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We all love our trucks, but what made you buy it in the first place?

Tyler

Tyler

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Gonna steal my answer right out of my build thread...
This can be a long story but I'm gonna try to keep it to the point.

July 2017: I had been daily driving my 1984 Chevy M1008 CUCV (K30) for two years now. It has never let me down and literally receives compliments daily. This truck is my baby, and always will be, but I felt like although it has 37" tires, it is mostly a mall crawler. My wife has a 2013 Jeep JK that we bought in 2013 and it has seen many trails across the country. My CUCV definitely wouldn't be able to keep up with it. So I decided I wanted a Jeep for myself.

That weekend we went around to some dealerships to see Jeeps. I knew what I wanted; I had already owned one for about four years. And because I knew what I wanted, it was kind of hard to find one in that configuration on any lots. I would've had to order it. So we leave the final dealership for the day and immediately drive by an adjacent Toyota dealership. That's when the quicksand paint caught our eye. Our Jeep color is called "dune", which is similar to quicksand, so naturally we were intrigued. Well... kind of -- I never dreamed of owning anything other than an old Chevy pickup, with the exception being Jeep JK's. Especially not a Toyota (nothing against them I just thought I was die-hard Chevy). Anyway, we went in literally just to compare the price to the Jeep. I figured it would be a lot cheaper since Jeeps are annoyingly expensive. We all know what kind of price I saw on the sticker. Surprisingly not cheaper at all. But I decided to tell my wife I have a guilty pleasure about the way the 3rd gen looks and she was really digging it herself.

Fast forward about six hours of working with the salesman. I'm now driving home in a brand new Taco, a truck I know nothing about. Except that it had a rear locker. Mmmmm, that rear locker is so nice. I'm driving home thinking to myself, "what the fuck did I just do?". I had a perfectly good truck that is paid off and definitely didn't need a brand new truck. But this is the first brand new truck I ever bought for myself and dang it felt good (wife's Jeep not counted).

I made a promise to myself after I got the truck. As with her Jeep, I want to put as many miles I can on it, eventually driving it into the ground. I'm not the type of person that likes getting new vehicles after a few years, and neither is the wife, so the Jeep and Taco are here to stay. In addition to that, I promised myself that despite it being a brand new $38k truck, I will not be afraid to wheel it. I've always had a passion for off-roading, and that wasn't going to change now. And guess what? I absolutely do wheel it, perhaps a little too hard. Not even a year old and I have some decent trail scars.
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I had intended on getting something more outdoor friendly. Didn't even think of offroading, just thought a truck would be easier to camp with. Then I found out what people do with their tacos and it has been all downhill from there. Loving it though!
 
I had purchased a used 2012 which was a lemon, then a 2013 silverado, 2015 silverado, and went back to the 2017 tacoma new. Mostly due to the long standing history of reliability with past models.
 
Here's my story. Threw some photos in there with some background just to make it interesting. My previous car was a 2009 Scion xB. It was sitting on Megan Racing coilovers and 5Zigen 18" wheels with various bolt-on mods.

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I've always loved camping and hiking, I just never thought to have a vehicle that reflected that kind of lifestyle. I also do a lot of target shooting on public land but I've always hitched a ride with friends in their SUVs and 4x4s. Because of this, at the time, I really wanted a Subaru but I still loved having my xB so I kind of fused the idea into my xB and attempted to make it more adventurous. I ditched the coilovers for some TRD springs and stock shocks and I got 16" rally wheels from A-Tech. Threw on a hitch for my bike rack and I felt like a was driving a FWD Forester.

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(Yosemite National Park, CA)

My want for an off road worthy vehicle still burned in the back of my head but was unsure of what I wanted. I knew I loved Toyota so I wanted to stick with that but the Subarus were still very appealing. I had the last straw when I had to drive to a friend's wedding via a dirt road that led to their property. I got the xB stuck.

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(Coconino National Forrest, Arizona)

I decided to burn the Subaru idea and went with the Tacoma after toying with the idea of a 4Runner. I always liked Tacomas, I never thought I'd own one though. I really wanted a used 2nd gen at first. I wanted a truck that I could beat up and not have to worry about dings, dents and scratches however the resale value on those led me to just go for a new Tacoma. I got my 2017 Super White TRD Off Road 4x4, Double Cab, Short Bed and it's been great. I've taken it on a number of off road adventures already and I love the utility and practicality. I'm glad I'm able to tow as well, I've always wanted an ultralight camping trailer... that might be next.
 
ThorsHammer said:
I like my 2017 just fine but I wish it got the MPG I see a lot of other people post. Basically, I get the same MPG my 2013 got, and I much prefer the 4.0L with the five speed. If I could buy a brand new 2015, I would.
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Understandable. My MPG is crap but I didn’t expect it to be good.
 
Previously owned a 2004 subaru sport wagon because it was all wheel drive. I like going outdoors and shooting in the desert and being that the Subaru was lowered I always had to rent a truck to go outdoors. Always wanted a diesel but my wife said it was to expensive so pulled the trigger on my second option. I now own a 2018 double cab long bed in cement. Best purchase I’ve done so far.
 

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Anthomilee said:
Previously owned a 2004 subaru sport wagon because it was all wheel drive. I like going outdoors and shooting in the desert and being that the Subaru was lowered I always had to rent a truck to go outdoors. Always wanted a diesel but my wife said it was to expensive so pulled the trigger on my second option. I now own a 2018 double cab long bed in cement. Best purchase I’ve done so far.
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Good choice on the color and bed size. ;)
 
I needed a family car, but I also needed a bed. Naturally, the Tacoma came to mind with it's value and reliability although reliability is becoming debatable now. A manual trans, that was a must. I was not prepared for the how bad the stock tune was and I thank OVTune for saving the day. I probably would have traded in the truck at a small loss. I could not take the tractor like stock tune.
So now i'm happy again. Good looks, excellent value, a lot of little mods.
 
koshasha said:
I needed a family car, but I also needed a bed. Naturally, the Tacoma came to mind with it's value and reliability although reliability is becoming debatable now. A manual trans, that was a must. I was not prepared for the how bad the stock tune was and I thank OVTune for saving the day. I probably would have traded in the truck at a small loss. I could not take the tractor like stock tune.
So now i'm happy again. Good looks, excellent value, a lot of little mods.
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Not trying to sound biased about it, but I don’t really think the reliability is debatable. Yeah, they’ve had issues. But everything does when it’s a new generation. Most of the issues were 2016 and 2017 but I feel like they’re mostly buffed out now. The stock tune does suck for sure, but it’s still reliable. I’m not trying to say you’re wrong I’m just saying I feel better about the Taco than I do the Chevy and Ford trucks.
 
No used. The 18 I bought new as soon as I could order a cement dclbor it was game over. I actually picked up the 2002 for 2k cause the trans was acting up. Changed oil and filter and she was good to go. Scored on that truck
 
I made the worst choice of a Jeep Liberty and after the third engine I leased a 16 Tacoma. I had always wanted one. I honestly didn’t even know there was the third generation. Now after the bad experience of a lease I have a 18 that I purchased. The reliability that Tacoma are know for and my love for the outdoors made it an easy choice.
 
Elkhunt said:
I made the worst choice of a Jeep Liberty and after the third engine I leased a 16 Tacoma. I had always wanted one. I honestly didn’t even know there was the third generation. Now after the bad experience of a lease I have a 18 that I purchased. The reliability that Tacoma are know for and my love for the outdoors made it an easy choice.
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My wife and I have a Jeep JK. Love that Jeep, but I would never tell anyone to get anything besides a Wrangler or maybe a Cherokee, lol.
 
I had been wanting to get a truck again, my last truck was a GMC Sierra, got rid of that back in 2010 for a Toyota Corolla to use as my DD(Insanely Awesome MPG). Finally in 2016 the Corolla was having some issues and I decided we needed a truck again, always loved Toyota's reliability, a lot of my family has Toyota's, and I wanted either a Tacoma or Tundra. I decided to go with the Tacoma mostly because I loved how the 3rd Gens looked. Bought a 2016 TRD Sport 4x2 in May 2016, found TW and realized I needed something more offroad worthy, in December 2016 I traded in for my current 2017 TRD Offroad 4x4. Been super happy ever since!
 
I was a car guy for many years. Loved (and still love) high horsepower cars, the thrill of speed, all that fun stuff. But having my 4runner showed me the love of off roading and as I learned more and experimented more and gained more experience, and discovered how much I liked the utility of a SUV/truck, the ability to go anywhere, to carry a lot more gear and whatever else, etc, my enjoying going exploring and being "outdoor-sy" if you will, I came to decide that I wanted another truck. Definitely another off road capable vehicle for sure, to continue to support my love for exploring off road and heading out into the desert to go shooting and get back into camping like I grew up doing with my family. I realized I had grown out of the addiction to the racing car scene and set out to decide on my next truck.

I was checking out the Chevy ZR2 but eventually it came down to either another 4runner or the Tacoma, largely because the Taco offerred a manual trans over the ZR2 even though the Chevy had plenty of bonuses going for it. A 5th gen 4R is my wife's current dream truck, and since we already have a 4th gen, I didn't really want to eventually have 3 4runners in the driveway lol so I went with the Tacoma and truth be told, I haven't regretted that decision once. Love the truck and I'm keeping this thing until it gets run into the ground and dies on me. I don't expect that will be anytime soon lol
 
Silent_Taco4x4 said:
I had been wanting to get a truck again, my last truck was a GMC Sierra, got rid of that back in 2010 for a Toyota Corolla to use as my DD(Insanely Awesome MPG). Finally in 2016 the Corolla was having some issues and I decided we needed a truck again, always loved Toyota's reliability, a lot of my family has Toyota's, and I wanted either a Tacoma or Tundra. I decided to go with the Tacoma mostly because I loved how the 3rd Gens looked. Bought a 2016 TRD Sport 4x2 in May 2016, found TW and realized I needed something more offroad worthy, in December 2016 I traded in for my current 2017 TRD Offroad 4x4. Been super happy ever since!
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I always ask two questions about the 4x2. Why does Toyota make them? And why do people buy them? Just kidding, I understand they have a purpose. (not kidding tho)
mZiggy said:
I was a car guy for many years. Loved (and still love) high horsepower cars, the thrill of speed, all that fun stuff. But having my 4runner showed me the love of off roading and as I learned more and experimented more and gained more experience, and discovered how much I liked the utility of a SUV/truck, the ability to go anywhere, to carry a lot more gear and whatever else, etc, my enjoying going exploring and being "outdoor-sy" if you will, I came to decide that I wanted another truck. Definitely another off road capable vehicle for sure, to continue to support my love for exploring off road and heading out into the desert to go shooting and get back into camping like I grew up doing with my family. I realized I had grown out of the addiction to the racing car scene and set out to decide on my next truck.

I was checking out the Chevy ZR2 but eventually it came down to either another 4runner or the Tacoma, largely because the Taco offerred a manual trans over the ZR2 even though the Chevy had plenty of bonuses going for it. A 5th gen 4R is my wife's current dream truck, and since we already have a 4th gen, I didn't really want to eventually have 3 4runners in the driveway lol so I went with the Tacoma and truth be told, I haven't regretted that decision once. Love the truck and I'm keeping this thing until it gets run into the ground and dies on me. I don't expect that will be anytime soon lol
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It’s dope that the ZR2 has a front locker. Wish Toyota did that. But damn the Colorado is ugly.
 
Tyler said:
Not trying to sound biased about it, but I don’t really think the reliability is debatable. Yeah, they’ve had issues. But everything does when it’s a new generation. Most of the issues were 2016 and 2017 but I feel like they’re mostly buffed out now. The stock tune does suck for sure, but it’s still reliable. I’m not trying to say you’re wrong I’m just saying I feel better about the Taco than I do the Chevy and Ford trucks.
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When comparing to Chevy and Ford the Tacoma is flawless imo. :cool: But the Tacoma by itself concerns me just a little bit. Maybe i'm letting the tiny forum population of Tacoma owners make it seem like the issues are more widespread than they really are. :unsure:
I just hit 11K and beginning to hear the howl from rear during coasting around 50MPH, but i'm conflicted because it's like, was that always there,? Is that a normal volume? Would I have noticed if I hadn't read the thread on it? It's a vicious cycle.

My Dad had a 93 Previa with 470k miles and that rear diff was like Mariah.
 
@koshasha I have almost 18000 miles on my '17 and just last week heard the howl for the first time. Normally I drive with my music loud, so was it always there? or am I hearing it now because I have read about it? For now, I will just keep my volume up and not notice it.
 
For the howl, I feel like because of the TW thread I’m always listening for it without even thinking about it. Haven’t heard it yet but if/when I hear something it’ll probably be “OH SHIT I HAVE IT TOO” because of the thread, when in reality I’m just hearing things or it was there the whole time.

We’re all paranoid lol.
 
I always liked Tacomas, but never seriously considered buying one. Then my wife started shopping for SUVs. While we were at the Toyota dealer looking at Highlanders, I started scoping out the Tacos.
Long story short....we ended up with two new 2017 Toyota’s. Lol.
I had to get mine 600 miles away though. Couldn’t find a manual anywhere close to home.
 
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