If you are asking random people on the internet what truck to buy expect random answers. You need to decide what works for you, not works for anyone else. I am 5 11 and find a Tacoma to be fairly comfortable, you may not. I also have more than one truck and cars as well, so your situation may be different. Research what works for you and don’t pay any heed to what anyone else thinks.

I have a 17 off-road manual trans double cab. I’m 6-1 250. Never had a problem. I wheel in it often. No rubicon trial yet but local dirt park. During covid I’ve only put 3k miles on it in the last 7 months so that’s been a nice bonus of work from home.

I’ll be really pissed if I don’t get 150-200k out of it in the next 10-15 years

If you can handle the extra size, I’ll echo the sentiment to go with the Tundra- especially if you ever expect to have rear passengers. I’m 6’3” and even if I trade a little space for comfort, the passenger behind me would have to be a small child in a Tacoma.

I have a 98 Tacoma ex-cab for truck like duties and it’s been fantastic, but my next truck will be a full size quad cab.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
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.

No argument, it's a want. I have a perfectly serviceable truck that I am sick of. It's the first automatic I've had since I was 18 and I miss the third pedal. Period. Trd because in Toyota's infinite wisdom it's the cheapest package with the option of a manual trans. 30 is the number where I start shopping 1/2 ton trucks. Any more than that and I feel like I can get more for my $ somewhere else. No, if a car was gonna cut into my needs, I would just be buying another used beater. To date, I've never spent over 10k on a vehicle.
Plan to pay cash as there are no 0% offers right now. I'm not paying interest to borrow money I already have.

More interested in owner experiences I guess is why I'm here. I had heard the interiors were cramped for bigger dudes and the mpg was shit. Wanted to back that up. I am hindered in my desire for a new car with a manual trans. And a lack of desire for any new production car. Nothing just says "yeeeesssss" to me. It's a matter of what is the least offensive and I landed on a Taco.

All info will be tempered with a test drive and sitting in one when I can find one locally. I honestly expected to have to order a truck to get what I want.

May also be interested in the new Bronco, but I need to see one in person first.

You don't need the LED upgrade as option.
Installed all LEDS on my 18TRD 4x4 off road for about $ half of dealer sticker.
At 5'10" and 180# very satisfied with Tacos.
This is my fifth one.

I am the original owner of a 2009 TRD sport 6-Speed Manual 2-door(2.75door?). I have done just what you say you want to do, but mine isn't leveled. In fact I raised the rear 2 inches and the front just one. It's a Toyota-Raked baja style romper you can actually move shit with. The longer beds are underrated IMO.

I love it, but Im small, 5' 9" 150 soaking wet, full disclosure. My other car is a new Miata now, and that thing fits me like a glove.

The truck has been an awesome, indestructible(aside from the rear leaf springs) companion over the years. That's the best way to describe it. It's always there for you, to try something stupid.

Go try it out on a test drive, see if it fits you. If it does then go for it....it’s definitely suitable as a daily driver.

I had a 2008 double cab TRD and while I loved the power of it....it was pretty cramped. At the time I was around 260 lbs and 6’ 2” in height and it did feel small....especially when I traded it in on a 2011 F-150 crew cab. I didn’t realize how cramped it was until I got that Ford. One thing that I do remember with the Tacoma is that we used it for everything like going to the store for groceries etc and I would hit my forehead on the top of the door frame quite often grabbing stuff out of the back cab because the roof was deceptively low or a combo of that and the reach to get things out of there was farther than you’d think.

I’m more of an SUV type person now because of our dogs but if I went back to a smaller truck the Taco would be at the top of the list. I’ll never own another Chevy again so that rules out the Colorado....and not a fan of Ford anymore either so won’t go the Ranger route (but I guess that could possibly be changed at some point down the road).

I was really tempted for one recently. But my next new car has to have a heated steering wheel, and it's not offered, even on the $50k TRD Pro. I like the new cement color.

 
I got my 2010 PreRunner 2WD Extended cab, 4cyl., 5sp. manual on the "Cash for Clunkers" deal. I traded in a 1990 Suburban I had acquired for $2k, and got $4k off on my new truck. And I love it as a daily driver. 2WD, because my only off-roading is on dirt tracks in the desert, such as the place I go to shoot.
 
I chose the PreRunner because it comes with the 4WD suspension and a 4.11 rear, which helps overcome the anemia of the 4cyl. engine. I still get ~23mpg in mixed driving. The PreRunner also has 16" 6 lug wheels. When I replaced the original tires I went looking for the Michelin P-metric, but came away with a good deal on Michelin LTX M/S. The backup camera had been just introduced at that time, and I use that always. It makes lining up to hitch a trailer almost a no effort deal. I did a mod from the TacomaWorld forum that adds a small rocker switch to the rear view mirror stem, so I can turn on the rear camera at any time, not just in reverse.
 
I had no intention of ever hauling anything that wouldn't fit in my single axle utility trailer, since the Tacoma only has about a 3500lb towing capacity. But the payload capacity is quite high for this size truck, at ~1600 lbs, which puts it solidly in the 1/2 ton pickup class. I did put a Class 4 receiver hitch on it though, because I already had ball mounts in 2" square, and most accessories for a receiver (bike rack, platform, etc.) are more common in the 2" size.
 
I would definitely go Tacoma again at this stage in life, if I were in the market. But my 2010 is running just fine, so I'll stick with it for some time to come.

I bought this one just over a year ago;



It has been my everyday drive to work, the dump, groceries and many other activities. Its the SR5 2X4 double cab long bed. I have the V6. I constantly get 23-24 mpg. It has 11,500 miles and no issues. There is plenty of power but you have to rev it up to at least 3,000 rpm then it starts to wake up!
I agree with the others if you are over 6' 2" it will not be comfortable at all. I'm 5'10" and 195 and find it plenty adequate. I looked at the Tundra but I already have a Ram 2500 so couldn't see a need for another big truck.

Shoulder room would be my complaint. I’ve had sub-compact and compact trucks. My current is full size regular cab standard 6’6” bed and can tow 4700 pounds, which is useful once in a while. Not enough to tow a car wheels-up, but for most everything else that might come up.

If I could get one 4” wider, in fact, it would be in queue for purchase.

My TRD Off Road Double cab, ATC is my daily drive. I am retired, so there's no commute and I'm at around 5000 miles a year, 90% suburban driving. I'm at 20 MPG in summer and closer to 18 MPG with winter gas and colder weather. If I get a bit of highway driving in, the mileage jumps quite a bit, usually 23-24 if kept under 70 MPH. So the point is, if you've got a long commute and are concerned about gas mileage, the Tacoma (or any truck) may not be the best choice. But that aside, I find it a great truck that is very reliable and fun to drive even on hard pavement. A few trips on back roads/dirt roads shows the real strong point of this truck.

When I first shopped for a Tacoma, I too was trying to keep the price down. I've since discovered that although all Tacoma's hold their value exceptionally well, the higher end models and trims do so better. I traded in a low mileage 2018 and got only about $1000 less than I paid for it, TTL not considered.

Good luck

Taco’s are somewhat outdated in their design imho. (I’m not trying to start a war here..) Do you know that they still have drum brakes in the rear? I drove all the mid size vehicles I could find last year and thought the Taco was the least refined of the bunch. I realize that I may be in the minority here..

Given that your need for a truck is somewhat limited may I suggest you look at a Honda Ridgeline AWD? Great reliability, very comfortable and as long as you’re not doing serious off-roading the AWD system will get you through you snowstorms with proper tires.

I ended up getting a Gladiator Rubicon but my needs are much different than yours.

2019 TRD Off-Road 4x4 I got in May of this year for $32k. Nav, keyless entry and start etc.

Fits me fine I'm 5' 9" 220

I use it as a daily (17 mile ea way commute) as we traded in the wife's RX 350 for it. We have some property in rural NC near VA state line that we go to a couple times a month and 4x4 is essential, esp a truck suspension as we haven't finished the entry road yet.

Truck was specifically purchased for use on the property so if we didnt have the land, likely wouldn't have gotten the truck. But also have a utility trailer to haul, and likely going for a tow-behind RV early next year.

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
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.

I bought a 2010 TRD Off Road new and is still my daily driver. Less than 100k, still in great shape other than the clear coat clouding up on the roof and hood. Go "off roading" with it on average once a year in recent years; while I lived in CA, drove in snow and off roaded several times a year.. Have only towed a trailer twice. Hauled a lot of stuff with it through the years. It's a keeper, I love it, it's like an old friend.

I have a 2017 Tacoma TRD 4WD.
Gas mileage is 19-20
I have never gotton stuck in the snow or ice. I do load an additional 500 lbs of sand for winter driving.
Acceleration leaves a lot to be desired--for a V6 it doesn't happen. Installed a Pedal Commnander and now acceleration is instantaneous.

We’re pretty close in size, I’m 6’ and 260. I test drove some a few months ago. The backseat wasn’t usable with the driver’s seat set to where I was (mostly) comfortable. From a family standpoint, that ruled it out. The Tacoma was better, but I found a deal on a used RAM I couldn’t pass up. It was the uncontested champ in that category.

Around here, the prices were ridiculous. $40-50k for a used Tundra and around $39k for used Tacomas. I know you said new, but there was basically nothing new in inventory at the Toyota dealers I was looking at. Demand is way up.

I’ve logged over 50,000 miles on a 2017 SR5 crew-cab Tacoma 4x4. Excellent truck overall. Limited off-road usage but quite capable for what I’ve done. I use the ECT PWR button all the time for improved acceleration; one does have to turn that back on each time the vehicle is restarted.

I’m a hefty guy and do notice the size of the cab on entering the vehicle a bit; beyond that, it’s been fine. Backseat passenger room even with the four-door crew-cab can leave long-legged passengers cramped.

The vast majority of the time, it’s just me and one front-seat passenger in the truck.

I’d taken a look at the Tundras at the time of purchase but couldn’t find one optioned like I wanted within budget.

6'6" 220 pounds and been my daily driver since 2006. I beat the shit out of this truck and it has never let me down. Never had a brake down in its 140000 mile life. I take it up in the Uintah mountains often.

A buddy told me about a lake called echo high in the Uintahs. I asked if I could take my Tacoma up there and he seemed concerned about the possibility. The road is rocky and uneven with large rocks and some small boulders that requires picking wise lines for about 5 miles.

I took the Tacoma up there anyway passing up a broken down Ford and Dodge pick ups and arrived easily at the lake to find three other Tacomas up top enjoying the lake side beauty.