roccoracer
NES Member
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Tacoma or Tundra
- Thread starter roccoracer
- Start date
fshalor
NES Member
This thread couldn't come by at a better.. or worse...time.
We are just wrapping up a time skewed 1 month travel family visit fest which extended itself to just past two months. Towing a 4000 lb camper, two adults, one 4 year old. Three cats, a Spanish galgo. From Maine, to Florida to TN and then back to Maine. With a 2003 Toyota 4Runner 4.0L V6 and a bit under 160k hard miles.
My level of respect for the 4.0L and at least the A340 transmission (also found in some older Tundras) has gone way up.
We are 4 hours from home. And sadly planning on replacing this truck before we make this trip again in a few short months.
I have to admit being tempted to go with a Tacoma. Power was never a problem; and this includes a haul up the wrong road to the top of mounteagle on a 90 degree F day.
Brakes, and age we're the biggest issues. The exhaust system self destructed just before this trip, and the frame is rotted. Patched. And rotting again (curse you Toyota for not replacing it like you did the tacos).
I don't like the current generation Chevy's. May consider a 2004-2007 Chevy 1500 or 2500HD, or a 2010-new F150. However, I'll be starting looking next week at tundras New to maybe 2007 with the 5.7L.
I could convince myself to go taco double cab with either bed length, but I don't think I like the new 3.5L.
And yes, I watched the Ike gauntlet challenge with the Tacoma.
So add one leaning toward Tundra. Gonna get a feel for them again and consider strongly. I came close to buying a 2005 once, and I think a 2006 crew cab. (Ended up getting a 2009 taco dc manual at the time as I had no towing asperations.)
I have to admit, something auctioned off Ironplanet is looking good too. Although 0.9% interest on a new Tundra is nothing to scoff at. That plus $15k down is not a bad deal.
We are just wrapping up a time skewed 1 month travel family visit fest which extended itself to just past two months. Towing a 4000 lb camper, two adults, one 4 year old. Three cats, a Spanish galgo. From Maine, to Florida to TN and then back to Maine. With a 2003 Toyota 4Runner 4.0L V6 and a bit under 160k hard miles.
My level of respect for the 4.0L and at least the A340 transmission (also found in some older Tundras) has gone way up.
We are 4 hours from home. And sadly planning on replacing this truck before we make this trip again in a few short months.
I have to admit being tempted to go with a Tacoma. Power was never a problem; and this includes a haul up the wrong road to the top of mounteagle on a 90 degree F day.
Brakes, and age we're the biggest issues. The exhaust system self destructed just before this trip, and the frame is rotted. Patched. And rotting again (curse you Toyota for not replacing it like you did the tacos).
I don't like the current generation Chevy's. May consider a 2004-2007 Chevy 1500 or 2500HD, or a 2010-new F150. However, I'll be starting looking next week at tundras New to maybe 2007 with the 5.7L.
I could convince myself to go taco double cab with either bed length, but I don't think I like the new 3.5L.
And yes, I watched the Ike gauntlet challenge with the Tacoma.
So add one leaning toward Tundra. Gonna get a feel for them again and consider strongly. I came close to buying a 2005 once, and I think a 2006 crew cab. (Ended up getting a 2009 taco dc manual at the time as I had no towing asperations.)
I have to admit, something auctioned off Ironplanet is looking good too. Although 0.9% interest on a new Tundra is nothing to scoff at. That plus $15k down is not a bad deal.
Congratulations!Nice truck and awesome color. Good luck with it.
backinblack
NES Member
I have an '03 Tacoma. 2.7L, manual transmission. Hauls an enclosed 3000# trailer no problems. Braking on the other hand... Even with 4 piston (stock) front brakes with brand new pads and drilled/slotted rotors, I still need trailer brakes. And now it has a brand new frame, so I should get another 15 years out of it...!
Supposedly the Tacomas contain the highest percentage of made in the USA parts over all of the other trucks available off the lot. Can't remember where I read that, otherwise I would post it...
Supposedly the Tacomas contain the highest percentage of made in the USA parts over all of the other trucks available off the lot. Can't remember where I read that, otherwise I would post it...
jct61765
NES Member
I too thought i wanted the tacoma. Then i saw the MPG. How the heck do you screw up the fuel economy so badly is such a tiny truck?
I don't get it. Toyota is supposed to have decent engineering. Not on their trucks, apparently
can someone explain why the tacoma is not getting 26 MPG?
My '08 Taco just conked out a couple months ago. A/C compressor blew, brakes went haywire, and that screwed up the steering and the antiskid system. It all happened within like three days.
Went and traded it in the following weekend. The brakes were literally smoking as I pulled in. Even with all that, they gave me $7700 for the tradein.
Went and traded it in the following weekend. The brakes were literally smoking as I pulled in. Even with all that, they gave me $7700 for the tradein.
John380
NES Member
2014 Tundra Crewmax 5.7 SR5 with 64k miles. Besides gas and oil , only a battery, tires, and brakes replaced. Doesn’t have the pickup of the Titan I had, and the bedliner was much thinner. Titan was expensive to maintain.
I’d buy another without hesitation. They are cavernous.
I’d buy another without hesitation. They are cavernous.
Because Toyota knows that people who buy their trucks have money to gas them up and if they don't, they buy a used 4 banger instead.
Chevy 2 65
NES Member
Nice ! is that RTE 44 Toyota?
Did you have to schedule it yourself with the dealership? And how much was it?
Chevy 2 65
NES Member
There’s a trade off with anything. Toyota makes an extremely reliable mid size truck. The issue used to be the engine and everything else would outlast the frame. They have been hesitant to switch to more HP and better MPG until they find the combo that doesn’t hurt its reliability.
They could make the truck more fuel efficient tomorrow if they needed to but at a cost. Look at all the full size trucks that magically got better MPGs over night when required. If you decided not to buy a truck because of MPG you never needed a truck to begin with IMO.
Chevy 2 65
NES Member
buy a bigger truck. problem fixed
Chevy 2 65
NES Member
Buy a diesel if you want towing power but not a ford
It's stupid comments like this that make people look like idiots. The guy said a small RV, not a f***ing 10k pound behemoth and F150 with the 5.0 or turbo V6 is plenty capable of towing what the previous poster needs.
The only reason you go with Diesel these days for towing is longer engine life and better mpg's while driving so you don't have to stop to fill the tank every 2 hours.
The new Ranger has me interested for the high mpg's it's likely to have, an inline engine for better longevity, but IDK how well a turbo 4 cylinder can tow, especially at highway speeds with near max loads. With two less power strokes compared to a 6 cylinder, I smell massive vibrations while accelerating.
My guess is Ford will cap it somewhere between 4 and 5 thousand pounds, better than the 4 cylinder Colorado's and Tacoma's, but not in the league of the V6.
At least you'll get very decent gas mileage when not towing, which is what most guys are looking for when they commute to work or head out on the weekends.
roccoracer
NES Member
It is home.
Chevy 2 65
NES Member
It's fact. Fill the tank every 2 hours is a STUPID statement. Go pound sand.
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Wickedcoolname
NES Member
If I had to choose between a Tacoma and a Tundra I'd go for the Silverado.
Pafanasiev
NES Member
What about Honda Ridgeline?
I hate auto start/stop, but AFM and Turboboost work and have made today's 1/2 ton trucks drive smoother and quieter than ever.
I'm surprised that's what ticks you off, I would have expected you'd complain about the sheet metal being aluminum and not the same holy steel that your custom 1911 is made with that has a special engraving of your length and girth on the slide.
