New truck?

K1200RS said:
A fellow I used to work with has a Tacoma, the extended cab version with a V6 engine. He uses it for family camping, towing a small camping trailer, and it seems to work well for him and his family (of four). He has said that the fuel consumption is a bit higher than he would like but that it is nowhere near V8 consumption levels. He also has a small side business building canoes and kayaks and he uses the truck to transport materials and finished boats. It is a comfortable, solid vehicle and it is very useful. Just perusing the auto trader, I see many older Tacomas for sale with insane amounts of miles on them (and equally insane prices).


He has had no mechanical or electrical problems in seven or eight years of owning the truck.

While I like the idea of the Ridgeline, I am not in any way, shape, or form a truck guy. I like cars and the Ridgeline appeals to me. My brother, who is a truck guy, had what is probably the uber truck which was an old Dodge Ram truck with a Cummins diesel, a bed big enough to land a helicopter in, and a cab big enough to hold a guide and a complete hunting party. It also had the worst handling you could imagine. No, scratch that - you can't imagine how bad the handling was. The body would twist on the frame when the brakes were applied.

When my brother sold it, reluctantly and at his wife's insistence (she hates the smell of diesel fuel), it was bought by a guide from Northern Ontario where it still probably toils away, happily transporting hunters, dead moose, and pulling the occasional stump.

For your purposes, in my inexpert opinion, the Tacoma would probably be a great truck and given that the resale values are high, buying new may be your best bet. Good luck.
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Thanks.
 
SunnY S said:
I dont appreciate your threats and incorrect assumptions.

This is an open public forum discussion. Its common for threads to move off topic, or move into another direction entirely. Others can benefit from the discussion, just as I did, they have offered their opinions on what is a better choice and why.

You can choose to put me on ignore if you don't like my comments.
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Actually moderators don't have the option of putting people on ignore, so you're poking the bear when you set out to annoy a mod.

KThanksBye ;)
 
I am interested as well, same situation as you. I was actually looking at the Nissan frontier. How does that compare to the Tacoma, and are their any other truck in that short lil segment of light-medium lift trucks?

Sonney will troll around always just ignore him for now, if you ever need some entertainment and can't find anything else at that moment unblock him.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
Haven't looked at the Nissan.A lot of people talk about Toyota reliability,and that is what pulled me in.That,and it's the only "mid" size truck available.
Moderators don't have the luxury of an ignore button.He's poking where he shouldn't.
 
Hi Wingboy,

If you're not going to tow, but instead haul your bikes on the bed, you need to check to total payload of the tacoma.
From the mechanical specs the tacoma is good for 1,050 lbs (4x2 Access or 4x4 Double Cab) and 1,200(4x4 access), that includes all the driver + passengers + bikes + tools, etc.

So for the 355lb bike, you still have about 700lbs (4x2) or 850lbs (4x4 access) for driver + passengers and additional cargo.

So this looks enough for your needs. Unless you buy another bike and haul more than than 4 passengers.

Just my .02 :)
 
I would put the Dodge Dakota in the same segment, if only because of price. Regder's comment about taking a 6 instead of a 4 is bang on point. The 4 works harder, even without a load, so real world fuel economy is likely not all that different. I found myself wishign that I'd gotten an 8 instead of a 6, when I bought my Dakota.
 
ezacarias said:
Hi Wingboy,

If you're not going to tow, but instead haul your bikes on the bed, you need to check to total payload of the tacoma.
From the mechanical specs the tacoma is good for 1,050 lbs (4x2 Access or 4x4 Double Cab) and 1,200(4x4 access), that includes all the driver + passengers + bikes + tools, etc.

So for the 355lb bike, you still have about 700lbs (4x2) or 850lbs (4x4 access) for driver + passengers and additional cargo.

So this looks enough for your needs. Unless you buy another bike and haul more than than 4 passengers.

Just my .02 :)
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Exactly.I think i'm talking myself into the Taco/4banger.
 
I believe the US manufacturers already discontinued the mid sized pickups.
You can probably buy leftover dealer inventories. So pretty much Tacoma, Frontier, Ridgeline for brand new.

News are the US manufacturers are planning the bring back the midsized trucks next year and badge them as "lifestyle" trucks.


Rob MacLennan said:
I would put the Dodge Dakota in the same segment, if only because of price. Regder's comment about taking a 6 instead of a 4 is bang on point. The 4 works harder, even without a load, so real world fuel economy is likely not all that different. I found myself wishign that I'd gotten an 8 instead of a 6, when I bought my Dakota.
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Wingboy said:
My post says that i am looking for a truck to haul my bikes.One is track only and the other is competition dirt.How the heck would a trailer work? The Honda Ridgeline is for yuppies and soccer moms.Makes about as much sense as the Cayenne fitting into the truckworld.
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My mates Ridgeline tows as much as my Frontier. Fits as many bikes. And is marginally better on gas mileage than my Frontier. Soccor moms my arse.
 
I leased a 2010 Tacoma SR5 V6, and it was the worst truck I ever owner, it just feels cheap, the doors are really thin there is almost no noise insulation, its really small inside, its terrible on snow (Toyota's traction control is useless), its very rigid, the ride quality is terrible, and it's not as reliable as you may think (had to go in for warranty work twice in the first year). I put it up on LeaseBusters a year later, and bought a used Ridgeline
 
mbroyda said:
I leased a 2010 Tacoma SR5 V6, and it was the worst truck I ever owner, it just feels cheap, the doors are really thin there is almost no noise insulation, its really small inside, its terrible on snow (Toyota's traction control is useless), its very rigid, the ride quality is terrible, and it's not as reliable as you may think (had to go in for warranty work twice in the first year). I put it up on LeaseBusters a year later, and bought a used Ridgeline
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Oh noes, another vote for Ridgeline. HAHA.
 
Jayv said:
Oh noes, another vote for Ridgeline. HAHA.
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Frankly wondering why the OP even wasted bandwidth asking the question. He already knows everything about everything. Even when people advise him differently. He won't even listen to reasoned argument about going the V6 route.

The Ridgeline is a super versatile truck type vehicle. Whenever I drive my mates it always impresses me. Especially when it's towing a 6 x 12 trailer with 2 bikes, has another bike in the bed, on a 22 hour drive to Florida. But then what do I know? Stereotyping always trumps real world experience.

And now I'd best stop trolling with advice, facts and truths.
 
I just love how Wingobys coming from an S10 and knocking the Ridgeline as not a "real truck"
 
I have a 2008 Tacoma 4 cylinder w/access cab and SR5 package that I bought new in Sept 2007. I have about 126k on it now and it is rated to haul 3500lb I believe. It gets reasonable mileage and I have had no issues with it at all. Personally, I regret not getting the 4 door because I sometimes drive my GF's kids around and they're kind of squished. The 6cyl was more than I needed and more expensive and the Ridgeline was about $4000 or $5000 more at the time too. I would recommend the truck to anyone that has mostly light to medium hauling. PM me if you like.
 
The 4 cyl is a joke for any type of enclosed trailer towing, if you ever hope to get up to highway speed.

I have a V6 RAV4 (almost the same engine as the Tacoma) that tows a 7 foot tall, 6x12 enclosed trailer...fuel economy goes up to 20L/100 (12 mpg) and could barely keep steady at 110 km/h...I could not even imagine the 4 cyl doing that.

Are people delusional saying that a 5,000 lb tow rating is inadequate? What in the **** are you towing? 8.5x20 horse trailer? In the fear of trolling, I would recommend the Ridgeline. The Tacoma is an updated, overpriced truck, that is due for a complete overhaul soon.

Mkaythanks
 
Before anyone buys a Tacoma, find out whether they've fixed this issue:

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/6...8781-05-toyota-tacoma-frame-failure-list.html

Personally, I wouldn't.

I know it's been stated that the height of the vehicle is an issue for the wife climbing in, but adding 4x4 to a compact pickup raises it a fair bit, so there might not be a whole lot of advantage with the compact rather than a full-size, in terms of height.

The problem with all of the compact pickups is that the segment has been allowed to wither and die, while all of the development has been applied to the full-size trucks. All of the compact pickups have outdated powertrains.

If you want something now ... probably the Ram (formerly Dodge) with the V6 and 8-speed ZF automatic is the best package. If it's too high ... there is SO much aftermarket for pickup trucks. I'm certain that there is a lowering kit for the suspension. If anything, for a bike hauler, this will make it even more practical by making it easier to load and unload.

If you can wait a little, there is a lot of new stuff coming soon.

The next generation GM trucks (available soon, 2014 MY) are going to be available with GM's next-generation direct-injection engines, and that includes the 4.3 V6 ... which is the same displacement as the old 4.3 V6 but has absolutely nothing to do with it. If the height of the truck is a problem ... install a lowering kit. The vehicle platform is new (K2XX, replacing GMT900) but it is not all *that* different.

The Ram 1500 is set to be available with the 3.0 litre V6 diesel ... no idea on price or when it will be available, but it will be 2014 model year. Same engine goes in the Grand Cherokee next year ... and I know who makes the front subframes for those, and I know the tooling is ready to go ...

The next F150 is being tooled up now, but it's a bit further into the future and Ford is keeping pretty quiet about it.

I don't know much about the Nissan Frontier other than it's really, really outdated and is a slow seller.

As for the Ridgeline ... a rather familiar historical pattern has been Honda + V6 engine + automatic transmission = kaboom, sooner or later. It is a decent vehicle but it has become dated. There's no advantage in fuel economy, even compared to the current GM full-size pickups, nevermind K2XX.
 
Brian P said:
As for the Ridgeline ... a rather familiar historical pattern has been Honda + V6 engine + automatic transmission = kaboom, sooner or later. It is a decent vehicle but it has become dated. There's no advantage in fuel economy, even compared to the current GM full-size pickups, nevermind K2XX.
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Historical is the key word.....they haven't had those issues since 2003......cough which was 10 years ago ;).
 
I was going to bring it up that the ram 1500 is getting the v6 diesel for next year... I would wait and if they are priced right, pick one of those up.
My ram 1500 isn't any taller than the newer Tacomas... And side steps are easy to install.

Toyota's quality has come down from what it was... Tailgates that bend in the middle don't sound to bode well for the rest of the truck, considering tailgates are one of the most abused parts of a truck.
Fuel economy... Those Tacomas are ok, but my ram can get over 650km on about 85 liters when I'm nice to it.
The bed is bigger, and you won't easily outgrow it's capacities.

I ended up in a fullsize because I had a decent, capable midsize. I really didn't want to get rid of my Canyon (3.5l, 4:10 gears, locking rear end, 4x4, 5 speed etc etc) but my hauling needs outgrew it pretty quick with just a decent sized (7x12) enclosed trailer. It would have been fine for most trips, but 3 hours one way through the Canadian shield every weekend just would have beat it up too much.
So, I sucked it up, bought a fullsize v-8 and I get the same fuel mileage unloaded, and the full size gets better mileage than the midsize with the trailer because it just isn't being that worked.
I like the width of the bed you get in a fullsize. Throw my mx bike in the bed, pressure washer, water barrel, fuel, some tools, all my gear (don't want that sweaty smelly stuff in the cab after), ramp, center stand, chairs, cooler, awning... Be very far stretched to get that all in to a compact bed.

The eco-boost motor is awesome... But I've heard about transmission issues, and know a couple of them have had bottom ends explode (was browsing the forums before I bought the ram). And you're looking at $45,000+ just to get to the packages that will get you that motor (can't buy a base model with the eco-boost).

My ram, I got it on a $9,750 promotion, plus a couple discounts and it was under $30,000 (packaged out to $45,000ish without the discounts) and I'm happy with it.

Must haves in ALL pick up trucks:
Locking rear end. Especially if you go with a 2wd, one tire fire on ice with a light box and you're going nowhere.
4x4 for me is a must. Get it stuck in the snow in 2wd, just throw it in to 4wd to get out, and it adds some stability in the nasty winter weather. But then, the GTA only gets a couple nasty winter days per year.
A decent gear ratio. Sure, that 3:55 ratio gets awesome fuel mileage on the highway unweighted, but you throw a trailer on and it's going to have to gear down in the transmission, resulting in higher RPMs. And it's not as efficient in stop and go traffic due to the increase torque needed to accelerate.

I do however, like the looks of some of those Tacos.

2012 was the first year of the 5 point suspension in the ram. It's super smooth, even on the horrible renfrew county roads.
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