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Thread: Toyota Guys: school me on Tacomas!

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    Default Toyota Guys: school me on Tacomas!



    so I'm wanting to sell my TJ and get a double cab Tacoma. my TJ is a great Jeep and I love it, but we have an 11-month-old and a 5-year-old. whoever has the kids during the day needs the JKU to haul them around, so we often play Jeep Swap. it would just be easier to get a vehicle big enough for the kids for me to drive. my Jeep is well built, so it's worth a decent amount and I'm looking to either sell it or trade it for a 1st or 2nd gen Tacoma.

    I know that Toyotas will run forever if you take care of them. but the biggest difference I'm seeing between the two gens are the 3.4 vs the 4.0. can you give me any insight into those engines and which one I should go for? the truck will be a DD with occasional wheeling. probably never see bigger than 33s (if that to start), and not a whole lot of other stuff. I'd like to be able to tow our pop-up camper places as well.

    what else should I be looking for in a Taco? I've heard/read something about frames needing warrantied, but not much else. any info would be very helpful.

    J.

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    Default Re: Toyota Guys: school me on Tacomas!



    jayson44 previously posted:
    "biggest difference I'm seeing between the two gens are the 3.4 vs the 4.0."

    How old are you looking at here? The 3.4v6 hasn't been used since mid 2000's with the older smaller size. I have the 4.0v6 in a 2010 that is the more mid-size truck. The most recent engine (starting a year or two ago?) is the 3.5v6. I really like my 4.0v6 - plenty of power for driving with a 6speed stick here in the mountains. It doesn't tow heavy loads great (like 3000lbs though the mountains is pretty sluggish) - but not sure many v6s tow all that well. Small camper trailer should be ok though. I don't have any experience with the new 3.5v6 - a few anecdotal comments from friends say its not great, although it sounds like it might be more of a sluggish transmission issue (think they have the auto). The old 3.4v6 in the small trucks is great, reliable etc - again, doesn't tow great. I am not all that knowledgeable about details on what goes wrong on any of these engines - the ones I have had never needed much work.

    On my 2010 - it has 130k (I got it at 10k), my 4.0 has had one coil pack go out around 100k and I had to limp it 100 miles from nowhere Idaho to Butte MT at 50mph with a rough misfire. ALso had a front wheel bearing go bad at 80k or so. The undercarriage/frame definitely doesn't have the best coating - its shows more rust/oxidation than I think a 8-9 year old truck should. I do drive it a lot in the winter on snow, gravel, salt, MagCl etc - and probably should be a bit better about getting it washed off. Its definitely been a bigger problem on some with warrantied frames etc. Also, there is a recall on the rear leaf springs - they have a tendency to rust and fail as well - guess when the driver side leaf fails, it can punch a hole in the gas tank and cause another hazard.

    FWIW - the TRD off road package was worth it to get the e-locking rear diff (it also includes a little better front skid - but thats about it). Mine has 3.73 gears with the six speed - think that may the standard for all the v6 Tacomas - not sure. Its probably would max out at 33s - bigger would probably require gear change. I run 32s on it stock. The TRD sport is mostly graphics/cosmetics. On the 3.4 small trucks, I think you get a LS diff as opposed to an actual locked diff (?). I think that change might have actually occurred before the body style switch - maybe around 2000? - so check that out. As with all these IFS trucks - check the front control arms - I have a tendency to beat on mine and they seemed to have done fine, but I do worry about them. Finally, I will say that I went with the longer bed with the extended/access cab and not the full 4 door - my thoughts are that I am really happy to have the extra bed space. The 4door short bed is really small - like hard to fit a pair of skis in it small. But if I were to do it again, I would get a 4 door and full length bed - the access cab is okay for stuff gear behind the seats, but its brutal to sit back there for more than a short ride.
    ___________
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    Default Re: Toyota Guys: school me on Tacomas!



    I have an 06 Double Cab Short Bed TRD Sport. Sports are more road tuned suspension. Mine has 4.56 gearing, a factory true mechanical limited slip diff and I roll on 285/75/16 (32.8") tires with no problem. I pull my 22' 2000 Forest River Flagstaff pop up trailer to Bailey and Winter Park without any trouble. 2nd gen Access cab Tacos do NOT have a middle rear seat. If you're interested, I'll take you on a demo ride for a fit test in my rig for car seats and to get a feel for the power.

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    Default Re: Toyota Guys: school me on Tacomas!



    I'm looking anywhere from 02-whenever as long as it's in my price range. I do like the idea of the TRD for the locker. mainly looking for the 4-doors so I can fit my infant car seat in the back.

    Pete, are your 4.56 gears stock? or did you regear? our camper is only about 1700lbs, so while it's not heavy, I figure I'll have to regear at some point.

    J.

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    Default Re: Toyota Guys: school me on Tacomas!



    My gearing is stock. My trailer is about the same weight, 1600lbs. It's 16 feet tongue to rear bumper.

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    Default Re: Toyota Guys: school me on Tacomas!



    jayson44 previously posted:
    "Pete, are your 4.56 gears stock? or did you regear? our camper is only about 1700lbs, so while it's not heavy, I figure I'll have to regear at some point."

    If you are going to do much pulling or run 33s etc - that 4.56 gearing sounds better than the 3.73 I have.
    ___________
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    Default Re: Toyota Guys: school me on Tacomas!



    Most of the guys that I know with 2nd gens manual transmission regear to 4.56’s to run 35’s. Never heard of one stock. I had a 13 dclb sr5 4x4 with the 4.0l (lifted on 32’s)its a good motor but not very fuel efficient. I have a 17 dcsb Trd OR now and will never sell this truck. The one thing I will say about Toyota trucks is they will take a beating and keep on running. I had a 99 and 06 F150 XLT 4x4 (I hate the triton motor) so that’s my only comparison. I also had a 85 Toyota pick up that had 200k and was in a flood and ran like a champ but that’s a different story lol. All the Tacoma’s are bad ass trucks in my opinion but you should definitely research and test drive. Some guy’s love them and some hate them. Hope this is helpful.

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    Default Re: Toyota Guys: school me on Tacomas!



    We get a lot of nice tacomas traded in where I work. Pm me if u want and I can get u in touch with a salesman.

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    Default Re: Toyota Guys: school me on Tacomas!



    White Stripe previously posted:
    "We get a lot of nice tacomas traded in where I work. Pm me if u want and I can get u in touch with a salesman."

    I appreciate it, but my Jeep is not exactly trade-in material...engine and trans swap, lots of off-road gear, lots of upgrades that won't be taken into account...I probably just need to sell it first. or find someone to trade

    J.

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