I am looking to buy a Tacoma or T100, probably the Tacoma, and I have a few questions.

I have a 16 ft fiberglass boat with an 80hp outboard motor and two ATV's, will the 2.7l or the 3.4l handle this at highway speeds?

Which is a better tranny in terms of durability, auto or 5spd?

What should I expect for fuel mileage out of a 2.7l or 3.4l 4x4?

How can I tell if the truck is equiped with a locking differential?

Are there any years to avoid or common problems to look for?


Thanks a ton,
Dave

 

A Tacoma should tow those loads fine.
Both are strong, the stick is probably stronger, but I have no evidence to back that up. Niether fails a lot.
Fuel mileage depends upon too many variables to say for sure... others will chime in with their experiences.
If the drain for the rear diff is on the drivers side, it has the locker. If it's on the passenger side, it does not have the factory locker.
Stay away from the 95.5 and probably 96 model years. The rear suspension was different in all 95.5's and some 96's.

 

You will want a manual trany for towing and what ever you do, don't get the 3.0 T100, it's gutless as can be. I think it was only in the first year of the T100.

 

I had a 2.7L xcab and the mileage was about 17-23 mpg, depending on driving of course. Even unloaded, my 2.7 was a wimp on the freeway. I towed 2 ATV's once and it was a dog. 12 mpg, very hard work. Of course, there was a big mountain pass over the continental divide to deal with, but that's no excuse! I towed a loaded uhaul with it once from Colorado to MT, and that actually wasn't too bad. I now own a 3.4 xcab and there are no regrets. Mileage is down, maybe 14-19 mpg. I haven't towed the same 2 ATV's with it, but I did tow a trailer loaded with a riding mower, ditch-witch, plus other various heavy stuff and it pulled no prob. Both trucks were manual trans.