Cars, Trucks and more..

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Degotoga

I own a Tacoma and I absolutely love it! It's small enough to get good mileage but tough enough to handle all the heavy jobs I need it to do (pulling a boat, camper, a loaded motorcycle trailer, and everything else I've tasked it with) without missing a beat. I feel comfortable loading it up for a trip to the lake or a motorcycle rally, or taking it out for a night on the town (can comfortably seat adult backseat passengers of average height). I'm on my second Tacoma simply because the first one I owned got totaled in a serious accident. They're solid trucks that will last a long time with proper maintenance. Excellent choice, in my opinion.

Is yours the doublecab? The research that I've been doing has said that the brakes are touchy but I read one place that replacing the brake pads seemed to resolve this somewhat.

And I live in L.A. (burbs) and our goal is to move to the wilds of Nova Scotia and build a small/big-than-tiny home on some acreage. One thing about this place is that parking isn't that difficult. The streets here are broad and very wide (the drivers are whacky, particularly on the 405). And they are filled with Tacomas. It's the one truck I see the most of besides the F-150s.

In the meantime, I want to see if I can build some kind of garden in the front yard and maybe even a decent shed on the side. We current rent but I suspect we'll be here for another couple of years and being able to do this stuff myself (when at home, which has been a lot lately) would be a good thing.

I admit to being partial to the Tacoma because it's not a beastie vehicle (my BIL has a Ford F-150 Crew Cab and the thing is nearly a monster truck). It strikes me as a workhorse that will just keep going and going and going... As someone who is somewhat short in stature (5'1") I like that part of it. And although family members and friends have recommended VW Wagons, Subarus and other SUVs, there's a part of me that wants a truck because... well... it's a truck! (inner kid-boy glee!)

[Degotoga]

Yes, mine is the double cab. The brakes on my first one were a little touchy at first but I can't say that the brakes were totally to blame. I haven't had any issues with my current Tacoma so I'm inclined to believe a large part of the problem was me adjusting from driving an SUV.

As you previously stated, Tacoma's are workhorses. I've had 8 large bags of mulch and 12 landscape timbers in the bed of mine at one time. If the suspension can't handle the load in the bed, I guarantee it can handle it with a trailer. I accessorized mine so it doesn't look like just a workhorse. The accessories give it a clean, sporty look when it's not meeting the challenge of a heavy task. It's a badass in disguise.

I looked at various small SUV's and other trucks before I bought another Tacoma and, aside from the fact that I knew firsthand that they're solid trucks, a big deciding factor was also one of the reasons I got rid of my Tahoe - you're limited on the height of things you can transport (not to mention it was a gas guzzler). I say indulge your inner kid-boy glee! I'd be really surprised if you were disappointed.

Oh, and another bonus, Toyota's across the board hold their value, so be prepared to spend a decent chunk of change, even on a used one. Holding their value is the other bonus, not the large chunk of change. Although it's money well spent, in my opinion.