Tacome 4dr long box vs access cab long box

[Oldmancrash]

You can keep your '95 running an awful long time with money you would of spent on a new[er] one.

I battle the same dilemma...I tend to make up solutions for problems I don't have. Yeah a new truck would be nice...would be too afraid to "really" use it though. Don't care if the current one gets scratched and dented...or my muddy wet dog jumps in. I think I am going to pick another 1st gen Taco or a mid 90's pickup, or even a early 80's pickup. The $30K++ I wouldn't spend on a new truck will keep three vehicles running for a long time. (We have a Trooper too)

$30K also buys a heck of a lot of fuel and beer. :ylsmoke:

And you sir have the exact thoughts I been having. I would have a lot more change in my pocket to do upgrades and accessories. The more I have been thinking about this all weekend I believe I am going to stick with what I have and build it up a little tougher and just enjoy it. My wife has asked me several times to go look at the truck I went adn looked at. But I have been having hesitations. Hummmmm

 

[Clutch]

And you sir have the exact thoughts I been having. I would have a lot more change in my pocket to do upgrades and accessories. The more I have been thinking about this all weekend I believe I am going to stick with what I have and build it up a little tougher and just enjoy it. My wife has asked me several times to go look at the truck I went adn looked at. But I have been having hesitations. Hummmmm

I would write down how much a new truck would cost out the door, with taxes & registration. (Interest too if you have to finance it) Then add on how much your insurance is going to cost as well. And see if it is worth it to you.

I tend to add it all up, then think to myself...ok for that much money, what will that buy for the current rig(s)? A Hell of a lot usually.


Some guys get sick of working on their old rigs (or simply get bored with them...I know I do)...and buying new is worth it to them. Reliability is sometimes priceless.

My thought process is...have 3 paid for rigs, that I can keep in rotation if/when one goes down for repair.

 

[Plannerman]

I need a long bed because I am 6'2 and sleeping in a short box is just not a pretty picture for this old fat guy. Plus Where I do a lot of my camping here (if not in our old motorhome) is in the heart of grizzly country so a tent just isn't a good idea. I know just my over active mind playing games. Oh I agree weight is more of a concern and I know a shorter wheelbase is better.

Roof top tent?

 

[Oldmancrash]

Roof top tent?

Yes, that is on the list of must haves by spring no matter which direction I go.

 

[Boonie Buster]

I vote Access Cab, We were planning to get the 4dr long bed, but a few things made us not choose it.

1. Longer Wheelbase 127" vs 140" makes a big difference when inches matter. If I got something that long it would be a fullsize truck, I'm not getting a compact (mid) size truck to match full size truck specs.
2. The 4dr long bed doesn't offer a manual 6spd transmission.
3. We haul extra people maybe once in a blue moon! So why buy a vehicle based on the 1% of situations that dictate a larger vehicle. I don't drive a bus everyday expecting all my friends to call at once....man, I wish I had friends.....
4. We needed the longer bed for hauling motorcycles and gear. I like to have as little to no weight as possible riding on the tailgate.

A few cons:
1. The access cab seems noisier or less solid when the doors shut than the 4dr model.
2. It can be hard to open the access door when parked close to another vehicle (but it;s equally as hard to open the regular door in those cases...)
3. Obviously not as much dry storage in the cab of the truck. (we are looking to get a canopy for the bed and a trailer for the motorcycles.)

On the other hand, I also think the truck you have currently is just fine. I loved my '96 tacoma access cab. not sure if you have the 2.7L but mine had right at 200k when i sold it. Ran strong and needed minimal maintenance and I drove some pretty technical off-road trails with it.

This is my opinion. I am right. :victory:

 

[JCMatthews]

How tight and twisty are the trails that you are traveling? The reason I ask is to make a suggestion. Have you thought of buying newer not new (probably)? I wonder if a slightly used 1st gen AC Tundra might work for you. They are bigger in the back seat than your AC Tacoma, the bed is long enough for you to sleep in, they are virtually the same size on the exterior as the new Tacoma, they come with a nice V8, and they are a lot cheaper than a new truck. I have an '05 DC I quite like, but it is very big. The AC Tundras would be somewhat smaller and more nimble.

 

[p nut]

If you don't need the extra 2 doors, just keep your '95. You just put in $$ for the major maintenance items. It's rust-free and should keep running for a long time.

I have 2 kids and love the extra room of the new Toyota trucks, but part of me wishes they would bring out a compact truck (again). Miss my '99 Tacoma.

But if you are going to get a new truck, my vote is for the DCLB. Realistically, that extra 2' really going to stop you from going through a trail? If so, is that a trail you want to be at with a $30k+ truck?

 

[JCMatthews]

Realistically, (is) that extra 2' really going to stop you from going through a trail? If so, is that a trail you want to be at with a $30k+ truck?

X2

 

[DVexile]

Realistically, that extra 2' really going to stop you from going through a trail? If so, is that a trail you want to be at with a $30k+ truck?

2 feet is quite a lot on many of the trails I go on so I understand the OP's concern. In my experience getting places for a given long trail in the desert 95% of the trail could be driven in a Civic, 98% in a soccer mom SUV, 99% in a PreRunner and 99.5% in a 4x4 F350 crew cab long bed. Only one spot on the trail less than 50 ft in length will be affected by turning or entry and exit angles. And that one 50 ft section will be the problem for a longer truck. Unfortunately that 50 ft section is probably still twenty miles from your destination.

The other impact is just time in transit even if you can get through. Spring of 2013 I did Lippencott in DVNP with my brother. In my 1992 RCLB there was nothing to it and if my brother wasn't there I'd have been down in the usual 45 minutes. With him in a big SUV there was much getting out, walking the trail, front and back spotters, inch back and forth and fifty point turns. We took over two hours.

As to a 30k truck on a trail, why buy a truck not to use it? Honestly, what is a trail going to do to a truck that will in anyway reduce its value any more than just owning the thing for a decade?

 

[DVexile]

I know I want the long box so I have a little more of an area for storage.

Is that the only reason? In some sense ACLB vs DCSB is a bit zero sum when it comes to storage if you are in your 99% of the time use case of just two people. The difference is just bed storage vs. interior storage. Certainly they aren't the same thing, but there are a lot of things that store just as well or better in the back of a DC compared to the extra bit of bed space in a LB.

The flip side argument of course is really how often would you have a passenger at all and could they survive just fine in AC for the rare case they are along. Doubt you'd want two passengers back there, but maybe one is OK on occasion?

Anyway, I share some of your dilemma. I've got a 1992 RCLB that I love, but I also have a little one now - who besides needing a bulky car seat right now will also grow into a much bigger one. So I don't have the option to just work with the 92 RC that I've got - even though it is a bench seat it is a manual so the middle of the bench is pretty useless. My first inclination was ACLB but having looked at the AC it really doesn't seem workable for frequent camping with a family of three. Looking at Dave's FlipPac thread convinced me a DCSB was completely workable as far as storage and amenities goes. But I still know I'm going to miss the bed of my 92!

 

[Clutch]

As to a 30k truck on a trail, why buy a truck not to use it? Honestly, what is a trail going to do to a truck that will in anyway reduce its value any more than just owning the thing for a decade?

I still some-what baby my '99. Probably one of the reasons it is still on the road. Don't really care about resale value...though I do care about longevity. Save the really hard stuff for the dirt & mountain bikes. Those are way more fun on the trail than the Taco could ever hope to be. Unless you go with a full on race rig...then it really isn't a truck anymore...and didn't cost anywhere near $30K to build.

 

[p nut]

...As to a 30k truck on a trail, why buy a truck not to use it? Honestly, what is a trail going to do to a truck that will in anyway reduce its value any more than just owning the thing for a decade?

I can think of a couple of ways wheeling a truck will reduce it's value.

But hey, if you're wheeling a brand new truck, more power to ya!

 

[DVexile]

OK, my apologies. I was only thinking of the context in which I use my truck - to drive down a dirt road to get somewhere to camp that might have washouts, rocks to large to move in the way, tight turns or narrow drop offs. Some spots are tight or otherwise tough enough to stop a longer or wider truck. But I wouldn't do anything that might role or otherwise damage them other than the risk of hanging something on a rock at low speed or denting a door panel if sliders not installed and going down something very bumpy (like a short dryfall). But since the OP is talking about a RTT that was my assumptions as to his use as well.

Completely agree about not flying across dunes, running water of unknown depths, or going on a slick-rock "can't wait to try out my under hood welder" crawl with a shiny new truck!

I think the difference is between true "off-roading" which I'd never do with a camp vehicle - and actually I just plain don't do - and 4WD simply to access a remote site with poorly maintained roads.

Cheers!

 

[Oldmancrash]

Thank you to everyone for helping me. I can see each and every view point. I am not a rich person and would have to finance a new or newer truck. But here in Montana it seems the used tacomas run just short of what a new one would cost. So if I were to consider a newer one it may as well be new. I do know from what I have read on here I dont need the TRD package. If I get a new/newer one it will take time to build it but I would replace the whole suspension system anyways. aw heck I dont know LOL But I do know I appreciate everyone's help

 

[p nut]

OK, my apologies. I was only thinking of the context in which I use my truck - to drive down a dirt road to get somewhere to camp that might have washouts, rocks to large to move in the way, tight turns or narrow drop offs. Some spots are tight or otherwise tough enough to stop a longer or wider truck. But I wouldn't do anything that might role or otherwise damage them other than the risk of hanging something on a rock at low speed or denting a door panel if sliders not installed and going down something very bumpy (like a short dryfall). But since the OP is talking about a RTT that was my assumptions as to his use as well.

Completely agree about not flying across dunes, running water of unknown depths, or going on a slick-rock "can't wait to try out my under hood welder" crawl with a shiny new truck!

I think the difference is between true "off-roading" which I'd never do with a camp vehicle - and actually I just plain don't do - and 4WD simply to access a remote site with poorly maintained roads.

Cheers!

Oh.......well, dirt roads, we do that in all our trucks/cars. Although there are some dirt roads around here that I wouldn't take a new truck down.

By the way, the DCLB is only 1.08' longer than AC/DCSB, not 2'. (I remembered wrong).