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Toyota Tacoma (2004 and earlier)
Added this discussion as I did not see a general Tacoma discussion. Purchasing a 2003 Tacoma 4x4 Extended Cab with TRD, SR5 Color Key, automatic, sunroof, bucket seats, etc.. Was wondering if there was any tips or potential problems I should be aware of on the Tacoma. What type of mileage should I expect on the highway?
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Gas mileage..? Prior to the supercharger I would get 18 in town and 22 on the interstate with a best of 26 on a trip to Yellowstone and back, but I was lucky to break 60mph. I think you can plan on getting between 19-21 for the most part.
If you have other questions just ask.
There are some people who have dash rattle, but there are posts describing how to fix it. Other than that, there's a guy around named tbunder1 who'll tell you that Tacoma has underpowered engine, fender flares are falling off, water leaks inside the cab, Tacoma has pencil-thin A-arms, etc. Of course, he compiled all those problems over about 1.5 years of hanging out here and just says they are present in all Tacomas. So don't pay any attention to him.
Gas milage: I usually get 17-18mpg in the city, and it's mostly short trips, little or no highway driving in the city. I also have a lead foot and use it quite often. On the highway, I've gotten 20mpg doing 75, usually it's about 19 at 80.
I did the research before I bought it, and have not regretted it since. It was not the cheapest, but I have no doubt, it is the best. If you want cheap, check out the Nissans and Fords.
This truck is great, No regrets.
I believe you get what you pay for, worth the extra money.
Any input on a Tacoma for a 16 year old, there are no safety test results on the '03 here at Edmunds.
On both organizations' tests, the Tacoma does better than any other compact pickup, however there is a "but" in that statement.
Pickups, and compact pickups more particularly do not have the same type of safety measures built into them as cars and/or they do not have them to the same standards as cars do. For example, while the tacoma does have steel door beams, they do not have the same standards as cars do. Similarly for crumple zones. While the Tacoma does have them built into the design, it is limited in effectiveness by the ladder frame that the truck is built onto. Some of these drawbacks are mitigated by the fact that you are in a larger (more massive) vehicle than most of those on the road, so are less likely to be injured in a crash with another vehicle and that you have a better view and perspective on things going on around you.
So going back to what I started with, the Tacoma does have the highest safety ratings of any compact pickup in the marketplace today, but if you're looking for passive safety built into a vehicle in the event of a crash, a car will have much more designed into the vehicle.
Hope this helps and if I just confused the issue, feel free to re-post for a clarification.
1. Buy a 2003 4WD Tacoma.
2. Lift it 6".
3. Put 33x12.5R15 tires on it and leave the gearing stock.
Your kid will not be able to chirp the tires from the start even if it was raining, forget about racing, a VW Rabbit could take him on then
Stock V6 Tacos are powerful, and with the 8yo engine, you can bet that they work fine. If you want to go down a more reliable route, get one with 2.7L I4: those engines are bulletproof. There is a guy on our TTORA boards who just hit 327K miles and was complaining that his engine was having a problem with rings. Imagine that.
The only thing you would need to worry about with trucks is the kid going offroading, but if he gets into a good group he'll be fine and make a lot of friends (as well as learn how to drive properly).
Safety-wise: It depends on what sites you look at. nhtsa.org and iihs.org are two main ones, first one is government organization and second one is insurance institute. You really have to combine both results together to see the entire picture.
I feel my Tacoma is safe for me. I drive like a maniac sometimes and it feels rock solid (I've test-driven Isuzu Rodeo, that thing sways left and right, nose-dives everytime you hit brakes, etc)
regardless of many things I do. While it's not a car, it's safe enough.
Another thing to think about: this is the last year of this generation of Tacoma. 2004 models will be redesigned with a bigger (hopefully) engine. What you may want to do is wait until next year when 2004s are introduced. Then, if you like 2004s, wait 6 month and buy one, or buy a 2003 real cheap.
Thank you so much.
Secondly, would you allow other kids in the back knowing if there was an accident and someone was injured that because they were riding in the back, the injuries may be more substantial leaving you open to a lawsuit above and beyond your insurance coverage?
I'm just curious cause just recently I witness four kids riding in the back of a Nissan. Three were by my guess around 12-14. However, there was one that looked like 4-5 years old that was running back and forth in the bed when the truck made a left turn. Kid lost his balance but was caught by one of the other kids. I had to wonder what the driver of the truck was thinking...or was he thinking at all?
For some it may be a matter of economics forcing them to ride in the back of a truck. For me, I think it's plain nuts.
So I would let them ride IFF they knew what was going on. Nevermind the lawsuits, I'd like to think that not everyone is an idiot to try to solve their problems (and escape responsibility) with a lawsuit: if they know the danger of riding in the back, do it anyway and something bad happens....well, they knew what they were getting into.
The accident you described I would call Darwinism at work. He's old enough to know whats going on, Nissans' bed is not that big for anyone to mistake it for a soccer field, so maybe he wasn't thinking at all. Hey, he gets hurt like this, he won't do it again.
In todays society a lawsuit based on negligence will occur with 100% certainty. Based on the earning potential of a 12-14 year old.....well I wouldn't even want to think of that.
You're right, 12-14 year olds don't know what they are getting into.
Can I go out with my friends, get drunk till I can't walk, crawl into my truck, drive away, run into a tree, sober up and sue my friends because they did not stop me from driving away?
If 12-14yos want to ride in the back, let them. Make sure they are not doing any stupid things like standing up while you're doing 60 down the freeway.
Other than that.....you can't defend yourself against EVERYTHING, sometimes you just have to let it go.
The thing about minors....they don't have much say especially where their parents are concerned. It's basically up to the adults on whether to allow them in the back or not. Good luck with letting them go.
With a side impact all the force is perpendicular to the vehicle, and will launch people from side to side. With beds being pretty shallow on most trucks, anyone not sitting down very low would probably be flung out of the bed.
Same would happen with a rear-end collision at high speed differential (only now people would be flung back at the vehicle that struck the truck).
I generally have the tire pressure at 36psi usually ride alone with an unloaded bed.
Anyone else feel unsafe at higher speeds and any suggests as to how to improve upon the ride?
2. Get better tires if above does not help.
I've driven at 90 and truck felt fine, but I ride around with 28-32 psi pressure max.
Improving upon the ride:
1. Replace coils to better ones (OME makes them, if you don't want lift, you'll want 880 coils. www.arbusa.com), you can buy a setup with 880 coils and shocks from them.
2. Tire slippage: put 3 50-lbs bags of sand in the bed.
3. If you don't want to spend money on new coils (should be around $250-300), you can buy used TRD coils off someone on ebay who put a lift on.
So far very happy with the truck. The seats are too soft for my liking and the steering wheel is slightly off center and will need to have it adjusted by dealer so that the truck will go straight when the steering will is centered but those are my only issues.
Nissan 2WD was totaled. I am looking at a 4WD Xtracab
manual transmission, but I am undecided on 4 cyl or the V6.
The EPA estimates are 18/21 for the 4 cyl, and 17/20 for the
V6. What is the typical mileage that people have gotten? The 2.7L
4 cyl is rated at 150 HP, and the V6 is 190 HP, and there is only 1 mile a gallon difference? I typically got 25 mpg in my
nissan, but that was a 2WD vehicle, of course.
The models I have looked at have all had bucket seats. Just
how comfortable are these seats for extended periods of time?
The bench seat in my Nissan was dreadful for more than short
distances. I have been driving a Honda Accord until I get my
truck, and have been spoiled by the comfortable seats. Of course this is a truck and not a car, but I would prefer some
comfort. This vehicle will be used as my daily driver.
My last question is about TRD. It seems that almost all the V6 vehicles I have seen have TRD. I have seen one V6 without, however. How does this affect the ride? I really don't have serious plans to offroad, but it would be nice to have 4WD, as I have gotten stuck a couple of times on back roads in my 2WD truck, and the few times it does snow here (I live in NM),
a 2WD truck is a pain on slick roads, especially on an incline.
So, I guess I am probably leaning toward the 2.7 4 Xtracab w/o TRD for mileage and comfort reasons, but wanted to get some feedback from Tacoma owners.
2. Seats: to each their own. Nearly everyone in TTORA complains about how bad seats are, but I don't get it
If you are mechanically-inclined, you could install more comfortable seats.
3. TRD. Everybody now has TRD. 99% of people don't know what it is and don't use it. TRD is a nice package if you're going for an offroad truck. The #1 reason to get TRD is the locker. HOwever, it is available on some models as a stand-alone option...#2 reason is better suspension. Progressive coils and better shocks make ride better and firmer. Again, you have to try it yourself. I think you'll find non-TRD a little too soft. Worst case, if you don't like non-TRD setup, there's always plenty of people who sell their TRD suspension (coils and struts) brand new or very little used because they install lifts. I know because I just sold mine on ebay today for $170, complete front coils+strut setup ready to bolt on plus rear shocks.
For more info, go to www.ttora.com , it's a nation-wide club of Tacoma owners/offroaders. Check the message boards, ask away. You'll find loads of good info there.
Hope this helps.
The seats in the Tacoma are a big improvement over the bench seat in the Nissan. The side bolsters, center armrest and adjustable seatback angle all are major improvements over a fixed-angle bench. The taco seats are still firm after 83,000 miles. I just made a 300 mile (one way) Thanksgiving trip and have no complaint with the seats. I don't like the door mounted armrest though.
Gas mileage for the trip with the 6 cylinder was 21 MPG. My Nissan was getting about 22 with the four banger and a smaller, lighter truck (std cab). If you go with the 4x4, you will naturally take a hit on the gas mileage.
I have to say that the V-6 is really nice... smooth and torquey. It effortlessly climbs hills in 5th that the Nissan needed 4th to hold its speed. The newer Toyota 4 is more powerful than my old Nissan (134 HP), but the six is soooo nice.
One thing that I miss about the standard-cab Nissan is the nimble handling. The long wheelbase of the ex-cab Toyota makes for a much larger turning diameter and far less agile feeling handling.
Whatever version of the Tacoma you choose, I don't think you can go wrong. They are well designed, solidly built trucks.
-james
Seats are buckets and I like them fine for any length of trip. TRD is hard ride, but doesn't bother me.
I have been stuck in it three times, all on inclines with wet grass only. Dropping into 4HI allieviated the problem.
I like the Pre-runner for its ride height, but the automatic transmission totally bores me, so I had to go 4x4.
Mine's 2002:
Here (At Tellico, NC)
Here(At San Antonio)
And here (closeup of ....my tonneau cover
All those pix are of the stock height, I just had it lifted, no pix of that yet.
A little background about my Tacoma. During the past 5 years I have tried to purchase a Tacoma 3 times and could not get a dealer in my region to get the equipment I wanted. The two problem issues were ABS and Sunroof. I must have tried 20 plus dealers in the Midwest area.
In 2003 ABS is standard so all I really needed was to find a truck with sunroof and color key. I again found that midwest dealers could not get the truck but that West Coast and Southeast dealers had trucks equipped the way I wanted. Since I wanted color key I was limited to Silver, Black, Red and Dark Red. First choice was dark red but I ended up finding a silver one since there really does seem to be more Silver Tacomas than any other color.
Did a dealer lookup for major cities in the Southeast and checked their inventory. Emailed about 8 dealers in the Atlanta area and ended up making a deal on the Silver truck that I posted a picture of earlier.
They found another truck and last week I flew to Atlanta and picked up the truck and drove it to Chicago area. I am very happy with the truck and plan to keep it until it falls apart.
The thing that really makes me angry about Toyota is not being to order what you want from the options available. What makes it worse is that Toyota was building the exact trucks I wanted but would not sell that option combination in the region I live in.
Something else odd is that the dealers I spoke to in the Southeast all told me that the sunroof was hard to get and when they did get a truck with a sunroof it sold quickly, yet Toyota's line on the sunroof is that it is not a popular option. Hmmm, if you don't make many you won't sell many. There were over 30 Tacomas available w/ sunroof in Southeast region port 3 weeks ago and now there are zero.
Bottom line is I highly recommend a Tacoma even with the hassles of obtaining one the way I wanted it equipped. Majority of people would not be a stubborn about specific options as I was and can get one from their local dealer.
Maybe he could help you get over (i doubt it) the loss of your Tacoma?
Obi
OTT lift, yeah, he'll help him get over it:)
Why Liberty? If you had a 2000 Ltd Taco, you could have easily traded for a 4Runner.