Best of luck. Don't worry about boring us. Most of us are here because we are bored :sombrero:
Ha! Well, you asked for it...
1. I don't tow. I had a pop-up camper, but recently sold it. I have a small trailer that I move about my yard or drive a few blocks to the landscaping supply company.
2. I don't haul cargo in the bed of my truck. I use it about once per year to haul something like mulch. The trailer mentioned above will work very well for this as often as I need to use it.
3. I don't want a race truck - I want better fuel mileage.
4. I want a reliable daily driver as this will be the primary function of this truck.
5. I want my wife and son to be able to ride along (thus the double cab).
6. I want a camp-ready vehicle. I had considered a $portsmobile or VW Westfalia (reliability issues), but quickly ruled them out. I am starting to make the pitch to add a Flippac assuming it will work with all of the options (Entune) that are on the truck.
7. I had narrowed it down to a Rubicon or the TRD Tacoma. Several of my friends have Wranglers and complain about how often they require work after about 7 years. I'm hoping for a longer life than that.
8. I had also looked at all of the other SUV-like vehicles. Everything that I liked was over $55K. Retail price on this truck was around $35K with everything I wanted. Negotiations have me far and away below that price.
9. I want to be able to drive in my back yard when it turns to swamp. I used to use my Cherokee for this (when it was running) and I miss having that capability (thus the 4WD).
10. I want a locker installed by the factory. I wish the Tacoma had one in the front as well, but oh well. I WILL use this when I am in the National Forest.
11. I rode along in the 1st generation Tacoma a few years back at the Expo Trophy and was really impressed with its capability.
12. I have had several Toyota vehicles (4 of the five new vehicles my wife and I have purchased) and have had really good luck with them.
