As I covered a couple of weeks ago, I hastily gave up on my AMC Eagle and bought a brand new vehicle to serve my requirements as a Rural Mail Carrier. I have always loved beaters, and thought I would never own a new vehicle. I’ve had this truck for 6 1/2 years and 142 000 kms now, and I’ve probably done less work on it in that time than any of my beaters in their short lifespans. It was a drastic change of thinking for me and one I plan to ride out until the end. The versatility of this truck beautifully matches my needs, so I plan on driving this truck till the wheels fall off, hopefully a couple of decades from now.
My decision to buy this truck was unusually impulsive. I tend to research heavily any major purchase, but a Tacoma was the only vehicle I test drove. My requirements at the time were 4wd, 4 cyl, and manual transmission. The Tacoma was the only one that met these requirements. This was the first year the 4 cyl was available with 4wd and it was difficult to find one for sale. While having the four banger only added 3 mpg at the cost of 77 hp I felt the savings were worth it, both on the sticker price and at the pump.
Originally I wanted the absolute cheapest bare bones Tacoma around; the stubby little regular cab. Sadly (or not) they aren’t sold in Canada but I even looked into buying one in the US and importing it. I crunched the numbers and it wasn’t worth it. I test drove a base model Access Cab 4×4 but really disliked that they were saddled with flat black fender flares and bumpers. The base model also meant you didn’t get a sliding rear window, keyless entry and other small conveniences so I splurged on the SR5 package. Since they only had the cheapo base model on the lot, one had to be ordered so I made sure it was in the colour I wanted; Speedway Blue. Yeah, that name makes no sense.
The call from the dealer saying that my truck was in came late on a Friday, a week earlier than it was due to arrive. Since the dealer was 125 kms away, I had just enough time to hop on my Kawasaki Ninja 500R and make it there on time. Once there, I signed all the forms, got it registered and got three salesmen to help me lift the motorcycle into the back of my new truck. Since it was the weekend, I figured my wife and I might as well go for a long drive and do some camping. The above pic is from that camping trip, which would be the first of many.
The truck was pressed into immediate service, not only at work on my 100 km/day mail route, but also fueling my lust for adventure in the back-country. It was very nice to never have any nagging doubt about the reliability or safety of my vehicle. The 4wd system proved very capable off-road with one notable exception; the tires. The Dunlop GrandTreks that came with the truck were wholly unsuited to the truck. I got my first flat on a regular gravel road at the 5000 km mark and it couldn’t be repaired. I bought a set of Goodyear Wrangler Territorys that served me well in all conditions and made it to 100 000 kms.
The back-country is where I’ve made the best memories with this truck. It allowed me to get off the ground and out of tent and into the relative security of a camper. It’s a lot harder for a bear to rip through a camper wall than a tent wall. Campers for small trucks are hard to find as most are built for wider and longer full size trucks. As well, most old small truck campers were built for old Datsuns and Toyotas that had shorter quarter panels, so the camper has to have some height added below the floor. I came across this heap on Kijiji one day and decided the 7 hour drive was worth it for the $500 asking price.
Not only did I spend most summer weekends in the wilderness camping, this camper also allowed the opportunity to camp in the winter due to it being (mostly) insulated and having a strong propane heater. As an avid back-country skier, it allowed me to drive to a remote trail head at night and get a good nights sleep before a long ski trip the following day. Also, it served as a stealthy mobile hotel room on a few visits to the city. Just park on a side street like any other vehicle and no one (hopefully) knows you’re urban camping. It served us well on a trip to see the Grey Cup in Vancouver when hotel rooms were stupid expensive.
The downside was that the camper really pushed the 1400 lb payload capacity of the truck. With my wife and basically no gear we were at the limit. Add a canoe, food, beer and other necessities and it was quite overweight. I decided it wasn’t worth the risk and sold it, buying a fiberglass Bigfoot trailer camper to replace it. I spent much of my spare time this summer fully renovating it and hope to get much use out of it next summer.
For me, versatility is the greatest attribute for a pickup truck. It has to be able to do anything asked of it. This has certainly been true of my Tacoma. It has no problems driving in any kind of adverse weather, the traction control pipes up and straightens things out when it gets slippery. My recently added studded winter tires also help out in that regard. Off road capability is great even in stock form, I’ve tackled some pretty crazy mountain roads. The box has been used to haul many cords of firewood, oversized loads of building supplies, snowmobiles, ATVs and many other things. You can see the dent in the tailgate from loading my snowmobile up a ramp, it’s now permanently banana-shaped. Not the strongest metal in that tailgate.
It’s also versatile enough to accommodate 4 people, provided 2 of them are small or disliked. I’ve had 4 big guys inside and not only do the jump seats make it uncomfortable for the guys in the back, but the front passengers have to move their seats forward so the guys in the back aren’t scratching their ears with their knees. For the most part though, the rear seats are only used a couple of times a year.
Towing capacity is only 3500 lbs but I haven’t yet needed to haul anything bigger. I’ve hauled small trailers and towed a couple of vehicles up to the limit. At 3500 lbs the 4 banger is struggling mighty hard on hills and in the wind. Compared to most other modern vehicles, this truck’s 159 hp is anemic for its 3800 lb weight, but it doesn’t bother me at all. I’m used to driving slow vehicles, and the transmission is geared to take full advantage of the meager output, especially in 4-WD Low. If I want to drive a fast vehicle, I just hop on my motorcycle or my snowmobile, depending on the season.
Reliability had been great too. You could say I set the bar pretty low with my past beaters, but very little has gone wrong with this truck. My beaters also taught me what goes wrong after a lifetime of neglect and deferred maintenance so I’ve maintained this truck religiously. I also clean it regularly and polish it once a year; I know that Toyotas have a tendency to dissolve. Only three things have broken so far and two were covered by warranty. Squeaky rear leaf springs and a defective wheel bearing were covered, with the bearing getting replaced 500 kms before the warranty was up. The other repair was the A/C compressor clutch which was the only time I had to bring it into a shop and pay someone, even then it was $400 after I found the part cheap online.
I’ve planned on many, but the only real modification I’ve performed is adding the FJ Cruiser TRD black rims for my summer tires. The stereo could use some attention. I’d like to add some fog lights and rear suspension airbags would be nice too.
If there’s one minor issue that bothers me, it’s that the seating position is just slightly off. It’s never an issue for short drives, but I’ve noticed on my many long distance trips that my elbows get slightly sore from the too-hard console and door panel armrests. I’ve noticed this on my wife’s 2007 Matrix as well. Nothing worth getting worked up about but not everything’s perfect.
After 15 agonizing months of going without my driver’s license due to a recent epilepsy diagnosis, I regained my driving privileges almost 2 months ago. It’s been an absolute joy to be re-united with my truck that has taunted me from the driveway for a long time now. The freedom of being able to do things for myself instead of having friends and family help out has been re-invigorating. A grin spreads across my face anytime I get behind the wheel now, I will never again take my Driver’s License for granted. The truck hasn’t missed a beat either; I changed the oil and coolant and was good to go.
This truck might be the anti-beater but that doesn’t mean I’m done with beaters. I’ve still got one in the driveway that I’ll cover in a couple of weeks. Having a dependable daily driver has just meant it’s been easier to mess around with other projects. If all goes well, I’ll still be driving my Tacoma when it’s the same age as most of the beaters I’ve owned in the past.
1400lbs your having a laugh in Hilux form thats a 1 tonner all day long I wouldnt worry about the camper being too heavy, ISIS militants mount a 50 cal and carry all their ammo without any ill effects, that ute should last many years of light duty use your giving it.
this is better looking than a hilux – is it the same under the skin?
I suspect the NA Tacoma’s suspension is set up for a softer ride than the global Hilux, in keeping with a buyer profile slanted towards personal use. Helper springs would probably boost cargo capacity at the expense of that ride and some off-road flexibility, but with the trailer a done deal I wouldn’t bother.
A quibble: 50cal implies the venerable Browning M2; the Soviet 12.7mm DShk 1938 is very popular in the Mideast & more likely what they use. Anyway, the DShK is lighter, as usual for Soviet automatic weapons.
I love this site – where else would you find stuff like this? 🙂
The passenger side is perfect. You must be an awesome driver. Mist mail cars have scrapes.
My camera was doing me some favours. There’s quite a few scratches (not full-on scrapes) that I’ve been unable to buff out. They’re from driving down overgrown bush roads though. The way the mail delivery is set up here is that everything’s delivered to a big communal box in a central area. So no sliding across the front seat to reach out the passenger window for me.
That´s a cool truck, Nelson. We have a Mazda B2300 2WD in our fleet and I wish it had the extended cab. Anyway, I appreciate the small, weak, frugal but reliable nature of such a vehicle.
You mentioned some ergonomic issues in the truck and also the Matrix. I have the Matrix´s cousin Vibe and made minor modifications that greatly improved the ergonomics: I shimmed the front mounts of the driver´s seat using longer bolts and oversized nuts as shims. That added about 10mm of height and lets me rest the arms on the thighs while holding the steering wheel. It makkes long distance travel relaxed. I also added lumbar support by cutting a piece of foam to size. Once it felt just right I put it under the seat cover and you will not even see it. Maybe these cheap mods work for you too in the Matrix. I have no idea if they work in the Tacoma.
Thanks for the tip, I may have to use the Matrix as a guinea pig for this mod.
Interesting read on several levels.
I was not aware Toyota sold the Tacoma as an extended cab/4WD/4 cylinder, as the few 4 cylinder 4WD Tacomas I have seen were those “base” regular cab trucks like the one pictured. I’m wondering if the extended cab with 4WD and 4 cylinder is still offered?
I’ve often dreamt of loading up the bed of a truck and heading out into the woods and “roughing it”, but I guess I’ve put that dream on hold too long.
My BIL is on his second Tacoma (like your’s except with a V6), he only traded the 1st one because Toyota was making “killer deals” to current owners of Tacomas a few years ago over that badly rusted frame issue (they were offering 150% of current NADA value as trade-in). I’ve ridden in it a few times and agree about the seating position. You feel like you are too close to the floor when you get in and sit down, but I felt at 6 foot 4 there wasn’t much room to raise the seat.
Best feature of my BIL’s truck? The 4WD is selectable via a floor mounted lever instead of dash-mounted buttons….if I remember correctly.
Sadly the transfer case lever disappeared in this generation of Tacoma in favour of the idiot switch on the dash. I believe the Jeep Wrangler is the only vehicle left with a real lever, but I could be wrong.
The floor lever can be found on some newer F-250s.
Our ’08 F-350 XLT has a floor-shift 4×4 with manual-locking hubs. Given that many components are identical on all Super Duties since 1999, I’ll assume that 2016 will be the last year for a manual 4×4 Super Duty, since the 2017s will be based on the ’15+ F-150 body.
F-150s, to my surprise, still had manual 4×4 standard on XLs (and XLTs?) through 2014. I don’t know when or if Ram and GM have dropped the option.
Just going off-topic a little here: Does saying Ram instead of Dodge still seem strange to you guys?
Yes, it is weird in my opinion. I still always call Ram trucks Dodges even though I know it’s not correct.
Land Rovers have something similar, borrowed from a railway signal box
Great looking truck, and I love the colour
Manual shift transfer cases were still available on GMT-900 trucks too.
My daughters 2016 Toyota 4runner Trail Edition has the manual shift lever. The only down side of the shift lever is that you can’t switch to 4 high on the fly. I like being able to push the button for 4 high at 50 miles an hour when the road conditions deteriorate.
Enjoyable read.
The dealer marked floor mats are a nice promo, useful to the owner and doesn’t turn the exterior of the vehicle into a rolling billboard (Like the spare tire cover I got with my Jeep).
In 2009, I also bought two Toyotas, a 1990 4cyl pickup and a 1993 SR5 V6. I sold the 1990 a few years ago but I still have the 1993. I also live in Canada but my 1993 was originally sold in Rhode-Island but it had been in Canada for a few years when I got it. It already had 124,000 miles when I got but I managed to drive it for another 102,000 miles since and I still use it a lot. The a/c still blows cold and every power accessory still works. I travelled another 1100 miles since I took this picture last week. Even if this one could be classified as a beater now, I still trust it for long rides and it doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. It’s the best vehicle I had!
Nice truck
First off though, you need to thank fate or whatever deity you believe in that you were not able to get hold of a standard cab truck. If you had you might have not been so much in love with your truck standard cab trucks require a lot of compromise in what you can and cannot have in it and even having a bed cover or cap is not 100% perfect way to store things. Plus even seating space is limited. In my 2011 Ford Ranger standard cab, the back of my head was almost against the back window.
Yes to me the “classic” pickup truck is a single cab truck with a Mexican blanket covered bench seat but the reality is that now any pickup truck has to be at least an ext cab one if you are going to put long hours in behind the wheel.
I do have a single cab Colorado(aka the white work truck) which does seem to have more room in it then the ranger did(If I put the seat all the way back I can’t reach the pedals(I am 6ft 2in tall) ) but I cannot really keep much in it(aka tool kit etc) unless I stick it in the bed. Luckily for me it is simply a truck I bought for home improvement and dump hauling duties. I have a car for day to day use
I think you did well getting the ext cab Taco as you now have plenty seat room for the driver and passenger and room behind the seats to stick stuff. I also think you did well to buy it new instead of being used. I don’t know how it is in Canada but in the USA, used Tacos come with a premium and it is actually not much more money to get new instead of used.
What are you planning with the radio? If you are looking to play your iPod or add an aux port then look to Peripheral/iSimple for the PXAMG unit. This unit adds iPod and AUX capability to your factory radio by simply plugging it in to the back of the radio
Enjoy your truck
Agree on the utility of an extended cab over a regular cab. Once you have that space for groceries, tools and such it’s hard to go back. I might be persuaded to go to a regular cab if it came with an 8 ft bed but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
Used Tacos (and most Toyotas) are stupid expensive here too, I wouldn’t roll the dice on a used one. I joke that I’m building equity in this truck, they hold their value so long.
The stereo does have an aux input, but it has some kind of radio suppresion filter (?) that muffles the sound way too much. I have to crank it to max volume on the highway to hear it at moderate volume. I’d like to add a new deck with Bluetooth and USB capabilities but it’s not a big deal.
The only less-than-fullsize truck to ever have an 8′ bed was the Dakota, and only on the first gen (though that’s not entirely true–a few second-gen Dakotas were made in RCLB form but they’re rarer than rare). Long beds on compact and midsize pickups were anywhere between 7 and 7.5 feet–I say “were” because the last long-bed compact was the 2010 Ranger. The last Toyota long bed (I think it was 85″) was in 1992.
And as soon as that last long bed left the factory, regular cab compacts lost their last advantage. As far as I’m concerned, the availability of a longer bed is the only reason to buy a regular cab pickup, in either midsize or full-size. For my needs, a short wheelbase would actually be a distadvantage, as space is not at a premium in my neck of the woods and I do little off-roading. A longer wheelbase means a better ride, more space either in the cab or bed (or both), and more stability when towing. Give me the longest half-ton on the market–a SuperCab F-150 with an 8′ bed.
“I joke that I’m building equity in this truck, they hold their value so long.”
That´s close enough to reality to say it´s not a joke. Then you have the Matrix as well. you are a financially savvy consumer for sure.
One regular cab truck that has a surprising amount of in cab storage space is the 2007+ Tundras. My brother currently owns a late model Tundra reg cab short box and the cab on that truck is huge. He even is able to put his dog back there. The only downfall is the truck has very long doors.
Full-size regular cabs have gained a lot of rear storage space, particularly for Ford and Toyota (and Ram, to a lesser extent) because they’ve put their regular cabs on the same (large) WB as their extended and crew cabs (although Ford just shortened the regular cab 4″ for 2015). From 2004-08, Ford used the smaller doors from the SuperCrew (which was actually still on the 2003 WB, not the longer 2004 WB used by the SuperCab and regular cab) on their regular cab and had two little clamshell doors behind them, but in 2009, they went to using the same front doors for all three cabs and lost that little back door.
Those ’04-08 Ford regular cabs with the short door are not the best design. We still have an ’07 reg cab long box left in our work fleet, and that pillar is right at your blind spot. I know my BIL’s company used to have bunch of these trucks as well as ’09+ and Super duties. He said the cabs with the short doors were hated by employees and seemed to be involved in more accidents due to their worse visibility.
When my brother was shopping for a reg cab short box 4×4, we found the Toyota’s had the most cab storage, followed by Ford than Ram then GM.
I’m glad you realized your trucks weight limitations. Driving overloaded leads to nothing but trouble. Happy motoring!
Nice article. We have a 1997 4Runner and a 2006 Tacoma Double Cab. The ‘runner has 240k miles and still runs perfectly, cold ac, interior has worn like iron. I don’t think it will ever die. I am hoping that the Tacoma has the same sort of long term durability.
The Tacoma is my daily driver now and I really like it. It seats 4 in relative comfort and can do most truck duties. Mine has the V6 and 5 speed auto. Tows my 3500 lb boat easily. Mine has the 5’ bed, which takes a full foot out of the wheelbase vs. the double cab long bed. It is reasonably easy to park but is long for many spaces. I would like the long bed since it would allow camping under the fiberglass cap, but then it would be a bear to maneuver and park. I agree on the interior comfort–really isn’t that great on long long trips. The TRD sport seats in mine are too heavily side bolstered and so you really only get one seating position. You do sit pretty close to the floor vs. a full size truck, but nowhere as close as you do in my 4Runner–in that one you literally sit right on the floor.
I recently added the firestone airbags to the rear suspension and WOW what a difference. We loaded the back with dive tanks and gear that were really heavy and then hitched the boat up and the 4 of us inside. It would have sagged badly with that load before, but I was able to air up the bags to 40psi and it rode level and smooth–no more bottoming out. Unloaded I keep the bags at their 5psi minimum or the ride gets punishing. Towed a 1000 miles like that last summer and I can’t say enough about how nice it is to have an adjustable suspension. The springs on these trucks have to be pretty soft to keep a reasonable ride when unloaded and so they really benefit from the airbags when you load it up.
We have a local mechanic who puts the springs from a half ton ford or dodge inside the toyota springs. Have seen the results and they ride level with a heavier payload. Intend to do that after christmas to my 95 4Runner.
I wish I could have found a four but at least I managed to find a MT. The 3.0 is much maligned but 95 was the last year and they seem to have worked out the bugs by then. No outstanding recalls and works well. At 205kmiles it shows no signs of slowing down. As mentioned above, the interior wears like iron. Think I will have to try the above mentioned ergonomic tips. Thanks Wolfgang.
I like mine for the same reason you like your Tacoma. With small trailers I get much the same versatility. Love it.
Excellent story, thanks. Much better than a beater for your purposes.
I wish these posts didn’t sound so much like “love letters”…
After my other post I went and looked at the ’16 Tacoma on the official website. You can still get a 4 cylinder/extended-cab/4WD and in several trim levels. With the “new” for ’16 truck, the regular cab is discontinued. The cheapest 4WD is an Access Cab SE with the Utility Package selected. With the Utility Package the rear seats and headrests are deleted as well as the sliding rear window and the mirrors and door handles are black instead of body color. It comes to just over $23,000 but I don’t remember if that includes freight. It also precludes the addition of ANY factory accessories. And does not include the ubiquitous “dealer fee” of $650-$800, at least in my area.
“I wish these posts didn’t sound so much like “love letters”…”
I’m working on one that’s not!
As someone who has spent many years using an older car as a daily driver, I have come to appreciate having a fairly late model fleet for daily use. It is so much more pleasant to work on an older car when it is something that you want to do, instead of something that absolutely has to be done by 8 am on Monday, rain or shine.
It sounds like you found a nice one. My Honda Fit has taught me the value of choosing well when you pick a new car. It has caused very, very little trouble in 9 years.
I really like the way your truck is equipped, and am also happy that you are back on the road to enjoy it from the drivers seat. Thanks for these great COAL pieces. The journey from AMC junkie to Toyota ownership has been fun and interesting.
When I was a kid growing up in a nowhere hick town, our mail delivery lady drove a big Mopar station wagon. She’d leave the passenger side window rolled down, and she would operate the brake and the gas with her left foot, while steering with her left hand and shoving the mail into our mailbox with just her right hand. (When you’re a kid, you have time to notice details like that.) I’m a bit surprised that you didn’t get a truck with an automatic for that reason! Your routine must be a bit different from hers. Great story, BTW. Using a beater as your daily driver can be lots of fun.. .in retrospect.
Nice write-up. I have the previous generation, extended cab with 4X4, 2.7L 4 cyl., 5-speed stick. It only has about 135K miles on it at the moment, but has been quite reliable. On the Interstate it gets a little wheezy on long hills, necessitating a bit of shifting to maintain 75 mph. My previous truck was an ’89 Ranger with the 2.9 V-6. In the 20-plus years I drove it, I got used to merely adequate power, so the transition to the 4-cyl. Toyota wasn’t a big deal. I sometimes wish I’d waited to find a V-6, but, hey, this one starts and moves when I hit the key. Plus, new or gently used, they command a bit too high a price for me.
Great write up Nelson. And don’t ever give up on having a beater car or two in the driveway, even if it’s only a Sunday driver. There’s just something about driving an old beater around that keeps one’s equilibrium in balance.
Agree entirely. Worth it also just for the reactions you get out of people. Even if the wife won’t ride in it.
+ 1 And the leeway you get when you’re on the road.
Great read and pictures. I’ve enjoyed many a long weekend meandering around Oregon on the logging roads in my past Toyota trucks.
The comment about bears and tents is one of about 14 reasons I don’t like camping.
Does the 4×4 four-cylinder really weigh 3,800 lb? Good gravy.
We are soon to sell our trusty 06 Avalon after almost 10 years and 125K. I know that it would easily pass 200K, but my wife wants a new car. The next one will be a Highlander, a no brainer considering the reliability of the Avalon.
I also have a 2009 F-150, but it will be with me for a long time to come. When it is time for a new one I will most likely get a Toyota.
I’m sold!
I enjoyed reading your coal series. In a way it reminds me a little bit of my car history. For years I drove old cheap cars, although typically 70’s and 80’s GM and Ford V8 RWD cars, but eventually have moved to modern daily drivers. Although I still do have my old car, and will probably always own at least one old car. Like you too, I progressed to Toyota’s, and have nothing but good to say about them. Although there is a good chance I may replace my wife’s Yota with a Subaru in the near future.
I have had a good amount of wheel time behind this generation of Tacoma, as my brother and good friend owned one. For a while considered the exact truck you have. Alas, the access cab was just too small for children to use on a regular basis and I ended up finding a great deal on a Tundra, so I went that route. I too find the seating position very awkward on these Tacomas. My friend and I used his truck for a 10 hour (one way) trip and I could only drive that truck for a few hours before my legs would cramp up and we’d need to switch. Compared to my truck with it high seating position I can go all day without issue. Mind you I am pretty tall and even with the seat maxed out I find Tacoma’s a little tight for me. My brother also complained about the crappy stock stereo on his truck too, but overall he was happy with it and had no issues.
Awesome article! I’d buy a Tacoma if I could find a low mileage example in good condition. One complaint has always been that it was never available with a turbo diesel engine, not even as an option.
I like that truck, good color combination too, that blue metallic with those black rims. It seems to be darn close to the HiLux Xtra-cab (“1.5 cab”) we’ve got, see below. The hood scoop is for the intercooler, mounted on top of the 2.5 liter D4D-F engine.
A single cab and a double cab are also available, yet folks who are looking for a vehicle in this segment prefer the Land Cruiser 150-series (Prado), converted into a van.
My older brother and his wife recently bought a Toyota Tacoma 4wd crew cab. An awesome truck. I’d buy one myself if I didn’t already have my own car.
Nice truck, good to see a hood scoop that’s actually functional. I’ve been one of those North Americans that’s been yearning for a diesel Toyota, but I doubt that will ever happen. Probably a moot point as I doubt I would have been able to afford the price premium on a diesel, I could hardly afford the gas engine.
It will be interesting to see how the small GM trucks fare in the marketplace with their new diesels, probably not well in light of the whole VW mess.
The HiLux isn’t available here with gasoline engines. The single cab and Xtra cab have the 2.5 liter 4-cylinder turbodiesel, while the double cab either has the 2.5 or 3.0 liter D4D-F.
Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Volkswagen and Ford offer diesel pickups in Europe in this segment. All 4-cylinders, Ford also offers their 3.2 liter 5-cylinder though, in the top-model Ranger.
The 2.8 liter Duramax in the GM pickups is a VM Motori engine, the same engine as in the Jeep Wrangler.
I like these COAL stories. They’re cars that everyday people have driven at one time or another.
That 2nd generation 2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma in basic regular cab or basic extended cab for some reason never looked right with the basic wheel/tires. They looked too small for the truck. In the 2wd Pre-Runner with the larger tires, it looked okay but I really didn’t care for the “racing style sports” rims.. Also I didn’t like the LED taillights that debuted with the 2009 model.
When I recently went to South America I saw lots of Toyota Hiluxes that I would have loved to have; they were simple, basic, no-frills, straightforward pickup truck with manual transmissions. It’s too bad Toyota doesn’t offer those trucks here in the U.S.
As I look at the 2016 Toyota Tacoma, I noticed the 2wd base truck 2.7 4cyl no longer offers a manual transmission and the regular cab is also discontinued. Can’t say I like the ever-increasingly aggressive styling either.
Now that’s a good-looking truck. Great color, and the black wheels really set it off. Truck discussions among full-sizers seem to have the usual Ford vs. Chevy/GMC vs. Dodge/Ram partisans, but for a smaller truck, there seems to be broad agreement that you can’t go wrong with a Toyota. Good to hear that this one is serving you well, and probably will be for quite a long time to come.
Also congrats on getting your license back–must have been agonizing to be without it as a car guy, especially as it was through no fault of your own.
Good article and awesome truck! These sure are great trucks, can’t go wrong with ’em. About a year ago I got a 95 Tacoma with the 3.4 v-6 5 speed manual. My first truck and my family has had Toyotas forever. It had 228,000~ miles on it when I bought it and it’s been pretty good to work on and learn on and there seems to be a large community of people who know quite a bit about these trucks (Hilux, Tacoma, Tundra, T-100 all years) and it’s been really fun learning about them. It’s next to impossible to fine any of them in the scrap yards that aren’t completely picked apart already down to the frame but that’s a testament to their resiliency.