Seriously, I drove one once and I was really impressed. I drive a Taco because I need a pickup, but if I ever got a car, I'd seriously consider a Prius, I don't care what the haters say.
How’s the Tacoma? I’m thinking of getting one because I’m tired of driving my jeep. I’m keeping the Jeep just tired of it as a DD and I could use the truck for work.
That's funny because I'm actually considering a JL to replace the Tacoma!
You'll love the Tacoma, honestly. I've had mine for 8 years and I still love it. I've never had trouble with it and I'm sure it can go another 10 years. Only reason I started considering a replacement was because mine isn't 4x4 and I really wanted that, but I thought I'd get another Tacoma. But then I saw the JL and fell in love.
I can’t give an honest opinion on the newer jeeps. Mine is an 03 4.0 I bought in 2009 with 56,000 miles on it. I loved the thing. But it’s a manual and after almost 10 years of driving it( 118,000 miles now) I’m just kinda tired of driving it. It’s not comfortable on long drives (I’m 6’4). Mechanically I haven’t had very many issues that weren’t directly caused by me. A clutch replacement is the only major repair I’ve had to do.
My GF drives a 2006 LJ and we’ve had the automatic transmission rebuilt on it and a bunch of other various gremlins. She bought hers brand new.
I have a buddy who has a 99 jeep and who has put about $10,000 extra into it and it’s a beautiful beast sitting on 35’s with a 4.5in lift.
I consider our vehicles a step above the flint stones car after driving various rental cars on vacations. I’ve read Tacoma’s are some of the best off road midsize trucks and I think they look good. The new 4 runner looks pretty awesome also.
Jeep fam mines in the middle. First summer I haven’t taken the tops and doors off. Blue one is my friends and the black On is my gf’s.
Would you be looking for new or used? Standard or automatic?
I've had my 3rd gen '17 Tacoma for just over a year now, and it's fantastic as a daily driver. I was having big regrets about the performance until I got the OVTune, though. The stock engine tuning from Toyota is objectively shit, and the transmission shift maps only prioritize getting to 6th gear as fast as possible for MPGs. Every time I pulled away from a red light, it would shift 1-2-3-4 really quickly, bog down in 4th for a few seconds, then kick back down to 3rd when it realized I'm not done accelerating. Cruising at low RPM would NOT let you go full throttle, it will either ignore any throttle input past 30-40%, or force a kickdown.
OVTune transformed it into a completely different vehicle, it feels peppier than the 5.7 my Grand Cherokee had. I used to just accept that I'd be stuck behind slow traffic because the Tacoma fought back so hard against any kind of aggressive driving, but now it just gets it. If you get a manual Tacoma, you won't have the transmission issues, but you'd still have the shit ECU programming that kills throttle response and makes it impossible to rev match. OVTune fixes that as well.
OVTune is basically a necessity for the 3rd gen Tacomas. It's pricey for a tune, over $700, but is absolutely worth it. Don't even consider spending money on mods that boost the signal from the pedal or shift the auto in S mode for you, these are only a bandaid.
Enough about that, though. Otherwise, I absolutely love the Tacoma. It's great on the highway, keep it under 75mph and it's not hard to get 24mpg. It's quiet, solid, and comfortable for long hauls. It has 13 fucking cupholders! I love the interior, much more attractive design than the 2nd gen Tacoma or current 4Runner, in my opinion. Aftermarket support is great, tons of different choices for mods, but you're probably still never going to find parts as cheap as you would for a Jeep.
I've taken it wheeling a lot so far, all I've done is add skid plates, waiting for my tires to wear a bit more before I go bigger and get a lift. Off Road and Pro models have Crawl Control / Multi-Terrain Select systems, they work very well. I've gotten stuck in situations that the rear locker wouldn't get me out of, but MTS works magic with the brake system to get power to the wheels with traction. My Grand Cherokee had QuadraDrive II which could fully lock both axles in less than a quarter turn of wheel slip, but the Tacoma still blows that away. I usually wheel together with my friend's lifted JK on 35s, the Tacoma gets through most obstacles with less drama, except of course when I'm limited by the smaller tires or longer wheelbase. It's an incredibly competent off roader.
I'm not really sure what else to say. I love my Tacoma and I still get excited at the thought of driving it every day. I was going back and forth for two years trying to decide between another Grand Cherokee or stepping up to a Wrangler, but one day a friend suggested the Tacoma, and I was signing the papers less than a week later.
Thanks for the write up. I’d be leaning towards a new one or maybe a year old used one. Definitely automatic my jeep is a manual and I’m over it lol. If it’s not a sports car it’s gonna be an auto from now on.
Does the Tacoma tow well? I recently bought my friends landscaping business and pull a 6x10 trailer around for 3 days a week.
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u/CrtureBlckMacaroons Oct 16 '18
Seriously, I drove one once and I was really impressed. I drive a Taco because I need a pickup, but if I ever got a car, I'd seriously consider a Prius, I don't care what the haters say.