Toyota Tacoma - real life experience

[Jon Schmid]

[Cusser]

[KTPhil]

[busdaddy]

[Karami]

I have owned a 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road. I bought it new, waited for it almost a year because I wanted it specced out exactly the way I imagined it, figuring it was going to be a keeper. I am a longtime Toyota enthusiast and I even visited the Toyota factory in Texas where it was built.
I owned many vehicles (and brands) before the Taco and still have a 1977 Toyota truck (Hilux) which I dearly love and never sell.
I really wanted to love the Tacoma but after two years of owning it I sold it and spent the money on an old VW van (yes I know lol)
It just didn't do it for me. Yes it's reliable and yes it holds its value but I just didn't like the way it drove. And every time we needed to travel, we drove our other car (a BMW) and every time we needed to do truck things, we opted for the Hilux.
There are a couple of things that stand out during my ownership.

The gearing is just not right. I get that it needs tall gears for fuel economy but the combo with the V6 is off, it shifts u way too quick making it lug. A slight incline will make it shift down again but it is just a nice driving experience. The engine itself is powerful enough but it seems inaccessible. It all felt unbalanced and fuel economy wasn't great to boot.

The truck was nicely specced which was to be expected for the $ (Apple Carplay, surround camera's, keyless entry/start, leather etc..) but it all felt dated and like it was afterthought. The camera resolution was low, the electric seat adjustment had no purpose, lane keep assist was annoying, etc..
The cabin also feels dated and cramped. Just can just feel that this generation has been around way too long and tweaked too much to keep up with the competition.

So in the end I sold it (without much depreciation) and I moved on. I don't miss it. Just for the record, I am not bashing Toyota or a Tacoma and I understand that there are many enthusiasts out there, but I a sadly not one of them.

Here is a picture of both trucks. (the white one is a stayer )

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1992 VW Eurovan CV - Caribbean Green

[busdaddy]

[Zundfolge1432]

My first Toyota truck was 1986 and it was small and primitive. Five speed with 22R engine didn’t come with rear bumper or radio or AC. Not much payload capacity but it was cheap and reliable. Replaced that with a 99 Taco same slow 5 speed 4 cylinder. Next a 2000 SR5 6 cylinder automatic with all the options. Better I thought. Then I went nuts and bought 5 of the 2006 models. Not all at once but I had another 4 holer 5 speed. An X-Runner which was Toyota’s version of a sport truck with the 4 liter 6 tied to a 6 speed manual factory lowered with some suspension tricks., useless as a real truck. The rest were all SR5 or Sport models some of which were pushing over 200k miles. I still got a low mile 2007 which I may keep forever. Not interested in anything newer than 2015. The last redesign from 2016 going forward is plagued with issues and complaints with model years 19 and 20 being the shittiest of all. People don’t like the downgraded 3.5 mini van engine and the automatic which has a host of shifting problems. Don’t take my word for it look at consumer reports or even Tacoma world forums where they discuss these issues in detail. Call me old fashioned but I ain’t paying between 40 to 60k for the latest models. If you need a truck with payload better look elsewhere they still don’t cut it in the real world.

The good news is some folks have come up with programs to alter the engine and transmission parameters to make drivability concerns less annoying with zero help from Toyota. Toyota is well aware of the issues and has attempted to fix via service bulletins. Some customers happy but more seem to say NOT. So you gotta just dig through the web site to find the tuners over at www.Tacomaworld.com

The bad news new Tacoma’s continue to be in short supply most often selling well above MSRP, even used ones are way high. So you will pay up to be that cool guy driving a Toyota truck. Really do take the time to research the service bulletins and quirky problems common to these vehicles. Some might be deal killers for the faint at heart.

[Jetfxr69]

2002 tacoma, v6, 5spd, 4wd, 400,000 miles on original engine that has had no substantial work (timing belts, alt, plugs only). Got the free frame about 5 years ago, just before the program ended. I pound the shit out of this truck, never garaged, in northern snow/road salt climate. It just wont die! Im aiming for 500,000 miles and beyond.

its a real hoop-di looking rig, but im a northern redneck, so its perfect.
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You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer. Zappa

‘77 westy Seamus
‘76 tintop Crusher
‘77 westy The Judge
‘72 tintop bastard westy Hudson