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Toyota Tacoma (2004 and earlier)

539 messages,  Last post on Nov 30, 2009 at 9:33 AM

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#9 of 539 Tacoma a good choice by eb12 Oct 26, 2002 (2:07 pm)
I have a 02 Reg Cab (5sp) since 1/02. I have also own a 95 T100 and a base 93 truck. 14k miles with no problems, Heater and AC works great, I average 25 MPG, Hope to replace OEM tires soon. This truck is great, No regrets. I believe you get what you pay for, worth the extra money.
#10 of 539 4 cylinder prerunner TRD by beachbrat Oct 28, 2002 (2:35 pm)
Would a 99 4cylinder prerunner extended cab TRD be able to pull a ski boat up Big Bear, CA?
#11 of 539 1995 tacoma extracab 4x4 by mocha4 Oct 29, 2002 (8:03 am)
Guys, if you are reading this I just wanted to say that I have owned my tacoma for 4 years and other than the regular maintenance, I have had a lot of fun with this vehicle. I put on about 300 km a week on this puppy and she is the mostly reliable vehicle that I have had in the long run. I paid $23,000 for this vehicle and I just finished paying her off. I do my own oil changes. I have spent about $1500 (CDN) on maintenance in the last 4 years. This includes tires and shocks. Eventhough I paid more up front I am seeing the rewards now. I average 23 mpg and do 80% highway driving with this vehicle. I hoped toyota has fixed that seatbelt problem. I have 135,000 km on this vehicle and expect to make it to 250,000 km
#12 of 539 Don't let my name scare you........ by nissangirl Nov 11, 2002 (2:09 pm)
But I would love some input. I have a son that will be driving in 3 years. I want to be able to hand down to him a PAID for 3-4 year old vehicle. Unfortunately, I have not won the lottery.....yet. I currently have a '00 Maxima SE, and had 2 previous Max's before, now you see the cause for my name. BUT, I don't want to hand down this type of "car" to a new young driver, especially when the speedometer goes to 160, not that I want to know if the car will go that fast, probably NOT, I just don't want him to think he can be racing this car. So, I am thinking of selling the Max, and getting a '03 Tacoma 2wd, 4dr, V6, I have always loved the looks of those trucks, but I would really like to hand down this truck to him in 3-4 years, then I can think about "me" again.   Any input on a Tacoma for a 16 year old, there are no safety test results on the '03 here at Edmunds.
#13 of 539 Safety of Compact trucks by toyotaken Nov 11, 2002 (4:53 pm)
There are two different websites that might be helpful to you. The first is the NHTSA (National highway safety trafic administration) website. This has all of the government crash test ratings on vehicles. The other is the IIHS (insurance institute for highway safety) website. This is an independent rating organization that uses some more severe testing for new vehicles.   On both organizations' tests, the Tacoma does better than any other compact pickup, however there is a "but" in that statement.   Pickups, and compact pickups more particularly do not have the same type of safety measures built into them as cars and/or they do not have them to the same standards as cars do. For example, while the tacoma does have steel door beams, they do not have the same standards as cars do. Similarly for crumple zones. While the Tacoma does have them built into the design, it is limited in effectiveness by the ladder frame that the truck is built onto. Some of these drawbacks are mitigated by the fact that you are in a larger (more massive) vehicle than most of those on the road, so are less likely to be injured in a crash with another vehicle and that you have a better view and perspective on things going on around you.   So going back to what I started with, the Tacoma does have the highest safety ratings of any compact pickup in the marketplace today, but if you're looking for passive safety built into a vehicle in the event of a crash, a car will have much more designed into the vehicle.   Hope this helps and if I just confused the issue, feel free to re-post for a clarification.
#14 of 539 nissangirl by sc0rpi0 Nov 11, 2002 (5:44 pm)
All you have to do is this: 1. Buy a 2003 4WD Tacoma. 2. Lift it 6". 3. Put 33x12.5R15 tires on it and leave the gearing stock. Your kid will not be able to chirp the tires from the start even if it was raining, forget about racing, a VW Rabbit could take him on then   Stock V6 Tacos are powerful, and with the 8yo engine, you can bet that they work fine. If you want to go down a more reliable route, get one with 2.7L I4: those engines are bulletproof. There is a guy on our TTORA boards who just hit 327K miles and was complaining that his engine was having a problem with rings. Imagine that.   The only thing you would need to worry about with trucks is the kid going offroading, but if he gets into a good group he'll be fine and make a lot of friends (as well as learn how to drive properly).   Safety-wise: It depends on what sites you look at. nhtsa.org and iihs.org are two main ones, first one is government organization and second one is insurance institute. You really have to combine both results together to see the entire picture. I feel my Tacoma is safe for me. I drive like a maniac sometimes and it feels rock solid (I've test-driven Isuzu Rodeo, that thing sways left and right, nose-dives everytime you hit brakes, etc) regardless of many things I do. While it's not a car, it's safe enough.   Another thing to think about: this is the last year of this generation of Tacoma. 2004 models will be redesigned with a bigger (hopefully) engine. What you may want to do is wait until next year when 2004s are introduced. Then, if you like 2004s, wait 6 month and buy one, or buy a 2003 real cheap.
#15 of 539 Input Much Appreciated by nissangirl Nov 12, 2002 (6:25 am)
Very helpful info there, you two. I am awaiting quotes from 3 different Toyota dealers here in South Mississippi. However, I am still undecided of what I want to do. But I do know, I have ALWAYS liked the looks of those Tacoma's. Safety is a major concern for my son (our only child), and you know kids, they want to "show out" their vehicles, I just hope he does it intelligently.   Thank you so much.
#17 of 539 mississippigirl... I mean nissangirl by dawgpak Nov 15, 2002 (6:13 pm)
I bought a used 2001 Tacoma Pre-Runner w/ the 4 cyl. engine and std. cab recently for my son who just turned 16. He loves it! I love it too because he can't carry too many kids in it or go too fast. I can't believe how good it handles. I like driving it much better than my own 2001 Ford F-150 Supercrew. I've had 2 other Toyota pickups myself ('77 and '84). Never a single problem (except for totaling the 1st one). BTW, my dad just flew to Mississippi today to move his 96 yr. old mother from her home in Como (near Memphis) into a nursing home.
#18 of 539 I'm just wondering if your state has by obyone Nov 15, 2002 (8:39 pm)
any law regarding the carrying of passengers in the bed of the truck. My state its illegal for anyone under the age of 12 to be riding in the back. Not that it really matters cause there is no age preference in an accident. Which leads to my point. Say after a football game the kids decide on going out for a burger. Do you think a couple of them would think it cool to ride in the back of a truck? How effective is peer pressure in a situation like this? Just food for thought.

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