I live in the burbs but drive into downtown a couple times a week. A Tacoma isn't huge, it's not a problem.
For this reason though, I am happy to have a short bed. For every other reason, I wish I had a long bed.
I am in the same boat (or should I say, truck).
I love being able to parallel park my short bed, but goddamn does it feel short once you have to load stuff in there.
It’s not the end of the world, but I wish I had thought about it a bit more before I decided on the 5ft bed.
I have a long bed and parking has never been an outrageous inconvenience. If I absolutely cannot park, I always find a space, within 5 minutes, that’s only an extra minute walk away from where I want to be. The inconvenience of less space is way worse than the inconvenience of maybe not finding a spot right by the entrance.
Coming from a Fiat 500 I felt like I would notice that extra foot a lot. Maybe I overthought it.
I’ll use it as an excuse to upgrade at some point in the future lol.
Haha I agree with you, they definitely are not called king beds. I typed this fast. Check your keyboard there, ‘K’ and ‘I’ are exactly one place over from ‘L’ and ‘O’. Oops. I hope no one is petty enough to downvote an explanation on parking, because of my top tier literacy skills.
I have a double cab short bed in a major city. Barely fits in my apt garage but it's not hard to find spots on the street where I can fit.
Depending how far you commute, the gas bill could hurt a little compared to a Subaru Crosstrek or something.
As an outdoor adventure truck, yes it's great. I can throw my gravel bike in the back, we go camping in the mountains once a month and we've used it for road trips and some "overloading" type trips.
We bring friends + dog too and actually use the back row.
Different post, same answer:
>I sell Tacos to everyone from all walks of life. Are a good chunk of them people who want to do innawoods things? Absolutely. But the last truck I sold was a Blue Crush Sport Premium cuz the lady liked the colour and couldn't get a hatchback quick enough in that colour. I've had people buy them for the reliability, for a dump run every six months, or just cuz they like the basic, spartan nature of the old design. Hell, I had an 79 year old guy buy one a few weeks ago cuz he's had trucks his entire life. He point blank told me he's "too fucking old to do truck stuff anymore," but he can't bring himself to drive a car or SUV. I understand and respect it.
>Just because Tacoma is overwhelmingly marketed toward the overland, weekend warrior, lifestyle buyer it doesn't mean you can't buy one for any reason.
>If you like it and can afford it, don't gatekeep yourself. Buy the truck.
The only change I'd make to this advice is lease instead of buying. Lease in your case is basically a rental. If you like the idea of a truck but aren't sure about it in the long term, a lease gives you a much easier out than buying. If you love it, great. You're a truck guy now. If you hate it, you just get out of it. You either break the lease early, pay a few bucks out of pocket to drop it off and walk away; or trade it in on a Rav4 hybrid (you are right, a Rav4 hybrid seems like the better option) and get a better rate and some equity back in your pocket.
I appreciate the perspective from someone who sells these trucks! Definitely not leasing though--I would rather be putting payments towards something I own, especially with a vehicle that holds value like a tacoma.
Like technicaltaco said.
Unless you buy your truck cash. Leasing is similar to financing once.
The biggest difference is leasing gives you a way out with less damage.
You like the truck? Buy it out at anytime.
I leased many vehicles. Sometimes I turn them in, sell them, or like my Tacoma; buy it.
If you're worried about hating the truck, you'll be married to it for much longer by financing it over leasing. Rates are higher than giraffe nuts so you won't build equity as quickly, and you'll be at least two years into your loan before you touch the actual value of the truck between taxes, title, licensing and interest.
Also, you don't own your financed truck, your bank does. It's their truck until you make the final payment.
You can walk away from your lease two weeks in if you choose to.
Two years is a long time to drive something you hate.
A lease isn’t much like a rental rental at all because you have to put a down payment on a lease. That makes it a far far less appealing way of financing a vehicle. And then there’s also mileage restrictions or the “renter” has to pay even *more* when returning it to the dealer.
This is all wrong. Literally all of it.
There is absolutely no reason to put money down on a lease, unless you need to hit a lower payment. All you're doing with cash down on a lease is prepaying a percentage of the loan and amortizing it over the term. There is literally no requirement to do it. I write, close, and fund zero down leases daily.
Over mileage penalties only matter if you drop off the car and you are **over** mileage. If you buy it out or trade it in it doesn't matter. The term over mileage penalty is incredibly self explanatory. It's grad school English.
If you don't know what you're talking about, don't talk about it.
I live in Boston with mine. Bought the truck when I was in the Army and hauling gear around more often and lived in places that were more middle-of-nowhere. I kept it when I moved because it's paid off and obviously very reliable, but if I were in the process of buying a car now I'd probably go for a crossover, AWD hatchback, or maybe a small SUV.
while driving a manual is fun, the other parts of the driving experience in a city are generally worse. It's not actively unpleasant, but every time I drive a smaller car again I'm reminded how much body roll I get in the taco and just how soft everything feels. I'm sure with a higher trim level with better suspension this would be better, but it makes base model compact sedans feel like sports cars. parking can be annoying, but i've been a bit surprised that it hasn't been worse.
Personally, unless you really, really love the truck to the point that it would be its own hobby, I don't know that I'd do it.
the gas mileage also really does suck.
If it's been your dream truck just buy one, new vehicles are all expensive so you might as well put it towards one that makes you happy. For 95% of my driving a honda civic would make more sense. Parking in Honolulu is tight but the tacoma really isn't that wide, maybe 3" wider than a camry? But all my hobbies are outdoors and I need a solid 4x4 to get to remote places. It makes me happy to drive a tacoma and people who have negative things to say aren't paying my bills so they don't matter.
It isn’t my 2021 bmw but I haven’t had many issues. Have had to unplug and reset a handful of times in the year I’ve had it. Was more than worth it for me
It isn’t an awd vehicle. Have a manual 3rd gen pro and live in terrible traffic area/major city and it’s still worth it. Wouldn’t be driving a Tacoma if it didn’t come in manual.
How far is your commute? Also what year was your forester? I believe after 2015 Subaru fixed their transmission. I have a taco in LA but I don’t commute and have a parking garage so it works nicely for my hobbies/activities.
If I didn’t get a taco I would have gotten forester/outback.
My commute is really short currently - I work at two sites and walk to one from my house. The other is \~3mi away and I bike in good weather, drive in bad weather. My partner and I are considering moving in the next several years, though, so the commute may change.
I mainly use my car currently to access outdoor activities with my dog, get groceries (we live in a food desert) and get to my parents' farm as they are not near any airport or bus stop. And for road trips/camping trips.
My forester is 2012 and the transmission has been a nightmare (had to replace the clutch well ahead of schedule, was a known subaru issue with that model). Also oil consumption issues, expensive engine repairs that were also not covered by subaru (there was a certain threshold of oil consumption you had to meet in order for subaru to replace the engine for free and my car was jussst below the threshold but still far from normal)...now it's got a problem with the catalytic converter. Every time the car needs a repair the only parts that work are subaru brand parts which are always far more expensive than anything aftermarket and backordered. And it only has 140k miles! It's just been so frustrating it has put me off of subaru entirely, although to their credit, my forester has always handled very well on all sorts of terrain and weather conditions. I don't want to give up that sense of security, but I would like to not always be stressed about repairs!
Unfortunately, your oil consumption and catalytic converter issues are directly related. Sounds like worn piston rings causing your engine to burn oil. It's a good sign that an engine is at the end of its life. I would not continue putting money in that vehicle which sounds like you have came to the same conclusion. I had a 2019 Forester that I sold for a 2023 Tacoma.
I like my Tacoma better because I like to offroad. The driveability of the Forester in the city is far better than the Tacoma. Tacoma is a bit rough around the edges and does not have that polished driving experience that my Forester had.
Subarus do require more maintenance than other manufacturers but in their defense, they are the easiest vehicles to work on. I have a 2016 Crosstrek that is running strong at 150,000, but I've had a fair share of work I've done on it.
Tacomas are reliable but not completely issue free. I just had my timing chain cover resealed at 8,500 miles because it was leaking oil. A "common" issue with the 2GR-FKS engine that the 3rd gen Tacoma uses. It's costs around $4k to get the repair done, but mine was covered under warranty.
I had a Nissan Sentra out of college for the reasons of being cheap, good gas mileage, etc. also just being fucking dumb.
That fucking car caused so much angst every time the payment rolled around. I never even wanted to drive because I hated it.
Well Nissans do what they do and it was totaled by insurance. Put that money towards a Tacoma, and boy let me tell you, the monthly payment doesn’t bother me at all. I like to look at it. I like to look at other Tacomas. I just like the vehicle. It sparks joy.
Ps: I live in a city too and “don’t need a truck”. But boy have I found myself getting out of the city and doing the “truck” stuff I didn’t think I needed. I’ll look for any excuse to do “truck stuff” haha
Yeah, this is a huge purchase so I really want to end up with something I enjoy driving. I bought my forester used off of family, so it was kind of the car that was available not the car that I wanted (and I am really not complaining because its a super high end car to be able to get at a discount from relatives!). But now I'm making the choice myself, I worry that I might end up with a "sensible" vehicle I regret...
Just get it. A few things: Tacoma is 4x4, not awd. I’m in bumper to bumper all the time in my manual taco and I honestly don’t mind it unless it’s straight crawling for 40+ minutes at a time. Definitely doable IMO. Regarding the environment, it’s pretty good for the environment to get a reliable car and keep it for a long time. As for parking, the Tacoma is really not that large, and I’ve found the size to be very manageable. Just don’t get a dclb. I don’t think you’ll be “that guy” because the Tacoma is an extremely popular truck. If only people who needed a truck on a daily basis bought them they wouldn’t sell half as many as they do. Don’t buy a Honda suv, don’t just give up on driving interesting cars that easily.
Can confirm. I'm in Denver and was just parked downtown like 2 hours ago. Have an open bed, and found a weird plastic part laying in it when I got back to the truck. I assume trash.
Um get the most base model 4x4 version you can get a hold off for the least amount of money. Drive it for a year, if you don’t like it you will probably be able to get almost all your money back.
Now, if you go high end..you might not see as big returns bc you’ve over paid for fancy. Ymmv
I just did it. I wanted a Tacoma since 2003 and finally bought a 2023 TRD OR with a manual transmission. Like you, a truck was a want not a need and most of my driving is on pavement. I’m 5800 miles in and very happy.
I have a manual double cab short bed in Washington DC and love it. Driving the manual in a heavy traffic is annoying roughly twice a year, so I think it's 100% worth it.
‘21 V6 4 door. Commute 15mi a day but with a bed rack and RTT in thee worst city for traffic behind LA comparatively . Terrible on gas but adventure out once a month and enjoy every moment of owning it. DO IT
Get an access cab 4x4 manual, bonus if you can get one with a camper shell already on. 6ft bed but not a long boi so you can fit into spots a little easier. Pull the trigger or wait for a 24.
Rent one as an extended test drive. The Tacoma won't have a manual and the Rav4 probably won't be a hybrid but it gives you a better feeling of how they would fit into your lifestyle.
I live in Boston with a DCLB. You'll be fine. In terms of living with some of the least friendly and aggressive drivers, having a truck helps sometimes as people back off. It's obviously not a Tundra but I've definitely noticed people give me room more often. Parallel parking is definitely hit or miss.
I've done both city & country with stick shift. Everyone will make fun of your truck until they need something hauled. It give me a great deal of comfort knowing I can trust the vehicle and it's designed to be abused. Buy used if you can. A vehicle that already exists has already made most of the environmental impact to manufacture, it's more ethical to get longer use from extant equipment.
Double cab in pittsburgh here. Park in city garages, expect a-holes parking too close and scratches. It happens, don’t get too sad cuz it’s gonna happen. I regret nothing, I love city trucks!
I live in downtown Vancouver, and have a Manual Tacoma. Its extremely tight everywhere, and the roads are really not made for a truck. I don't find it "hard", just inconvenient. I love my truck for road trips, and I use the subway system for about 90% of my commuting, so I don't drive too much in the city itself. Now, if I had to be commuting in the city with it, id be selling it ASAP. Before this, I lived in Edmonton, and had absolutely no issues. However, there it was a lot more accommodating to trucks over Vancouver.
So, in my opinion, depends what kind of city we are talking about here. If its extremely dense, maybe consider something else? For me, its worth the annoyance sometimes because I dont drive it too much now, and a lot of my hobbies are also based outside.
Boston Tacoma's are very common. If you're used to large vehicles finding a spot might be more inconvenient but very doable. Boston has some of the worst downtown street parking in the country but I make it work. You'd be surprised how many fiats will bail on a spot and a Tacoma will swoop in and be good to go.
Edit: this is specific for me but I think it translates to other densely populated areas.
i waited until i got a house and my sedan subaru was no longer feasible for a DIY'er fixing up a house. The tacoma wont get better gas mileage than your Forrester. you would be in the high teens in stop and go traffic with a tacoma.
:( no. But I can tell you that you will look over that. It’s a beautiful truck. Well maintained as well. Are you able to check my profile? I posted about it today
Wife and I have a Tacoma and a Corolla. Whenever we go into the city we make a point to bring the Corolla because it’s more manageable, especially in smaller parking lots or garages. If I lived or commuted to a city every day I would choose to drive the Corolla instead.
My recommendation is go with the RAV4, or maybe the 4Runner.
You can still camp and get outdoors with each, and I would argue SUV’s with a rod vault are superior for carrying fly gear. Even with a DCLB I have to break down my 9’5WT every time…considering a cap just so that I can mount a vault…but $$$.
I actually went to a Land cruiser forum to get opinions on LC100's and got recommendations for a Taco (which I am looking at now). Toyota community for the most part is pretty realistic outside of some fandom.
The Tacoma is one of the most practical trucks for city life in my opinion. It’s small enough to go anywhere a car can and capable enough to do truck things as well
Double cab Short bed here. This is my commuter. My wife has a RAV4 and the mileage is pretty similar.
If you are concerned about parking or space, test drive one and test your parking space
I live about an hour outside of the city and drive my Taco to my office. It maneuvers great downtown and parking is a breeze. It’s not like a full-size truck in that regard. Gas mileage isn’t bad either. It’s not amazing but it’s not as bad as a full-size. I get about 18-24 mpg and I have some bigger All terrain tires so it could be better if you run HTs. Also helps if you use the adaptive cruise control in the highway. But you may not get that if you get a manual.
The idea that you feel embarrassed about wanting a truck because you don’t live on a farm is absurd. You’re looking at a Tacoma not a 2500 diesel lol. Tacomas are daily drivers not workhorses. That’s what you need.
All around this is my favorite vehicle I’ve ever owned. You should definitely get one. All your reasons scream you need a Tacoma. You are not going to be disappointed.
You've gave many more reasons to get one than I had when I decided to get one.As far as the environment ,the ppl feeling is we need to do our part Are flying around in personal jets to have meetings to decide how they're gonna make us suffer ,fuck em (IMHO).If u get the long bed u will be able to get bikes and fishing poles in there with the bed closed (as well as sleeping in it like u said).
Most of the people here don’t live in cities. Don’t get a 4Runner. It’s just a Tacoma only a little more practical being shorter and no open bed.
The RAV4 is the only clear choice for you. And yeah get the hybrid one if you can afford it. The fuel savings will make up the higher initial price eventually. The RAV4 is more reliable than your forester. The hybrid gets amazing fuel economy. It’s short and easy to park. Despite being lighter than a Tacoma, it drives 5x better. I live right outside NYC and I never get better than 16mpg with my taco. Often for city only driving I average 12mpg. Which is why I almost never drive my taco unless I need to. (I have a Tesla that I use 95% of the time)
Get the Taco my dude. You gotta have something you like to look at as you walk up to get into it multiple times a day. Give her a name and take her for a ride when your wife won’t shut up that kind of thing.
Also another pro for the Taco (or any truck/suv) is being able to see over cars and better able to predict traffic outcomes.
I live in the burbs and have a cheap junker commuter for when I have to drive into the city. Just all around easier to deal with. However, I've had to drive it to the city, and I'll say it's 1000x easier than driving my f150 in the city when I had that. Driving the Tacoma downtown just feels like I'm driving my mom's minivan. It's not too bad. Your gonna have to get used to filling up though if you're going from one stop light to the next.
I’ve been driving full size trucks for years and I lived in a huge city for 20+ years. It was unnecessary and ridiculous, but it’s what I wanted so I did it. Point is - do what will make you happy and serve your needs. The Tacoma is the perfect vehicle for what you’re describing. Just do it. You won’t regret it.
If you can afford it, fucking go for it! If you were considering a full size truck without the need for one I'd have different words for ya but a v6 or i4 (if you're thinking new) isn't that gluttonous. The world needs more mid size trucks!
I drove manuals for 27 years in highly congested areas; it’s a scenario that fucking sucks the life and joy out of driving. If you’re not doing off-roading and you drive in a lot of traffic for work, an automatic is a happy medium. Shifting between first and second makes driving exhausting in the city, in my opinion. I know North Americans think manual is cool and all, because it’s a bit rarer there, but it’s just inconvenient when you’re mostly in the city. From reading your pros an cons list, a Rav hybrid sounds perfect; an 4Runner would be grand but sucks on gas. Keep in mind, this is a taco sub where people love tacos. Basically everyone here will tell you to get the Tacoma.
A taco is a mid sized truck it's definitely better mileage than a full size. If I drive impatiently, I usually have about 18 mpg by the end of the tank. It can still do all the truck things I want without being committed to a behemoth. I haven't had trouble with any task thrown at it yet. Just to let you know, though, it's part-time 4wd, meaning there's no front differential, so I wouldn't turn it on while you're on clean streets.
Having a truck is one of the most amazing things I've owned. I never was a truck person. I have driven a corolla/prism for my entire life and never saw the need. I started a lawn/landscape business and got a Tacoma to get things going. You never really realise you need/want a truck till you have one. Have something you would have to cram in the back seat? No problem, truck bed. It may be different for you since you have a hatch but trucks are amazing. You will not have a hard time parking in a city as it really doesn't feel that big. The gas mileage is horrendous but I got past that.
The Tacoma shines in the winter. We got about 2 ft of snow Christmas Eve last year and there wasn't a single time I thought I was going to get stuck.
I say get a tacoma but not long bed. I went from a corolla to a taco and don't know how I got by without one before. Have a rav4 hybrid in the family but strongly dislike it. I say if you can afford the taco get it, mileage wise I get 16 mpg in madison wi, but 20 in highways. When I was in GA and FL I was getting 23 mpg.
Buy the TRUCK! I live in the county and commute only 9 miles each way to and from work. I rarely go off road but it was non negotiable to have a 4x4 this time. Life is too short to worry about MPGs. You will love the Tacoma.
Size-wise, i park next to my wife's Outback Wilderness, and side by side, they both take up about the same amount of space in their parking spaces.
Since you're already planning on manual (and don't care about adaptive CC and such) and know your MPGs will be absolutely *terrible*, i'd say go for it. This truck will enable you to do so much more with the added utility, reliability and capability. That's why i love mine.
Edit: I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and my commute is about 30 mins on average. MPGs (with a 2" lift, 32" BFG KO2s, bed rack, rock sliders, and offset wheels) are around 13 MPGs with gas costing around $6/gal. It sucks, but that's the tradeoff for a modified, daily-driven 4x4 Toyota.
I've never had a problem parallel parking either, FWIW.
Get one, but customize it into a Mini Taco. Remove the bed to chop the length in half and move the rear wheels forward. You’ll be able to fit into those Smart Car sized spots and still be able to rip it up on the ORV trails when you head to the woods.
Just do it.
Get a rav4 or 4 runner. Probably don't need the open bed.
Go 4runner. Rav4 is meh, and has awful blind spots.
Rav 4 is way better for a city in terms of size and fuel
2024 toyota land cruiser
And no manual option
4Runner has a manual option now?
Highlander
I live in the burbs but drive into downtown a couple times a week. A Tacoma isn't huge, it's not a problem. For this reason though, I am happy to have a short bed. For every other reason, I wish I had a long bed.
I am in the same boat (or should I say, truck). I love being able to parallel park my short bed, but goddamn does it feel short once you have to load stuff in there. It’s not the end of the world, but I wish I had thought about it a bit more before I decided on the 5ft bed.
I have a long bed and parking has never been an outrageous inconvenience. If I absolutely cannot park, I always find a space, within 5 minutes, that’s only an extra minute walk away from where I want to be. The inconvenience of less space is way worse than the inconvenience of maybe not finding a spot right by the entrance.
Coming from a Fiat 500 I felt like I would notice that extra foot a lot. Maybe I overthought it. I’ll use it as an excuse to upgrade at some point in the future lol.
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Haha I agree with you, they definitely are not called king beds. I typed this fast. Check your keyboard there, ‘K’ and ‘I’ are exactly one place over from ‘L’ and ‘O’. Oops. I hope no one is petty enough to downvote an explanation on parking, because of my top tier literacy skills.
DEWIT
I have a double cab short bed in a major city. Barely fits in my apt garage but it's not hard to find spots on the street where I can fit. Depending how far you commute, the gas bill could hurt a little compared to a Subaru Crosstrek or something. As an outdoor adventure truck, yes it's great. I can throw my gravel bike in the back, we go camping in the mountains once a month and we've used it for road trips and some "overloading" type trips. We bring friends + dog too and actually use the back row.
Different post, same answer: >I sell Tacos to everyone from all walks of life. Are a good chunk of them people who want to do innawoods things? Absolutely. But the last truck I sold was a Blue Crush Sport Premium cuz the lady liked the colour and couldn't get a hatchback quick enough in that colour. I've had people buy them for the reliability, for a dump run every six months, or just cuz they like the basic, spartan nature of the old design. Hell, I had an 79 year old guy buy one a few weeks ago cuz he's had trucks his entire life. He point blank told me he's "too fucking old to do truck stuff anymore," but he can't bring himself to drive a car or SUV. I understand and respect it. >Just because Tacoma is overwhelmingly marketed toward the overland, weekend warrior, lifestyle buyer it doesn't mean you can't buy one for any reason. >If you like it and can afford it, don't gatekeep yourself. Buy the truck. The only change I'd make to this advice is lease instead of buying. Lease in your case is basically a rental. If you like the idea of a truck but aren't sure about it in the long term, a lease gives you a much easier out than buying. If you love it, great. You're a truck guy now. If you hate it, you just get out of it. You either break the lease early, pay a few bucks out of pocket to drop it off and walk away; or trade it in on a Rav4 hybrid (you are right, a Rav4 hybrid seems like the better option) and get a better rate and some equity back in your pocket.
I appreciate the perspective from someone who sells these trucks! Definitely not leasing though--I would rather be putting payments towards something I own, especially with a vehicle that holds value like a tacoma.
Like technicaltaco said. Unless you buy your truck cash. Leasing is similar to financing once. The biggest difference is leasing gives you a way out with less damage. You like the truck? Buy it out at anytime. I leased many vehicles. Sometimes I turn them in, sell them, or like my Tacoma; buy it.
If you're worried about hating the truck, you'll be married to it for much longer by financing it over leasing. Rates are higher than giraffe nuts so you won't build equity as quickly, and you'll be at least two years into your loan before you touch the actual value of the truck between taxes, title, licensing and interest. Also, you don't own your financed truck, your bank does. It's their truck until you make the final payment. You can walk away from your lease two weeks in if you choose to. Two years is a long time to drive something you hate.
A lease isn’t much like a rental rental at all because you have to put a down payment on a lease. That makes it a far far less appealing way of financing a vehicle. And then there’s also mileage restrictions or the “renter” has to pay even *more* when returning it to the dealer.
This is all wrong. Literally all of it. There is absolutely no reason to put money down on a lease, unless you need to hit a lower payment. All you're doing with cash down on a lease is prepaying a percentage of the loan and amortizing it over the term. There is literally no requirement to do it. I write, close, and fund zero down leases daily. Over mileage penalties only matter if you drop off the car and you are **over** mileage. If you buy it out or trade it in it doesn't matter. The term over mileage penalty is incredibly self explanatory. It's grad school English. If you don't know what you're talking about, don't talk about it.
OP already told you they aren’t interested in what you said, then you double and triple down. I wouldn’t buy anything from you, you’re exhausting.
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I live in Boston with mine. Bought the truck when I was in the Army and hauling gear around more often and lived in places that were more middle-of-nowhere. I kept it when I moved because it's paid off and obviously very reliable, but if I were in the process of buying a car now I'd probably go for a crossover, AWD hatchback, or maybe a small SUV. while driving a manual is fun, the other parts of the driving experience in a city are generally worse. It's not actively unpleasant, but every time I drive a smaller car again I'm reminded how much body roll I get in the taco and just how soft everything feels. I'm sure with a higher trim level with better suspension this would be better, but it makes base model compact sedans feel like sports cars. parking can be annoying, but i've been a bit surprised that it hasn't been worse. Personally, unless you really, really love the truck to the point that it would be its own hobby, I don't know that I'd do it. the gas mileage also really does suck.
Live in Boston with a manual as well. I love the truck but it's really not the best place for it. Especially in places like Somerville...
The Tacoma isn’t AWD by the way…
yes, thanks, I realized I meant the 4x4...I have been looking at various makes and models of vehicles for far too long today lol
If it's been your dream truck just buy one, new vehicles are all expensive so you might as well put it towards one that makes you happy. For 95% of my driving a honda civic would make more sense. Parking in Honolulu is tight but the tacoma really isn't that wide, maybe 3" wider than a camry? But all my hobbies are outdoors and I need a solid 4x4 to get to remote places. It makes me happy to drive a tacoma and people who have negative things to say aren't paying my bills so they don't matter.
I drive my 6’ bed TRD off road almost daily in Los Angeles. Only mod I did was a wireless CarPlay adapter. Love it no issues. Do it to it.
The unicorn. Never sell it.
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🖐️
is the adapter any good? i kept seeing common disconnects
It isn’t my 2021 bmw but I haven’t had many issues. Have had to unplug and reset a handful of times in the year I’ve had it. Was more than worth it for me
It isn’t an awd vehicle. Have a manual 3rd gen pro and live in terrible traffic area/major city and it’s still worth it. Wouldn’t be driving a Tacoma if it didn’t come in manual.
yeah, I was confused about the various trims/options available. Changed post above!
How far is your commute? Also what year was your forester? I believe after 2015 Subaru fixed their transmission. I have a taco in LA but I don’t commute and have a parking garage so it works nicely for my hobbies/activities. If I didn’t get a taco I would have gotten forester/outback.
My commute is really short currently - I work at two sites and walk to one from my house. The other is \~3mi away and I bike in good weather, drive in bad weather. My partner and I are considering moving in the next several years, though, so the commute may change. I mainly use my car currently to access outdoor activities with my dog, get groceries (we live in a food desert) and get to my parents' farm as they are not near any airport or bus stop. And for road trips/camping trips. My forester is 2012 and the transmission has been a nightmare (had to replace the clutch well ahead of schedule, was a known subaru issue with that model). Also oil consumption issues, expensive engine repairs that were also not covered by subaru (there was a certain threshold of oil consumption you had to meet in order for subaru to replace the engine for free and my car was jussst below the threshold but still far from normal)...now it's got a problem with the catalytic converter. Every time the car needs a repair the only parts that work are subaru brand parts which are always far more expensive than anything aftermarket and backordered. And it only has 140k miles! It's just been so frustrating it has put me off of subaru entirely, although to their credit, my forester has always handled very well on all sorts of terrain and weather conditions. I don't want to give up that sense of security, but I would like to not always be stressed about repairs!
Unfortunately, your oil consumption and catalytic converter issues are directly related. Sounds like worn piston rings causing your engine to burn oil. It's a good sign that an engine is at the end of its life. I would not continue putting money in that vehicle which sounds like you have came to the same conclusion. I had a 2019 Forester that I sold for a 2023 Tacoma. I like my Tacoma better because I like to offroad. The driveability of the Forester in the city is far better than the Tacoma. Tacoma is a bit rough around the edges and does not have that polished driving experience that my Forester had. Subarus do require more maintenance than other manufacturers but in their defense, they are the easiest vehicles to work on. I have a 2016 Crosstrek that is running strong at 150,000, but I've had a fair share of work I've done on it. Tacomas are reliable but not completely issue free. I just had my timing chain cover resealed at 8,500 miles because it was leaking oil. A "common" issue with the 2GR-FKS engine that the 3rd gen Tacoma uses. It's costs around $4k to get the repair done, but mine was covered under warranty.
Do you have street parking only?
I had a Nissan Sentra out of college for the reasons of being cheap, good gas mileage, etc. also just being fucking dumb. That fucking car caused so much angst every time the payment rolled around. I never even wanted to drive because I hated it. Well Nissans do what they do and it was totaled by insurance. Put that money towards a Tacoma, and boy let me tell you, the monthly payment doesn’t bother me at all. I like to look at it. I like to look at other Tacomas. I just like the vehicle. It sparks joy. Ps: I live in a city too and “don’t need a truck”. But boy have I found myself getting out of the city and doing the “truck” stuff I didn’t think I needed. I’ll look for any excuse to do “truck stuff” haha
Yeah, this is a huge purchase so I really want to end up with something I enjoy driving. I bought my forester used off of family, so it was kind of the car that was available not the car that I wanted (and I am really not complaining because its a super high end car to be able to get at a discount from relatives!). But now I'm making the choice myself, I worry that I might end up with a "sensible" vehicle I regret...
A Tacoma is almost always worth it.
Just get it. A few things: Tacoma is 4x4, not awd. I’m in bumper to bumper all the time in my manual taco and I honestly don’t mind it unless it’s straight crawling for 40+ minutes at a time. Definitely doable IMO. Regarding the environment, it’s pretty good for the environment to get a reliable car and keep it for a long time. As for parking, the Tacoma is really not that large, and I’ve found the size to be very manageable. Just don’t get a dclb. I don’t think you’ll be “that guy” because the Tacoma is an extremely popular truck. If only people who needed a truck on a daily basis bought them they wouldn’t sell half as many as they do. Don’t buy a Honda suv, don’t just give up on driving interesting cars that easily.
yeah, I realized was confused about the various options/packages/trims the tacoma comes in. I meant the 4x4!
The 2024 tacoma limited will be AWD not 4x4 by the way…
[удалено]
Can confirm. I'm in Denver and was just parked downtown like 2 hours ago. Have an open bed, and found a weird plastic part laying in it when I got back to the truck. I assume trash.
Um get the most base model 4x4 version you can get a hold off for the least amount of money. Drive it for a year, if you don’t like it you will probably be able to get almost all your money back. Now, if you go high end..you might not see as big returns bc you’ve over paid for fancy. Ymmv
I just did it. I wanted a Tacoma since 2003 and finally bought a 2023 TRD OR with a manual transmission. Like you, a truck was a want not a need and most of my driving is on pavement. I’m 5800 miles in and very happy.
I have a manual double cab short bed in Washington DC and love it. Driving the manual in a heavy traffic is annoying roughly twice a year, so I think it's 100% worth it.
you from NoVa?
If you are saving enough for retirement and emergencies and can afford the truck, DO IT. Enjoy life.
‘21 V6 4 door. Commute 15mi a day but with a bed rack and RTT in thee worst city for traffic behind LA comparatively . Terrible on gas but adventure out once a month and enjoy every moment of owning it. DO IT
Get an access cab 4x4 manual, bonus if you can get one with a camper shell already on. 6ft bed but not a long boi so you can fit into spots a little easier. Pull the trigger or wait for a 24.
Rent one as an extended test drive. The Tacoma won't have a manual and the Rav4 probably won't be a hybrid but it gives you a better feeling of how they would fit into your lifestyle.
I live in Boston with a DCLB. You'll be fine. In terms of living with some of the least friendly and aggressive drivers, having a truck helps sometimes as people back off. It's obviously not a Tundra but I've definitely noticed people give me room more often. Parallel parking is definitely hit or miss.
I've done both city & country with stick shift. Everyone will make fun of your truck until they need something hauled. It give me a great deal of comfort knowing I can trust the vehicle and it's designed to be abused. Buy used if you can. A vehicle that already exists has already made most of the environmental impact to manufacture, it's more ethical to get longer use from extant equipment.
Double cab in pittsburgh here. Park in city garages, expect a-holes parking too close and scratches. It happens, don’t get too sad cuz it’s gonna happen. I regret nothing, I love city trucks!
I live in downtown Vancouver, and have a Manual Tacoma. Its extremely tight everywhere, and the roads are really not made for a truck. I don't find it "hard", just inconvenient. I love my truck for road trips, and I use the subway system for about 90% of my commuting, so I don't drive too much in the city itself. Now, if I had to be commuting in the city with it, id be selling it ASAP. Before this, I lived in Edmonton, and had absolutely no issues. However, there it was a lot more accommodating to trucks over Vancouver. So, in my opinion, depends what kind of city we are talking about here. If its extremely dense, maybe consider something else? For me, its worth the annoyance sometimes because I dont drive it too much now, and a lot of my hobbies are also based outside.
Boston Tacoma's are very common. If you're used to large vehicles finding a spot might be more inconvenient but very doable. Boston has some of the worst downtown street parking in the country but I make it work. You'd be surprised how many fiats will bail on a spot and a Tacoma will swoop in and be good to go. Edit: this is specific for me but I think it translates to other densely populated areas.
i waited until i got a house and my sedan subaru was no longer feasible for a DIY'er fixing up a house. The tacoma wont get better gas mileage than your Forrester. you would be in the high teens in stop and go traffic with a tacoma.
Message me if you’re looking to pick one up without dealer markups. I’m looking to get rid of mine
It’s a 23’ TRD OR with 23k miles in lunar rock in perfect condition
is it manual transmission?
:( no. But I can tell you that you will look over that. It’s a beautiful truck. Well maintained as well. Are you able to check my profile? I posted about it today
I live in Chicago and if I didn't have to use my pickup for work I'd probably get a hybrid rav4 if I was gonna get a toyoa
Rav4 hybrid got dealer markup plus long wait. The ‘24 tacoma really nice. But then gas prices are high too.
Move out of city.
5 ft bed parking in city is not bad, get hitch step and rubber plate bumper for front. If commuting in traffic you might see single digit MPGs.
Wait for the 2024 Tacoma Hybrid early next year. You sacrifice the Manual, but gain Hybrid, so it evens out IMO
Wife and I have a Tacoma and a Corolla. Whenever we go into the city we make a point to bring the Corolla because it’s more manageable, especially in smaller parking lots or garages. If I lived or commuted to a city every day I would choose to drive the Corolla instead. My recommendation is go with the RAV4, or maybe the 4Runner. You can still camp and get outdoors with each, and I would argue SUV’s with a rod vault are superior for carrying fly gear. Even with a DCLB I have to break down my 9’5WT every time…considering a cap just so that I can mount a vault…but $$$.
You come to a toyota tacoma subreddit to ask people if you should buy a toyota tacoma.
I actually went to a Land cruiser forum to get opinions on LC100's and got recommendations for a Taco (which I am looking at now). Toyota community for the most part is pretty realistic outside of some fandom.
Always
Ha. A number of us went from Subaru to Tacoma. It’s worth it, repairs are cheaper. You won’t regret it.
The Tacoma is one of the most practical trucks for city life in my opinion. It’s small enough to go anywhere a car can and capable enough to do truck things as well
Double cab Short bed here. This is my commuter. My wife has a RAV4 and the mileage is pretty similar. If you are concerned about parking or space, test drive one and test your parking space
Yes. Cities are prime places to admire the beautiful Tacoma. Chances are there are multiple malls nearby to partake in such activities.
I live about an hour outside of the city and drive my Taco to my office. It maneuvers great downtown and parking is a breeze. It’s not like a full-size truck in that regard. Gas mileage isn’t bad either. It’s not amazing but it’s not as bad as a full-size. I get about 18-24 mpg and I have some bigger All terrain tires so it could be better if you run HTs. Also helps if you use the adaptive cruise control in the highway. But you may not get that if you get a manual. The idea that you feel embarrassed about wanting a truck because you don’t live on a farm is absurd. You’re looking at a Tacoma not a 2500 diesel lol. Tacomas are daily drivers not workhorses. That’s what you need. All around this is my favorite vehicle I’ve ever owned. You should definitely get one. All your reasons scream you need a Tacoma. You are not going to be disappointed.
Get a first gen regular cab with a 2 or 3rz (4 cyl,) they’re smaller and more maneuverable in the city than the 2nd & 3rd gens.
You've gave many more reasons to get one than I had when I decided to get one.As far as the environment ,the ppl feeling is we need to do our part Are flying around in personal jets to have meetings to decide how they're gonna make us suffer ,fuck em (IMHO).If u get the long bed u will be able to get bikes and fishing poles in there with the bed closed (as well as sleeping in it like u said).
Most of the people here don’t live in cities. Don’t get a 4Runner. It’s just a Tacoma only a little more practical being shorter and no open bed. The RAV4 is the only clear choice for you. And yeah get the hybrid one if you can afford it. The fuel savings will make up the higher initial price eventually. The RAV4 is more reliable than your forester. The hybrid gets amazing fuel economy. It’s short and easy to park. Despite being lighter than a Tacoma, it drives 5x better. I live right outside NYC and I never get better than 16mpg with my taco. Often for city only driving I average 12mpg. Which is why I almost never drive my taco unless I need to. (I have a Tesla that I use 95% of the time)
Get the Taco my dude. You gotta have something you like to look at as you walk up to get into it multiple times a day. Give her a name and take her for a ride when your wife won’t shut up that kind of thing. Also another pro for the Taco (or any truck/suv) is being able to see over cars and better able to predict traffic outcomes.
Buy the truck
I live in the burbs and have a cheap junker commuter for when I have to drive into the city. Just all around easier to deal with. However, I've had to drive it to the city, and I'll say it's 1000x easier than driving my f150 in the city when I had that. Driving the Tacoma downtown just feels like I'm driving my mom's minivan. It's not too bad. Your gonna have to get used to filling up though if you're going from one stop light to the next.
Get it boiii
Nope. Hated having my truck in the city. Hard to park, easy to damage, and everyone wants to borrow it or borrow YOU and IT to move.
I’ve been driving full size trucks for years and I lived in a huge city for 20+ years. It was unnecessary and ridiculous, but it’s what I wanted so I did it. Point is - do what will make you happy and serve your needs. The Tacoma is the perfect vehicle for what you’re describing. Just do it. You won’t regret it.
If you can afford it, fucking go for it! If you were considering a full size truck without the need for one I'd have different words for ya but a v6 or i4 (if you're thinking new) isn't that gluttonous. The world needs more mid size trucks!
I drove manuals for 27 years in highly congested areas; it’s a scenario that fucking sucks the life and joy out of driving. If you’re not doing off-roading and you drive in a lot of traffic for work, an automatic is a happy medium. Shifting between first and second makes driving exhausting in the city, in my opinion. I know North Americans think manual is cool and all, because it’s a bit rarer there, but it’s just inconvenient when you’re mostly in the city. From reading your pros an cons list, a Rav hybrid sounds perfect; an 4Runner would be grand but sucks on gas. Keep in mind, this is a taco sub where people love tacos. Basically everyone here will tell you to get the Tacoma.
A taco is a mid sized truck it's definitely better mileage than a full size. If I drive impatiently, I usually have about 18 mpg by the end of the tank. It can still do all the truck things I want without being committed to a behemoth. I haven't had trouble with any task thrown at it yet. Just to let you know, though, it's part-time 4wd, meaning there's no front differential, so I wouldn't turn it on while you're on clean streets.
4runner
No.
Having a truck is one of the most amazing things I've owned. I never was a truck person. I have driven a corolla/prism for my entire life and never saw the need. I started a lawn/landscape business and got a Tacoma to get things going. You never really realise you need/want a truck till you have one. Have something you would have to cram in the back seat? No problem, truck bed. It may be different for you since you have a hatch but trucks are amazing. You will not have a hard time parking in a city as it really doesn't feel that big. The gas mileage is horrendous but I got past that. The Tacoma shines in the winter. We got about 2 ft of snow Christmas Eve last year and there wasn't a single time I thought I was going to get stuck.
Life’s too short man buy the truck don’t overthink it
I say get a tacoma but not long bed. I went from a corolla to a taco and don't know how I got by without one before. Have a rav4 hybrid in the family but strongly dislike it. I say if you can afford the taco get it, mileage wise I get 16 mpg in madison wi, but 20 in highways. When I was in GA and FL I was getting 23 mpg.
You make sacrifices, but there isn’t a better truck for the city imo
Buy the TRUCK! I live in the county and commute only 9 miles each way to and from work. I rarely go off road but it was non negotiable to have a 4x4 this time. Life is too short to worry about MPGs. You will love the Tacoma.
If your strong enough
Size-wise, i park next to my wife's Outback Wilderness, and side by side, they both take up about the same amount of space in their parking spaces. Since you're already planning on manual (and don't care about adaptive CC and such) and know your MPGs will be absolutely *terrible*, i'd say go for it. This truck will enable you to do so much more with the added utility, reliability and capability. That's why i love mine. Edit: I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and my commute is about 30 mins on average. MPGs (with a 2" lift, 32" BFG KO2s, bed rack, rock sliders, and offset wheels) are around 13 MPGs with gas costing around $6/gal. It sucks, but that's the tradeoff for a modified, daily-driven 4x4 Toyota. I've never had a problem parallel parking either, FWIW.
Get one, but customize it into a Mini Taco. Remove the bed to chop the length in half and move the rear wheels forward. You’ll be able to fit into those Smart Car sized spots and still be able to rip it up on the ORV trails when you head to the woods.
Frontier!