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Last Friday I took my 01 taco to the dealership to get a axle seal put in (under warranty) and while waiting I decided to test drive one of these new Tacomas that I have been reading so much about. Long story short when I got home I sold my truck to a friend and went back and bought the tacoma I test drove. Its a access cab, 4.0L,6-speed, 4x4, with TRD, SR5 and tow package. I still owed $3100 on my 01' truck so after I sold my truck I had to pay it off and then I used the rest of that to pay down on my new truck. I ended up with a 4.5% APR and my payment is now $262 and some change. So I'm very satisfied with my deal.
These are my concerns,
1. Is the tailgate strong enough for loading and unloading a 4-wheeler with ramps?
2. I made a homemade kayak rack for my 01 taco and I want to make it fit my 05 all of the weight from the rack is on the floor of the bed. Do you guys think the composite bed will be ok for this type of rack?
3. I just tried this morning to get my truck into 4WD low and it will not go. I have owned 4x4's all of my life and I'm very familiar with how they work.... when I try to go from 4h to 4l the light just blinks and nothing happens (yes the truck is stopped and out of gear when I do this) LOL. Has anyone else had this problem?
4. I'm worried about MPG...I have tried to find out how many MPG everyone else is getting but so many people do not put up enough info for a good comparison. How many MPG are you guys getting? Please include, cab size, engine size, type of transmission, 2x2 or 4x4, trd pkg.
5. Has anyone figured out a nice looking way to extend the front mud flaps to stop the paint chipping?
Thanks for any info and help you guys can give me.
Have a great day!
If you do anything besides interstate driving I would suggest you deal on some better tires while you are making your truck deal, it will be time well spent.
First congrats on the new truck, you will love it!
1. I depends on the size of the ATV. If the weight is distributed I don't think there should be a problem. I have loaded my ATV but it is only a 90cc E-ton and only weighs about 320lbs or so.
2. I think the bed of the truck would be fine with the rack. If you mount it with bolts or something I would be sure to predrill and do it in warm weather. Obviously in cold weather the material is more brittle and just to be sure you get no cracking. Also if you don't want to scratch up the bed, the Yota bedmat works awesome!
3. The 4WD is a little funny at least at first mine was. I would get the blinking too. I would either put it in park (going from 4h to 4l) and start over, or I as found most of the time if I start inching forward it would engage and STOP blinking. After doing it on a few different occasions it has worked fine.
4. I have a V6, 4.0 doublecab shortbed, 4x4 w/ TRD off road package and I am averaging about 18MPG and that is with about a 60/40 mix of highway/city driving. I have started using midgrade gas because of prices and notice no change in mileage or any increased ticking or anything. The truck does seem to be a bit more peppy with premium though.
5. As for the mudflaps, I don't know. I plan on getting the running boards which should be a great help.
Enjoy the new ride!
I've got an '86 GSX-R 750, live in northern vermont and will be purchasing a silver access cab 4 liter #2 package. I'd say all things are pretty much equal here and your note gave me much confidence about my purchase.
Thank You,
Justin
For comparison, my older Full size Bronco has less ground clearance than my 05 Tacoma, even with it's 31' tires.
Silver is the other color I flirted with, but couldn't make the change to...
I now have silver and really just don't know what to do with myself! Haven't been able to wash it in 3 weeks and she still looks great! Looks even better after a fresh wash!
As far as the composite bed goes, I have personally loaded and hauled 2000 lbs (1 ton) of brick in the bed of my Tacoma on two occasions. with the exception of some minor scratches it held up great. The back end was down low and the suspension was my major concern but it is strong.
As far as mpg goes, I am very heavy footed and am averaging about 18.5 mpg. Thats about a 60/40 split highway/city with some moderate off-roading. Not to bad for my driving style.
Great truck I love the styling and on and off-road handling.
Been driving lots of mileage on snowy days and was checking out everything to remove salt buildup from all places when I found these.
Glad to help
Are you going to buy from? Berlin city or heritage toyota? Or somewhere else.Do you live in the northeast kingdom?Ive got some land on the loop rd in Troy.
Drywaller
No rattles.No leaks. No funny noises and the first tank of gas was 19mpg(no hwy). Almost forgot....this truck is FAST.I LUUUUUVVV THIS TRUCK!!!!!!!!!
Stopped in at one of the largest Toyota dealers in Denver last week,( I purchased mine from a small dealer in Colorado) and talked to the service manager about the problems they have seen so far on the 2005 Taco. He said that nothing is made like it used to be and to hang on to my 1993 4x4 which is mint and was what I was driving that day.
But he said they have not had any water leak problems, but we don't get heavy rain here very often. He said they have had two come back with the cab mount noise, one with a failed front suspension at 300 miles, which the guy got a new truck out of, one cracked bed.
But he said these trucks are going to be fine and they cannot keep them on the lot. They had 40 Tundras and 1 Taco on the lot that day but could not even find the Taco.
"Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
We apologize for the confusion regarding our previous information.
Both the deck hooks and the truck bed D-rings mirror the weight capacity of the deck rail, which is 100 pounds.
Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters under file #200503240874. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.
Toyota Customer Experience "
Could someone here go out and look at their cleats and see what is printed on it? Thanks.
I've found that a orbital buffer is very helpful in getting a swirl-free wax or polish job. When I used to hand polish, black paint always showed swirls or areas where the black looks 'deeper'. Hopefully the paint on my new Taco will be easy to work with. BTW, on a new vehicle I always rub the paint down with a 'magic clay bar' to clean off any overspray or contaminants. It makes the wax go on real nice. If you haven't used a clay bar, you gotta try it. It's great for overspray, tar, sap, etc. It works like a squeegie, sort of.
I admit there are pros and cons of both.
Taco: has excellent interior and comfort
not excited about the bed (yet, might need some convincing) & 5 to 10 less HP on regular gas.
-exterior noise was significantly louder once vehicle was started, interior noise just OK
-back seats more practical with storage
-toyota seems to be more prestigious than nissan when it somes to the truck dept.
Fronty: has a smooth ride and more power but a piss poor interior design....seems very plastic and cheap. back seats suck!
-very quiet start up and quiet ride
To me both trucks look great and handled well on road. (rugged canadian roads)
APR is lower on nissan 3.8%, 5.4% toyota
(canadian rates)
-prices are similar
I guess from my list I am slightly leaning towards a toy, but really liked the power of the nissan,
I have been reading the forums and worried about problems I may encounter with the toyota (ie squeaks and leaks and such)
I havent heard of many problems about nissans (yet)
Not sure who is the true leader in sales this year (if there are numbers published yet) or if I should wait till the fall for the '06's to come out
I am trying to get the best prices as well.
Best for Toyota so far is $34150 (without taxes)
=$39259 incl taxes, minus 1000....grand tally =38k and change? (any other canadian out there in ontario get a better deal)
Anyone have any nissan prices? 39k and change is best so far.
any reccomendations for my future investment?
tx
I didn't believe in claying until I tried it a couple months ago. You'd be surprised about the amount of junk on a new car!
Am happy to report that I have not experienced any of the troubles described in some of the previous posts.
No leaks - (Had about 3" of wet snow here yesterday, drove through many large slush puddles on drive home from dealer)
No suspension, bed or rattle noise of any type detected, (drove home on a road that would beat the heck out of you average small car - bumpy, many pot holes)
At this point the truck only has 370 miles, so will wait and see if anything out of the ordinary occurs.
To those that have any doubts about the Tacoma, put them aside - This Truck Rocks !, I considered and have driven many other trucks before deciding on the Tacoma, 04, 05 GM Sierra's, F150, and F250's. (and others)
In terms of the complete package the others can't compare. The Tacoma is a great blend of size, performance, gas mileage, off road ability, comfortable to drive (am 6'2" with long legs), well designed engine compartment, etc.
As a final note, My "anti-pickup truck" 72 year old Mother went for a ride today ... even she was impressed !
I'm actually getting it through a dealer in southern vermont where I know someone who works at the dealership. I live in downtown Burlington, but have ridden up 100 and east on 14 last summer, near where you have land. Great riding out there!
Paldente
Can I get away with 285/75 for the all terrains or am I just asking to have rocks thrown against my truck from them? I like the all terrains better style-wise and there are three options.
265/75/16
275/70/16
285/75/16
Thoughts on these options?
Thanks,
Paldente
There is no skid plate and I have the TRD 4x4 quad cab #2. If you did add one to protect existing crossover pipe, you would lose another 1" or so of ground clearance.
I have been loading a Polaris 500 Scrambler ( 525 lbs.) into the back several times with aluminum ramps and have not had a problem "yet" with my tailgate. I'm not sure I want to try the 700 Sportsman though ( 750 #'s)
For those of you looking for a neat website to review and purchase Toyota after market assecories for the 2005 Taco, look up " TRD Parts 4U" they are located in Texas. I live in California but there on site pricing beat the pants off what my local dealer quoted me. There service was great and they delivered promptly.
Looking here :
http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2005/tacoma/key_features/deck_rail_system.html
and clicking on the pictures of the rail tiedowns and the bed tiedowns the following is found:
Rail tiedowns -- 220 pounds each
Bed tiedowns ("D" rings) -- 440 pounds each
???????
>Looking here :
>http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2005/tacoma/key_features/deck_rail_system.html
>and clicking on the pictures of the rail tiedowns and the bed tiedowns the >following is found:
>Rail tiedowns -- 220 pounds each
>Bed tiedowns ("D" rings) -- 440 pounds each
>???????
Update: My latest email from Toyota on these load limits.
"We apologize for the inaccurate information provided in the previous email.
Your owners manual does not contain the most current information regarding this issue. Upon further research we determined that the following weight capacities would apply for the components listed;
Mini tie downs (attached to bedrail)weight capacity = 110 pounds
Bed Cleats or, Tie down cleats (attached to bedrail) weight capacity = 200 pounds
D Rings (mounted to lower bed wall)weight capacity = 440 pounds
Toyota Customer Experience"
2 months ago I took my 1996 2WD Tacoma in for service and made the mistake of wandering the floor while I waited. Long story short I now own a silver 2005 2WD SR5 Tacoma. Of course I would love a 4X4 but have owned a 2WD for over 7 years and that little truck never let me down. Big toyota fan here moving from a Tercel to now 2 Tacomas. I pick it up on Monday. Just needed somewhere to talk about it!
I have exactly the same truck as yours and am running 91 octane premium too. I am averaging 18-19 mpg with 65/35 more on the freeway. I have 1200
miles right now.
By the way I've got a 2wd.
Bacolod