Basically, would those of you that own Tacomas buy one again if you:
Had no intention of off roading a $35k truck
Lived in town.
Will likely never tow anything or haul more than
plywood or my 400ex.
Wanted 4x4 for the about 4 times a year u might need it
to get home in the snow
Were 6'2" and 260.
Planned to drive it for the next 7-10 years.
Will get leveled and rims tires as the only mods.

I am looking at a 2021 access cab TRD Sport 4x4 stick that stickers around 35300 with the LED package. Not averse to a 20. I want to be under 30k, which puts me at the extreme end of the 15% most say is the best you can do on a Toyota. I get supplier pricing from work too. Doable?
I am looking at Tacoma mostly for the manual trans, reliability and high resale if I don't like it.

I have one and it’s great.

I have a 2016 as a daily. It sounds like it would be perfect for you. The only thing I would do is be sure to sit in one and test drive it to make sure it is comfortable for your size.

They are nice little trucks. Key word is little.

We are about the same size . I sat in a crew cab waiting for service at the dealership. When I had the seat where I needed it the back seat was pretty useless. Nobody could ever sit behind me and the seat was not able to be folded up or down.

If you can get over the interior size they are nice trucks

Make sense in what way?
Are you paying cash or financing?
Does that amount of money determine whether you can have other essential items you really need?
Just based on the title of your post and the following questions you ask, sounds like a want more than a need.

I did for 3 yrs. and a manual transmission in the city. Almost 125,000 trouble free miles

My brother in law DD'd a 2wd '16 TRD Sport ext cab for 2 years without issue.
He's probably 6'2" 245lbs

Recently upgraded to a '15 Crew Cab Tundra when his lease was up.

The TRD seems like overkill for what you've listed. Why not one of the lower end models which meet your basic requirements? Caveat: I'm cheap about buying vehicles and try to skip all the dinging bells, flashing lights, and other fancy doodads.

If you're certain about 4WD, rims, and tires then do NOT got the 4 cylinder. I like my Tacoma but the gas mileage is mediocre at best.

Dan

My youngest son ran a used Taco very hard for over 150,000 miles around PDX metro area before he blew the stuffing out of it. He bought it used as a heavily repaired, and in his youth didn't understand the
meaning of "salvage title" value implications.

At the end it was getting low MPG & wasn't fun for him any more.

Last spring I was in the mid-size pick up market, & drove 3 different version of the Tacoma. While I tried to like it, the seat/roof driver space just didn't fit me.

I drove 5 different factory offerings.. Settled on a new Ford Ranger. Love it. They got low end & high end & middle end packages. The turbo powered 4 cylinder & 10 speed tranny are spectacular. It's hard to make it average UNDER 25 mpg.

Good luck whatever you choose.

I guess I would have to say “yes”...



But then again, I only have 900 miles on mine. Took some looking to find a manual transmission up here in the PNW.

Bill R

quote:

Originally posted by stylophiles:
Took some looking to find a manual transmission up here in the PNW.

Bill R

Good man.

I’ll second the “little truck” comment. They are severely lacking in leg room, I would not drive one if you handed me the keys for free. Try it and make sure you are comfortable in it. I won’t knock what someone likes, but my brothers Subaru fits those criteria fairly well, but I daily drive a tundra.

I have one and I love it. It’s a great truck. I’m 5’10” and 175 lbs. A coworker rides shotgun once in a while and he’s 6’ and 240. He looks cramped.

You want a TRD Sport with a V6 and 4x4 for under $30k? Never going to happen bro. There is a lack of Tacoma’s on the market and from what I can tell on the Tacoma forums, they’re going for sticker price. If you can get a deal through your work with supplier pricing, that’s probably as good as it’ll get.

Here’s the pricing thread at Tacomaworld. https://www.tacomaworld.com/th...price-thread.685728/


***ETA - I should have said, I absolutely love my truck. I have lifted it, changed out the tires, added sliders, armor, all kinds of lighting, remote door locks, a powered air horn with PA, and I drive it hard. I take it off road a lot, and many of the trails I go in are quite primitive. It never lets me down.

As far as the seats sucking... $100 per seat gets you “seat jackers”. Some guy machines little blocks of aluminum that lifts the front of the seat a little over an inch. Turns a shitty seat into a comfy one.

Also, just to put a couple things into perspective, I bought a new 2019 (last year), it’s an SR with pretty much nothing added. It’s a 4x4 V6. It didn’t even have remote door locks when I bought it. You had to use the key.

2019 Accesscab SR 4x4 V6. SX package, exhaust tip, mud guards, and all weather mats/door sill protectors. Dealer options of Zaktek paint sealant, plastic scratch protectors on the doors and mud areas, deluxe (dark) tint, and black badging.

$30,134 including doc and delivery. Does not include T,T,&L.

It was stickered at $34903. They had 135 Tacoma’s on the lot when I bought mine. I looked at their inventory today. They have 6, yes six Tacoma’s on the lot. It seems to be about the same everywhere.

I've had one for 13 years as a daily driver. I quite like it. For what you want, I'd look at the TRD Sport which is what I have and is designed for more on road driving. I'm pushing 197,000 miles on mine. In town, I avg about 17.7 mpg using ethanol free gas. With your size, it may or may not fit well. I'd try and rent one and drive it for a day or two.

I had one and hated the interior. I would be uncomfortable after 10 minutes of driving it to never get comfortable until I got back out.

That would be my only reservation for you, especially since you’re a bigger guy. I’m 6’4” 240.

If you take one for a test drive try and make sure it’s longer than the usual 5 minutes around the block. If it comfy to you then go for it.

I suggest you drive one if you haven't already done so. I had every intention of buying a new Tacoma this same time last year. That plan ended the first time I drove one. The interior layout and seats suck for anyone over about 5'8". Ducking to get in and out would get old in a hurry.

They also lack power, especially for the MPG, and the transmission always seemed to be searching for the right gear. Not an issue if you go with the manual, which makes absolutely no sense to me if you're not planning to tow or off road with it.

I ended up with a 2019 Tundra Double Cab and couldn't be happier.

And as someone said earlier, good luck even finding a Tacoma right now. The Toyota dealership here in town doesn't have a single new truck on the lot and trucks in general are in high demand and bringing a premium right now. I can't imagine there's many dealers discounting them at all, let alone 15%.

I loved mine, but I’m short and don’t have kids.

I also recommend the Tundra over the Tacoma for your size.
I thought about a Tacoma when it came time to trade-in my 2005 Tundra in 2014.

The Tacoma was a tight fit for me at 6'1" and 230..
Wife didn't care for it either.
I ended up buying a 2014 Tundra double cab SR5..

High praises for Toyota from me, whatever you decide on..

I agree Tundra over Tacoma x1000.