1 gen vs 2nd gen

[x1psh1x]

in your opinion are the 1st generation or 2nd generation Tacoma's better. Did 2005 loose quality or gain some.

[FUNGUS]

in your opinion are the 1st generation or 2nd generation Tacoma's better. Did 2005 loose quality or gain some.

Wow....loaded question. I guess it depends on what you are looking for. I had a first gen and absolutely loved it. It was lifted, had all glassworks parts, was supercharged 5 speed 4x4 and I absolutely loved it. The ONLY reason I sold it was because my daughter no longer fit in the back of the xtra cab. The 2nd gen is also good, good power increase to the 4.0 V6 from the 3.4.... All depends on what you are planning on doing with it....

[Marazzito]

My best friend has an 01 DC prerunner with the TRD package and I have an 07 DC 4x4 with the TRD Off-road package. He loves my truck and every time they are parked next to each other he asks if i want to trade... like that's gonna happen. His truck has 120,000 miles on it and has held up very well (other than when he took it to a quickie lube and they forgot to drain the oil before they added 5 more qt's and he blew the engine within about 50 miles of driving. His truck was under warranty and Toyota went after the oil changer and he doesn't really know what the out come was between the two, but his engine rebuild was free. I have had my fair share of problems, squeaky clutch, ebrake locked on me, Heater stopped working, a rattle that wont go away. These all have been huge annoyances, however, Toyota has made sure that they have all been fixed. I think build quality at NUMMI has gone down a bit, but overall it is still a great truck and now that I have gotten passed the minor issue's with Toyota's help I think it will drive me around for 200,000+ miles.

[jab_od]

The 2nd gen has the best resale value of ALL pickups. For that, I'm inclined to sell mine and buy another. But with 40K miles and a $800 electric rear slider, what would I buy to replace my '05 DC Prerunner? ...new tires?

[WilsonTheDog]

Obviously second gen is better since I own one.

[Tundrav8yamaha]

Obviously second gen is better since I own one.

most tend to think that I hate the new Tacoma after 2005 they really disappointed me with a cheap Plastic bed and No choice in the madder. The v6 is decent but under powered in my opinion too..

[Marazzito]

most tend to think that I hate the new Tacoma after 2005 they really disappointed me with a cheap Plastic bed and No choice in the madder. The v6 is decent but under powered in my opinion too..

If you think the V6 is underpowered you obviously haven't driven another mid sized truck. The Frontier is very comparable in power, but the Tacoma is lighter and has lower gears so it's a little quicker and more responsive. The V8 Dakota wasn't comparable to the Tacoma V6 until the 07 redesign and the Tacoma still has the slight edge. As for the Chevy/GMC... no comparison. The Tacoma is plenty powerful enough for me 0-60 in 7.2 seconds is darn good for a truck, the X-runner in 6.4 is pretty darn fast. I am sure they will retune it a bit soon to make even more power.

[pagemaster]

The v6 is decent but under powered in my opinion too..

I don't know about that. The 4.0 v6 and 5 speed auto are perfect for that size of vehicle.

Plastic bed and No choice in the madder.

I think it was the right choice for a compact/mid sized truck. No real point in offering both because the composite bed will be more money on the option list and nobody will check that off.

[Tundrav8yamaha]

I don't know about that. The 4.0 v6 and 5 speed auto are perfect for that size of vehicle.



I think it was the right choice for a compact/mid sized truck. No real point in offering both because the composite bed will be more money on the option list and nobody will check that off.

I have beef with a bed that doesn't last and for the type of use for a truck gets plastic doesn't cut it with me. its cheap because its toyota compact mid size truck and to me a cost cutter. don't get me wrong I like the tacoma look wise but I measure the content on parts. when that truck came out there were a couples cases on the smc plastic bed breaking with truck camper tops loading sportbikes etc..

[DevinSixtySeven]

They are two completely different trucks.

The 2nd gen is the size of a 1st gen Tundra but with a stronger drivetrain and smaller engine. The frame is nearly identical to the 1st gen Tundra. I don't remember if the leaf springs are set outside the frame or not. The rear shocks are mounted outboard of the frame, can be good or bad depending on what you want/need the suspension to do.

They're both great trucks. Pick a size.

If you're looking mainly to run around in the dirt, get a 1st-gen...the design is easier to modify on several levels.

If it's not for dirt, pick what's most comfortable for you.

-Sean

[Marazzito]

I have beef with a bed that doesn't last and for the type of use for a truck gets plastic doesn't cut it with me. its cheap because its toyota compact mid size truck and to me a cost cutter. don't get me wrong I like the tacoma look wise but I measure the content on parts. when that truck came out there were a couples cases on the smc plastic bed breaking with truck camper tops loading sportbikes etc..

The composit bed in no way is going to be as strong as the steel bed in a 1 ton or 3/4 ton, but it will also never see a 3,000-5,000 lb load. It probably isn't as strong as 1/2 beds either. But the steal used in compact beds is much thinner than that used in full size trucks, for 2 reasons, to save money and weight. I have hauled 2,000 lbs of rock in the bed of my Tacoma and about that weight in fire wood, both short trips, but the bed held up. I have made several dump runs where we have thrown big 100 pound blocks of concrete into the bed and it is still looking good. I'd be willing to bet if you did the same thing with other mid sized trucks you'd have a pretty banged up and dented bed. I'm not saying it is some kind of miracle bed, but it is more than capable of handling anything a mid sized truck can. Everyone complains about the bed, but no one I know has actually damaged the bed other than the stories that go something like this... "I have a freind whose uncle's step dad has a Tacoma and his composite bed cracked down the center when he put 300 lbs of brick in it."

[Marazzito]

They are two completely different trucks.

The 2nd gen is the size of a 1st gen Tundra but with a stronger drivetrain and smaller engine. The frame is nearly identical to the 1st gen Tundra. I don't remember if the leaf springs are set outside the frame or not. The rear shocks are mounted outboard of the frame, can be good or bad depending on what you want/need the suspension to do.

They're both great trucks. Pick a size.

If you're looking mainly to run around in the dirt, get a 1st-gen...the design is easier to modify on several levels.

If it's not for dirt, pick what's most comfortable for you.

-Sean

I agree with that, because of it's size, the first gens can be made into some awesome rock machines and fit on trails the 2nd gen is simply to big for.

[RCBS]

most tend to think that I hate the new Tacoma after 2005 they really disappointed me with a cheap Plastic bed and No choice in the madder. The v6 is decent but under powered in my opinion too..

i had a plastic bed liner in my last toyota and beat the sh*t out of it for 5-1/2 years and it never broke. surely a bed liner is not as tough as these composite beds. i've drilled a 1" diameter hole through my 06's bed to add a cb antenna and have no reservations about it cracking. if you are using the bed hard enough to break it (which i did a quick search on and didn't find any) you should be driving a dump truck. it's different, so it will take time for people to accept. i can see other trucks using a similar design in the future. why put a plastic liner in a steel bed? only issue i've had with it, is that they didn't texture it enough to make it skid resistant. i don't have anything bad to say about 1st gens. they are great trucks. but i can't get one with a 100,000 mile warranty. my 2 cents.

[Tundrav8yamaha]

i had a plastic bed liner in my last toyota and beat the sh*t out of it for 5-1/2 years and it never broke. surely a bed liner is not as tough as these composite beds. i've drilled a 1" diameter hole through my 06's bed to add a cb antenna and have no reservations about it cracking. if you are using the bed hard enough to break it (which i did a quick search on and didn't find any) you should be driving a dump truck. it's different, so it will take time for people to accept. i can see other trucks using a similar design in the future. why put a plastic liner in a steel bed? only issue i've had with it, is that they didn't texture it enough to make it skid resistant. i don't have anything bad to say about 1st gens. they are great trucks. but i can't get one with a 100,000 mile warranty. my 2 cents.

Not to knock the second Gen Tacoma guy's but the Bed is a huge concern with buyer's.I myself reviewed buying a new Tacoma 4wd double cab back in late 2005 but I didn't feel it was solid on my opinion or close to the first Gen Tundra. There are a few shortcut's Toyota need's to address before I would consire this Truck. Number is bed payload is very important as a truck buyer thus I do reserve the fact my Truck bed will be used and abused I don't want to fear breaking some plastic smc Bed like people have experinced.
Those are you with the Tacoma i'm sure can Line X right over that plastic just like a steel bed. I Personally don't like Plastic inferior part's it's very brittle isn't as strong thus some pro's and con's. I can see why Toyota changed to an Smc bed and that is weight reduction material to use.

About your comments on this"which i did a quick search on and didn't find any"

hear's a few link's : (coming soon)

tear in bed (2005 Tacoma)

[Marazzito]

About your comments on this"which i did a quick search on and didn't find any"

hear's a few link's : (coming soon)

tear in bed (2005 Tacoma)

My guess is that was a flawed bed. If it were normal for these beds to be damaged that easily, there would be a lot more complaints. Think about it, everyone brings all their compaints to this website.