Indecisive New Member

[photocodo]

Im gonna second all the suggestions for the first gen tundra. I have an 06 DC and love it for a few reasons. First i am tall like you (about 6'3") and wanted something that i could sleep in so was looking for at least a 6ft bed. The specs say it has a 6.5ft bed but its actually closer to 6ft2in. I put a camper shell on mine and build in an 8in tall platform to sleep on and for storage underneath. I lose a little head room when sitting in the back but the storage is well worth the payoff.

Most of my climbing gear fits in the two plastic bins that pull all the way out and sit on the tail gait for packing and unpacking them. I throw my crash pad in the back to sleep on and its such a nice camping setup. I also wired in a dome light and two 12v sockets directly to the battery with inline fuses so i have light and power in the back if i need to charge things. You can get out if the rain/cold very easily. The one thing that i love about the tundra is how wide the bed it vs. the tacoma. I can sleep me, my wife and our 90lb dog comfortably with room for bags and other gear laying around. Im getting about 19mpg hwy and 14-16mpg around town. Its not great but not too bad for that size truck. The double cab is so nice to have. I can easily carry 4 people with plenty of comfort. I have even ridden in the back and had ample leg room. The only drawback if you are looking for a 4x4 is how big the truck is. It would not be ideal for serious off roading but i bet it would get you just about anywhere you needed to go within reason. Definitely sounds like a good option for you, i love mine for camping and it drives really well too.

Photocodo


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[Dwill817]

Just for giggles I was looking at a the classifieds of a local website, KSL.com, and the older Sequoias are a pretty good deal. Look at this one for under 10 K. http://www.ksl.com/auto/listing/1349893?ad_cid=6
Here is one for under 9K http://www.ksl.com/auto/listing/1336307?ad_cid=11

Stirring the pot with p-nut, eh? Lol

Looks like OP knows what he wants. This has been an interesting thread compared to the normal ExPo threads.

Let us all know when you find one OP.

 

[p nut]

Stirring the pot with p-nut, eh? Lol

Looks like OP knows what he wants. This has been an interesting thread compared to the normal ExPo threads.

Let us all know when you find one OP.

Meh, I don't have any beef with JCM. We both obviously have differing view points. I'd hate to think what it'd be like if we all had the same opinions.

 

[ale]

P nut, will do!

So far I've been cruising websites today and so far have found multiple 4x4 v6 access cab tacomas with around 100k miles on them for semi reasonable prices. They really do hold their value well...

Would a truck with that amount of miles still have enough life in it to last me the next several years or so?

-Ale

 

[p nut]

I think you will start to notice what we all mean by "high resale value" on those Tacoma's. I've had two in the last 10 years and it is incredible how well they hold their value.

100k miles isn't that much, though. If all maintenance has been done, it should last many more miles. I had an 01 with 150k miles when I sold it, and she was still running great. Another had 120k miles and no issues. They are great trucks, as long as properly taken care of. My current truck has 162k miles and I wouldn't hesitate to take it across the country. Good luck.

 

[Dwill817]

P nut, will do!

So far I've been cruising websites today and so far have found multiple 4x4 v6 access cab tacomas with around 100k miles on them for semi reasonable prices. They really do hold their value well...

Would a truck with that amount of miles still have enough life in it to last me the next several years or so?

-Ale

Very much so. You'll get many many years of use from a 100k Tacoma.

 

[JCMatthews]

A member of this forum Sixstringsteve bought a 1st gen. DC Tacoma with over 200k on it and it has been very reliable. He does at least on off road trip a month and last fall took it on the Rubicon without issue. Toyotas properly maintained go forever.

 

[MCObray]

Student here. New tires + baseline maintenance = $9500. 163K miles. I'm pulling 16-18 MPGs, with the highest coming at 21.5 MPG on the HWY last week. I love my 3rd Gen Runner.



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[p nut]

Makes me miss my 3rd Gen. Nice looking 4Runner. Impressive you're getting over 21 with the AT tires. When I went 265/75 AT's, I dropped down to around 20 on the freeway.

I sometimes get the urge to search for a 99-00 Highlander 5-sp manual, or a regular cab Tacoma in the same vintage. Wouldn't mind owning one again.

 

[Applejack]

I dirtbagged out of a '91 4 cylinder 4x4 extra cab with a canopy for 8 months and it was an awesome experience. The truck turned out to be an excellent rig for it, reliable, economical and cozy. That said that was many moons ago. I would look for as new of a Tacoma as I could find/afford with the 4 cylinder for fuel economy, and slap a shell on it. My 05 Tacoma with the V6 only would return 18 mpg at best. Not good on a dirtbags budget for sure, go with the 4 banger.

 

[ale]

Update:

I am happy to announce that tomorrow I will take ownership of a 2011 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport (v6, 4x4, 6ft bed, and access cab)! A huge thank you to everyone who provided input in this thread. I ended up visiting a multiple dealers and testing out a number of cars (subies, tundras, and one cargo van) but ultimately I kept coming back to Tacomas for their size, reliability, and fuel efficiency despite my earlier misgivings.

With only a month or so left in MD my next task is to find a camper shell and build out the bed as well as finish packing! Living in the DC area I have had little success finding secondhand camper shells of any kind whatsoever. Any recommendations on where I should focus my search? Craigslist has been less than helpful and Im probably not able to travel too far. Any ideas would be much appreciated!

Will put up pictures ASAP!

-Ale

 

[mike2100]

If you decide to buy a new shell I enjoyed my experience at Cap World in Laurel. Brad and Andrew are cool guys