Taco!

[maddiedog]

I've been thinking of selling my CR-V to get a Tacoma. My CR-V is older (1998), and I miss having a manual car. Anyone here have a Tacoma? Pros / cons / other trucks you'd rather have?

I have been dreaming about getting a Hilux, but after researching going to South America to get one, it seems like too much trouble for a truck... Especially considering import taxes would be 25% of the sales price of the truck!

[Woolley]

Being a toyota itll be bombproof. What do you miss about manual? Ive always thought next car i get will be an auto. But thats just because of laziness.

[maddiedog]

Towing mainly, as well as control while driving. I hate not being able to pop the car out of gear and coast downhills. I also don't like that most autos downshift the MOMENT you let off the gas, anticipating you braking. Most importantly though is during towing. Both my CR-V and Pilot don't know how to downshift under load, so they bog down to 1500 RPM, downshift, bog again, downshift, then I'm stuck in 2nd going 25mph on the highway up a hill. When I used to tow with a manual, you just drop from 5th to 4th at the bottom, and keep the revs high. It's more fuel-efficient than allowing the engine to bog down.

[EddieC]

HAHA... Dave you crack me up. Now I think you're stalking me. =]

I had a manual 1999 Honda CRV. GREAT cars. But.... I always wanted the truck... As soon as the girl crashed her car and we needed another automatic vehicle, I jumped on getting the Tacoma. Sure, I would prefer stick, but having the auto in a city like LA is nice for traffic. So Automatic it was. I loved the 2004 and older body style. Specifically the 01-04 model with the larger grill and raised hood. I bought a 2002 4x4 for 6 grand. Great truck.

Which year or generation are you looking into? What are you planning on towing? What engine size are you thinking of getting?

I have the 2.7L 4 cylinder. I think the 2.4 is a little small for the weight of this truck. I mainly bought the 2.7 because it was in a 4x4 tacoma within my price range.... and I take lots of trips to the mountains for snowboarding... and HATE putting on chains. My opinion with towing my dads 21' ski boat was that it was fine being an automatic. I drove nothing but a stick shift for 8 years before the truck and thought I would miss it when towing.... but the truck has this ECT tow button that helps out a lot, and the overdrive button is nice for highway speeds. Don't get me wrong... I still miss the stick, but if it doesn't matter that much to you, don't let it be a deal breaker. I was originally NOT wanting the 3.2L V6, because I was worried about fuel consumption.. But compared to the 2.7L 4 cyl, the fuel consumption isn't much different. If fuel economy is important to you.. get the 2.4, but it might feel a little sluggish. I've never really driven one though... so this is just what I read.

Let me know your thoughts!

Eddie

Edit: Another thing to think about is maintenance cost. the 2.7 and 3.2 have timing chains, vs the 2.4 which has a timing belt. Having a chain vs a belt will save you about $400 during your 100,000 mile maintenance.

[maddiedog]

Oh yeah, I forgot you guys had a taco. I am going to have to stop stalking you.

I'm going for the 4cyl 2005+ model. I went and looked at a 2006 today, it was only $7500 with 80k miles... Only 2WD though. I like the older ones alright, but I want something a bit newer so that I can get more years out of it. The ideal would be a 2005+ quad cab 4wd manual, but a 2005+ quad cab OR a 2005+ with 4WD is easily $5-$8k+ more expensive than the same 2005+ standard cab, which is insane...

I'll probably end up with a 4cyl 2005+ manual 2wd. The Pilot's 4wd, so I'll just drive it in the snow, or if towing a boat.

I'm planning on towing my camper trailer, which I already tow with my CR-V, so I wouldn't be losing any power. The 5 speed is also good for gear braking, which I really miss too.

Thanks for the tip on the 2.7 vs 2.4. I'll try to find a 2.7 if I can.

[EddieC]

no problem maddie! They're great trucks! Pretty much anything you get will work well! I do admit the older ones are a little cramped inside... I love the look of the 05+ models but they're a little too big for what I need. The small-ness of the '02 is nice because we're in the middle of down-town hollywood. And the single cab truck is SHORT, which is great for parking. I dont know if this really concerns you in GA though... =]

And yes, they VASTLY vary in price with the different models.. I kinda wanted the extended cab, but thats the thing about buying used. I found something that was 4WD (something that I had almost given up on) within my price range, so I jumped on it, even though it was a regular cab. I'm still happy and not having the extra cab just means I wont fill it up with crap. I know myself too well =]

[maddiedog]

You're right, parking isn't a big deal here, but actually larger would be better -- I might as well get a big truck for the space. If I was still living in downtown Atlanta, I wouldn't even consider getting a truck. Space is just too tight in the city...

I went and looked at the Taco nearby on Friday. I was about to buy it, but I decided against it. I don't want to have 2 SUVs, a truck, 2 scooters, 2 trailers, and a boat, so I'll sell at least one first... I've been trying to offload the boat for months, but I put it up for sale too late in the season to sell this year. I'll probably sell the CR-V, since my wife loves her Pilot so much.

With that in mind, I offered to trade in the CR-V, but they only would have given me $800 for it.

Considering the KBB value for the CR-V is over $4000, I told them they were bat-shit insane and left empty-handed.

I need to replace the CR-V's windshield, then I'll sell it and buy the Taco. If the same one I looked at is still available then, I'll know it has sat awhile and I'll be able to negotiate lower. Otherwise, I'll wait for another perfect one to come around.

[Woolley]

Towing mainly, as well as control while driving. I hate not being able to pop the car out of gear and coast downhills.

Could you not just slip it into neutral to coast?
That could be a stupid question, ive never driven an auto and have no idea about them

[maddiedog]

The problem isn't neutral, it's braking. If I'm in mountaineous terrain towing some significant weight, slowing becomes very difficult. Using gear braking prevents my brakes from getting spongy, improving performance, and preventing me from assraping some idiot who decided to stop in the middle of the road.

The more you use your brakes while driving, the hotter they become, and the less effective they become. Using the engine to brake through gear braking allows you to avoid such a scenario.

If I slip the transmission into N and coast, the transmission won't properly engage when I shift back into D, potentially locking the tires or causing transmission damage, because it will anticipate first gear -- not 4th or 5th gear, which would probably be what was needed upon reengage.

There's no such thing as a stupid question. The only stupid thing in my opinion is anything but a CVT or a manual transmission.

[edscoot]

If you're interested in the Hilux take a look at Top Gear trying to kill one - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... l0.5.4l9l0

[maddiedog]

That episode was part of why I wanted a Hilux so bad for so long. They're amazing cars.

I love Top Gear, it's the greatest thing to ever come out of BBC. Most episodes are pretty good, but some are simply epic (like that one).

[EddieC]

sell the CRV yet?

[maddiedog]

No, just put it back on the market today.... I already received several emails today though, so I'd be surprised if I still had it by the end of the week.

There aren't any Tacos on the market right now with a manual transmission anywhere near what I'm willing to spend, sadly.

I talked to my wife, we're probably going to be a 1-car household until I find a perfect Taco -- even if it takes 6 months. If June next year rolls around and we still haven't found one, we're buying a new Taco. The start MSRP for the standard cab is just under $17k, and my father-in-law bought his a couple of years ago for $14500 out the door new. It's twice what I wanted to pay, but I'll get a lot more life out of it, and plus, it's new! We could pay cash for it if we weren't having our wedding next summer, but since we are, we might have to finance it, which I'm a bit skeptical about.

[Woolley]

You know what i think of finance maddie. Be very careful with it if you do go down that route.

[maddiedog]

Yeah, I know... It's a bad idea... The offers right now are crazy good too, 0% w/ no fees...

[Woolley]

saving up is 0% too
Plus that way you can really make your mind up that thats what you wanna buy.

[maddiedog]

True. With this big of a purchase, I'll probably be thinking about it for the next 6 months. We'll see how it pans out.

[EddieC]

smart not to jump on getting one. We've been a 1 car household for over a year now... but it doesn't snow here but once every few years

[TC3]

So was the future wife not happy to put the wedding back a few years for the sake of a new car finance free? Just what is her problem? ;-)

[maddiedog]

TC3 - I tried that, and she's dead set on the wedding. I have her on an $8000 budget though, so we're coming in at less than 1/5th the average cost of a wedding.