if one of your main concerns is fitting 4 full sized college students in your ride then get the tundra for sure! we took a '00 taco prerunner xtracab and a '01 tundra access cab on one of our snowboarding trips and everyone in the taco complained on how cramped it was. the size of the tundra will take a little getting used to, but you eventually will. hope this helps!
Chris
__________________ 2001 Sequoia 2WD SR5 Mods: Rollers - 18x9 JAOS Super Ziga wrapped w/ 285/65 BFG A/Ts, Suspension: SAW 2.0 Adj. Coilovers, UCAs, Rear Coilspacers I.C.E. - Clarion H/U w/ built in monitor, DVD Player, Drop Down, Headrest Monitors, Exterior: - Stock OEM Foglights, Wings West Spoiler, Engine:TRD Drop-In Filter
I had a Tacoma prerunner for a year before some chick pulled out in front of me and totalled it. I loved the way it handled and being able to zip in and out of places. But the Tundra is a whole different beast and I like it for different reasons. You get used to getting in and out of places because it still isn't that hard. The difference in power is huge- with the Tacoma-even with v6- you could tell the difference with extra people or cargo- the Tundra doesn't hesitate at all with anything. And when I went to pick out my new one- I had the same decision as you, and the dealer told me the difference in price between the Taco ext cab prerunner and the Tundra 2wd ext cab was only like 30 dollars a month- both brand new- well worth the difference. I loved my taco but have never regretted my choice since getting the Tundra. Sorry this was so long.
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I looked at both and bought the 2002 Doublecab 4x4 Tacoma because I have 2 12 year old boys who play lots of sports(youth football is our favorite)and the Tacoma has way more leg room in the back.Crewcabs are all the rage,I think there alot better looking than the goofy access cabs(all brands not just Toyota) with their suicide(backwards) doors and the constant worry about closing the front door before the back door.With the doublecab everybody gets in and out as they please.And it seems everytime I go to the Gym or shopping with the wife and kids we only find tight narrow parking spaces and Iive said it 100 times "Im glad were not in a full size truck".Having said that, the 5 foot bed does occaisonally come up short and next year Im going to take a good hard look at the new 04 Tundra Crewcab and accept parking further away(at least its not a landbased yacht like the Superduty,Full starboard!!!)
I had Doublecab Taco and I liked it but when I got my Tundra I was so excited about the ride and the power plus you get a bigger bed. Well I don't have kids and if I need to give a ride to my friends they'll be alright in my Tundra.
Alex,more power to ya;I did drive my brother in laws Tundra and the 4.7 is a rocket,and it does have a smoother ride too.I cant wait to see the 04 Tundra crewcab though because I really do need four full doors,Im interested to see if there going to put a rumored 5.4 v-8 in it although it doesnt seem to need anymore power,and from the looks of the spy photos it looks like the bed will be almost the same length as the accesscab Tundra...In the mean time the Dcab is pretty fun to zip around in city traffic and tight parking lots and the 5'2" bed still comes in plenty handy!
i think that 's totally funny you should have seen me in my tundra when i took at from the dealer lot with 5 miles to and from home i hit the curb's too out in central california(whats new driving a big truck took me time driving this thing)...and hell yea people do get out of your way driving a tundra ......all in all its a great truck but if i had look again i would have gotten a 4 door taco........hum maybe they will add a iforce on that sometime..
if yer gonna tow/haul and not spend much time offroad, grab a tundra...they do perform well offroad tho, mind you. just not going to get in the tight spots a taco can.
the taco quadcab is really nice. a bed extender will give you 6' of bed, i think...thats enough for a couple bikes, dunno if you could get a quadrunner etc. in there, and i think with four people and gear it'd really dog in the mountains (what vehicle doesnt), but in town/campus/offroad, the tacoma is by far the better choice. really depends what you plan on doing with it, and how much room you like...tacomas are small and cramped compared to the room in a tundra, but your friends will be less cramped in the back seat of a quadcab taco than in the back seat of an access cab tundra.
if you were ever considering a 4runner as opposed to a truck, the quad cab taco is definately the way to go. look at www.offroadsolutions.com for a pic of a 2001 quad cab on an articulation ramp, its under their barbeque pictures.
this is getting long, ill shuttup now...
The Tacome Dcab 's bed length is 5'2" and with the bed extender and tailgate down its 6 1/2 feet,it's bigger than most people give it credit for.I haul people in the back seat alot more often then I need to use the bed.The bed length is the same length as the midsize Dakota quadcab and a half foot shorter than the full size Supercrew
I went from a Tundra to 4Runner...a mistake it turned out. Like many Americans I have probably eaten a few too many cheese burgers. At a little over 200 lbs and at about 6' I simply did not fit. My left arm found itself against the window. This same arm could not fit between the seat and the door to make ajustments while moving. The power difference was not a minor one but rather a night and day difference between the 3.4 and the 4.7.
Since 4Runners and Tacos are about the same I would have no problem making the decision after trying on both sizes. Buy the Tundra!
I hope your friends and children arent unfortunate enough to have to sit in the back seat of your Tundra,my two big 12 year old boys much prefer the back seat of our Tacoma Dcab over my bother in laws Tundra(way more leg room).Im 6 foot tall and 200 pounds and am very comfortable in my Dcab Tacoma
I just bought a 2000 tundra access SR5 4X4 V-8 TRD and got rid of a Chevy 3500 Dually with 454 vortec. That was a lot of truck! Only reason I had it was so I could tow my real off-roader(1976 Jeep J-10 pickup COMPLETELY restored) around. I figure I'll lose the 2500lb trailer and just flat tow the jeep and be way ahead on gas. And can always drive the tundra off-road as well.
Before I switched to Tundra, I drove 00 4-banger tacoma ext cab. I too am college student. With some practice, getting in and out of "tight" parking spot was piece of cake. But when it came to carrying all my luggage (junk) i thought there just wasn't enough room & power to carry all my junk over long stretch of hills, and plus the engine is pretty noisy. At one time, I did get about 30 mpg going 60 mph down 101 w/ tail down. After about 2 years driving, I switched to Tundra. Difference? It was like I "super-sized" my tacoma into some mean beast! more power and more room. I gotta get used to driving this beast so I can get in and out of those crowded spaces. Very nice truck!!
I currently have an 01 Tacoma Prerunner(2WD) Double Cab V6 TRD with Locker. Recently I started looking at bigger trucks, F150's/Rams/Tundras/Silverados. After driving each one and sitting inside, I feel the Tundra is my best choice, it has the highest quality interior and its a Toyota. I am very happy with my Tacoma but I need a bigger interior, although mine is a double cab, the drivers seat is kinda small as well as the fron dash are, its narrow. I am currently looking at a 2001 V8 Access Cab 2WD(non TRD) with 9000 miles for $20,000. I think this is a great deal, but I am not sure I want to jump right at it just because it is a good deal. I want to shop around and figure out what options I really want. My Tacoma is a Prerunner(2WD) and here in FL you dont really need the 4WD. What should I look for in Tundras as far as options(TRD package?) or any flaws. How is the reliability(even though its Toyota), please give me your honest opinions.
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