Hi all,
I currently have a 98 V6 4WD Tacoma and it’s time to upgrade a bit. It has shell and I typically use it to get to remote trailheads, usually car camping along the way (sleeping in the bed). It’s a great vehicle and cost of ownership has been very low although it is a high maintenance vehicle but I suppose this is the trade off for superior capability. I do all maintenance and repairs myself. However this truck is very noisy inside on the highway (I think around 2000 Toyota increased the sound deadening but mine seems to have very little). Also at moderate altitudes and grades I can’t maintain the speed limit. It has 33 tires with 4.11 gears which is a factor.
I don’t do hardcore off road as I’m usually alone so can’t risk breaking down. Thus don’t really need a solid axle vehicle except that it’s less maintenance. Like many in this subforum I’m pretty much Toyota only.
The downsides of this vehicle for my use are as follows:
1. The main issue is gear storage. Between the car camping gear (I’m a minimalist in that regard), backpacking gear and the seldom used equipment specifically for the truck (tools, air etc.) it gets a bit cluttered. The area behind the front seats are swimming in duffel bags etc and it’s hard to reach. Sometimes I spend 15 mins trying to find my sunscreen!
2. Sleeping and storing items in the shell is not ideal. For one dust does creep in. I know they have shells which replace the rear gate and thus seal but I’m not too keen on that as I do haul lumber etc a few times a year (although a trailer rental is only $20). I bet with a bit of ingenuity I could figure out a way to seal the rear gate of the truck using weather strip. Another downside to shells is that they shift around especially if you go offroad which makes it difficult to close the rear glass sometimes. I suspect this could be remedied by adding screws through the bed rail to "fix" the shell.
I was sleeping in the back once in a remote area and 2 men approached. I heard them and when I sat up they changed direction. I usually go on these trips alone so I can sleep in the bed with my gear but sometimes I put the gear on the roof to make room. With a SUV if threatened you could make a quick getaway. Admittedly these are minor issues, and I briefly considered a 4Runner but I think the storage issue is even worse. Also considered a 200 series Land Cruiser (early ones are reasonably priced) but the complexity of those vehicles concerns me. I was looking for a 80 series Landcruiser for months but they are getting bit long in the tooth.
So I have boiled down my choices to a 2nd gen Tacoma (I think the 2012+ is best) with a high quality cab high shell. I’m considering a double cab long bed. My thinking is I could remove the rear seats and place bins in that area. I could bin the seldom used repair items on the bottom and maybe stack the car camping bins above. Of course there are downsides to the double cab LB and I’m not crazy about automatic transmissions although they are about extinct anyhow.
With regards to the access cab, a major improvement is the extended cab access. This is a night and day improvement for me. I don’t even know if both sides have the door? As far as putting down bins it appears to have the floor hump but I could put in a box structure to level the floor and put seldom used items in the box structure. My only concern is that in my truck this is probably not practical because there is only about 20” between the rear of the seat (all the way back) and the back seat cushion. I’m wondering if this distance is any greater on the second gen? Also removing the cushions may help, mine are a fold down to sit arrangement. So a specific question I have is perhaps someone with a second gen can measure from the back, bottom of the front seat (slid all the way back) to the back cushion (for equal comparison) and give me an idea of how thick the cushion is also.
Thanks for reading my long post, just wanted to get advice from people who actually use their trucks for activities similar to mine. My goals are a bit more comfort, a bit more power and organized storage.
P.S. Just to drive it home that even someone like me needs very good off road capability I will relate the following experience. Just last Sunday I was in Utah at Buckskin gulch for a day hike. When I went down the road (signed impassible when wet) it was light sprinkles but the road had just been graded and was smooth and dry. There were about a dozen vehicles parked at the trailhead, many were guides but no one around. Shortly after arrival at the trail head a thunder storm passed overhead and it was like the gates of hell opened. Very hard rain and lightning strikes so close it set off car alarms. So I decided to abandon my plans and head out. There is only one moderate grade exiting near the trailhead.
As I went up the grade immediately the truck was wandering all over the road. I could scarcely believe what was happening. I had to stop and reverse at one point because I was headed for a ditch. I put it in 4 wheel drive and hit the locker button which allowed some forward motion but it was still all over the road. Luckily it was not off camber (and it was a bit rutted) or it would have been impossible to keep it out of the ditch. It seems that the soil in much of Utah has an extremely high clay content and it’s literally like ice when wet. Admittedly my tires (Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs) are very worn which was probably a big factor. Getting stuck in a location like that, even though it not that remote would definitely ruin your day.
I currently have a 98 V6 4WD Tacoma and it’s time to upgrade a bit. It has shell and I typically use it to get to remote trailheads, usually car camping along the way (sleeping in the bed). It’s a great vehicle and cost of ownership has been very low although it is a high maintenance vehicle but I suppose this is the trade off for superior capability. I do all maintenance and repairs myself. However this truck is very noisy inside on the highway (I think around 2000 Toyota increased the sound deadening but mine seems to have very little). Also at moderate altitudes and grades I can’t maintain the speed limit. It has 33 tires with 4.11 gears which is a factor.
I don’t do hardcore off road as I’m usually alone so can’t risk breaking down. Thus don’t really need a solid axle vehicle except that it’s less maintenance. Like many in this subforum I’m pretty much Toyota only.
The downsides of this vehicle for my use are as follows:
1. The main issue is gear storage. Between the car camping gear (I’m a minimalist in that regard), backpacking gear and the seldom used equipment specifically for the truck (tools, air etc.) it gets a bit cluttered. The area behind the front seats are swimming in duffel bags etc and it’s hard to reach. Sometimes I spend 15 mins trying to find my sunscreen!
2. Sleeping and storing items in the shell is not ideal. For one dust does creep in. I know they have shells which replace the rear gate and thus seal but I’m not too keen on that as I do haul lumber etc a few times a year (although a trailer rental is only $20). I bet with a bit of ingenuity I could figure out a way to seal the rear gate of the truck using weather strip. Another downside to shells is that they shift around especially if you go offroad which makes it difficult to close the rear glass sometimes. I suspect this could be remedied by adding screws through the bed rail to "fix" the shell.
I was sleeping in the back once in a remote area and 2 men approached. I heard them and when I sat up they changed direction. I usually go on these trips alone so I can sleep in the bed with my gear but sometimes I put the gear on the roof to make room. With a SUV if threatened you could make a quick getaway. Admittedly these are minor issues, and I briefly considered a 4Runner but I think the storage issue is even worse. Also considered a 200 series Land Cruiser (early ones are reasonably priced) but the complexity of those vehicles concerns me. I was looking for a 80 series Landcruiser for months but they are getting bit long in the tooth.
So I have boiled down my choices to a 2nd gen Tacoma (I think the 2012+ is best) with a high quality cab high shell. I’m considering a double cab long bed. My thinking is I could remove the rear seats and place bins in that area. I could bin the seldom used repair items on the bottom and maybe stack the car camping bins above. Of course there are downsides to the double cab LB and I’m not crazy about automatic transmissions although they are about extinct anyhow.
With regards to the access cab, a major improvement is the extended cab access. This is a night and day improvement for me. I don’t even know if both sides have the door? As far as putting down bins it appears to have the floor hump but I could put in a box structure to level the floor and put seldom used items in the box structure. My only concern is that in my truck this is probably not practical because there is only about 20” between the rear of the seat (all the way back) and the back seat cushion. I’m wondering if this distance is any greater on the second gen? Also removing the cushions may help, mine are a fold down to sit arrangement. So a specific question I have is perhaps someone with a second gen can measure from the back, bottom of the front seat (slid all the way back) to the back cushion (for equal comparison) and give me an idea of how thick the cushion is also.
Thanks for reading my long post, just wanted to get advice from people who actually use their trucks for activities similar to mine. My goals are a bit more comfort, a bit more power and organized storage.
P.S. Just to drive it home that even someone like me needs very good off road capability I will relate the following experience. Just last Sunday I was in Utah at Buckskin gulch for a day hike. When I went down the road (signed impassible when wet) it was light sprinkles but the road had just been graded and was smooth and dry. There were about a dozen vehicles parked at the trailhead, many were guides but no one around. Shortly after arrival at the trail head a thunder storm passed overhead and it was like the gates of hell opened. Very hard rain and lightning strikes so close it set off car alarms. So I decided to abandon my plans and head out. There is only one moderate grade exiting near the trailhead.
As I went up the grade immediately the truck was wandering all over the road. I could scarcely believe what was happening. I had to stop and reverse at one point because I was headed for a ditch. I put it in 4 wheel drive and hit the locker button which allowed some forward motion but it was still all over the road. Luckily it was not off camber (and it was a bit rutted) or it would have been impossible to keep it out of the ditch. It seems that the soil in much of Utah has an extremely high clay content and it’s literally like ice when wet. Admittedly my tires (Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs) are very worn which was probably a big factor. Getting stuck in a location like that, even though it not that remote would definitely ruin your day.
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