Buying a tacoma trd offroad...

pcbuckhunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Tacoma’s are not what they used be.

My best friend had a 2017 and didn’t keep it 6 months. It was weak as a dish rag, and the mileage was atrocious. It would barely pull his 5x8 trailer with a Honda 250 4 wheeler on it... it acted like it was trying to pull a full sized trackhoe, add in 13 mpg highway and it was a dud. He traded it for a Titan and never looked back.

He paid 27K for the truck and was allowed 19K on trade in.
 
One thing is for sure, if you want to be talked out of a purchase, just start a thread saying you're thinking of buying it on NCHF. You will be sure to know of every flaw within about 24 hours. That has value, but it can be a bit one-sided.

The fact that 10 people haven't already balked at the price and given you examples of where you could get it cheaper means it's probably a fair price.

Yeah I do appreciate the naysayers. Its a huge purchase and I’m going to be driving it for at least 150k miles before I will try to unload it. Thats a long time to drive a truck you dont like.

My only concern is it had mild to moderate damage to the rear left bumper about 3 years ago. Its only put on about 20k miles since, and had a 4 wheel alignment during that time. I get nervous buying anything with damage, so I am taking it for a PPI at an autobody today. If they find anything I think I’ll walk, but if its clean I’m thinking about offering $30k out the door.
Doubt that very seriously. Have you priced a used tacoma lately?

Guy I know just listed this ‘96 for $7500. He’ll get it too.View attachment 63664

Thats the main reason Im looking at the tacomas more than the nissans. The spot I found this truck at also has a clean frontier pro4x but they seem to lose value fast
 

CountryRN

Twelve Pointer
If you aren't stuck on the brand and are willing to consider other trucks, I would suggest looking at an F150.
Dad has a 2018 extra cab 4x4 with the 5.0. Has plenty of pulling power. Sport mode will give you all the speed and sport driving feel that you want. Economy mode on the 10 speed transmission will give some impressive fuel mileage.
I was able to manage 26 mpg over a long stretch country roads to the beach.
 

v8stang289

Twelve Pointer
To further discourage you let me point out that the truck will be worth less than $10,000 in 10 years.
Not likely, my 09 Tacoma with 230k miles still books over 15 grand.
I'm not a fan of the 16 and up trucks but Tacomas hold their value better than most anything.

That said when my son turns 16 in a few years he'll likely get my Tacoma, and I'll be looking for a newer f150 5.0.
 
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gremcat

Twelve Pointer
Have a ‘18 TRD Runner that’s essentially the same if the one your looking at has CRAWL package. Love it, 50k miles and tow a trailer when needed. I’ve a 7.3 F-250 to for real heavy work. Mileage is worse or comparable to the 7.3 I guess. 18.3 mpg or something last I saw and Holds 17-18 galllons.

Had it here in a bad ice / snow storm on the steep windy hills and went to next town over. Subies, Chevy/Ford SUVs, etc all used to NE Snowfall stuck on steep part climbing out of Valley. I had to stop dead on black ice as they slid toward me right on the steep portion. Threw it in 4 low and locked. My tires are factory sort of street tires too. Drove up and around them without missing a beat. Next town was 3’ of snow and folks out cleaning up chatting since no one in their right mind would drive on that mess. Got the evil eye and a few even refused to move. I’ve had quite a few vehicles over the years and drive mostly mid-large suv rentals for work travel all year. Most capable vehicle I’ve been in and that includes some early year Yotas built for crawling and wheeling. Even has “Dummy” buttons so you don’t have to decide rear lock, front A-Trac(sweet feature too), you just select road conditions in 4 Low and it does the rest.

I liked the manual knobs inside, etc. Recently drove a new Atlas and all the lane assist stuff is nice but it doesn’t let you feel connected to the road. The Runner feels like a truck and rides like one. The next Expedition Max XL, Dodge Longhorn, Nissan Armada, and. Few others feel more powerful but ride Like big cushy boats. Nice sometimes like hauling a large family but definitely a different feel than the TRD. My Ex-Stepfather buys a new TRD Taco every 3 years and loves them. About the only other vehicle I had on list to look at was a GX460 with the now dated V-8.After my fiasco with blow by on the Lexus car and my Mom, a coworker. and a buddy all having a ton of issues with Ford F-150s I’m avoiding high compression turbo charged anything personally. I’m not keen on the 5 liter having “coated” cylinder walls vs sleeves in the aluminum block either.
 

v8stang289

Twelve Pointer
Have a ‘18 TRD Runner that’s essentially the same if the one your looking at has CRAWL package. Love it, 50k miles and tow a trailer when needed.
The 4runner still has the 4.0. And that one has dual VVT. They have much more usable power and torque than the Tacomas 3.5
 

gremcat

Twelve Pointer
Ah thanks for the reminder, I went out of my way to get the 4.0 before the 3.5. I’ve seen a few of the earlier VVTIs self destruct. I’m leaning more and more to proven tech vs. crazy back bends to meet EPA requirements and such.
 

gremcat

Twelve Pointer
The Lexus GS had a lot of issues and cost a small fortune to keep the few years I had it. Ultimately pinholes in cats would’ve been $1500 per side plus motor yank and computer was corrupt under recall the dealer refused to correct. Bough it with 50kish on it for my Son’s first car and traded in with 85k or less on it after replacing all 4 02 sensors. Both of the adaptive headlights that had leaky seals, both front wheel bearings, then having oil consumption of 3-4qts per 1k miles and hearing computer and cats needed replacing totaling more than the residual value.

I’ll sacrifice mileage for proven reliability and things like real dated iron block on Ford trucks.
 

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
Honest Question.

What truck doesn't suck that cheaper than a house???
My 17 Ram was a tad over 42 and has lots of extras. 2500 4x4, 4 door, longbed.
So far it has done great, around 50 k miles on it, other than a few safety checks and recall stuff it has not needed any down time or shop time.

My Taco before this at about the same time frame and milage had to be towed several times, layed down on my in the road, at work, and the house all needing tows.
Spring problems, brake problem, motor, electronic. .... AC died...
Fastest was 2 to 3 days, no loner car under warranty. Longest was a week then about one week later for another 2.5 weeks.

It really I think was a bad batch or something. The other one one year older has been doing ok. It eats brakes, vibration like all tacos do and small problems.
It eats headlights and the marker lights are burning a hole in the light cover.

Only thing mine did not have was the frame rust problem. Last I recall it is still a problem for the later trucks.
That has been going on for 20 plus years. Why can't they get past it. Guess they dont care.
 

v8stang289

Twelve Pointer
It eats brakes, vibration like all tacos do and small problems.
It eats headlights and the marker lights are burning a hole in the light cover.

Vibration is probably either driveshaft or the left front cv axle if 4x4. They had a ton of DS issues and are now replacing ujoints, center bearings, and rebalancing them under warranty.
I had mine done at 220k miles after doing them myself twice.

The left front needle bearing assembly in the front carrier is a big source of vibrations too. I installed a solid bushing from east coast gear supply in Raleigh and solved mine.

Toyota issued a semi-recall on the headlight housings for the marker issue and replaced them for free with an updated part. Unfortunately it wasn't widely publicized and the replacement period didnt last long.
Mine were done under the recall at 175k and they've been good since.

The ujoints, the waterpump, and that bearing/bushing are the only issues I've had on the 09.
When they started with airpumps on them in 2011 they started having issues though.
 

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
Vibration is probably either driveshaft or the left front cv axle if 4x4. They had a ton of DS issues and are now replacing ujoints, center bearings, and rebalancing them under warranty.
I had mine done at 220k miles after doing them myself twice.

The left front needle bearing assembly in the front carrier is a big source of vibrations too. I installed a solid bushing from east coast gear supply in Raleigh and solved mine.

Toyota issued a semi-recall on the headlight housings for the marker issue and replaced them for free with an updated part. Unfortunately it wasn't widely publicized and the replacement period didnt last long.
Mine were done under the recall at 175k and they've been good since.

The ujoints, the waterpump, and that bearing/bushing are the only issues I've had on the 09.
When they started with airpumps on them in 2011 they started having issues though.
I the air pumps started in 2012 if I recall.
Have a 2011 without, the 2012 had it and nothing but problems. It burnt the pump up and the valves also.
 

ctsnow

Six Pointer
I’ve got a 14 Tacoma with 140,0000 miles on it. Truck does everything I have asked of it. Hauls a 12 ft trailer with mowers on it just fine. Pulled an 18ft aluminum boat from here to Kansas and back and averaged 15mpg. If I could change one thing about it would be more space.
If I could buy the same exact truck tomorrow, I would do it again. Only maintenance I have done is oil changes every 5,000 miles and I did a transmission fluid change/spark plug change at 120,000.
 

thelivecanary

Eight Pointer
I owned an 00' Tundra that I bought used with 160,000 miles on it. I put over a 100,000 miles on it and sold it for $2800 about a month ago. It had it's short comings but the cost of ownership is hard to beat in my opinion. Until Toyota quality slips I'll keep driving them.

 

nckeith

Ten Pointer
I will stick to bullet points. Facts and opinions are my own while driving it and using it when I don't need a superduty. I owned a 2003 model so I like Toyotas. My daily driver is a 2017 F250 diesel.
I purchased a 2018 TRD off road preowned in January 2019 for my son. It had 27,000 miles and I paid $27.500. I understand post covid prices have gone up.
Pros- the collision avoidance stuff is good for a first time driver. Makes me sleep better that he can't rear end someone.
The 4x4 system is great and so is the crawl control features.
It's easy to park in urban areas and does well on the farm when it gets muddy.
Cons- It gets worse average mileage than my 6.7 powerstroke. Hand calculated and triple checked.
I loaded the bed with tile from a laundry remodel at my house and it was on the bump stops almost immediately. Kind of shocked how bad the springs are.
The transmission is horrible, shifts all the time, rear end seems to randomly clunk at a stop light.
Fuel pump was recalled and the dash panel, clear piece with speedo, has developed cracks. common problems from what I have seen online and from the large backlog of the service department.
Radio is pretty dated if that matters. Compared to my Ford Sync it's pretty terrible. May not be a deal breaker, again just an observation.
Cab is pretty cramped for the fuel mileage it gets. It gets worse mileage than a 2.7 f150 and has the overall room of a civic.


Overall Verdict- It's not your fathers Tacoma. My 2003 had no issues for 175,000 miles. Sure I maintained it and it was on new shocks and tires, but I wouldn't have hesitated to drive it anywhere.
This 2018 is just like any other truck at this point. Largely riding on it's reputation but its no better or worse than a domestic in my ownership time.
I've been to the dealer to have the fuel pump done, the transmission flashed etc. But the horrible gas mileage, poor capacity, dated radio, horrible shifting etc. don't give me the warm and fuzzy feelings of prior tacomas.

I ordered a new bronco two weeks ago and while at the dealership I test drove the ranger. If shopping today I'd buy a ranger over the tacoma, purchase an 8 year 150k genuine ford warranty from Flood Ford for $1500 and sleep well knowing I'd be covered for turbos blowing up for the time I'd own with a $100 deductible.

If you expect to own the Tacoma for 150k trouble free miles, I'd bet it's not going to happen.
 

nckeith

Ten Pointer
Have a ‘18 TRD Runner that’s essentially the same if the one your looking at has CRAWL package. Love it, 50k miles and tow a trailer when needed. I’ve a 7.3 F-250 to for real heavy work. Mileage is worse or comparable to the 7.3 I guess. 18.3 mpg or something last I saw and Holds 17-18 galllons.

Had it here in a bad ice / snow storm on the steep windy hills and went to next town over. Subies, Chevy/Ford SUVs, etc all used to NE Snowfall stuck on steep part climbing out of Valley. I had to stop dead on black ice as they slid toward me right on the steep portion. Threw it in 4 low and locked. My tires are factory sort of street tires too. Drove up and around them without missing a beat. Next town was 3’ of snow and folks out cleaning up chatting since no one in their right mind would drive on that mess. Got the evil eye and a few even refused to move. I’ve had quite a few vehicles over the years and drive mostly mid-large suv rentals for work travel all year. Most capable vehicle I’ve been in and that includes some early year Yotas built for crawling and wheeling. Even has “Dummy” buttons so you don’t have to decide rear lock, front A-Trac(sweet feature too), you just select road conditions in 4 Low and it does the rest.

I liked the manual knobs inside, etc. Recently drove a new Atlas and all the lane assist stuff is nice but it doesn’t let you feel connected to the road. The Runner feels like a truck and rides like one. The next Expedition Max XL, Dodge Longhorn, Nissan Armada, and. Few others feel more powerful but ride Like big cushy boats. Nice sometimes like hauling a large family but definitely a different feel than the TRD. My Ex-Stepfather buys a new TRD Taco every 3 years and loves them. About the only other vehicle I had on list to look at was a GX460 with the now dated V-8.After my fiasco with blow by on the Lexus car and my Mom, a coworker. and a buddy all having a ton of issues with Ford F-150s I’m avoiding high compression turbo charged anything personally. I’m not keen on the 5 liter having “coated” cylinder walls vs sleeves in the aluminum block either.

FYI the 4runner is not even remotely the same since they stuck to the old transmission and engine combo. Most of the modern complaints on the "new" tacoma are the new engine and transmission combo.
Plus the 4 runner doesnt have the lane departure, collisions avoidance etc. Many off roaders don't like that stuff
 

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
. Pulled an 18ft aluminum boat from here to Kansas and back and averaged 15mpg. .

Got to say if that is true, its some of the best milage I have seen.
We were hard pressed to get 15 to 16 out of both of ours on a road trip or around town.
Also when pulling the ATV on its trailer time and time again I checked and rechecked.
Best I could get was 12 mpg most the time it was 9 to 10 max when towing.
When I picked up my 18' aluminum boat after a few trips I knew I needed to tow with something different.

Are they still using 1980's drum brakes on the back of them? Or did they go disk finally?
 
I must say I really want the bronco, but my current car needs:
Transmission fluid change
Oil change
Tires
Brakes and rotors
New windshield

In order to delay enough to get a lightly used bronco, I will have to put about a grand into my car that is only worth 9k. My plan is to drive the taco for a few years then get a 2nd or 3rd year bronco used.

For this reason one of my prime concerns is the resale value and I feel like tacos depreciate less than the nissan and chevy. The ranger I just dont feel as comfortable.

I will stick to bullet points. Facts and opinions are my own while driving it and using it when I don't need a superduty. I owned a 2003 model so I like Toyotas. My daily driver is a 2017 F250 diesel.
I purchased a 2018 TRD off road preowned in January 2019 for my son. It had 27,000 miles and I paid $27.500. I understand post covid prices have gone up.
Pros- the collision avoidance stuff is good for a first time driver. Makes me sleep better that he can't rear end someone.
The 4x4 system is great and so is the crawl control features.
It's easy to park in urban areas and does well on the farm when it gets muddy.
Cons- It gets worse average mileage than my 6.7 powerstroke. Hand calculated and triple checked.
I loaded the bed with tile from a laundry remodel at my house and it was on the bump stops almost immediately. Kind of shocked how bad the springs are.
The transmission is horrible, shifts all the time, rear end seems to randomly clunk at a stop light.
Fuel pump was recalled and the dash panel, clear piece with speedo, has developed cracks. common problems from what I have seen online and from the large backlog of the service department.
Radio is pretty dated if that matters. Compared to my Ford Sync it's pretty terrible. May not be a deal breaker, again just an observation.
Cab is pretty cramped for the fuel mileage it gets. It gets worse mileage than a 2.7 f150 and has the overall room of a civic.


Overall Verdict- It's not your fathers Tacoma. My 2003 had no issues for 175,000 miles. Sure I maintained it and it was on new shocks and tires, but I wouldn't have hesitated to drive it anywhere.
This 2018 is just like any other truck at this point. Largely riding on it's reputation but its no better or worse than a domestic in my ownership time.
I've been to the dealer to have the fuel pump done, the transmission flashed etc. But the horrible gas mileage, poor capacity, dated radio, horrible shifting etc. don't give me the warm and fuzzy feelings of prior tacomas.

I ordered a new bronco two weeks ago and while at the dealership I test drove the ranger. If shopping today I'd buy a ranger over the tacoma, purchase an 8 year 150k genuine ford warranty from Flood Ford for $1500 and sleep well knowing I'd be covered for turbos blowing up for the time I'd own with a $100 deductible.

If you expect to own the Tacoma for 150k trouble free miles, I'd bet it's not going to happen.
 

ctsnow

Six Pointer
Got to say if that is true, its some of the best milage I have seen.
We were hard pressed to get 15 to 16 out of both of ours on a road trip or around town.
Also when pulling the ATV on its trailer time and time again I checked and rechecked.
Best I could get was 12 mpg most the time it was 9 to 10 max when towing.
When I picked up my 18' aluminum boat after a few trips I knew I needed to tow with something different.

Are they still using 1980's drum brakes on the back of them? Or did they go disk finally?
I normally get around 17mpg so I’m pretty good with it. It’s better than I expected.

And yes drum brakes.
 

m704

Six Pointer
Sounds like people should be buying a tundra instead of a Tacoma if they want to pull heavy loads I’ve got a 2011 I can’t complain only pull utility trailer with a four wheeler does fine 20 miles per gallon best I’ve got
 

v8stang289

Twelve Pointer
I'm a Toyota guy. I've driven them since I was 16 and have owned 7(still own 3). Those 7 have 1.8 million miles between them on original engines/trans and all but one still run( mom ran over something and knocked a hole in the oil pan)
All of those were Japanese built except the Tacoma.

In my opinion quality has slowly fallen since North American production has started. I still think Toyotas engines are some of the best assembled engines in the industry. But I dont really care for the newer designs.

I dont plan on owning another Tacoma unless it was built before 2012, unless Toyota makes some big changes.

4runners are about the only current production Toyota that I care for. They're all built in Japan and quality still seems to be good.
 

nckeith

Ten Pointer
I'm a Toyota guy. I've driven them since I was 16 and have owned 7(still own 3). Those 7 have 1.8 million miles between them on original engines/trans and all but one still run( mom ran over something and knocked a hole in the oil pan)
All of those were Japanese built except the Tacoma.

In my opinion quality has slowly fallen since North American production has started. I still think Toyotas engines are some of the best assembled engines in the industry. But I dont really care for the newer designs.

I dont plan on owning another Tacoma unless it was built before 2012, unless Toyota makes some big changes.

4runners are about the only current production Toyota that I care for. They're all built in Japan and quality still seems to be good.

I do think people chiming in with pre 2016 tacomas have no idea just how bad the atkinson cycle 3.5 motor is. To assume its even in the same ballpark as the 4.0 is a huge fallacy. If I blindfolded anyone and told them to drive the post 2016 tacoma I don't think a single person would choose it. It really is riding on it's reputation at this point.
 

nckeith

Ten Pointer
Sounds like people should be buying a tundra instead of a Tacoma if they want to pull heavy loads I’ve got a 2011 I can’t complain only pull utility trailer with a four wheeler does fine 20 miles per gallon best I’ve got
It's not about pulling heavy loads with the new motor. it's about the shift pattern and lack of torque in the 3.5 motor and new transmission. I get single digits with a war eagle and trailer and at best 16 or 17 empty.
The answer I keep getting is that brand domestic xyz won't be around at 200k miles. I'd venture these mexican built tacomas won't be either.
 
It's not about pulling heavy loads with the new motor. it's about the shift pattern and lack of torque in the 3.5 motor and new transmission. I get single digits with a war eagle and trailer and at best 16 or 17 empty.
The answer I keep getting is that brand domestic xyz won't be around at 200k miles. I'd venture these mexican built tacomas won't be either.

I feel like it needs said, but there is a button you can press that adjusts the shift rpm ranges specifically to provide more power for towing.

With that said, I really don’t tow anything (yet).
 

v8stang289

Twelve Pointer
I do think people chiming in with pre 2016 tacomas have no idea just how bad the atkinson cycle 3.5 motor is. To assume its even in the same ballpark as the 4.0 is a huge fallacy. If I blindfolded anyone and told them to drive the post 2016 tacoma I don't think a single person would choose it. It really is riding on it's reputation at this point.
And I saw with my own eyes a brand new 16 tacoma come off the car hauler with a dead miss on #4 cylinder.
An ASE Master tech (one of the best techs and troubleshooters I've seen) tore it down. South East Toyota sent 2 field tech reps out to check out what was going on. The valves weren't sealing on #4.
Ended up putting a new head on that side and solving the issue. This was one of the first 16's the dealership got. And a nearly $40k presold truck with an engine issue got everyone's attention.
The next time I saw one of the tech reps I asked him how the 3.5 Tacoma engines were doing. He replied "sure is nice weather we're having today" and walked away.
 

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
Or any full size truck really. Complaining about the tow/haul capabilities of a compact/midsize truck is a you problem, not a truck problem.

Use the right tool for the job.
I guess it is not really the tool for the job for say but how and what you are told about the tool when you buy it.

They list a weight rating and to rate that is not safe. I'm thinking they rate it to tow 6500 lbs but we all know it will not do that safely.

On mine, I had 4 bags of corn or so on the bed. It was sitting on the bump stops. It would kill your back. What did the dealer say and the corporate guy they sent to look at it.
You are overloaded and it is not made to tow or haul what you want to haul.
My ATV and trailer would only be in the 2000 lb range and they called it overloaded.
It was working the truck to no end. It needed air bags and trailer brakes to tow it safely.
 

v8stang289

Twelve Pointer
Or any full size truck really. Complaining about the tow/haul capabilities of a compact/midsize truck is a you problem, not a truck problem.

Use the right tool for the job.
A lot of it stems from the fact that the previous generation Tacoma did a pretty good job with it.
Bed weight capacity sucks on them, but towing is decent. With my 09 I pull a car trailer regularly thats ~4klbs loaded and it does it easily.
A full size would definitely do a better job with most towing. But the 3.5 was a def downgrade from the 4.0 when it comes to towing. (And most other things)
 
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