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Your thoughts on trading for Tacoma?

10K views 65 replies 42 participants last post by  GhettoSquid 
#1 ·
I posted the following on taco world to get opinions there, but i'd like to get fellow Tundra owners opinions too.

"Hi, I'm Bengt18T. I'm creating this post to introduce myself and to get other Taco owner's opinions about whether I should trade in my truck for a new Taco in the near future. This may be a little long but bear with me please.

Some background:
I currently own a 2008 Tundra Crewmax 5.7 4x4 (with 43k miles) and previously a 07 FJ Cruiser. I have experience with many vehicles and have been a member of many online forums. When I got my Tundra it was between that and a 2nd Gen Tacoma. I eventually went for a used Tundra due to the additional capabilites, capacities (inside and out), and not much worse fuel mileage.

Most people would say why don't you just keep the Tundra and run it to death. I could, but have some reservations. I will need to put some money into it shortly (new tires and possibly brakes), I've just had the "Bad Front Diff" replacement TSB done, my warranty is running out in a few months, and the exterior with it's soft paint is getting some wear and tear on it. I also have some back problems and the SR5 cloth power seats are very uncomfortable and have an unusual position, at least to me.

I'm currently thinking about a 2013 or 2014 Tacoma Double Cab Long Bed 4x4 TRD Sport and purchasing possibly in the next 6 months.

My needs: I will say that the Tundra is more than I need for sure. Some items are extremely nice and others are overkill for sure.

Power/Towing/Hauling: The 5.7 is AMAZING, and for such a big truck seems fairly quick, however the 4.0 on my FJ was ok. Not great, but satisfactory. I pull a few thous pound trailer occasionally, but nothing heavy. I also use the bed but rately have it full or weighed down. I think I would be ok with the performance of the Taco. Do you guys have any trouble with hauling or pulling the listed weights?

Exterior Size/Maneverability: The Tundra with tow mirrors is like riding an elephant or piloting a boat. It's actually not too bad where I live but something a little less cumbersome with less blind spots wouldn't hurt. That's why I think a double cab long bed would be ok for me. Give me the bed space I like, is still 8" shorter than my tundra, 8" skinnier, with about the same turn radius. The ride on the Tundra is ok, but occasionally I get bed bounce, which is more annoying than anything. I hear the Taco's have a more "in tune" but perhaps stiffer ride. Almost like the Tundra your riding on, whereas the Tacoma your drive in. Is this true or would you see it this way?

Interior Room: I have a 2 year old son with the possiblity of 1 more on the way, so a Taco Double Cab is a must. Obviously the Crewmax is unbeatable on interior room, but do you think a double cab would be ok? Or would my son be constantly kicking the back of the seats? What about when he would be a little older and bigger? Is it ok for someone?

Interior Comfort: I separated this because I will say that the Crewmax is a big cushy truck inside. But with my lower and mid back problems I find the rounded power drivers seat lacking support. I also find the seating position to be uncomfortable and high and the brake pedal seems too far to the left, adding to my problem. I believe I may have better luck with my back with the lower seating position, since I had no problems in the lower supportive seats of my previous cars. Can you give me your feedback on the sport seat comfort, adjustability, overall interior space to stretch out. And possibly the location of the center of the brake pedal in relation to the center of the steering wheel?

Warranty: I like to have a warranty. I was almost $hit out of luck with my front diff on the Tundra and don't enjoy cutting it that close. A new truck would of course start over on the warranty and miles.

MPG: I drive about 7-8k miles a year, most of which is city. I currently get 13 mpg in the Tundra. I've calculated if the Taco gets 16 mpg I'd save about $30 a month average. This is not much of a concern, but better mileage is always nice to have.

Financial: If I do not buy tires for the Tundra, I'd basically put a few thousand down, keep about the same payments, and extend the loan duration by about 1-1.5 years. I understand the aspects of both options and am ok with either financially.

Offroad: I do not offroad much anymore, but do occasionally take a dirt road, mountain road, or logging trail for fun. The Taco would win in true offroad, but both would serve my needs fine. Plus, you never know. Maybe I'll get back into going to Rausch Creek.

One thing I forgot to ask but am adding per EDIT... Are there any common problems in these trucks? I know the Tundra's had AIP fail and front diff problems, but most everything else is ok. What about the Taco?

I guess what it comes down to is do I downsize to a smaller but newer truck or not. I'm obviously leaning Taco, but I could honestly go either way, at least for right now. I'd like to hear as many opinions as possible, and especially from those who have switched from a Tundra to Taco, or have experience with both.

I'd plan on doing light modes to the Taco like wheels, tires, and maybe suspension.

Well, if you made it this far, thanks for reading. Let me know your opinions. Thanks.

Ben"
 
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#29 ·
Yeah, that was the other thing, for me: I knew that, since it wasn't my daily driver, I'd rather deal with it being too big once in a while, rather than too small too often. The first time you run out of space and think, gee I used to be able to hold more / tow more, I think you'll have regrets.

Just my opinion, YMMV of course.
 
#30 ·
I had a 2002 Taco TRD for 6 years. Loved it! Now that I have a Tundra I could never imagine going back to Taco. I still like them and think they are the best truck out there in their field but for me the Tundra is the best fit for me.

I will never say a bad thing about a Tacoma- almost all of my buddies are running them:). Find the vehicle that fits your needs best and start shopping.
 
#31 ·
I'm 6'2" and can barely get into a Tacoma! Me old haid bumps the roof trying to get in. I'll take full size.
 
#32 ·
I just traded my 2012 Taco Dbl Cab in for Tundra DC, main reason I missed the room of a full size truck. And with mpg's about the same you can't go wrong. Plus I got a cheaper payment with buying the Tundra, they seem to have better incentives with the Tundy vs the Taco. I'm 6' and while sitting in the Taco my legs were sticking up! The seats sit very low in the Taco's, it's nice to sit in my Tundy and be able to stretch my legs out without having to hit the steering wheel. My personal opinion is to keep your truck. I think the Tundra rides and drives much smoother than the Taco as well. But like everyone has said, you gotta do what fits your needs and wants. Good luck with your decision!
 
#33 ·
I test drove a double cab Tacoma back before the Tundra. I've had several Toy trucks over the years, and the Tacoma seemed about the same size as those. I found the sitting position to be uncomfortable. It felt like I was sitting on the floor. Probably due to high ground clearance.

I test drove the Tundra and never looked back.
 
#34 ·
Wow. Thanks for the great responses so far guys. I appreciate it. I figured the it would be skewed since this is a Tundra forum but I'm glad to see the some responses for the Taco too. Plus it's nice nowadays to see everyone keeping it civil. One good thing is that they're both great trucks.

Another good thing is I have plenty of time to decide. I'm not a big guy at 5'10" and 175 lbs and my FJ was perfectly comfortable so the driver fit doesnt worry me but the overall interior space has me a little concerned. Also, the Taco's capabilities are enough for me but darn if the 5.7 isn't great for power. I'm thinking the Taco would drive like a mix of the FJ and Tundra, which both are good, due to the size and rear leaf's.

Also, any recommendations of short bed vs. long bed Taco? Both are shorter than the Tundra but I hear the long bed rides a little smoother. At this point I'm just throwing thoughts out there.

Thanks again. Keep those responses coming.
 
#36 ·
I've had a long bed and a short bed Taco Dbl Cab and the long bed does ride smoother

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#39 ·
I had a few truck in between but I drove a 2011 tx pro supercharged double cab for a while. It was fun and a nice little truck but the interior wasn't big enough for 2 kids (7and 2) that aspect didn't matter as it was just a truck for me to play with. The ride quality and handling are both Inferior to the tundra and the fuel mileage is not too much different, I get 14.6 in my 2013 cm rock warrior supercharged tundra and I averaged 15.1 in the Tacoma. Not enough difference to be concerned with. I have pretty bad lower back problems, and I did like the seat itself a little better in the Tacoma (I prefer rock hard supportive seats) but that said the Tacoma had a much harder ride that took away any benefit that the seats had on my back pain so that was not really any different. As far as towing the Tacoma will get a trailer moving just fine but you feel the trailer a lot more and the mileage is drastically reduced. I took a trip with an unloaded 6x10 haul mark single axle trailer and at a consistent 65mph on the highway from Denver to Kansas I got an average of just over 9 mpg. Don't get me wrong I loved the truck it was fun but the tundra is way more truck with very little trade off. I have had 4 tundras and 2 tacomas as well as a handful of other toyotas and I definitely prefer the tundra. The tacos do have some small issues but nothing major. The blower motor squealing is probably the most common issue. It sounds like birds chirping when the fan is on any setting other than high. Toyota knows about it and takes care of it but it is still annoying to listen to.


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#41 ·
Long bed Tacos are nowhere to be found in my area. So a special order would be needed. When you got kids, the " It looks better" takes a back seat to "what I need".
I also looked at both, and the Taco meant that the little woman would sometimes drive it if needed. But she has never driven the Big T.
Another option is the Sequoia if you don't need the bed for more stuff that would fit in the back of it. Independent rear suspension will probably make it far easier on the back.
 
#43 ·
When I went looking at Tacomas as that was originally what I went to the dealer for, I noticed the TRD sport rode much better than the TRD off road. The off road version was a bit more choppy. I didn't get a chance to drive a non-TRD variant. When it came down to it, I really wanted the 4x4 6Spd manual. I found out they did have the prerunner in a 6spd manual for a few years. I'd say if you go with the Tacoma, really size up the Sport if you don't need four wheel drive. The ride was much smoother.
 
#45 ·
#46 ·
Safety wise for family and kids the Tundra will be safer, mileage will be better in the Tacoma but you lose space for kids and interior comfort. You can always pay the Tundra off and keep it and simply pickup an old FJ or Tacoma if you ever got into offroading again.

You can also sit down and look at the exact number of miles you would have to drive to make the Tacoma mileage worth it.
 
#47 ·
You can also sit down and look at the exact number of miles you would have to drive to make the Tacoma mileage worth it.
It would need to be a ton of driving to make the mileage worth it, I saw less than a 1.0 mpg improvement in the Tacoma, yes I drive fairly aggressively and there are people who get better than I did in the Tacoma but hell if I drive my tundra like an old lady I get 18-19 in it. And that's the type of driving it takes to get 19-20 in a Tacoma. If fuel savings is the decision maker definitely don't do it. Not sure if your on any of them but www.tacomaworld.com is a good taco site if you want some opinions from Tacoma owners.


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#48 ·
I get 17 and some change with the Tacoma. I get 15.5 with the Tundra driving it the way I want. I check my fuel consumption religeously. The difference in fuel costs is almost not worth calculating. The desicion is not going to involve the savings in fuel. The Tacoma will never pay for itself by trading the Tundra for it.

I do like going longer between fill ups. I always end up buying shit I don't need every time I stop at the gas stations. The Tundra equals less stops suprisingly. The bag of chips, hot dog and soda that I always get when I stop makes the price of fuel just about equal for the 2 different trucks.

As I said earlier, I still like driving the Tacoma for every day shit. The Tundra really shines on the highway and for towing. Also as stated above, my wife complains about the Tundra seats bothering her back as well. She just carries a small pillow with her when we take the big truck.
 
#53 ·
Tacoma or Tundra

I have both a Tundra and a Tacoma

The 05 Tacoma is nice......but with 2 car seats in the rear 1 regular 1 rear facing actually had to put the rear facing in the center so you would have enough leg room upfront now that both kids are in regular car seats and on opposite sides they both can kick the back of the front seats I don't blame them the leg room for them sux. It has the short bed so i put a tonneau cover on it and had plenty of room to store all the necessary baby gear (stroller, pack-n-play, ect.)

The 10' crewmax is definitely superior in interior room hands down no more kick the back of the front seats, plus ample distance to view headrest dvd (not so close up on the screen as in the tacoma).I know not everyone has the dvd players, but it does make trips go smoother as the kids tend to watch the movie and not tend to say are we there yet every 15 mins.

In short tacoma (wifes ride) is great for short in the city trips on long road trips we load up the tundra(my ride).

Gas mileage wise wife gets 19mpg its all city. Tundra on the highway 19mpg if driven like an adult at 68mph and no fast accelerations just to pass people cause you can. Otherwise its 16-17 average.
 
#54 ·
for me, taco is too small feel cramped no room and bed isn't big enough. ONLY would consider a taco if single with no kids. Even then, the seats sucked no leg support and too skinny for me in the seat. Up to you, it won't get much better mpg maybe 2-3 at best so mileage shouldn't be considered.

yes, a DC tundra will do fine with car seats in back just have to maybe put passenger front side seat up 1-2 notches is all. Yes, a DC tundra fits 3 full sized adults under 6' no problems in the back seats. Yes, there is enough room easily in a DC tundra to be comfy in the backseats unlike the taco.
 
#60 ·
This thread seems to have taken off fairly well. To give an update on my current thoughts/plans... I going to wait at least until fall to do anything. Then check out the "new" tundra. At that time I could decide to buy a 2014 tundra, Tacoma, or put tires on mine and drive it for another 1-2 years (or more) and get a Tundra or (hopefully) redesign Taco.

So I guess my decision at this point is no decision. After checking out Taco's they seem small inside, and I'm not sure I can get over that. I think I'd rather have too much of anything and deal with the downside than not enough of something, in this case size and space.
 
#61 ·
I think what your really asking is should you indulge in a new car. Only downside of tundra vs taco is you will spend more on gas. Yeah tundra is older but it is also paid off right? New tires brakes serpentine and major tune up would cost less than $2000. That would be only 4 payments on a new taco. That means you probably paying $28,000 for new car smell. Savings in gas will not offset the monthly car payment.

It could be worse. You could be asking us if you should trade it in for an Accord or Impreza. :D

In the end it is your money. You will have the saver's joy or buyer's remorse.

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