Toyota Tacoma Questions

[james_oxley]

Hey guys,

I'm 17 and hoping to buy a truck this summer. I was thinking about the Tacoma 4x4. It would be used for city commuting, occasionally carrying sheets of plywood and drywall,  and sometimes towing an 18' Glastron fish and ski boat or landscaping equipment in a trailer. Do you guys think the Tacoma would have enough power for the towing or should I move up to a full size. Also, how does the fuel consumption compare to a full size like a Silverado or an f-150. Any advice feedback on the Tacoma would be appreciated

 

 

James 

[flyfisher]

Tacoma is a good truck but if i was looking to tow often, like it seems you will, would bump up to a full size for the added towing capability and braking.  The taco would be able to tow fine but the stopping part is where the added weight of a full size will help.

[ClackerBuzz]

i haven't seen the mpg or towing specs on them. is this truck for 90% for commuting?

but you don't want to be left in the cold when towing?

i tend to agree with something my grandfather used to say: never buy a vehicle based on fuel economy.

run the numbers b/c the savings between a 6v and 8v might only be $600 per year. that adds up after 5 years but it could also mean not getting into an accident, stuck on a steep boat ramp, mud etc.

[wnybassman]

I had two different Tacoma's, a '96 and a '99.   Both of them towed very well, and the '99 towed both my Stratos Fish-n-Ski and then my Stratos 201.   The 201 was a very heavy boat, but the Toyota towed that boat all over this state, even through the Adirondak Mountains.

 

 

[Koofy Smacker]

I tow with an '06 4x4 crewcab tacoma 50-60 days a year. Never had any issues whatoever. It's towing capacity is 6,700lbs if I remember correctly which it 3x that of any full size bassboat. Fuel economy towing is about 15 and just driving is right around 18. Compare that to my cousins full size Tundra and he is lucky to get 13 every day just driving.

[Koofy Smacker]

To add to what I wrote I normally pull a G3 bassboat but have pulled others including several glass boats in the 20ft range with 200-250's on the back and neither power nor braking was even noticeably lacking

[james_oxley]

Thanks for the info guys! 

 

i haven't seen the mpg or towing specs on them. is this truck for 90% for commuting?

but you don't want to be left in the cold when towing?

i tend to agree with something my grandfather used to say: never buy a vehicle based on fuel economy.

run the numbers b/c the savings between a 6v and 8v might only be $600 per year. that adds up after 5 years but it could also mean not getting into an accident, stuck on a steep boat ramp, mud etc.

 

It would probably be used for 80% commuting. Good point about the fuel economy though. Still have to think really hard about this

[Chris186]

Thanks for the info guys! 

 

 

It would probably be used for 80% commuting. Good point about the fuel economy though. Still have to think really hard about this

80% commuting, I would say go for it. I had a 1997 Tacoma V6 4x4, one of the best trucks I have ever owned. Pulled an 18'6 Triton with no problems at all. I bought it with 60k miles on it, and I got rid of it with 130k on the clock. 70,000 miles and all I ever had to do was routine stuff like oil, brakes etc. Looking back, I never should have gotten rid of it. I now own a 2012 Tacoma, which I bought brand new. Its got 4 full doors and easily tows my boats. I cant say enough good things about these trucks.

[kwhorne19]

I had two different Tacoma's, a '96 and a '99.   Both of them towed very well, and the '99 towed both my Stratos Fish-n-Ski and then my Stratos 201.   The 201 was a very heavy boat, but the Toyota towed that boat all over this state, even through the Adirondak Mountains.

 

 

 

Is that a V6? I have a '98 with a 2.7 and I don't use it to pull my 18ft HydraSport, use the Tahoe instead because i think it will probably max out my little 4 cyl

[BlackMagic82]

I haul my boat around (18' glass with a big heavy 90s model 150 on it) with a '13 Tacoma (V6, 4x4), no issues to speak of with power or braking.  I absolutely love my truck, it gets great gas mileage - it works perfectly for what I use it for.

 

Good luck finding your truck.

[wnybassman]

Is that a V6?

 

 

Yes, it was.

[jerzeeD]

Get the V6. My 2010 2.7l won't tow more than 1,300 lbs. comfortably where I live. But I live in the mountains where I find myself on some steep hills. As a sidenote, the 2005+ models have larger front brakes than previous generations did. But if you get a pre-2005 model, you can upgrade to Tundra front brakes as the parts swap is a breeze. Just be sure you have 16" wheels. The brake upgrade will not work with 15's. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions. I am kind of a Toyota truck nut.

[Mikey40]

My 04 V6 does just fine pulling my buddies bass boats up to 20'. 

[Snakehead Whisperer]

My father in law tows a 27' cabin cruiser with his 2012 4x4 TRD Tacoma. Never had a problem pulling that boat or stopping, and the truck is a manageable size for city driving whereas the Tundra is pretty huge. The boat and trailer are probably in the neighborhood of 8,000lbs. 

 

The one thing I do know is that he recently traded in his 2010 2wd Tacoma because of the boat, and that truck was much more pleasant to drive. The 4x4 drives like a truck, the 2wd drove like a Camry and got far better fuel economy. He towed the cabin cruiser several times with the old truck without incident, but feels safer in the 4x4. They are both 4.0l V6's.

[wnybassman]

Only problem I ever had with a Tacoma was with my '96.   Got it new, and while heading to the Adirondak Mountains about an hour and a half away from home my manual transmission let loose.   The truck only had 4,900 miles on it.   It was discovered that the tranny never had lube in it, only the factory assembly grease they had on the gears.   I thought it was amazing it lasted that long without lube.     Had the truck and boat towed back home, grabbed a relatives truck and made my way to our destination, then the next day I had the best day of largemouth fishing (weight-wise) I ever had.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Only problem I ever had with a Tacoma was with my '96.   Got it new, and while heading to the Adirondak Mountains about an hour and a half away from home my manual transmission let loose.   The truck only had 4,900 miles on it.   It was discovered that the tranny never had lube in it, only the factory assembly grease they had on the gears.   I thought it was amazing it lasted that long without lube.     Had the truck and boat towed back home, grabbed a relatives truck and made my way to our destination, then the next day I had the best day of largemouth fishing (weight-wise) I ever had.

Did Toyota make good on it for you? 

 

That's a pretty bad oversight on their part.

[wnybassman]

Did Toyota make good on it for you? 

 

 

 

 

Of course.  I kinda had them wrapped around my finger for the next few trucks I bought too.    lol

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Of course.  I kinda had them wrapped around my finger for the next few trucks I bought too.    lol

Nice. Good to know. It's almost unbelievable that your truck shipped without gear oil to begin with.

[wnybassman]

Nice. Good to know. It's almost unbelievable that your truck shipped without gear oil to begin with.

 

 

I'm sure it was an extremely isolated incident.    That's the only conclusion they could come up with seeing there was no evidence of any leakage.  

[Snakehead Whisperer]

I'm sure it was an extremely isolated incident.    That's the only conclusion they could come up with seeing there was no evidence of any leakage.  

The last Toyota I owned was a '79 Corona, but that was a great car and I got 250k miles out of it before it died on me. Would've lived a lot longer had the oil light worked when the oil pump failed