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Posted: 1/24/2021 3:18:29 PM EDT
Thinking of moving from a Nissan to a Toyota. If I do, it'll be a Tocoma. For those whom bought one in the last year or two, what do you think? Would you buy one again or not? Any advice?
Bought a Nissan Crew Cab Frontier yesterday. |
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Quoted: I love mine 2018 TRD Sport View Quote Same. OP, couple things you should know. The engine/tranny combo is weird for a truck. The power doesn’t really kick in until above 3500 rpm. This makes the tranny shift a lot in an effort to help the shitty gas mileage. ECT mode helps a bit. It doesn’t bother me and I just recently drove it from Seattle to Phoenix. It drives some people insane. I do wish it got better gas mileage. |
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I just bought my 2018 tacoma trd offroad 2 months ago and absolutely love it! Bought it with 14k on it, traded in my 2008 4runner with 200k on it! Highly recommend it, love mine!
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Had a 2nd gen, went to buy a 3rd gen, hated it. Decided to total it, rolled it 6 times and went and bought a '18 LTZ Duramax.
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Currently have a 2nd gen 2wd.
Wanted a 4x4 so I test drove a brand new TRD offroad model. Liked the interior and the tech, hated the driveline (and the derpy front bumper). Drivetrain was a dealbreaker, got a 2nd gen 4x4, totally happy with it. Would love a 2nd gen with the 3rd gen interior and tech. |
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No.
I have a 2020. It’s junk imo. Lots of quality issues in regards to nvh in the engine, drivetrain, etc. Toyota doesn’t care. It is hit and miss though, but keep in mind that however it is when you test drive it is how it’ll remain. Do not expect Toyota to fix vibrations for you even if other trucks don’t do it. Also, if you get the off road model it comes with a special brake booster that will cause the brake pedal to vibrate like a cell phone every other time you push the pedal down. You can test this in park. That’s just how it is. Guaranteed your old Nissan is smoother. |
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I had a 2007 4cyl 4x4 with 340,000. I just sold it in November for $3,000. It was clapped out, I used it for hunting on the mountains. Dented, paint fade, bad brakes. Ripped off the bed and put on a flatbed.
Within 15 minutes my phone was ringing off the hook. Had it sold with zero haggling. I miss it now. |
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2020 sport 4x4 crew, here. I love it. I have only DD manuals since 2002 and this truck was my first auto DD. It shifts weird sometimes but it doesnt bother me in the slightest and by moving the throttle you can control most of it easily. I dont use the ect button. I did read that 2020 and later is better than the earlier ones.
It may drive like shit on the interstate I dont know. No joke i dont think i have had it on an interstate since I drove it home from the dealer in December 2019. Cruise control might be weird and make it shift a lot, just a guess. I think that trip was also the only time I have use cruise. I get 20 to 22 mpg country driving. 12k miles now. Negatives. Truck still seems tiny inside. No remote start that doesnt require their subscription package for $80, if you have a sunroof, better be 6' or shorter. Toyota seems to always have a weird seating angle, luckily the 6 way power can negate it in mine. Edit: drum bakes on rear, wtf. |
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Quoted: No. I have a 2020. It’s junk imo. Lots of quality issues in regards to nvh in the engine, drivetrain, etc. Toyota doesn’t care. It is hit and miss though, but keep in mind that however it is when you test drive it is how it’ll remain. Do not expect Toyota to fix vibrations for you even if other trucks don’t do it. Also, if you get the off road model it comes with a special brake booster that will cause the brake pedal to vibrate like a cell phone every other time you push the pedal down. You can test this in park. That’s just how it is. Guaranteed your old Nissan is smoother. View Quote 2020 TRD off road owner here that has none of those issues. OP Tacoma’s are great trucks. |
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Quoted: Same. OP, couple things you should know. The engine/tranny combo is weird for a truck. The power doesn’t really kick in until above 3500 rpm. This makes the tranny shift a lot in an effort to help the shitty gas mileage. ECT mode helps a bit. It doesn’t bother me and I just recently drove it from Seattle to Phoenix. It drives some people insane. I do wish it got better gas mileage. View Quote Solid advice here. Im a 2nd gen owner,but I did road trip in my buddys brand new 2020. |
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The 1st gen and 2nd gen tacomas carry the Toyota reliability stereotype, my 2012 has been very reliable.
The newer trucks have reliability problems in comparison, my friend blew up his motor on a brand new TRD Off-road at like 8k miles. A lot of guys don't love the transmission that is always flipping between gears. The tacoma composite bed and partial box + C-channel frame is in my opinion objectively inferior to the Nissan Frontier's fully boxed frame with steel bed. The Ranger and Colorado/Canyon are in a higher tier of capability (and size) and both have fully boxed frames iirc. Jobs/loads that tax a tacomas payload ability are well within the performance envelope on the Frontier and the Ford/GM trucks will be even more drivable then that. |
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I bought a new Tacoma TRD Offroad in 2018.
Didn't take me long to realize all the complaints were valid. Driving down the highway feels like you are dragging a parachute behind you... and it has the powerband of a 2-stroke dirtbike. Could not stand driving it anymore and traded it on a new Tundra last Summer. The Tundra is night and day better in every way. |
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I have the last of the second gen. A 2015 trd off road v6 4x4. Love it. Low end torque for days. It's a manual, which I looked for a month for and they found a new one 300 miles away in SE AZ. Got 75k on it now with no issues.
Test drive a 2020 v6 manual. Not the same. Got to spin it up. Keeping mine as long as I can. |
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I bought a 2017 TRD Off-road used with about 20k miles. It was so underpowered and constantly downshifting so I dumped it for a GMC Sierra.
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Quoted: I bought a new Tacoma TRD Offroad in 2018. Didn't take me long to realize all the complaints were valid. Driving down the highway feels like you are dragging a parachute behind you... and it has the powerband of a 2-stroke dirtbike. Could not stand driving it anymore and traded it on a new Tundra last Summer. The Tundra is night and day better in every way. View Quote Were you the guy who posted getting new wheels and load range E tires? If it is no wonder. |
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I've been driving the same Tacoma since 2001 (275,000+ miles) and had a Toyota PU for 8 years before that one. Wouldn't buy one now though since they all have that fake 4wd body style.
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I wouldn’t buy a 3rd gen for any amount of money. This is coming from someone that only buys Toyota’s.
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I have a 2018 TRD Offroad. It has 19,000 miles on it and I like it a lot. It sees a lot of dirt and a fair amount of 4 wheeling. For a truck it does really well off road.
The rear brakes are drum brakes but the brakes work very well. I have not had any issues with the brakes and I am hard on brakes. Gas mileage is not that good. I have never gotten better than 20mpg on a tank of gas. I usually get about 18mpg per tank on the highway and about 16.5 around town. The transmission is not the best. It shifts at odd times. But, it does learn the way you drive and gets better. Now it usually only bothers me on hilly highway driving. I usually go in to manual mode while off road. I have not had any issues with it yet. Hopefully, it is as reliable as my Gen 1 Tacoma. |
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Quoted: OP, couple things you should know. The engine/tranny combo is weird for a truck. The power doesn’t really kick in until above 3500 rpm. This makes the tranny shift a lot in an effort to help the shitty gas mileage. ECT mode helps a bit. It doesn’t bother me and I just recently drove it from Seattle to Phoenix. It drives some people insane. I do wish it got better gas mileage. View Quote My Frontier gets about 20mpg tank-to-tank. |
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2019 Taco owner-The V6 engine has no low end torque- likes to rev and down shift but it hauls ass compared to a 2012 V6 Taco I had.
Newer Tacoma models are kind of a pain to change oil filter compared to older models, if you change your own oil. Other than that I like mine and the Tacoma holds its value. I average about 21.5 MPG ( doing the math at fill up) with a 4X4- not a lead foot most of the time. |
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I recently bought a 2021 TRD Sport premium and I love it. It doesn't exhibit any of the transmission quirkiness I've read about. I think they resolved that on the newer ones and there is a TSB to update the transmissions on the older 3rd gens.
I've had Ford and Chevy 1/2 tons and they were decent trucks. My towing and hauling requirements are minimal now and I wanted something smaller, sportier, and that would fit in my garage. The Tacoma checked those boxes for me. |
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I have a 2009 with the 4cyl cast iron engine and I still love it. The current production ones have the same 4cyl engine, just with an updated dual vvti arrangement instead of intake only vvti like mine has.
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2nd gen (2012, V6) owner checking in.. I love my truck and it does everything I need, but I’ve had a few friends say the 3rd gen is lacking, especially with towing. I can not confirm, but I only tow less than 3k in flat areas, so it seems fine for my needs.
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2016 TRD Sport 72k miles. Hasn't given me any trouble yet other then A/C blower fan disintegrating at 20k miles which was later recalled and replaced again. Would I buy one again? Yes though I'd get the Pro if I were buying one again.
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2005-2015 Tacoma is where you should look.
Only real problems were the headlights melting and an oil leak on the front timing cover(over 100K usually though). Supercharger available from magnuson. |
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Quoted: Thinking of moving from a Nissan to a Toyota. If I do, it'll be a Tocoma. For those whom bought one in the last year or two, what do you think? Would you buy one again or not? Any advice? View Quote I have a 20 DCSB v6 4wd auto. Doesn’t have much balls till 3600rpms, and then it’ll haul some ass. Only thing I regret, is not getting the long bed for camping, and getting one in the mastah race color. I’d prefer one in odg, or cement. It is amazing in snow, and I’ll get up to 21mpg in 4hi on the highway. I’ve gotten a max of 24mpg on the highway in the summer. ETA I have the Off Road, and probably would be happy with the base SR. |
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I drove a 2nd gen for ten years and loved it. Had to move up to a half-ton for more towing.
I have heard more than a few people say the 3rd gen is a mixed bag. Better in some ways, but worse in others. Hopefully the 4th gen will be better. It should be coming in 2-3 years. |
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2006 Tacoma sport 4x4, just traded it in for a 2021 Sport 4x4. Love em. If I get another 15 years out of this new one, I'll be happy
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the 3rd gen is probably the worst truck Toyota has produced. Not saying it’s a completely bad truck but not Toyota’s best. I had a 2017 and couldn’t stand how it shifted. There was also a huge delay in response time as far as pushing the gas to when it speeds up. Got rid of mine and bought a 20 year old land cruiser.
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Two guys at work bought new Tacomas. One in 2016. The other in 2018.
Both had transmission problems. The 2018 was so bad it was traded. When I was looking for a truck I bought a single cab F-150. |
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I had a 2017 SR5 V6 4x4, and put 36,000 miles on it in 3 years. I loved the looks and utility, but there were things I didn't love.
At 6'1", I always felt "at the edge" of being comfortable. Toyota doesn't seem to understand that Americans get tall. I estimate the best height to be comfortable in a Tacoma is about 5'8". If you're taller than I am, you'll want to sit in one and maybe drive one to see if you dislike comfort. The seat doesn't lower at all, and the steering wheel only telescopes so far. If the seat lowered about an inch and the steering wheel telescoped about 1 more inch, I think I would have been fine. Lots of people bitch about the transmission. It likes to shift to the highest gear possible for efficiency. And - get this - when you want to go faster, it has to downshift!! Go fuckin' figure! Anyway, I did get annoyed with the transmission on a long road trip last year in September and October. About 3500 miles. What annoyed me the most was trying to hold speed at freeway speeds when going uphill. Add throttle, keep decelerating. Add more throttle, finally downshift to 5th from 6th, but 5th is also an overdrive, so now I'm decelerating, only slower. Add more throttle. Add more throttle. Bam, 4th gear, now I'm accelerating!! Back off of throttle to cease accelerating, shift to 5th, start decelerating again. FFS. Solution: move shifter to S4 to hold in 4th gear. At 32k miles, my front end was getting bouncy. By 36k, it really needed new shocks up front. No off-roading or hardcore terrain driving, almost all street with very very little dirt road on occasion. Anyway. I traded that truck on a 2020 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E, and holy fuck I LOVE IT. It'll do everything I need it to do, I've got far more adjustment in the driver's seat and steering wheel than I need, it handles great, feels quicker and the transmission doesn't annoy me. Everything a standard Tacoma or other box-on-frame truck can do that my Ridgeline isn't good at are things I'll never do, not in my daily driver! The Ridgeline just feels a ton more premium than the Tacoma. Sure, you could slap some leather on the seats in the Taco, a 'premium' sound system and such, but it still has the same comfort, transmission and structure. |
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Mine had some electrical gremlins, but the dealer was able to work them out. The transmission and engine are disappointing. Now there are transmission tunes, and Magnuson have come out with a supercharger for it, though.
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I have a 2010 regular cab 4 cylinder manual 4x4 6ft bed. Its reliable and easy to work on and goes anywhere. No power. Thats not what I got it for.
I dont care for the new ones. Toyota changed shit up trying satisfy the "its out dated tech" complainers and they have failed miserably. The small 4 cylinder bullet proof 4x4 manual was what put them on the top. Cant even get that configuration now I think |
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If you understand what it is and if that aligns with your needs then yes it's a great truck. I've had a 91 toyota PU, a 2012 TRD Offroad, and now a 2019 Pro.
First of all understand it's not a half ton. You wont be able to tow shit with it, you'll have less room inside, and the gas mileage won't be any better. Second of all understand it's not a half ton. You'll fit on much tighter trails, have a shorter wheel base, be able to park it in your garage, and make U turns without having to throw it in reverse. I keep a roof top tent mounted and have averaged 18.6mpg (self calculated) in 13000 miles on the 2019. Driving types range from city, interstate, mountains, and off road. My biggest gripe of the new one is the transmission shifting constantly. I don't haul ass in the city so it's not a problem there. But for my weekend commutes to the mountains it almost makes cruise control unusable. It'll just hunt and hunt for a gear on uphills. I don't mean down shift, I mean down up down up up down, all on the same constant uphill slope. This can be mitigated with the throttle and varying speeds a bit but it's annoying as fuck. However Toyota has recently released a TSB for the transmission issue. The TSB number is TSB-0092-20. You can read a lot about it HERE or other threads about it on that site. I just got the dealer to do the TSB it a couple days ago and haven't tried it in the mountains yet. With that said I'm a fan of the trucks. They are great off road, reliable, tons of aftermarket, can tow if you don't do it often, look good, and aren't as big as a F150. |
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Quoted: Thinking of moving from a Nissan to a Toyota. If I do, it'll be a Tocoma. For those whom bought one in the last year or two, what do you think? Would you buy one again or not? Any advice? View Quote I have a 2019 Tacoma sport and i love it. 30k miles on it and it hasnt given me a single issue. I plan on having it for 300k+ miles. DO IT |
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Quoted: Is there a tune available for engine/trans? View Quote Yes,Orange Virus Tune offers tune software with multiple options for tire size,gears ect. I have a 2017 TRD Off Road with a M/T so never had any complaints about the shifting. The tune,it makes a huge difference in available power and torque in the lower rpms. |
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Test drive one, but only in a hilly or mountainous area. Had I done this, I would have never bought one.
The transmission is frustrating. It's a "learning transmission" and it gets better after a few thousand miles, but still gear hunts. I just had my 2020 in for the TSB for drivability concerns and it's kind of OK now. Solid little truck. But overall performance is totally underwhelming. I use mine for camping and outdoor fun. Its a toy. I don't expect it to be a rocket or handle like a sports car. I find it comfortable. A lot of people complain about the seats. I like the seats and ride quality, which is more "truck-like" than the cushy F150's and new Rams. It's just ok. Mine pretty much sits in the garage. My other work trucks and my 2019 Pilot drive much better. You just have to drive one, but do it somewhere with hills. Then decide. |
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Too small, seats suck, transmission constantly shifting, sound system sucked.
Get a tundra, you'll be much happier. |
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