I'd buy three

[hporter]

although the Tacoma gets 20-22 MP

I've been curious on how much the 6 cylinder/Auto differed from the 4 cylinder/Manual for Tacoma fuel mileage. If your Tacoma is 20 years old, it was in the same "era" as my old one.

My 2001 Tacoma Double Cab that I bought new had the Pre-Runner option (where it sat a little taller), and had the 6 cylinder automatic transmission combo. I never could get better than 17-18 mpg with it.

My wife dislikes the Tundra I have now. She much preferred the Tacoma as she could park it and get around in traffic easier. But pulling a 25' lightweight travel trailer with the Tacoma could put a few grey hairs on your head, so I went ahead and bought the Tundra. It pulled the same trailer like there was nothing behind you.

I don't have the trailer anymore. I don't need a full sized truck anymore. And now, Toyota has dropped the manual transmission for the Tacoma except in a very few combinations. I would buy another Tacoma in a heart beat if I could get a 5 speed 4 cylinder combination. I like the looks of the Colorado and Ranger better than the new Tacoma. But when I bought the Tundra, my Tacoma had 165,000 miles on it with zero visit's to the dealer and was still like new.

My 1988 Landcruiser has 265k on it, and still gets around well. My previous 1992 4 Runner had over 200k on it, with zero issues. Our son is about to roll over 400k in his Corolla that he bought new in 2010. I know domestic vehicles are built better now, and last longer. But it is hard to best a Toyota that has been taken care of.

But I do like the sound of Ric's friends 1982 Datsun diesel..... That would be the cats meow for commuting in Houston.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I’m not sure I would buy the current production Tacoma.

Toyota has eliminated all the features that made those trucks desirable. They were not good despite being simple, they were good because they were simple.

 

[hporter]

They were not good despite being simple, they were good because they were simple.

But that is the crux of the problem, despite which manufacturer of vehicle you are considering, try finding a basic or simple truck.

I ordered my Tundra, because I wanted the work truck package with vinyl seats and rubber flooring. The fleet manager thought I was crazy when I inquired whether I could get crank windows instead of electric. I seek out the most basic configuration, because I don't want the extras, nor do I desire to pay for them.

My local Toyota dealer has mostly loaded up versions on the lot, because they sell them like hot cakes. Very rarely do they have stripped down models on the lot.

I just can't wrap my head around paying 60-80k for a vehicle, but many do.

 

[popper]

bought F150 in 74, cost 4K$ - 360 and 3 speed. Yup, ford imported the Courier (?Mazda) and put the bed on it to get past the tariff. Kawasaki had to limit engine size to 700CC to keep Harley in business. Dodge imported Mitsubishis'. Then we got the Fed gas regs that cratered the big motors/cars. Next came all the crash related stuff. Even though Texaco knew MTBE contaminated ground water it replaced tet-lead. I remember seeing a Taurus with full instrumentation when visiting Yellowstone in the early 80s. FI motor with all the pollution junk. Air pump - where are they on the cars now? Evap canisters?

 

[Bret4207]

My '91 Toy, bought new, had the 22-R 4 banger and 5 speed manual. It would get up in the 20's mpg in flat country, but we never really drove anywhere without mountains. Th '90 I bought used with 150-ish K on it- 6 banger and 5 speed. A gutless engine IMO that never got more than 17 mpg anywhere. But they ran and ran and ran and ran. I hauled a ho'made tandem axle trailer with 100-140 square bales (figure 35 lbs per bale) 100 miles out of the St Lawrence Valley up into our place in Long Lake in the Central Adirondacks for years with the '91. Outstanding truck, simply outstanding!

 

[Glaciers]

I picked up a 2002 Toyota Tundra in 2015 with only 36,000 miles on it, like a new truck at used prices. Great truck. Gas mileage sucks, 14 to 15 summer, winter, in town or out. But a good extended cab that’s comfortable. It’s the lightest tundra ever made. Now has 93,000 miles but the future usage will be less.
I have a 95 Dodge 2500 diesel that will haul anything on the heavy end.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

My '91 Toy, bought new, had the 22-R 4 banger and 5 speed manual. It would get up in the 20's mpg in flat country, but we never really drove anywhere without mountains. Th '90 I bought used with 150-ish K on it- 6 banger and 5 speed. A gutless engine IMO that never got more than 17 mpg anywhere. But they ran and ran and ran and ran. I hauled a ho'made tandem axle trailer with 100-140 square bales (figure 35 lbs per bale) 100 miles out of the St Lawrence Valley up into our place in Long Lake in the Central Adirondacks for years with the '91. Outstanding truck, simply outstanding!

The 22R 4 cylinder was bullet proof. A far better engine than the larger V-6 from Toyota.
The 3ZR 4 cylinder is also a solid engine.

 

[L Ross]

So legislation increases the price of vehicles, and bureaucrats add requirements that increase the price of vehicles. Fine, so a $25,000 truck a lot of us wish we could buy now costs $67,000. So the sales tax alone goes up from $1,375 in WI for example to $3,685. What possible incentive could legislators and bureaucrats have to help us have simple, less expensive vehicles?
Oh and fuel economy decreases, but again, fuels tax revenue would be reduced if we could drive efficient, lighter cars and trucks. Can't have that now can we?
Some of you live in States that base registration fees on the cost of a vehicle. Can't reduce that now can we?
Once again, I am a narcissistic, cynical, curmudgeon.

 

[Tomme boy]

The 22R 4 cylinder was bullet proof. A far better engine than the larger V-6 from Toyota.

I had a Celica I raced. We put a 20R head on the 22r short block with a comp cam. We changed the springs and retainers and did a port job. I revved that thing to 7000rpm. I blew the rear end out of it 2x before we put a 8.8" out of a mustang. And put in 4:10 gears. I had a slipper valve for the clutch so it would not shock the drivetrain so hard. A friend made a adapter plate to put a 500cfm 2 barrel Holley on it. We also made out own headers. I could get 13.20's at 105mph in the 1/4 mile with that.

All of this was on stock bottom ends.

 

[richhodg66]

I have owned, operated, and worked on both full-size American trucks and the smaller Japanese imports. My current truck is a 20-year-old Tacoma with a 4 cylinder, 5 speed manual and 4WD. I wouldn’t sell that Toyota for twice what I paid for it.

When I needed full sized American trucks, I owned them. I no longer need all that truck and much prefer the smaller Tacoma. I don’t tow boats and trailers. I don’t haul firewood, gravel, or huge amounts of lumber anymore. I just don’t need or want all that extra truck. It isn’t the fuel mileage (although the Tacoma gets 20-22 MPG). It’s the economy and convenience of a small workhorse. It’s cheap and easy to maintain. It’s easy to park. It fits in places in the woods that a big truck can’t go. The off-road and snow capability is top notch. It’s super reliable and the taxes on it are low (Virginia charges a yearly personal property tax on vehicles).

The older, little Japanese trucks are NOT for everyone and I’m OK with that. If you need or want a full-size truck, you’re in luck – there’s no shortage of them. But don’t disparage the little Japanese Freightliners, they are far more pragmatic than you think. I’ve seen plenty of Toyota’s go 300K and do it with little effort.

This is pretty much me. I've had one of the Nissan trucks continuously since 1991, all but one with that 2.4 Liter four cylinder and all with manual transmissions. I like them, can't get one like it anymore.

Kinda on a whim, I bought a 1998 Dodge half ton about six months ago. No extended cab, 2WD, 318 engine and a manual transmission. So far, it's been nice, not a power house compared to what most are driving, but more truck than I really need most of the time.

Amazing how many $80K pickups I see being driven by people whose sole reason for owning it is to get their ass from the house to work and back. Bad as I hate to say it, the average American really is pretty stupid.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

...........Bad as I hate to say it, the average American really is pretty stupid.

It may be an unpleasant reality but it is still accurate.

 

[fiver]

everyone forgets that America is the money siphon for the rest of the planet.
we develop the vehicles here and then ship all of the stamps off to another country so they can make the same exact vehicle for another 5 years only with their power train dropped in place.
we also get to pay 25 dollars for a 29 cent pill.

 

[Jeff H]

...
Once again, I am a narcissistic, cynical, curmudgeon.

Endearing traits, Sir.

Only in that specific, magical combination.

 

[Jeff H]

I’m not sure I would buy the current production Tacoma.

Toyota has eliminated all the features that made those trucks desirable. They were not good despite being simple, they were good because they were simple.

"Features and options" is what sells now. Most people I know who buy a new car cannot tell me how many HP it has or even or the number of cylinders it has, let alone the torque rating. Brand means nothing, no one cares about the drive-train, they want blue-tooth this and that, USB charging ports, cameras, GPS, touch screens and TVs for the kiddos in the back seats.

Myself, my first question is what engine is under the hood? Old stand-bys, like the "Chrysler" 4.0, Nissan 2.4 NAPZ, Volvo B18B, etc. I want to know what transmission it has, which differentials, transfer case, etc. I test-drove a 96 Cherokee this week and plan to make an offer on it. I gave the owner ( a dear friend) a punch-list of what was wrong with it and how to fix it. He wanted to PAY me for that. I'd be totally lost on a new POS, but I know I can fix everything on that 96 myself, with no major headaches, no guessing and at reasonable costs.

I sure hope he accepts my offer. The more I learn about new cars, the more I appreciate my old "junk," even if I DO have to work on it once in a while and don't get 40 mpg. Oh, and I HATE working on cars, but it's worth it not have to pay more for a vehicle than my house cost and make me a slave to the dealer and the bank for service and an extension of credit for something worth a TENTH of what I'm borrowing.

 

[twodot]

"Features and options" is what sells now. Most people I know who buy a new car cannot tell me how many HP it has or even or the number of cylinders it has, let alone the torque rating. Brand means nothing, no one cares about the drive-train, they want blue-tooth this and that, USB charging ports, cameras, GPS, touch screens and TVs for the kiddos in the back seats.

cup holders, you forgot the cup holders.
how many and are they heated?
..

 

[RicinYakima]

About 2019 I started looking for a 2006 or earlier Dodge diesel pick-up. The reason? A 2006 is worth almost $10,000 more than a 2007. After a couple of years I decided that for the years I have left for RV'ing, I can replace the Mercedes Benz design hemi or transmission cheaper than upgrading to a Cummins.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

About 2019 I started looking for a 2006 or earlier Dodge diesel pick-up. The reason? A 2006 is worth almost $10,000 more than a 2007. After a couple of years I decided that for the years I have left for RV'ing, I can replace the Mercedes Benz design hemi or transmission cheaper than upgrading to a Cummins.

I owned a 1995 Dodge 3/4 ton, 4WD with the Cummins. That was the old 12 valve Cummins with the mechanical injection pump. The engine was bullet proof. The rest of the truck was one giant headache and I owned it for over 15 years. Can't say I would ever buy another one.

 

[RicinYakima]

I owned a 1995 Dodge 3/4 ton, 4WD with the Cummins. That was the old 12 valve Cummins with the mechanical injection pump. The engine was bullet proof. The rest of the truck was one giant headache and I owned it for over 15 years. Can't say I would ever buy another one.

When Mercedes Benz bought Chrysler, within a couple of years, all those problems went away.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I'm not sure the Daimler Chrysler merger (1998-2007) did much to change Chrysler. By 2007, Daimler Auto Group wanted out of that deal and got out.

 

[JWinAZ]

My 2004 Wrangler was one of the most trouble free vehicles I had owned. As close to a Mercedes as I'll ever get. Then in 2017, I saw an ad for a 2010 Tacoma with 10K miles on it. A local truck, and yes owned by a little old lady who kept it in her garage most of the time. Traded the Jeep and boy was I disappointed! Trouble free but poky and not very comfortable for me. Should have kept the Jeep.