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

The Tacoma environmental mess


In the 1970s I would fish in Puget Sound a few miles North of Tacoma. There was a huge smelter chimney dominating the skyline. It was like Tacoma was giving everyone the finger.
Back then they called it "The Tacoma Aroma" when the pulp mill in Tacoma stunk up I5 when we drove near Tacoma.
That was enough for most people in WA to think that Tacoma was the worst part of WA state, but wait, there's more.
Tacoma's High Point neighborhood in the 1980s full of blacks, cocaine epidemic, and the shooting never stopped.

How someone could name a truck after that, is beyond me.

I was there 87-90, they still called it the Aroma of Tacoma.

I now have my 4th Frontier, I'm 6'4" and no problems with fit.
It rides and drives like a compact truck.

My comment about Jeeps being low quality was not meant to be offensive so i apologize if it came off that way.

Nissans have had a lot of problems of late since their marriage to Renault. Sad to see as they were once of the best.

Go get a honda ridgeline if you want a small "truck" with a nice ride. It will do most of what people want out of a truck unless you work out of it or routinely tow/haul large loads.

Jeep wins that contest, stock Jeep against stock Tacoma, I'll give Jeepers that. Best out of the box set up vehicle for that kind of fun. Lockers both ends, better approach, departure, break over angles. Solid axles both ends, and better clearance. And (like the Tacoma) a boat load of available aftermarket items to mod.

But here's why I don't own one. I don't trail ride. Rubicon, Moab, etc., is "wheelin' for the hell of it". You aren't wheeling to get somewhere, you're doing it for chits and giggles. And there are tens, if not hundreds of other folks close by to assist with spare axles, shafts, u-joints, tie rods, belts, hubs, etc., etc., or failing that, a lift out to civilization. Get a group together on the Rubicon, you could damn near build a jeep with a collection of the spare parts and tools (like welders and air tools) everyone carries or someone is bound to have.

But if I want to carry things (like a decent camp load, wood, dead animals, etc.) without towing a trailer, the Tacoma wins. As I'm out alone, often for weeks at a time, with minimal spare parts and tools, and far from civilization and help, the Tacoma wins. But I'm out and using the truck to get from point "a" to point "b". From camp to that glassing point 8 miles away. From canyon here to mountain over there. Not crawling along at 3mph on a 2 mile trail of the most difficult obstacles a vehicle can be put through just to see what it can do, when a perfectly acceptable bypass which might not ever require 4wd or lockers is a half mile (or yards) away. Nope, I'm haulin' azz, often over some pretty rough chit and need the vehicle to stay together while I do it.

If that's someone's thing...great. If it was mine, I might own a Jeep. Or even better an FJ40 Lancruiser. But it's not my thing. Going over vehicle defying obstacles with 10 vehicles ahead of me and another 20 stacked behind me, and nobody moving faster than they could get were they to walk, won't ever be a thing for me. What is a thing for me is getting way the hell out there where there are few if any people, for lots of miles, over a lot of chitty rough roads, for weeks at a time, and then getting back to pavement when the trip is up without assistance of others or tow vehicles. Hopefully with a dead elk or muley in the back. And that is where the Tacoma wins hands down.

The Tacoma will get me anywhere in the country that doesn't involve trail ride coordinators, spotters, clubs, trail markers, permits, and a tree cop around every turn to hassle about CARB compliance, green stickers, etc.,etc., that I could care to go. And will almost certainly get back in one piece (if history is any indicator).

Decent angles and clearance, locker in back, electronically limited slip (MTS) in front, reliable and tough as hell. This damn truck will go places. Take a stock Tacoma and throw a decent set of off road tires on it, and it will go anywhere most could ever want to go.

My current Frontier is an 02.

Good post^^^^^^^^^

Wife has a '14 Taco I do not like getting in and out of it but it suits her perfectly I-4 engine zero problems. 4 door cab hauls us and small loads as needed. Expecting a long life out of this one....We have two real pickups for real work

The new LC's are nice too. Pretty capable vehicle for being fancy. A tad too many electronic features for my taste. One day I might learn them all. But still won't use them all.

Get off my lawn.

I agree for the most part with DaveR's post. He knows what he is talking about. With that being said regarding Toyota reliability. They generally are until they aren't. What I mean by that is they are mechanical devices and can and do break..... even in the boonies.....

I use a 1999 Tacoma as my hunting boonie rig these days.... a couple of weeks ago in a remote spot close to home the lower ball joint on my Tacoma gave out!
Well it nose dived into the dirt. No way to put a strap on it and tow it out... dead in the water with an expensive tow truck bill.
Got home went online and found out it is a common problem.... a design flaw.....

Had that happen with a 1998 regular cab model a few years back. Just about the only real bad breakage problem I've seen in my experience with 6 Tacomas and 4Runners. That regular cab gets offroaded hard. The rest has been stuff that just wears out, like bearings, hubs, brakes, etc.

And I had a 98 model white X-tra Cab in white with that same ARB bumper and winch. I think the guy I sold it to is still driving it.

Very true. And it was a design flaw. New tacomas (2nd gen on) are BJ over spindle mount point configuration, but the gen1's were BJ under spindle. Instant and dead in the road failure possibility.

Only tacoma I ever recall being stuck off the side of the road out in the boonies fell to the same cause. Which is why spare ball joints are in my truck box! Along with a few other things that don't take up a lot of space or specialty tools.

Ball joints for UCA, LCA.
Tie Rod (steering rack) end (just one, can be run backwards on other side in a pinch).
U-joints.
Belts
Timing belt
Starter
Battery pack

And a few other things I don't recall off the top of my head.

Didn't have to pay for many of the parts...they were old ones kept when new ones went on as part of regular maintenance or changing out (upgrading to aftermarket) parts. Changed out parts make for good spares.

On the new one, a crank position sensor is in there as well. Some bad ones got in the system and are a known problem on 2016+ tacomas. Cheap and easy to replace though should it ever happen.

funny, I bought my Toyota and the guy I bought it off of gave me a ball joint he had as a spare. I wasn't aware it was a problem


Its around here somewhere

Thanks guys for the ball joint info.

When do the generations change? Mine is an '01.

I'll look into getting some of those spare parts, fortunately, most places I hunt are within a decent walk of help. As in 10 miles or so.

Geno

I think my brother has had maybe 10 of these things thru the years(construction business) all had massive mileage , used mostly for work in Florida heat and humidity and has had minimal issues .

Right...I wasn't talking about stunt driving and breaking stuff for the fun of it. Four other Continents agree with your post.

The Tacoma is not for everyone, and I can understand some of the criticism. But that resale...

I had a 2000, and now have a 2014. I'm a General Contractor so only need it to haul small loads (hauling chit is for other people). I wanted better fuel efficiency than a FS pickup, and don't like having my garage "crammed full of truck." I've got a subcontractor that works for me, and his 2001 Tacoma has 350,000 miles on it.

I do agree they're a bit noisy, and get mediocre fuel efficiency (I get 20 avg though the newer ones get better than mine), but I don't want or need a FS truck. I'm 5'10" / 150 lbs and it fits me great. Were I 6'3" / 220 I'd look elsewhere.

Head's up, the Tundra is reportedly going to get a major makeover in 2021 including a twin turbo v6, and significantly better fuel efficiency (the current Tundra is a fuel pig).

I have a 15 Taco access cab for sale if anyone is interested...122 thousand and 6 speed Manual....Everything works...