Are You Happy with Tacoma? - Part II

letmetalk · April 2000

I have configured two similar Tacoma's on Carorder.com. One is a Limited with TRD and Air, the other a similarly equipped 4x4 Extracab V6
Auto. I'm seeing a $2000 premium for the Limited.

What I see different is the:
Power Mirrors
Power Antenna
Better driver's seat
Slightly different trim coloring (Fender flares and chrome mirror).

Am I missing something? Any Limited owners care to comment on what you thought was worth the premium? Anything else?
Thanks for the input,
Dan

y2ktrd · April 2000

Ah don't let those bozo's at goodyear tell you that your truck needs repair to fix the vibration.
I had the gsa's also and i replaced them with goodyear rt/s models.........no more vibration and no more noisy ride.Oh and by the way a vehicle
that is out of alignment will not make it vibrate

tookiehobson · April 2000

In my reading of the Tacoma brochure from the dealer, there are not many available options for the Limited--e.g., V6, tilt steering wheel, sliding rear window, and a bunch of other stuff are 'standard' (as "included in the base price").

In my brochure, under "Options" the only thing listed for the Limited is "TRD Off-Road Package".

Under "Additional Options" for the Lmited are listed
(quote)
Air Condtioning
One-Touch Hi-4 Selector Switch
Locking Rear Differential
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Pop-up/Removable Moonroof With Sunshade
(unquote)

Am I reading the brochure correctly?

By the way, I ordered (I thought) a Limited through carOrder back in January. As my 30 March delivery date approached I got concerned that I had no production, shipping or delivery information from either the dealer or carOrder--not even a VIN. Bottom line was that the dealer (he says) placed the order with Southeastern Toyota and received confirmation on 01/22, but the order was never passed on to the factory.

I'm supposed to be getting an V6 Xtracab (not a Limited) this week with a lot (but not all) of the same features for $2,000-$3,000 less.

rickc5 · April 2000

When I was purchasing my '99 Tacoma in June of last year (in Boulder, CO), my dealer told me a Limited would cost me about $5000 more than my loaded x-tra cab with V6, auto, 4x4, AC, TRD, et al. I believe my dealer could make MUCH better deals on a SR5 than on a Limited, which could account for the $5000 difference, because he mentioned that Limiteds were very scarce compared to SR5s.

So, unless Toyota has lowered Limited prices (ha, ha), a difference of $2000-3000 dollars would lead me to want to do some more research BECAUSE: if a Limited is only $2000-3000 more, BUY a Limited.
Conversely, there should be a bigger difference between what you WERE going to pay for a Limited vs. what they now want for an SR5 x-tra cab.

Something smells fishy to me.

letmetalk · April 2000

"BECAUSE: if a Limited is only $2000-3000 more, BUY a Limited."

OK, so my question remains the same. Why would you pay $2000 more for the Limited? I can put together an identical 4x4 V6 Auto ExCab TRD with all the options a Limited has except for:

Power Mirrors
Power Antenna
Better driver's seat
Slightly different trim coloring (Fender flares and chrome mirror).

Are these option worth $2K? Are you saying these differences are worth the $2K because the Limited is rare? Or is there something else that makes the Limited special that I am not seeing?

Thanks for answering,
Dan

letmetalk · April 2000

Thanks for the idea but I have already compared the models to death. CarOrder, CarPoint, Edmunds, Kelly Blue Book, CarsDirect, Toyota.com and the Tacoma brochure. I am posting my findings here in hopes someone can identify what the Limited's premium price is buying you. I don't see it.
Dan

hulk66 · April 2000

Ijust bought my tacoma trd v-6 and love it. As for the GSA'S, i have no vibration problems when traveling over 55.Just sold my '86 toy 4x4 with 107,000 miles on it!If you live near hills and mountains get the 3.4.Plenty of power!Well worth the extra money.Does anyone own a tacoma reg. cab with the 3.4 v-6 in it???Is that really an option from toyota???The dealer said they can't order the 3.4 v-6 into a reg. cab toyota??Why can't you get the v-6 engine in the tacoma reg. cab 4x4???Do they exist out there??

rickc5 · April 2000

Hi Dan,

I think we've moved into the area of subjective judgement re: the $2000-3000 premiums on Limiteds.
I lived with the awful bucket seats in my SR5 Tacoma until I was VERY ready to spend $2000 for better after-market seats. Heck, you might find them OK. My wife convinced me to find another vehicle rather than spend MORE money trying to re-make the Tacoma into a vehicle I would be happy with. She was right.

So, IMHO, should you find a Limited for ONLY $2000-3000 difference, I would buy it in a heartbeat. But then, I really like having those particular "extras" the Limited provides for the following reasons:

Power Mirrors (Always adjusting the manual mirrors 'cause people constantly bumped them in parking lots. The left one is a [non-permissible content removed] for the driver to adjust by himself.)

Power Antenna (Non-retracting antenna hit the garage door)

Better driver's seat (Again, I was willing to do ANYTHING to get better seats. Try both before you decide. Take LONG test drives. Don't forget, the upholstery is different too. You may prefer one over the other.)

Slightly different trim coloring (Fender flares
and chrome mirror) (The body-color fender flares might hold up better than the black ones on my truck, which chipped badly, exposing white "stuff" {primer or fiberglass} and looked pretty cheesy. The chrome mirrors I really don't have an opinion of.)

To me, YES!!!, these extras are well worth the $2000 difference if that's all you have to pay to get them. You might recall my dealer wanted $5000 more for the Limited, which I thought was too much at the time.

If you try to add these extras later, you'll find they are totally cost-prohibitive. For example, Toyota won't sell the sport bucket seats as a complete unit (seat). You have to buy all the separate pieces, which total up to $5000-6000 for a pair! If you don't believe this, ask one of the parts guys at your Toyota dealer.

Don't know what else to say, since the trucks are essentially the same otherwise. You either want these extras, or you don't. Good luck on your decision.

zonk · April 2000

I have a 98 Tacoma, ext cab, 4 cyl, auto. After
18K miles, I am averaging 20 mpg in commuter
driving in city and on county roads with a lot of
stop signs/flashing red lights. I have two
problems - one my bed has a noticeable downward
tilt from right to left (looking at it from the
rear) and tear wear, especially on the front. The
service advisor told me the tilt was normal, that
most trucks have it (two of his mechanics agreed,
but I haven't seen it as pronounced in anyone
else's). I have had the dealer perform two
alinements, each time the front end has been
inspected and found ok. I have rotated the tires 3
times since I have had the truck, even put on new
tires from Goodyear (Invictas adjusted -50%- as per
warranty). Now even the new ones on the front are
beginning to show wear. Acceleration leaves
something to be desired also. But other than the
tire wear, it has been a good truck. Don't know
that I would get another, though, because of the
tire problem, lack of concern on the service dept
finding the problem, and a lack of confidence that
the service people know what they are talking
about.
BTW, this is the second Toyota we have had. We
got a little Tercel for our son for college, and it
was a good little car with no problems at all till
someone ran a red light, hit him broadside, and
totaled it.

letmetalk · April 2000

Thanks, that is exactly the input I was looking for!
Dan

spoog · April 2000

What vehicle did you get to replace your Tacoma?

rickc5 · April 2000

Hi Spoog,

You've seen me post most of this stuff before....

I've owned SIX (6) Toyota trucks and two (2) 4Runners since 1982. Loved all of them UNTIL the 1995 Tacoma, which was SO BAD that the dealer gave us a T100 to replace it after only five months and less than 3000 miles. The T100 was OK, but bigger than my wife liked.

Anyway, I traded-in a 1996 Camry XLE, which I again loved, for my 1999 Tacoma. I felt I wanted the security of height and 4-wheel drive for the commute on 36 and I-25 that I was faced with, due to a job change.

Our recent move to Aurora mitigated the need for the truck as a commute vehicle, as my commute is now about 1/4 of the distance and on lightly-traveled surface streets.

I'm getting to the answer.....

I looked for another 1996 XLE to no avail. Most on the market had excessive mileage. However, lots of 1997 vehicles are now coming to the end of 3-year leases, and I found that MANY 1997 Kexus ES300s were on the market with low mileage. I shopped around and found a great deal on a 1997 ES300 and also got a reasonable (sort-of) trade-in for my Tacoma. I'm very pleased with the Lexus, but if I had this to do all over again, I'd still be driving my '96 XLE. I frequently kick myself for all the spent money and frustration I incurred by buying another Tacoma.

My experience (and dislike) for my '99 Tacoma has pushed me away from Toyota (but not Lexus) products for awhile. Who knows what the future holds?

I know you're a Tacoma enthusiast, But IMHO, the Tacoma is not the equal of the '89-94 trucks produced by Toyota. Its the first vehicle Toyota "de-contented" and I personally think they went WAY too far. At least they were able to maintain their reputation for reliability. I also think the Tacoma might be a good off-roader, but didn't have the chance to verify that. Se la vie!

rickc5 · April 2000

Hey Dan,

Please let us know what you decide????

Limited or not?????

Rick

mickeyg1 · April 2000

My first 4x4 was a 1986 Toyota SR5,xtra cab which I bought in Oct of 86. I kept that thing four 10 years and put 245,000 miles on it before getting rid of it. Other than sinking it in a sandy river bottom and having the water pour into the truck and soaking the computer when it was 6 months new(I thought it was a tank), that truck NEVER left me stranded. I blew a head gasket at 84,000 miles, but since I drove that thing to the desert every weekend to take the Suzuki 250Quadracer out and drove the truck like a demon, to take time off of the 2 hr. city/desert commute, I thought it was normal wear and tear. I can say I was a happy truck owner for those 10 years. One day I went to the dealer to "look" at the new Tacomas and the sales person had to work a deal so I ended up with a 96 Tacoma, 4x4 extracab, SR5,Power Package,Chrome Package etc... I figured I might as well get it fully loaded. I never test drove it. I was so confident in Toyota because of my prior ownership experience. I only got $2,500 for my trade(they didn't want it,245,000miles!)but I made them take it since I had put a TRD cam and Headers it would never pass smog and I didn't want the hassle of changing the cam to sell it privately. My first slight problem was a small thumping at slow speed turns or cornering. Dealer replaced a rear bushing. Fixed it. Also in Jan of 96when I bought it, no TRD!! I bought Bushwacker flares and had them painted the factory sunfire red, had Rancho 5000's installed all the way around. The ride on the Tacoma stock was too spongy. My 86 handled better cornering(it had Rancho 6000's up front and 5000's on the rear.) The Tacoma handled a lot better with the Rancho suspension but it still gets squirrely if you hit uneven roadway or bumps while cornering. The V-6,3.4 Double overhead cam is awesome(that's two cams over each set of cylinders)What a technically advanced powerplant. I've towed two seadoo's to Palo Alto(n.CA) from L.A. with four adults and the bed full of camping gear and passed slow moving vehicles all the way there. Can't say all us adults were too comfy though. Definitely not a vehicle for four adults. Stretching pit stops made the trip tolerable. My next minor problem wash a clutch pedal bushing that wore out at 30,000(warranteed)but then again at 59,000?!? Dealer warranteed as "good will" since I was a good Customer but I called Toyota's 800# and the dipshit on the other end told me the vehicle was way past warranty. I told him that any manual transmission vehicle with two clutch pedal bushing problems at 60K was ridiculous. My 86 had ZERO bushing problems at 245K. I asked if there were any TSB'S(technical service bulletins) released by Toyota on this and he replied.No. I hung up as his attitude was poor and told him he needed to report this problem to Toyota's engineers as I could not be the only Tacoma owner experiencing this. Anyway(sorry about the long story)my bucket seats are comfortable( I have taken it on several long trips to Northern CA and Vegas from L.A. The V-6 is tops in its class( I've embarrassed plenty of V-8's including Chevy's, Cherokees, Dodge Rams and Fords. Anyone who says that Tacoma's can't hold their own is delirious. That 190HP and 220LBS of torque kick [non-permissible content removed].The truck has the best styling out right now and the quality of workmanship is far superior to any thing else I've seen(I'm a car nut and go to the autoshow every year)yes, Tacoma's are Pricey, my sticker was $25,565 when I bought mine in JAN of 96 and even though I got it for $500 over invoice, tax and license was still $25,596. I wish there would have been a TRD package then,(it came out in 97 and I spent another $1,300 on flares(factory colormatch, and Rancho suspension)but the truck is still the King in it's class. Looks,Styling,Towing capacity,Quality of workmanship,Powertrain,and great solid feel for a small 4x4(my 86 sounded hollow when I would close the doors,the Tacoma feels solid). I can't say my ownership hasn't had it's minor problems, but at 81,000 miles I'd rather drive my Tacoma 4x4 for reliability and power. It's 4 years old and the competition is just now catching up to it's 190HP.
Need I say more.....

letmetalk · April 2000

I am in the market for a Tacoma. I was focusing on the new market with an emphasis on finding one with ABS. (Apparently rare in So. Calif.) I saw a used Limited on a dealer lot. It was less than a year old (I know the purchase date from a warranty inquiry) and has 15500 miles on it. The dealer has cleaned is fairly well but the lower engine compartment shows a lot of spray. At first I though something in the coolant system had burst at one time, but it could also just be mud from off roading.

Does the engine compartment see a lot of mud and dirt spray? What danger areas should I focus on during the test drive and inspection given this was probably driven hard? Any other danger areas with the 99 in general? Are there any major differences in the 99 and 2000?

The truck drove comfortable and has every feature I was shopping for in a new one. The dealer seemed to have a good warranty package since this was still under the new car agreement and was a "Toyota certified" used vehicle.
As expected, the dealer has a very high opinion of the vehicle (judging by the asking price.) The truck has a lot of dirt and debris under the bedliner, some swirl and scatch marks in the paint, and a couple of dirty areas on the carpets. All of this I would expect on a used truck, but my question is to those of you who have traded in one of these.
How much did the trade-in value depend on these types of issues? Were you given very close to wholesale value or nickle and dimed for every scratch and scuff?

Any answers would be most helpful. I am going to go back to the dealer this afternoon.
Thanks,
Dan

rickc5 · April 2000

Dan,

I hope this isn't too late. The Town Hall was down yesterday.

Engine compartment: The skid plates keep almost all mud and dirt chunks from the engine compartment, but not dust, which sticks to any fliud leaks which may have occurred. The power steering on my '99 leaked fluid all over the engine compartment, which looked like mud/crud after the dust stuck to it.

Danger areas: look under the truck for evidence of hard off-roading- lots of scrapes/mud/dirt/bushes, etc. on the undercarriage. This is one area dealers miss in pre-sale cleanup. Look for evidence of recent body repair/repainting.

Dirt under the bed liner: This would set off alarms for me, unless the liner was installed by this dealer to cover something up or just raise his asking price. With the advent of spray-in linings, dealers can't get rid of drop-in liners.

Swirls/scratches: Possible evidence of off-road adventures or body damage.

I would use all these "defects" as bargaining points in trying to get the dealer to lower the price, if you still want this truck.

Dealers will seldom give you more than book wholesale for a vehicle, UNLESS you are willing to pay retail or above-retail for his vehicle, regardless of the condition of your vehicle. Their latest scam is this "I can buy one just like yours at auction for (much less than wholesale)." I'm sure the last owner wasn't pleased with what the dealer offered him as a trade-in, given the condition you described.

I find it amazing that this dealer didn't do a better job of cleaning this truck. Most of them will steam-clean EVERYTHING in order to ask more money for the vehicle. Sounds like a sloppy dealership.

Hope this info helps. Good luck!

Rick

zonk · April 2000

I have a Tacoma ext cab, 4 cyl, 2wd, 18,500 miles. Had problems from the first with pulling to the right and tire wear (so bad I had to replace all 4 tires at the 50% tread level). New tires on the front are starting again. Dealer says the front end is ok. Had them align it twice. Any help out there?

zane5 · April 2000

Zonk, I too had a similar problem with tire wear on a Nissan 4x4 pickup. Dealer said there was no problem with the front end. Not satisfied with the dealer response, I took it to a Goodyear dealer who indeed said that the front end was out of alignment. Never had another problem. You might consider taking your truck to a reputable wheel and alignment shop and get a second opinion. Good luck. Zane

zonk · April 2000

zane5 - Thanks, I'm glad I'm not crazy or something. I have a meeting with the dealer tomorrow and am certainly going to bring this up. Strangely enough, the first time I had the truck aligned, the dealer's machine was down for parts so they sent me into town to a Goodyear store. They aligned it with no mention of front end problems. Second time was at the dealer using his machine, and everything was still supposedly within specs.

iwphill · April 2000

I just bought a 2000 Tacoma reg cab 5 spd this weekend. I only have about 300 miles on it so far, but I love it! Got the SST package (aluminum wheels, graphics, etc.), and I think I got a great deal. It really looks sharp, and accelerates well, handles wonderfully. It's got power steering, cassette, a/c, and the dealer was really great - probably the best experience I ever had at a dealer.

I always keep reading about how "expensive" the Tacoma is, but I think they're really affordable. In fact, I'm paying about $14 less a month (purchase, not a lease) on this truck than I was on the car I traded in - 1998 Honda Civic DX hatchback. I couldn't be happier. For a basic truck, it is fabulous.

I was very tempted to go with a Frontier, but all the Nissan dealers around here don't have what they advertise. You know, they advertise a loaded Frontier XE for $11,000 - you check it out, and they say "Oh, sorry, just sold it. But we have this great one over here for $14,000!" Thanks, but no thanks. I'm very happy with the deal I got on this truck. I know I don't have a lot of miles on it yet, but so far, it's great!

tookiehobson · April 2000

Picked up 2000 Tacoma 5-speed, V6, 4WD on 04/15. Was able to check the mileage for the first time a couple days ago. Got 20.3 for in town driving, no jack rabbit starts, etc, max speed 60 'cause I'm still in 'break-in' mode. Is this mileage unusual? (V6, 4WD etc). Will it get better or worse after the break-in period?

rickc5 · April 2000

I never got over 20 mpg on my '99 V6 4x4, even after 12K miles.

tacoma_trd · April 2000

Im looking a buying a 2001 when they come out, a dark green 4x4 TRD, does anybody think its a good choice compared to other brands?

tacoma_trd · April 2000

I have one thing that I would like to see in the tacomas, doesnt anyone think they should make a 3rd or 4th doors like the rangers and s10's!! I think that is the biggest drawback on them, otherwise its a great truck

rickc5 · April 2000

For 2001, you'll be able to buy a 4-door Tacoma. Of course the bed will be a little shorter. On the other hand, it'll have a real rear seat than real people can use. The new grill is pretty ugly though, IMHO.

tacoma_trd · April 2000

I meant 4 doors, but not 4 REAL doors, just the regulare extra cab tacoma and those would open out

If u can give me a site with the 2001 tacoma pics, i would appreciate it.

rangerknowhow · April 2000

the 2001 tacoma will indeed have a crew cab with four REAL doors. Check out the motortrend magazine or the website. 2001 Crewcabs: Ranger, Nissan (coninues from 2000 with body style makeover) Dakota, F-150(continued form last year) and the S-10 will all have four rear doors next year

brianca · May 2000

I've heard that the 2001 taco's will be automatic only though. In case that matters to you.

vic.

letmetalk · May 2000

I've had my '99 4WD Excab Limited now for a month. When I bought it we noticed some spots on the headliner just above the doors. The dealer promised to have it cleaned the next time his detailing guy was in. At that appointment, it was discovered that this was adhesive bleeding through the headliner. After some digging through the service notices they found this to be a common problem and they replaced the headliner under warranty. If you have some similar discoloration, you might what to explore this with your dealer.
Dan

taco32568 · May 2000

i recently bought a 2000 tacoma prerunner v6 automatic transmission. when i leave for work each morning the transmission acts like it doesn't want to shift out of gear. it seems like it's always 3rd gear. once it warms up it shifts better but still the transition from one gear to the next is a little abrupt. anyone else experiencing anything like this? thanks.

iluv_uman · May 2000

I have read several posts regarding mileage and reliability of the 4 Cylinder in a 4x2 Extended Cab, 5 Speed.

I have owned 3 4X2's before my present 1995 Tacoma. I now have 50k miles on it. My mileage and performance has been excellent. No problems and I have been able to get my overall mileage(50%City, 50% highway) to around 27 in winter(no air running) 25 in city with air.

I found doing a couple things to my 2.4 liter 4 really helped. First of all I put a K&N Air Filter on. I could feel the difference in power right away. I use to be a motorcycle racer and the first thing we would all do is put a K&N filter on our motorcycles. That jumped my mileage about 2MPG.

I put new spitfire spark plugs in at about 30k. I couldn't feel power increase as much as with air filter, but truck never misses a beat.

I change oil methodically every six months.

Putting on new Bilstein shocks(also at about 30k) made my Tacoma ride better than new. I never did like the original shocks. When I test drive new ones, I want back in mine, mine rides better.

I got my K&N filter, plugs and shocks through performance catalog. They appear to have discounts on all those parts.

I keep going down and looking at new 4X2's Toyota's but everytime I look at new ones, it makes me realize how much I love my old(not that old) one. It runs perfect. I have never had one problem(did get a recall on front end, cost me nothing, little inconvenience is all).

My other Toyota's all lasted 100k miles and I always sold them easily. I however feel this latest truck will last easily 200k miles. I swear it runs better than when new.

A couple times on the road, I have gotten over 30 MPG. Mine has cruise control. I think that helps. I usually drive on the highway at 75 too. If I drove a little slower, probably would beat 75.

I have a brother in law with a 1996 Tacoma V-6 4X4, 5 speed. Black, big wheels, loaded, lots of chrome. Looks tough. We raced one day. I beat him. Haha My brother in law gets about 18 MPG. I keep telling him to put on air filter and spit fires, he doesn't. That is OK. He wants to trade me, and have me pay him some cash. I say thanks but no thanks.

I had a couple Waverunners on a trailer. We have a big up hill pass, about 5 miles long. Others in their big Fords, Chevy's, Dodge's, etc. were pulling two wave runners. I would shift down into third for the long pull up that hill. As we all know Toyota's really start to run(torgue and horsepower) at about 4K rpm. I passed all those big American hog trucks as my 4 banger was humming along at about 4K rpm and at about 70 mpg.

Wow these Toyota's are fun.

Good luck, hope this info. helps.

iwphill · May 2000

iluv_uman

What kind of mileage were you getting before you put on the air filter? My truck runs great, but if I can get a little more power, and better gas mileage, I'm all for it. I am interested in adding one (2000 4x2 reg cab - 1200 mi so far), but is it really worth the expense?

rickc5 · May 2000

Taco,

I owned a 1999 Tacoma 4x4, SR5, TRD, etc. for less than a year before dumping it. One of my biggest "whines" about the Tacoma was what I considered to be a VERY hard-shifting automatic transmission. I posted this before, but other Tacoma owners seemed to consider this "normal". I sure disagree.

tookiehobson · May 2000

Just got back from a 2,500 mile road trip in my 2000 Tacoma 4X4 V6 Extended Cab. Got 22+ mpg at 65-75 mph, mostly Interstates (Atlanta-Dallas-Atlanta), cruise control with some A/C. I'm impressed, and am told it'll get better. :-)

allknowing · May 2000

The transmission doesn't seem harsh at all on my 2000. It is a truck though and I wouldn't expect it to have a mushy feel like a cady.

81chevy · May 2000

Tacoma is not a truck, it has a car equivilent tranny,

heck Toyota puts a car V8 in their fullsize, the Tacoma's don't have "Truck" parts

rickc5 · May 2000

Could be that Toyota improved the shifting for 2000. Mine was a 1999. Two other possibilities: 1) for whatever reason, yours just might shift smoother than mine did. 2) the subjectivity in just what "hard shifting" means.

I was comparing my Tacoma to 1) a '98 Trooper, 2) a '96 Camry, 3) Jeep Cherokees belonging to a friend, 4) numerous rental vehicles I have driven when travelling and 5) an Isuzu MOVING VAN I rented from Budget. I felt my Tacoma shifted MUCH harder than ANY of these vehicles, almost with a BANG! under accelleration. It was so obvious and noticable that my wife frequently felt that something had broken in the transmission when she infrequently drove it. Friends commented on it. On the plus side (if this can be considered a plus), it never changed. Always the same, never shifting better or worse, even after 12K miles.

Having read the posts on this board as well as the Tacoma vs. Ranger board, if I ever need another truck, I will SURELY look at and drive trucks from other manufacturers before I bother to go to Toyota and pay their premium prices. No longer am I an ardent supporter of Toyota products. In fact, IMHO, the only way you can buy a current Toyota that is the equivalent of the older Toyota models is to buy a Lexus.

iwphill · May 2000

The only automatic I ever had in a Toyota was in a 96 Corolla (3spd tranny), and it was great, although I always wished I had gotten the 4spd instead. I now have a 2000 reg cab 4x2 5spd and it's a great truck. Maybe the automatics have gone downhill, but the 5-speed is awesome! Shifts really well, and lots of power. Hearing about the problems with the auto makes me glad I stuck with the manual.

allknowing · May 2000

Actually a harder shift makes superior performance. I spent a lot of money and time on an older camaro that I had to shift like that. The car and SUV you're comparing the truck to are geared to be luxury vehicles. Although the shift seems smoother, the higher transmission slippage that you like cuts performance, wastes gas, and produces more heat.

allknowing · May 2000

The Jeep might be an exception to my statement above. You have to go with the ride you prefer though.

iluv_uman · May 2000

After putting on the K&N Air Filter I got about 2MPG better mileage. Actually the mileage wasn't the thing I noticed the most. You will notice an instant increase in power and torgue.

I must admit however, my prior air filter had about 20K miles on it before I changed to K&N Filter, but the literature provided with your K&N Filter says that even new paper filter isn't even close to dirty K&N Filter.

I was surprised at the power increase. And I don't work for K&N. I just remember when I use to race motorcycles we all installed K&N Filters from the getgo. I had never put a K&N Air filter in a car/truck nor had I ever thought about such until I was reading a Toyota Performance Catalog one day and they touted the benefits of K&N Filter. Said increases air intake like 30-50%. Plus filter has lifetime warranty. You just pop it out, wash it off with solution you get and after washing you spray oil back on foam filter and re-install. Is a two minute job. I do once a year now.

All I have to say, that air filter did most to improve performance of my 4 Cylinder.

Every new vehicle I get from now on, one of the first things I am going to do is put a new K&N(or alternative) air filter in place of paper.

My next door neighbor just bought a new Honda dirt bike. I said, aren't you going to put new air filter in? He said, look new Honda dirt bikes alrady have foam(K&N copy cat) air filters in them. They sure do. See, motorcycle racing people aren't fools. LOL.

Good Luck

iwphill · May 2000

Thanks for the info - sounds like just what I need. I've been checking my MPG, and it seems to be climbing a little...averages about 24 mpg (65% city, 35%hwy). And with 1600 miles on it now, it feels like the power is up, too. But if I could even get a slight increase in power/MPG I'd be happy, especially if I didn't have to buy any more air filters!

tookiehobson · May 2000

What's a specific source (catalog name, company name, web site, etc.) for the K&N filters? Sounds like they're a win-win sort of thing. I'm about to put a slide-in pop-up camper onto my Tacoma, and I know my 23 mpg with the original equipment filter (and no load) is going to suffer.

Thanks in advance.

mviglianco1 · May 2000

Have you ever considered that the truck you had was just a lemon? You have been around for months describing your bad experience while others are very happy with there Tacomas. Did you talk to Toyota about this or compare to other Tacomas?

rickc5 · May 2000

You may be right! But, as I recall, the title of this topic is "Are You Happy with Tacoma?" For me, the answer was NO!

As I've said before, the truck was reliable, with only one failure in the time I owned it. I've also mentioned that most of my complaints were subjective, which means that these are my opinions of the Tacoma, based on my experiences and comparisons with many other vehicles.

I've also mentioned my previous loyalty to Toyota products. The reason I say "previous" is that I no longer feel Toyota provides the consumer with the BEST products in the market, just the most expensive, with little to justify the added cost, other than probably a more reliable vehicle, in most cases.

As you've possibly read elsewhere in this forum, Toyota WILL NOT respond to customers who can't PROVE fault with their vehicles. Having experienced Toyota's "customer relations" with my '95 Tacoma, I sure wasn't about to subject myself to that frustration again.

BTW- My '99 was a much better truck than my '95, which WAS a TOTAL lemon. In fact, it was so screwed up that Toyota gave me a new T100 in exchange for it to keep from having to go into arbitration. They never admitted the truck was defective, although it was in the shop every week or two for five months. They just wanted me to leave them alone.

I believe I gave Toyota more loyalty than one should, but I've finally given up. I still feel that the only way a consumer can buy a Toyota product today that is the equal of Toyota products produced in the late '80s and early '90s is to buy a Lexus! A very clever marketing strategy. Too bad Lexus doesn't sell trucks.

dc270 · May 2000

I purchased a 99 Pre Runner/ 3.4L/auto trans in Jan. this year. Have been pretty satisfied, but did notice it shifts different than my 98 2.4 did. Also when I had it on the freeway and would decelerate it would "clunk"!! The dealer had it two days and could not fix it. I finally took a shot at it and pulled the battery cables off for 30 minutes to reset the ECU/ etc. That fixed the "clunk" I had!!!
While the 3.4 is peppy enough, I did do some minor modifications to the airbox/intake system that made a very noticeable difference in performance. The stock airbox is quite restrictive with a little 3" air tube going around a 90 degree bend under the fender. I removed the air box, drilled 40+ 1/4" holes at a down angle directly in the front of the box. (This is probably not a thing to do for warranty reasons so think about it first) After which I dropped in a K&N air filter. While now it is a bit louder under hard acceleration, it moves out. The last thing I did was purely experimental and it worked the best. I found an ad for an "air twister" product called SpiralMax. Installed these simple passive devices inside the air tube, one near the air box location and the other near throttle body. Economy and mid band power was quite noticeably improved.

theboatdude · May 2000

Greetings!!!

Just bought a 98 4x4 3.4litre auto x-cab. I'm wondering how much I can safely tow without destroying critical parts (e.g. transmission, differentials, etc...) Also, anyone have any experience towing w/said vehicle?? My GMC used to get pushed around a bit by my boat (2700lbs + Trailer) and I'm worried that the effect would be magnified due to the Toyota being somewhat lighter.

Thankx!!

y2ktrd · May 2000

knfilters.com

glock_man · June 2000

I've got my heart set on a 2000 Tacoma PreRunner V-6 with the TRD package and most preferred options. Can any owners tell me their experiences and what they're going for, or what would be a good deal?

allknowing · June 2000

It's a good truck. Se my post to you in Ranger VS. Tacoma

Are You Happy with Tacoma? - Part II

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