Lamahawk

hey hows it goin everyone. Well, gonna sell my 88 jeep yj wrangler, yes i am a jeep guy and will always be. why? i do not know. i just am, but! ive come to the understanding that toyotas are much more reliable and save much more gas compared to da tempting yj plus i need something thats a tad bit more compfertable. any ways blah blah blah. Im lookin to buy a Tacoma. i have about 4500 to 5000 commin my way. Just some general questions: when does mileage start becoming an issue for most of us. are there any ups and downs to certain models. all i know is I need FI. what the heck should i consider in a toyota.
Im 19 and in college drivin about 160 miles average a week on a typical school and work week.
i know those numbers are difficult to deal with but we all gotta make some sacrifices.
preciate replies & comments.
Pedro* show the newb some lovin

jimbo74

all the tacomas are fuel injection... they pretty much are all the same... if you are jsut going t obe commuting you should get a 4x2.... mileage wise, they alst a long time... i dont know of anyone on the site with say a 250k tacoma as they are still relatively new with only the oldest taco ever being 10 years old... but if they are anything liek their older yota 4x2s, they will last a good long time and can take a beating as long as they are properly maintained.... 160 miles is well less than 1 tankful.....

DudeBud

whats up newb
so do you just have 5000 for a taco or more? if you are looking for a good milage rig a taco 2wd 5spd 4 bagger would be great.

Lamahawk

Cool, gotta start looking. wish me luck

kyle_22r

and just to clarify, only 1996-present are tacomas. everything older are known as "compact truck" or hilux

jdsdj98

Not quite. I drive a '95 extended cab Taco 4X4 with 209000 miles and going strong. I wouldn't hesitate driving it across the country and back right now. It's a 4 banger, 2.7l, gets about 20-22 mpg, 280-290 mi./tank comfortably, a little more on the highway. I bought it in 99 with 123000 miles on it, and with the exception of a corroded battery cable that almost let me down, it's been 100% reliable. You'll hear differing opinions on engine preference, but it's always been my understanding that when you hear about a 'Yota going for 300, 400000 miles, it's the 4 bangers, not the V-6's. I believe, and this is only my opinion, that it is in part due to the fact that the 4's have a timing chain instead of a belt, which is what you'll find in the V6's, thus being lower maintenance/cost and higher reliability over time. When I was shopping for mine, I heard that the 6's were more prone to head gasket failure. Not that it was a huge problem, but just that that was a more common problem in the 6's than the 4's. Others here can hopefully dispute or confirm that. I was shopping for a mid-90's truck and that's the info I gathered then. Things may be different for the trucks you're looking at. I'm happy sacrificing a little power for longevity any day. I plan on getting at least 300k before my next vehicle purchase, which'll probably be another 'yota.

You will be hard pressed to find a Tacoma with decent mileage in that price range. Fear not, though. If you've been driving a Jeep, you'll love the reliability of a 'yota right away. Good luck.

kyle_22r

well, i left out the 95.5 tacomas to avoid some confusion

inline 4 cylinders are mechanically superior to a V6 -- they have 5 main bearings and less parts to break. however the 3.4 V6 toyota builds is a great motor.