If you had it to over again, would you still buy a Tacoma?

[Bakemono]

Just curious to hear how happy Tacoma owners are with their trucks and whether or not they regret buying one.

[Tundra_Hick]

I think this is an excellent question.

You know what they say, if you had a second chance at something, you'd make the same mistakes...but with different people.

I own a Tundra and love it.

Sometimes I wish I'd stepped up to a double cab instead of the Access Cab I have now. The back seat is just too cramped at times. A childs seat doesn't fit well, large adults don't fit well.

I'd stick with the same cab configuration if there were another 4 inches of knee room. I've considered removing the seatback, which would probably solve all of my problems.

Other than that, I'd stick with the exact same truck.

Oh, and I'd get some sort of paint protection.

Other than that, I'm happy.

[Tom Roper]

Right now I would do it over again, but it depends on the landscape 3 years from now. I sold a beautiful Nissan Titan, loaded with leather, navigation etc. It was great to drive, but what sucked was the poor resale and fuel economy. The Tundra has the same problems, due to rebates and heavy dealer discounting, as a natural consequence of battling head to head with the domestic big truck market.

In switching to the Tacoma, the intent was to reduce the expense of driving and ownership, lower initial cost, lower depreciation, better fuel economy. Along with that, I really wanted to go smaller, to be able to whip u-turns, sporty 6-spd manual shifting, more fun to drive. In passing on the Tundra (which was my second choice), I went with the priority of lowering the expense of ownership. I sacrificed luxury appointments that weren't contributing much to my driving enjoyment. I also sacrificed the ability to fit my large 4x4 ATV in the bed for the 2% of the time I needed it, but gained a more maneuverable vehicle for the 98% of the time I don't.

I saw the truck I wanted, a Tundra Crew Max LTD with rust leather, navigation and sunroof for $48k, and yet the payload rating is only about 100-150 lbs more than the Tacoma, and the bed is shorter. The Tacoma was already 3 years into the production run, very dependable and carries top ratings for quality by all accounts. I could buy two Tacomas for the price of that Crewmax, and that made the Tundra feel like a thirsty armchair for the big and tall.

[Tundra_Hick]

Originally Posted by Tom Roper

I could buy two Tacomas for the price of that Crewmax, and that made the Tundra feel like a thirsty armchair for the big and tall.

Its funny you should mention that.

Today I went to my local Toyota Dealership to grab some wipers, Parts was closed and there was a Tundra Crew Max sitting beside a Tacoma Extended Cab.

I looked at the Crewmax for about 2 seconds, then climbed into the Tacoma.

The first thing I noticed was that the roof line was lower than my 04 Tundra, the back seat was spartan at best, uncomfortable and cramped.

While most of my needs would be met by the Tacoma extended cab, I just wouldn't want one. I'd have to get the double cab.

At that point I'd probably be seriously considering a double cab Tundra.

Everybody's needs are different I guess.

[TunTac]

I'm the type of person that gets bored with vehicles very quickly, so needless to say, I'm always second-guessing my purchases after about 6 months. However, I do like my Tacoma very much. It's sturdy, has much more room than the previous generation and rides great. Plus, I like having the 4-cyl for the fuel economy (gets over 30 mpg on highway trips).

Of course, I've owned full-size trucks before and love the roominess and the acceleration. But, my logic for down-sizing was that my lifestyle doesn't require the muscle of a torquey V-8. I don't pull a boat or a trailer, and do not work in construction.

Heaven forbid, my truck were to get wrecked or stolen, I'd probably buy another one, but I'd most-likely pop for the V-6. Of course, then I'd have another dilemma, 'cause with all the city driving I do, it doesn't appear that the V6 is much more economical than some of the V8's out there (namely the 5.7 from Toyota and the 5.3 from Chevy).

I would definitley NOT buy black again, though!!!

[Reelgator]

without a doubt.Though I am a new owner, and have owned everything from maxed out Tahoe's,4Runners,F150's ........my taco is the best of everything I have ever owned.

I can pull anything I need to, have a truck to haul things around without a trailer,great performance, great looks, fantastic dependability.

What more could I ask for..........

[Tundra_Hick]

Originally Posted by TunTac

I'm the type of person that gets bored with vehicles very quickly, so needless to say, I'm always second-guessing my purchases after about 6 months. However, I do like my Tacoma very much. It's sturdy, has much more room than the previous generation and rides great. Plus, I like having the 4-cyl for the fuel economy (gets over 30 mpg on highway trips).

Of course, I've owned full-size trucks before and love the roominess and the acceleration. But, my logic for down-sizing was that my lifestyle doesn't require the muscle of a torquey V-8. I don't pull a boat or a trailer, and do not work in construction.

Heaven forbid, my truck were to get wrecked or stolen, I'd probably buy another one, but I'd most-likely pop for the V-6. Of course, then I'd have another dilemma, 'cause with all the city driving I do, it doesn't appear that the V6 is much more economical than some of the V8's out there (namely the 5.7 from Toyota and the 5.3 from Chevy).

I would definitley NOT buy black again, though!!!

Mine's black too, I should have taken the blue one I test drove. Maybe the dirt and scratches would show less.

[JCahill4]

I bought the V4 extended cab and my only wish was that it sat a bit taller. I kinda wish I would have paid the few thousand extra and got the V6 with more options. I know I saved money and gas with the V4 but sometimes I wish I had the 4x4 off road.

As a homeowner it has hauled everything I needed it to haul. Drywall, 2x4 studs, decking, lawn equipment ect. But those 4x4's look so damn nice! I have these dinky little bicycle tires and its sits too low.

Next time right???

[briq4]

YEs and I think this photo says it all....not only has it been useful, hauling dirt to fill in some low spots in the lawn, hauling furniture, beds, riding mowers but it's been really a trip going to an off road park and just getting a little dirty. And with any luck, we'll have some snow this winter. I'm in Jersey and last year got stuck at work in my civic becuase they plowed me in, this year I'll just mow right thru the white stuff. The gas milege isn't that great but it's a truck, that's why I kept the Civic. GOtta go far take the 36 mpg car. Wanna have fun? Take the Taco.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/briq4/Rausch51.jpg

[Bakemono]

Thanks, thats good to hear. Back in the late '90s when I was in highschool I drove Toyotas ('85 and '91 4Runners) and then when I wanted to make the move to a truck I wanted a Tacoma, but couldnt get a deal on a good used one and the new ones were out of my pricerange, so I bought a Ford Ranger instead (wasnt my first choice, but I got that Ranger for way less than I would have ever gotten a Tacoma). I drove the Ranger for a few years and then moved up to the '99 F-150 I have now.
I always wanted to get back into a Toyota and now Im to the point in my life where I can afford to. Plus, my F-150 is at almost 167,000 miles, so Im thinking its time I start figuring out what my next vehicle is going to be.
I dont haul much, so I dont think I really need a fullsize. All that I haul in a couple bedloads of firewood a year and then I haul my snowmobile back and forth from southern Wisconsin to northern Wisconsin every other weekend from mid December-March. IMO, a Tacoma should be able to easily handle that. I have a small trailer, so I dont need a truck that my sled will fit in the back of.
Also, I dont use 4-wheel-drive very often. I use it maybe once or twice a year and thats more to just use it than because I absolutely have to use it.
I had been planning on buying an '08 regular cab 4x2 in the spring, but I may hold off and wait until September for an '09 or I may even hold off longer still and wait for the new model the year after that.
I think a regular cab 4x2 would fit my needs. It would get good gas milage and still be able to haul what I need to haul and it would be a fairly inexpensive vehicle. Dont get me wrong, Id love to have a D-Cab 4x4 or even another 4Runner, but Im not to keen on having $400-$600 a month truck payments. At least with a reg cab 4x2 I could walk in with $2,000-$4,000 for a down payment and walk out with a new truck and be paying $200 or less a month for it.
I had been leaning towards another F-150, but I dunno. Im not too crazy about the styling of the F-150, the newer ones are a lot heavier than my '99 is and dont get as good fuel milage and I dunno, Im just not much of a Ford guy. I know I could get a nice used 2 or 3 year old regular cab 4x2 F-150 for about $17,000 (about the same as a new base model Tacoma), but I know the Tacoma is going to get 5-10 mpg better on the highway and Id just much rathar have a Toyota.
I always tell people that it took me not owning a Toyota to learn about auto repair. When I drove Toyotas (even though they had over 200,000 miles on them), the thought of them breaking down on me never even entered my mind. When I switched to Fords, every little unusual vibration or odd noise made me wonder, "now what expensive part is failing???" What can I say, its been almost 8 years since I owned a Toyota and Im still a diehard Toyota guy.
Anyways, thanks again. I posted this same topic on several Toyota forums and the vast majority of people are perfectly happy and would buy a Tacoma again if they had the chance to go back in time and do it over again. That tells me that I shouldnt be the least bit aprehensive about buying a Tacoma.

[Marazzito]

I love my truck... It is a perfect fit for me and would absolutely buy another one again.

[Flat Spot]

My next truck will be a Nissan Titan I think.

[tacocrazy]

I love my Taco! I would absolutely do it again!

[WilsonTheDog]

I would, at this point. Of course, I've only had it since August so we'll see what the future brings. However, I'd buy the TRD Sport if I had it to do over again.

[qk94dawg]

My only regret is that I couldn't afford the Ferrari 360 modena. So, the Taco's just gonna have to do.