Base model vs fully loaded truck

[itguy08]

Originally Posted by 02SE
Yep, DANA CORP produced a bunch of improperly made frames for Toyota. Toyota won a $25,000,000 judgement against DANA CORP, and bought back trucks or replaced frames. Meanwhile, my neighbors Mercury Mountaineer (Ford Explorer) from the same era, had it's frame rot away. No such consideration from Ford for it's swiss-cheese frames. The Ford Explorer was in the top six spots of vehicles scrapped under the 'cash-for-clunkers' debacle.


Seems DANA made a bunch of bad frames. IIRC they also made them for the Windstar too and Ford had to fix a boatload of them. I don't recall rust being an issue on the frame of the Explorer (or Ranger).
Consider the #'s that the Explorer has sold - it's pretty much been the #1 segment seller since it's introduction. And it got AWFUL fuel economy. I had a 2000 Explorer and maybe broke 19 MPG on a good day with a tail wind. No wonder it got traded in when gas spiked to $3+ a gallon.

 

[dogememe]

Originally Posted by Jarlaxle
Ye gods. $29,000 for a base-model 4-cylinder COMPACT truck. Ye. Gods.

The Tacoma is a stupid vehicle. Stupid-big, stupid-tall, stupid-small bed...90% the price of a fullsize truck, yet half as capable.

Yup. Way too expensive for what you get. They don't ride nice. They don't handle well. They aren't comfortable. Lousy MPG. Unrefined drivetrain. Not sure why anyone would buy a Tacoma when you can buy an F-150.

 

[Alfred_B]

Wouldn't a Tundra be a better choice? I seem to recall years ago the price difference was not much but the quality of the ride was far superior.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by dogememe
Originally Posted by Jarlaxle
Ye gods. $29,000 for a base-model 4-cylinder COMPACT truck. Ye. Gods.

The Tacoma is a stupid vehicle. Stupid-big, stupid-tall, stupid-small bed...90% the price of a fullsize truck, yet half as capable.

Yup. Way too expensive for what you get. They don't ride nice. They don't handle well. They aren't comfortable. Lousy MPG. Unrefined drivetrain. Not sure why anyone would buy a Tacoma when you can buy an F-150.

Does the F150 fit in the garage? Does it fit in parking spots better?

Originally Posted by Alfred_B
Wouldn't a Tundra be a better choice? I seem to recall years ago the price difference was not much but the quality of the ride was far superior.

Wouldn't be surprised. Mine rides ok, ya know it's a live axle and washboard will bounce you around--whereas my Camry's will ride better there--but it's no horse buggy setup.

Tundra's seem to depreciate more, and I think (maybe) more of the base models were sold. They seem to lack in popularity (compared to the Taco, nevermind the other big 3).

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by supton

Does the F150 fit in the garage? Does it fit in parking spots better?


I have yet to have an issue parking my truck, and it fits in the garage next to the van and lawn tractor beautifully.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by Skippy722
Originally Posted by supton

Does the F150 fit in the garage? Does it fit in parking spots better?


I have yet to have an issue parking my truck, and it fits in the garage next to the van and lawn tractor beautifully.

Lucky you. Mine barely fits in the larger bay in my garage, and I certainly would not be able to work on it. And I could definitely tell when they made the spots smaller in the parking lot at work! It fits, but not like it used to. [I cheat and park in the back 40 whenever I can, so I'm still lousy at parking the thing.]

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted by itguy08
Originally Posted by 02SE
Yep, DANA CORP produced a bunch of improperly made frames for Toyota. Toyota won a $25,000,000 judgement against DANA CORP, and bought back trucks or replaced frames. Meanwhile, my neighbors Mercury Mountaineer (Ford Explorer) from the same era, had it's frame rot away. No such consideration from Ford for it's swiss-cheese frames. The Ford Explorer was in the top six spots of vehicles scrapped under the 'cash-for-clunkers' debacle.


Seems DANA made a bunch of bad frames. IIRC they also made them for the Windstar too and Ford had to fix a boatload of them. I don't recall rust being an issue on the frame of the Explorer (or Ranger).
Consider the #'s that the Explorer has sold - it's pretty much been the #1 segment seller since it's introduction. And it got AWFUL fuel economy. I had a 2000 Explorer and maybe broke 19 MPG on a good day with a tail wind. No wonder it got traded in when gas spiked to $3+ a gallon.


Rangers did have rust issues with the rearward portion of the frame in states with lots of salt, but the issue does seem worse on Tacomas. I don't see a lot of pictures of Rangers broken in the middle, just Rangers with bumpers falling off. My Rangers which have largely stayed in the Southeast are rust free.

While early Explorers are based on the Ranger, the frame is significantly different and doesn't seem to rust as bad in my experience. The bodies are very prone to rust though because of the design of the rocker panels and rocker moldings. In extreme cases the rear quarters will rot too (also common on Blazers from the era). I had a 1995 Explorer that spent over a decade in PA and the body was destroyed by rust, but the frame was actually solid front to rear. It had a surface layer of crust, but no holes or soft spots. My current 1994 Explorer spent four years in a suburb of Chicago, but after that went to Washington, then Alabama, and it is rust free on the frame and body, even the typical bad spot towards the rear of the rockers is rust free.

 

[02SE]

Originally Posted by itguy08
Originally Posted by 02SE
Yep, DANA CORP produced a bunch of improperly made frames for Toyota. Toyota won a $25,000,000 judgement against DANA CORP, and bought back trucks or replaced frames. Meanwhile, my neighbors Mercury Mountaineer (Ford Explorer) from the same era, had it's frame rot away. No such consideration from Ford for it's swiss-cheese frames. The Ford Explorer was in the top six spots of vehicles scrapped under the 'cash-for-clunkers' debacle.


Seems DANA made a bunch of bad frames. IIRC they also made them for the Windstar too and Ford had to fix a boatload of them. I don't recall rust being an issue on the frame of the Explorer (or Ranger).
Consider the #'s that the Explorer has sold - it's pretty much been the #1 segment seller since it's introduction. And it got AWFUL fuel economy. I had a 2000 Explorer and maybe broke 19 MPG on a good day with a tail wind. No wonder it got traded in when gas spiked to $3+ a gallon.


I'm a former master tech. I and fellow mechanics saw plenty of rusted to oblivion Explorer frames. Just stating what we saw.

 

[avacado11]

Originally Posted by benjy
MORE truck for LESS $$$ is a Nissan Frontier, 05 to 10 had auto tranny-cooler issues after that all good or get a stick as i did!! although trucks hold value, the more you spend the more you loose, so only get what you need unless you got $$$ to throw away, a nice preowned can save $$$$


I actually considered a Frontier. Surprisingly nice low mileage '19 SL for $23k and lots of SVs for less. But I very committed to making sure Nissan will never see my money again after owning a new NV200 for 4 years. That being said, I don't mind the older truck design of the frontier but seeing them drop $35k to $23k makes me wonder how well they're gonna hold value in 5 years, especially with a new truck coming soon.

 

[avacado11]

Originally Posted by gathermewool
Is this going to be your usual ride or are the other vehicles in your sit at your disposal for DD duty?
—— I would never consider a base model for a DD.

If this is going to be a workhorse, utilitarian vehicle, I'd have no problem going base model IF you want to keep a long time.

Mid-range or loaded if you plan on dumping it as early you're dumping your Outback...

//

Real advice: keep the Outback and save money.


I have other cars to DD so this will just be my utility vehicle and occasional off roader. Although I'd like the option of being able to DD incase something happens to my car or I end up taking it out for a weekend.

I said I was gonna keep my Outback for at least 6-7 years when I brought it, but here we are 3 years later. If there wasn't the finance deal I would have never batted an eye at a new truck.

Called 2 Toyota dealers on Wednesday and haven't gotten a response yet. New car itch has worn off, might wait a little before trading in at this point. Love not having payments, and just realized that the Jeep Gladiator is another option

 

[avacado11]

Originally Posted by wkcars
If you haven't already check out the forum on tacomaworld to see what people are paying, people seem to be finding some good deals on tacomas during this pandemic but could there be even better deals coming, who knows


Crazy how there's people getting nearly 5k off. I've always thought Tacos were one of the few vehicles that get sold for MSRP with little room to negotiate. If this is the case then I could probably get a new TRD OR for the asking price of the TRD Sport plus 0% for 60 months, but at this point I'm starting to think that they really don't care to sell as I still haven't gotten a call back with a trade in offer.

I think this is one of the few times where I've seen a good selection of Tacos locally. Usually they're all highly optioned

 

[avacado11]

Originally Posted by Alfred_B
Wouldn't a Tundra be a better choice? I seem to recall years ago the price difference was not much but the quality of the ride was far superior.


The added capacity/space of half ton is nice but I don't haul often enough to justify V8 fuel economy of the Tundra. I owned a Silverado 1500 a few years ago and hated how big it was to DD so I'm not a fan of half tons in general.

I did have a '90 Toyota Hilux access cab before the Silverado and it was probably the most useable truck I had. Only sold it because it was so rusty it couldn't be fixed without causing more damage.

 

[SEBZX79]

Go and lease one you can get a Ted off-road 38k msrp with just first payment down for less then 300 a month. If you like it you can always buy them. Their used value sucks a big one and buying a stripped one does as well. Lease one with the crazy residual that they are offering

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted by avacado11


I said I was gonna keep my Outback for at least 6-7 years when I brought it, but here we are 3 years later. If there wasn't the finance deal I would have never batted an eye at a new truck.


That's part of the reason I'm not even going to look...ok, maybe I'll take just a peak at what may be some great deals over the next month or so.

I do NOT want a payment again either, though. I just think of all the goodies I can buy instead. For some cars, ONE or 1.5 payments will get you a PS5 when it comes out; two payments a nice 4K LCD Tv (3-6 for a large OLED); a 3-6 payments will get you a modest home theater setup, etc.

 

[MCompact]

I will definitely require at least 4-5 payments to nab a 75" TV that I would be happy with in the long term. Of course I can buy it from BB at 0% for 24 months.

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by gathermewool
Originally Posted by avacado11


I said I was gonna keep my Outback for at least 6-7 years when I brought it, but here we are 3 years later. If there wasn't the finance deal I would have never batted an eye at a new truck.


That's part of the reason I'm not even going to look...ok, maybe I'll take just a peak at what may be some great deals over the next month or so.

I do NOT want a payment again either, though. I just think of all the goodies I can buy instead. For some cars, ONE or 1.5 payments will get you a PS5 when it comes out; two payments a nice 4K LCD Tv (3-6 for a large OLED); a 3-6 payments will get you a modest home theater setup, etc.


I dream of having a nice TV. Once the kids are older though... a week after I bought my new curved 55" they took a screw driver to it

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by Skippy722
Originally Posted by gathermewool
Originally Posted by avacado11


I said I was gonna keep my Outback for at least 6-7 years when I brought it, but here we are 3 years later. If there wasn't the finance deal I would have never batted an eye at a new truck.


That's part of the reason I'm not even going to look...ok, maybe I'll take just a peak at what may be some great deals over the next month or so.

I do NOT want a payment again either, though. I just think of all the goodies I can buy instead. For some cars, ONE or 1.5 payments will get you a PS5 when it comes out; two payments a nice 4K LCD Tv (3-6 for a large OLED); a 3-6 payments will get you a modest home theater setup, etc.


I dream of having a nice TV. Once the kids are older though... a week after I bought my new curved 55" they took a screw driver to it

Ouch! One of my coworkers had his kid do that, only I think they destroyed the tube (he must have jabbed the screwdriver into it umpteen times).

Big TV is nice to have. One nice feature of being a Luddite is that everything gets real cheap once you resign yourself to being a generation (or 3) behind. We only upgraded from a 32" flat screen a few months ago (48" across or 56" diagonally? is nice). We watch a movie once a week or so on it, although we are annoyed when we turn it on and then the Blueray player decides to turn on and take over things... life was easier when things weren't so smart.

 

[MCompact]

I bought my 50" Kuro Elite in 2008. Only recently have new TVs been able to achieve the black levels of the Kuro. We remodeled the family room and in doing so increased the viewing distance by @5 feet, so a larger screen is mandatory.As a result, the Kuro is being moved to the basement gaming system. The rest of my system is still very good- but I am going to upgrade to a 4K BD player.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted by Skippy722
Originally Posted by gathermewool
Originally Posted by avacado11


I said I was gonna keep my Outback for at least 6-7 years when I brought it, but here we are 3 years later. If there wasn't the finance deal I would have never batted an eye at a new truck.


That's part of the reason I'm not even going to look...ok, maybe I'll take just a peak at what may be some great deals over the next month or so.

I do NOT want a payment again either, though. I just think of all the goodies I can buy instead. For some cars, ONE or 1.5 payments will get you a PS5 when it comes out; two payments a nice 4K LCD Tv (3-6 for a large OLED); a 3-6 payments will get you a modest home theater setup, etc.


I dream of having a nice TV. Once the kids are older though... a week after I bought my new curved 55" they took a screw driver to it

I would probably have beaten them to death with my bare hands for that.

Just one reason I have no children.

 

[dareo]

Originally Posted by avacado11


Crazy how there's people getting nearly 5k off. I've always thought Tacos were one of the few vehicles that get sold for MSRP with little room to negotiate.


I believe my mother's nearly fully loaded 2020 tacoma was about 10-12% off, was purchased pre crisis, in Utah, and without me negotiating the deal. So i would totally believe 5k of discount room in most Tacomas. Forget about the 0% thing. It usually costs you other discounts/rebates and ends up being about the same price as a great credit union loan. 0% may actually have a high cost. 2.5% is basically free money. Also, do not buy a Tacoma for gas mileage. Buy it for the size. If you want the easy driving easy parking size then go for it. Most half tons will match or nearly match fuel economy to a Tacoma but are definitely larger to drive around every day. I'm currently daily driving my big Sierra 1500 with a lift and you gotta really center it in parking space to have any kind of room to get in/out.

as to the discussion of televisions on payments: come on guys you can't afford it if you cant pay cash for a TV or other plug in house hold appliance. A vehicle costing 10s of thousands of dollars with a 20 year lifespan is certainly appropriate to finance.