lane highways. Including the windy ass roads from Hwy 101 down to Ft Bragg/Mendocino. It normally carries a good 400 lbs in camper shell, lumber rack, truck box tools, set of chains etc. On the way I picked up a large vice on a stand and even heavier anvil (300lb?) and it had to work some coming back up the hill from the ocean and back from the coast to here. But, 23 mpg on the first leg "empty", and about 20 mpg overall. With over 250K miles on it.

I'll not complain about the ownership costs. Figuring the $10K I paid for it in 2010, and perhaps $2000 in repairs for fuel filter, wheel bearing, and a new cat converter and such, it works out to about $0.08 per mile I've put on it. Gas and oil changes not included.

It's getting an oil change this week, maybe a few other little maintenance items, then it's off to AZ for an elk hunt mid-month.

I figure I've got my money's worth.

As for comfort? After some of the beaters I've owned there's nothing wrong with this truck.

Geno

I’m with the OP, I’m unimpressed as much as I tried to like one. Just take a new F150 or Chevy, way more power, comfort and similar MPG. I see zero compelling reason for a small truck like the Taco, unless guys truly need to get into tighter spots which doesn’t apply to me I guess. Different strokes for different folks but Toyota doesn’t own the reliability category to themselves anymore. And furthermore their truck offerings are getting quite long in the tooth. Ergonomics are tough to like in a Taco and I guess I’m a wimp, I don’t mind to feel comfortable when I drive.

fub,

would that be stock jeeps making the Rubicon?

just asking, as I like Jeeps too.

Geno

Tacoma's are no good in the snow also..... stuck... notice winch control cable?

Oh and Powell I have owned both.....

I was a bit relieved to see that this was a negative thread (at least started that way). I have a Tacoma and I really like it. It has flaws but for me it is great. If too many people end up wanting Tacomas it might push the price up. I am happy to see people still buying other trucks.

My first Toyota was a 93 stripped out 4x4 pre-Tacoma with am/fm radio. I had to pay an extra $1,700 to get A/C installed. It even had hubs. I'd put that truck up against any jeep running for serious off road driving. Did an elk hunt with my boss one time and had to pull his big Chevy 4x4 out of a mud hole. Biggest mistake I ever made was selling it to my grandson. I bought a 2004 Tacoma 4 door 4x4 and it was a POS from the get go. Fully loaded slush box and no hubs. In the mountains the damn thing was always hunting for the proper gear to be in. Traded it off on a 2015 F-150 3.5 Ecoboost 4x4. Another thing that Taco did that scared the crap out of me is in the mountains it would downshift to a lower gear and then when it shifted back into a higher gear the clunk was so loud that it sounded like either the tranny or rear end was about to let go. Never in my life have I hated a truck as much as I did that 2004 Taco.
Paul B.

Good question.... back in my hardcore jeeping days .. no! we built them for the trail. Today the Rubicon model comes with lockers front and rear.. articulating suspension etc... add some bigger tires and it would be a fun cakewalk. So yes a new jeep with Rubicon package and stock tires driven by a skilled driver could do it and do it without damage.
That being said the old Forerunners and tacomas with the solid front axle I think it was a mid 1980's model? and many mods can an do do the hardcore trails.. but like the old jeeps needed extensive mods.
The IRS front axles don't cut it

Jeeps are low quality...like all Fiat products. Pretty capable though. I had a rubicon for a spell. Better than a Tacoma...not in my experience

Were dropped on your head too many times as a child? Hate to say it since I drive one now, but Toyotas appeal to a certain trash talk / no walk part of our population.

I drive a 2014 Tacoma TRD Off Road I bought new. Before that, I drove TJs for 10 years and a Nissan Frontier 4x4 Nismo for almost 8 years. You have it exactly, exactly backwards. The jeeps were head and shoulders better offroad than the Tacoma and the Nissan was better as well though by a much slimmer margin.

Tom

My Tacoma is on par with my tj rubicon imho