[Bhavesh]

If so, what do you think of it?

Anyone local to Worcester that wouldn't mind showing me your truck?

I have an auto, 3.0v6 pushrod ranger and am looking to upgrade this summer but want to check out some taco's instead of another ranger.

[stoinkythepig]

I've driven one a bit, but don't own one. Very basic truck. Very boring, very reliable and rides like a... like a truck, actually. I think it'll be slower than your Ranger, but better built. Probably rust out long before it wears out.

[wylee]

I don't have one, but I have owned two V6 Taco's. If I were you, I'd look for a 97 up. There were some problems with the 1995.5 and 1996 models...head gaskets on the V6 and electrical problems on the 4. If you find a 98 or 99, look the frame over real good from the front cab mounts back; you don't have to search the internet long to find reports of 98 & 99 models that rusted in half...most with virtually no rust on the body.

[neuthunder]

my dad's got a 96' and he loves it. No major problems ever with it. He's considered trading it in for something newer but ends up backing away from the idea since there's no reason to.

[neuthunder]

... its a v6 tho, never been in the 4 cyl. but the 6 has some kick to it.

[elwood206]

I picked up a 98 tacoma 4cyl about a month ago. Rides a little on the rough side, almost no body roll in corners though, and plenty of ground clearance (nice armor underneath with the SR5). The 2.7 4cyl (found in the 4wds) is up to the job, but no powerhouse. The SR5 package and 4wd are great. I dont know what your budget it, but I shopped around and got my 98 SR5 4WD with 125K for 5700$, its easy to pay alot more, most of the dealers i went to wanted upwards of 8K$ for the same thing.

[TheIglu]

Rust on the frame.

The 3.0 V6 is a dog. I have the 3.4 but drove some 3.0's before I bought mine.

The 4 banger will do most anything except tow big stuff.

Rust on the frame, especially the top near the middle cab mounts. Can't see it easily, bring a small mirror with you.

[Bhavesh]

I've heard from more than one place about the frame rusting out before the engine and transmission dies, but I also posted on a tacoma forum and nobody else (at least from socal) heard of such a problem. It might be a new england thing...so I'll keep an eye out for it.

iglu: what year is yours? do you have the 5 speed?

for what I use my truck for (hauling bike, moving furniture or appliances), I figure the use of lower less gas would be worth it for me to get the 4-cylinder.

[TheIglu]

You'll negate most cost savings with the cost associated with transferring reg/sales tax/etc.

I have an '01, V6, 5speed, TRD. My dad has a '00 4 banger 5 speed.. Buddy of mine just got rid of his '98 4 banger. Another friend has a '96 4 banger. All 5 speeds, all xtended cab, all 5 speeds.

3.0 is not a good choice if you are looking to save gas. 4wd isn't either. If you are moving things on a weekly basis, sure, a truck is perfect. If you aren't, a Civic with a trailer hitch and a Harbor Freight trailer is the solution.

You already have a truck, why get rid of it to save 2 mpg?

[Bhavesh]

Originally Posted by TheIglu

You'll negate most cost savings with the cost associated with transferring reg/sales tax/etc.

what? negate which cost savings?

Originally Posted by TheIglu

I have an '01, V6, 5speed, TRD. My dad has a '00 4 banger 5 speed.. Buddy of mine just got rid of his '98 4 banger. Another friend has a '96 4 banger. All 5 speeds, all xtended cab, all 5 speeds.

ygpm

Originally Posted by TheIglu

3.0 is not a good choice if you are looking to save gas.

yeah, I agree

But aren't the 3.0's only available until '95 in the pre-tacoma toyota trucks? ie. the toyota hilux

And don't all tacoma's come with a 3.4L?

Not that I'd get a 3.4 if it were available, isn't the 3.0 a dog due to the nature of its design? a SOHC engine generally isn't as efficient at making power for its size, compared to a DOHC engine, right? If that's the case, I'd prefer to get one '95 or newer, because even if I get the 4-cylinder, it'll be a DOHC engine.

Originally Posted by TheIglu

4wd isn't either.

Yeah...that's true...

Originally Posted by TheIglu

If you are moving things on a weekly basis, sure, a truck is perfect. If you aren't, a Civic with a trailer hitch and a Harbor Freight trailer is the solution.

I've been contemplating this.

I really, really do like having a truck.
-It's nice for hauling around the motorcycles
-Getting the availability of 4wd in winter and on gravel roads is great
-like you mentioned, the utility for moving big stuff around is just not possible with a civic...and my parents have a business that having a truck, while not necessary, is certainly an excellent resource to have available
-with the dirtbike that can't legally touch a public road, having a truck is much more convenient than a civic. plus my dirtbike gets used weekly...
-I'll take a hit on expenses if I get the convenience I want

However, in favor of a civic:
-getting good gas mileage is important to me as I feel bad for using up a limited resource of the world ineffeciently
-it's cheaper (everything: from original purchase price, to gas, to tires, brakes, etc.)
-I don't move furniture and large objects on a weekly basis...I only move large items around once/month...if not a little more in the spring and summer.

I might have to do some research on which one's the better choice.

Originally Posted by TheIglu

You already have a truck, why get rid of it to save 2 mpg?

Ugh ...you'd have to own this one to know...in short:
-it's old...built in '91 and designed in 1988
-it's 1wd (open differential)...my dad's camry was more capable last winter
-it's a reg cab (too small to recline the seat, and not enough space for tools and backpack)
-most rangers get 14-16mpg, with 17-19 highway...MINE gets 9-11mpg in winter, 12-15mpg in summer, and (at best) 17mpg for an ALL highway trip...how does someone w' a '78 F150 w' a 302, weigh double what mine weighs, get the same gas mileage? I know TRUCKS get bad gas mileage, but MY truck gets pretty bad mileage with what it is...
-the 3.0 pushrod V6 has no sack...toyota's 2.7DOHC 4-cylinder makes MORE horsepower, and MORE torque while getting 5-10mpg better gas mileage
-the 3.0 pushrod V6 makes very little torque off the line, makes peak torque in its midrange, but peak horsepower @ 4800rpm...so when you floor it, you don't feel like you have power, so you get into the midrange for more torque, but it just doesn't feel strong enough, so you rev the bag out of it until it feels strong and makes horsepower, but the torque by now has faded away...overall: I HATE how this powerband feels
-a new ford escape has waaaaayy more power in its DOHC 3.0V6 than the new ranger has in its OHV 3.0V6
-in general, the 3.0V6 doesn't do anything "well"....and ford has no intention of changing that...it's an engine that's been cheap for them to make (since they have been making it since the mid 80's), and brings in the $$ without putting out a good product
-the A4LD transmission is no winner...I can't even begin describe how it feels, not to mention how it will fart out by 130k miles...plus it's an auto: it'll get slightly worse gas mileage, and it decides when and how much it wants to slip...not to mention how poorly it's geared: on the highway, if you're in 4th, you're slowing down...if you're in 3rd, you're accelerating...so you either turn the OD off and get worse gas mileage, or let the tranny dance between gears on the highway
-I know trucks don't ride that well, but the ranger isn't of the better riding trucks
-resale sucks, maintenance is high...quality of manufacture isn't as reputable as a toyota

The best way for me to describe the ranger (as at least 1/3 of ranger owners on the forums admit) is that it's a cheap (to make) truck that fits the 1/4 niche. It's "good enough". It's like a C-student that is passing, but really isn't anything special.

So if I'm going to upgrade my truck, I was hoping to get a nice one....not another ranger.

That's the short of it...I could go on forever...

[TheIglu]

Ahhh, ok. I thought you just wanted to get something with decent gas milage. Thoughts about the Taco's....

All Tacoma's are either 4 bangers or 3.4's.

The 4 banger is adequate. Nothing more. You will not be doing any passing on the highway uphill with it, even tacked out in 3rd gear.

My 3.4 will go neck and neck with a V8 Tundra until about 120 or so. My buddy who had the '98 Taco put over 60k on it, then got rid of it for a Tundra V8. We didn't race. We heard about it. Yeah......

Tundra is a niiiiiiice truck.

I get about 16 mpg. That's with being a maintenance nazi and replacing sensors if they look at me cross. Just not a fuel efficient truck. Summer is better, sometimes I get to 300 miles before I have to fill up. The 4 banger gets about 1mpg better. That's it.

I agree with you about the ranger. It's not something you "want", it's just there to use. It does everything, just not well.

I love my Tacoma. I wheel with it sometimes, go to the track, tow 4 bikes and an enclosed trailer to North Carolina and back a few times now, commute with it, etc etc. I will never EVER regret getting the 3.4 and TRD package. Rides better on the road, off-road, has the selectable locker (big $$$$ to put one in after, it comes in handy pulling folklifts out of mud), has a decent amount of grunt, plenty of passing HP and will run forever.

Go for a '01 and up. The 00 and previous have a cheaper interior, horrible seats and don't resale as well. The '01-'04 have VERY good resale because a lot of people like them more than the new models. In many people's eyes, they are the true last Tacoma's.

I bought mine in October 2004 with 75k on it. I didn't get a smokin deal, but it was alright ($13.5k). It has about 120k on it now. I can sell it for what I paid without an issue right now.

If you decide to look at Tacoma's, let me know, I'll help you find one. My buddy with the Tundra is the New England President of TTORA. We both know what to look for in a used truck and what they should be going for. Hell, I went wheeling with 14 Tacoma's/4Runners last saturday.

[ssg]

+1 to what that iglu guy says. But to take it a bit further...the trucks crash well too..something to consider if you're looking to drive it daily.
I owned a 98 V6 TRD 5spd for a winter, then it went head first (and center) into a tree at (an estimated) ~60mph. I didn't have a seatbelt on (dumbass, I was) and I walke.er...crawled away. We're talking rear diff cracked, engine and tranny heading under the drivers cabin, dashboard, gauge cluster, and steering wheel reformed by my knees and face - and yet I walked away.

I swore it off (well that one was a little totalled) but I got a car again after that. Then got bit a few years later and got a 2k1 exact copy of the truck iglu has now - and I loved it. Just got tired of having a small truck after a year or so and got a Tundra...then a job change forced something with mpg so the trucks left . Tundra was a Lexus in disguise...but not something I'd want to take offroad. Tacoma was awesomely capable of doing almost anything truckwise, and 16-17mpg was about my worse/best mileage as well. Great little truck, I just wasnt a fan of the passenger cabin. I came dangerously close to getting one in 05 when I got the Ridgeline, but they changed them too much for my liking.


As stated in other thread I did the Civic thing...a Civic with a trailer gets you some weird looks, Sidewinder can probably testify too as he did it as well. It is a decent combo for mpg, but I just found it annoyingly cramped (small trailer, small car = argh).

[mikeb]

The '01-'04 have VERY good resale because a lot of people like them more than the new models. In many people's eyes, they are the true last Tacoma's.

the new ones are ugly and to big.