Considering buying a new Tacoma

[xodeuce]

My wife and I bought a new 2002 Tacoma ext cab. Year later had a baby, then 16 months later another baby. Traded the tacoma and $1000 for a used 1998 100series. I estimate it cost me $8000 to drive that new truck for almost 3 years.

What I do know is a pick-up truck + babies do not = happy wife

Even with a dub cab it's tight. The wife and I have kicked around the idea of a 100. I wish I'd had some folks like this to kick ideas around with 3 years ago when I bought mine. Lots of good info in here.

 

[Beater]

My t100 extra cab is small. inside.
Dave and I are on the same page. for 2years my pickup was a 2007 chevy extra cab. THAT worked. it did everything I need it to, and then some. 22mpg highway and 350lbs of torque. 18 in the city. My t is doing well if it gets 18 in the city with a v6. Chevy Sat 5 adults in a pinch, and 5 kids plus driver no problem.

oh - and it had a locker. stock.
no clearance, and it was big, but the variable assist steering and decreasing radius turning circle made parking it a breeze.

I LOVE my toyota products, for many reasons, but interior space is NOT one of them.

j

 

[SteveH]

Many years ago, after sitting in the back of a T100 extra cab, I bought an F250 crew cab V10. Later sold it (didn't lose a dime) and after several years of trying to tow with an FZJ and a 3rd gen 4Runner, bought an '01 F350 crew cab 7.3 diesel. The ultimate family vacation machine. Very low on 'Fahrfehrgneugen', per VW, but tons of room for kids, junk, skis, luggage, lumber. 16 MPG on the highway (running expensive diesel). Nothing cheap about owning this truck. I'd go for the F150 crew, if towing at elevation isn't an issue.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Only took a few posts to get Rick from a regular cab base Tacoma to a F350 XLT Crew Cab diesel.

I was thinking more like...

1993 4x4 Ford F150 XLT Supercab Truck - $8500 (Aurora)
1993 4x4 Ford F150 Truck
91,000 miles

2001 Ford F150 Supercrew 4x4 5.4L Triton V8 - $9800 (Brighton, CO)
116,082 miles

Basic 4x4 truck, a bit of elbow room, plenty of life left, stupid easy to maintain /anywhere/ in North America. It'll be useful forever later in life as a hunting/farm/weekend chores truck after Rick puts 150k miles on it all smug that he waited and got to see and experience the world. The banks are always willing to give you money to put yourself into perpetual debt servitude...

 

[theboomboom]

Some great thoughts all, thanks a bunch!

I'm still feeling things out, weighing the different options out there. Like I said I'm in no rush, just looking for the right deal. If I were up there already, I would be taking a serious look at this rig...

http://fairbanks.craigslist.org/cto/2855451427.html

 

[DaveInDenver]

Some great thoughts all, thanks a bunch!

I'm still feeling things out, weighing the different options out there. Like I said I'm in no rush, just looking for the right deal. If I were up there already, I would be taking a serious look at this rig...

http://fairbanks.craigslist.org/cto/2855451427.html

Bingo, that's perfect.

 

[Air Randy]

Be careful about buying "low mileage" vehicles in Alaska. They don't have a lot of miles on them but they start them up in October and they don't shut them off again until Spring. So the engines can have a zillion hours of idling on them (which is the worst thing to do to an engine).

If the vehicles come down off of the North slope they aren't very old but they beat the snot out of them. If they are used in the really cold areas they suffer a lot of metal fatigue too.

My advice is this: No matter how set you think your future is today with your current lady friend and your school plans, it could all drastically change and look totally different a year from now.

With that in mind, there are many reliable vehicles out there that meet your criteria that you don't have to go into serious debt to purchase. I'll tell you the same thing I told each of my 6 kids: Buy a low mileage 3 year old Subaru that got turned in off of a lease. They are reliable, awd, get great gas mileage, they hold their value well and you can still get a decent price for them when they have high miles on them.

Lets be honest, you have no case for NEEDING a truck right now so just admit that you WANT a truck. Thats OK. I still recommend the Subaru instead but if you must have a truck, go with a 1/2 ton GM/Ford/Dodge. Buy a used one coming off of a lease to avoid the depreciation loss. If it's less than 5 years old you can even purchase a warranty extension if you're concerned about those costs. An american truck from the lower 48 will be much easier to sell in Alaska if you need to get rid of it.

My closing advice is the same for vehicles as for girl friends: There are many different ones out there, don't buy/marry the first one you fall in love with. Try many more. Later, if the first one still feels like the best choice, go back and make the arrangement permanent. Right now your experience is with Toyotas. Good vehicles. There are lots of other good ones out there. Try some of them out before you make a final decision.

 

[nattybumppo]

You know if I you Rick, I'd get a few year old F150 4x4 and be done with it. Should be able to find a late 10th gen (97-2003) or an early 11th gen (2004-08) in good shape without a million miles for ~$10k, particularly if you stick to the XL and regular cab.

That's all we drove as kids back when I was about your age, old Fords and Chevys. At that time it would have been late 1970s and early 1980s trucks, but we went everywhere, road trips to Utah and Oregon and Montana and Colorado. We spent summers doing construction and working in climbing and bike shops. I suppose had we grown up in Colorado we'd have driven old Toyota trucks, but in St. Louis Toyotas weren't as common.

X3 on this. Those Ford F150s are great and get about 18 on a trip if you don't stop on it, even towing! They are also all over the place in car lots now. Throw a cap on the bed and a foam matress on the floor and you have your own mobile hotel. When I was your age, I bought a new Toyota 4x4 long bed pickup and drove it for 10 years before I sold it. It was everything you described that you want...reliable, versatile, went anywhere, but times were different then. I had the 6 grand to plunk down and buy it outright, so I didn't have to worry about payments and full-coverage insurance, after a few years. If I were doing it now, and planning to go north young man, I would look for that F150 for sure.

 

[Jacket]

Without re-reading all the posts in this thread, are you committed to a regular cab? To me, the lack of space for stuff in the cab would be a major deterrent, even if I was just a single guy in my 20's. I know the price point is better, but I suspect you'll wish you had an access cab and you'll soon want to upgrade for a bit more space. And then you'll discover that it's tough to sell a regular cab and they are not nearly as valuable as access and double cabs. My 2 cents....

Just so it's not all bad, I do think the wheelbase of the regular cabs make them great wheelers

 

[DaveInDenver]

LOL! Different strokes for this 40-something married guy I suppose. I'd have no problem replacing my XtraCab with a current regular cab Taco. There's a bit of space behind the seat for the stuff I put back there (tools, maps and antennas, I chucked the seats about 3 days after getting and made a platform for the dog) and the extra couple of inches of width make a big difference. I'd definitely be fine with a full size regular cab. But we just use it to get places and don't have the kid dilemma. Not to mention that I don't cause an accident opening the rear window of regular cabs.

 

[coax]

One thing I didn't see mentioned: If you go with a new vehicle, don't forget to factor in license/registration fees in the initial cost. It can be significant. On my 19k mazda, it was around 7-800 or so, iirc.

 

[theboomboom]

Well, when considering regular cab vs extended, I realize that the extended cab will never carry passengers as well as a sedan would. Nor will either get good gas mileage like a car would. So, in the case of the extended cab Tacoma, that small back area with "seats" for two is just too much of a compromise. I'd rather spend less up front for a regular cab truck, and plan on carpooling as a passenger rather than a driver when the situation arises. I had plenty of room for storage in my old truck inside the cab, utilizing space behind the seats and under them.

I emailed the seller of this truck, waiting to hear back about a time I could take a look at it and if he is firm on his price:

http://denver.craigslist.org/ctd/2877530632.html

I definitely like the V6, 5-speed, topper, and for that price I'd be looking at a comparable mid-size Toyota that is 6+ years older with an additional 100k on the clock.

 

[Air Randy]

Well, when considering regular cab vs extended, I realize that the extended cab will never carry passengers as well as a sedan would. Nor will either get good gas mileage like a car would. So, in the case of the extended cab Tacoma, that small back area with "seats" for two is just too much of a compromise. I'd rather spend less up front for a regular cab truck, and plan on carpooling as a passenger rather than a driver when the situation arises. I had plenty of room for storage in my old truck inside the cab, utilizing space behind the seats and under them.

I emailed the seller of this truck, waiting to hear back about a time I could take a look at it and if he is firm on his price:

http://denver.craigslist.org/ctd/2877530632.html

I definitely like the V6, 5-speed, topper, and for that price I'd be looking at a comparable mid-size Toyota that is 6+ years older with an additional 100k on the clock.

That would be an excellent choice if it's as nice as the ad implies.