Sell me on either a newer Taco or Tundra (1 Viewer)

[lunyou]

I'm in the market to get a new rig. A new truck that won't be breaking down due to old age, high mileage, and one that is comfortable to drive a small distance(not a 1st gen 4runner with bad springs and no ac).

I want either a Newer 5.7L tundra double cab or a newer double cab taco.

I'd really like to have the tundra as I could load up the fj40 and not worry about pulling it places if I wished. The taco would be a bit more of a chore. The taco however is more economical and regular sized. I do love the interior of the tundras however. The prices are generally close enough on comparable rigs that the cost difference is negligible.

So talk me into one or the other.

 

[BattleWagon]

Dude, you do not need a $40k truck. Serious, take a look at your priorities. Sometimes simple is pretty fxxxing cool.


Go buy a 2005/06 Tundra dcab and save 20k.

 

[jleeFJ62]

I was in the same spot as you a year ago. Tacoma's and tundra's were almost the same cost. For me it boiled down to: i rarely ever tow anything and i didnt see the cost of gas going down anytime soon. I loved the 5.7 v8 of the tundra, but realized all that fun would just equal to crappy mpg. Bought a 07 double cab tacoma with 33's, arb, and 40k for 15.5k. I avg around 19mpg mixed. I'm very pleased with the tacoma so far.

 

[Duane]

Well I hear several times that some are of the opinion that since the Tacos were upsized from the 04 model why not just buy a Tundra.
I had an 05 dbl cab Tundra... beautiful riding truck and quiet..but not gentle on gas. The 4.7 is a nice engine but if towing, getting a dbl cab or buying the newest model I would think the 5.7 is the way to go and I think better mileage than the 4.7 as well.

The 4.0 litre has a timing chain the 4.7 a belt and is an interference engine although cheap and plentiful in wrecking yards as they don't seem to be breaking. Can't speak to the 5.7.

My 05 had the tire pressure sensing which was a nuissance. In my opinion newer models have got way too many things to go wrong now. Not sure since Toyota has gone big that the last half dozen years are going to live up to the reliability of years ago.

I'm currently on a long trip with our 03 Sequoia, sure it gets worse mileage than our 3.4 litre runners but what a nice riding vehicle and for the extra room and comfy seats, extra safety features it's worth the roughly 15% worse mileage to us.

 

[FLATU8ER]

Not sure how much you will be towing, but I faced the same issue a few years ago. I settled on the 07 Taco, it is my DD, and will tow 6500lbs. Dbbl Cab w/ the short bed, and 4.0 V6.
The question is how much towing will you really be doing?
And will the weight of the rig + the trailer add up to more than the Taco will handle. I think (according to my owners manuel) the tow rating of 6500 is the max of any other configuration.
Will this be your DD? or just a tow rig?

 

[Blushin]

ive got a tundra crewmax with the 5.7l v8 and i love it. the truck rides great, has unbelievable power, handles like butta and is built like a luxury car. only downside is the gas mileage. but if your worried about that then you shouldnt be looking at the tundra but i cant say anything bad about the truck at all

 

[Brake Weight]

Excuse my ignorance. But what would be the limiting factor(s) in towing capacity? Would it be cost effective to upgrade this on a Tacoma to meet your needs of a tow rig? Is all.

 

[lunyou]

Well as far as towing I will not be doing much but like having the ability. If I'm going to be strapped with the vehicle for a while I need it to be as flexible as possible. The most I would forsee towing right now would be an fj40 on a trailer.

I like the idea of having more power than I need as that is something that I have never had. Always been a 4cyl or 3.0 and now a 4.3 v6 in the 40 but with low gears it's a mule not a cheetah. The right deal will have to come along for a newer tundra before it is a possibility while a Taco is more flexible due to the broader range of years that I like. Of course I like the 2003 tundra also, which can be found relatively cheap.

 

[Brake Weight]

Supercharge the Tacoma.

 

[ken_79-fj40]

I've towed both my Capri and my BMW on a fairly heavy (my brother in law bought it for his tractor) steel open trailer behind my 05 Tacoma with no issues. In the winter I use it as my DD and it gets 20-21 MPG too. And it's actually pretty capable off road too. A while back I had actually pondered getting rid of the 40 and putting a lift and a winch on the Tacoma.