100 K Review 2012 2.7 4x4 Regular Cab

[Shradicalwyo]

I've always loved single cab Tacomas. My dad had a first gen 4 cylinder, 4wd, manual one with a really nice tall camper shell for a work truck. When I was learning to drive it was the best thing to learn on. That truck took so much abuse from construction sites and forest roads and never stopped. I was really sad when it got hit because it was supposed to be mine when he needed a bigger work truck.

If I could have one now I'd absolutely do it, but with the girlfriend and a dog I have to have an access cab.

 

[cdthiker]

You've nailed every aspect; I love my 2.7 and wish more people were as accurate with their reviews as you have been.

My two biggest complaints are the windshield wipers and 1st gear....No matter how hard I try, I just can't shift smoothly from 1-2.

The wipers are crap. I am looking into getting the new stalk and fixing the problem. Been saying I am going to do it for year. Have a service appt with toyota for the hundred K service this weekend. May need to ask them how much they would charge me for the part. It is supposed to be plug and play.

1-2 is not bad if you are on flat. However if you are using 4x4h on a hill it is more then a little bit of a pain in the *** if you are not paying attention. It wouldn't be so bad if when you let off the gas at 15 it deceled a bit better. Alas. I have a fairly steep dirt drive way about 10 percent or more grade 1/8 mile up the mountain to my house. Would be nice to get a bit of speed on it going up but it seems like its either 10-15 and letting it whine in 1st or 15 and lugging in 2 or hitting it two fast and slidding around a bit at 20 in 2.

Its just a strange RPM/Gear combo 3ed and 4th are great. 3ed will pull 55 up something steep if you need it to and go a bit further. 4th is good for most situations. It seems to like the tourque in that gear.

 

[cdthiker]

I think mine is rated to tow 5000 lbs. Guesstimated I had about 3200 lbs with a yard of topsoil and my 5X8 steel utility trailer. Pulled it fine...stopping distance was reduced a bit. No way I would tow the max 5000 lbs with it, though. But I only do that once year, so not too much of issue. Almost to the point in life, I am ok getting stuff delivered.

View attachment 396986

Probably get by with a car for 80% of the stuff I do, but I don't like be limited to where I can go...the Tacoma doesn't even flinch on dirt roads...or this past winter, when people were stuck in their houses...I was out playing in the snow.

I have had this one for 15 years, the next one I plan on keeping for 15 years as well...I go look and look at all of the other options out there, and always comes back around to the base model Tacoma, fills all the needs and wants without breaking the bank too much. It isn't perfect, but it is pretty damn close for a do-it-all vehicle.


I have been casually looking at the lots here, Portland/Seattle area...still have family in AZ, looking down there too. No hurry though...the right one will come up, either that or break down and buy brandy new. new might make more sense, since I want it to last me until retirement, maybe a little beyond.

Glad you like your truck...shame that people dog on the 2.7, it is a great little engine. Think because most in the US think bigger is better.

Americans hahaaha

I dont need big. I need something that works. I wager this motor is still simple enough to do a bit of work on when the time comes. I can even see the spark plug wires.
My driving work needs have changed a bit in the last six months. I am not on the road 2-30 days at a time so I could also get by with a car most of the time. I would say that for the snow we get here in McCall, a Subaru would be a better option in terms of year round driving. The tacoma 4x4 can not touch the Subaru AWD maded to a five speed.

These days its just a lot of of back and forth to boise, and while the canyon can get a bit sketchy out little toyota sedan is more then capable with some gnarly studded tires from the Fins on it. Not to mention 35-38 MPG makes the trips back and forth a lot cheaper.
But, that would mean my wife is driving the truck, and while she can she over thinks it. Not really something I want to picture while I am trying to save a few bucks and she is stuck driving Bruce the Taco in McCall snow and not feeling comfortable on the 30 min commute she has to work.

You nailed it with the stopping power. Gearing is there, power is there, even crappy toyota suspension can be managed with proper loading but slowing down means never really speeding up. Im fairly sure I have made a few runs up and over 4 k with fire wood and trailer. But middle of no where mountain dirt road using gearing and slow speed vs going down the high way. Two different things.


I Do some work for Ada County Paramedics in Boise and was down there a bunch in what is being called the worst snow year in a generation. Its funny, the biggest storm of the year drooped about foot and I had to go to BSU to pick some stuff up. People were freaking out in the ditch and all over the road.

Just felt like another average storm in McCall for me. But then again I run 4x4, good winter tires, and drive in that crap 6 months out of the year. People couldn't even make it out of their driveways, let alone in and out of the starbucks parking lot. The hard part was not letting some knuckle head bump into you at a stop light.
Reminds me of when I used to go to portland ever Jan for work and it might snow an inch and the entire city shut down.

Portland, I suspect like Ada County just does not have the streets and plow resources to manage it.


as for getting stuff delivered. I am sort of at the time in my life where I am struggling with 1. Pride ( thats my job not some one elses) 2. Being a cheap ***, 3. Realizing my time is more valuable then it used to be and getting stuff dropped off is the way to go.

Not sure I will every be able to let go of being able to heat my house for about a month for the cost of 12 dollar wood permit a bit of gas for the truck and saw and a day of my time. The base model Taco is the perfect tool for those moments. even more so when people were getting power bills pushing a thousand bucks this winter.

I am trying to convince my wife that when the time comes a wood truck would more then pay for its self at that rate. She ain buying what im selling..... must have read my review and praise for the truck I already have.

Funny thing about those base tacomas. Every time I go for an oil change or what not at the dealership, they try and buy it off me. I just know.... that they would turn around and put it on the lot for 20 k when its only worth 12-14. But, used tacomas..... right ?

 

[cdthiker]

My wife hates the bench seat on the regular cab. At this point the upright semi cramped driving seating arrangement has grown on me.

My biggest reason for the access cab would be for the dog. At 70 pounds he can ride shot gun, but would rather be in the bed. Thats fine, unless it is negative 20 or 105 out. We tend to get both here. more than I would care to admit.

These little rigs were never super classy to start with, so that means there just is not a lot to break on them. If you can handle the cheap plastic and random rattles of the little truck they will take a full on beating and come back the next day and ask for more. Too bad you did not get your pops.

 

[Clutch]

Me being originally from PA, I was little taken back by all the incompetence this past winter...thought people here in Idaho would be a little tougher, think it only applies to Boisians and not the rest of Idaho. We live 30 minutes outside the city...I had no problem getting into town. You're right, the biggest fear was having someone slide into me. Though I will say...they have no idea how to take care of the roads here like they do back East, knowing that all you need is a decent set of snow tires.

Since I do commute in, have been looking at vehicles that get better mileage...however this past winter I saw Subarus getting high centered. Difference in gas mileage between a Subaru and a Tacoma seems around 10ish mpg, works out to be roughly $500-600 extra to fuel the Tacoma per yer....not really enough in my mind to justify getting a Subaru, that and I can trust the Tacoma to go 200-300K miles without much fuss...Subies from what I can tell are good up to 100K.

I have OME Dakar Heavies on my mine, handles the weight no problem...have upgraded brakes too, run EBC Ultimax rotors and pads...which are fantastic, stops amazing well when the load is light. But with a yard of dirt on the trailer, not so much.

Yeah, I hear you on the pride thing about getting stuff delivered...I used to work construction, and used to doing everything myself....now the better half is like, you know, you don't have to do that anymore, we can hire someone. First couple times I resisted...now I am like, hey that is kinda nice. Though I still went and got a load of dirt...not quite giving in just yet.

Used Tacoma prices are nuts....I love these little trucks, however do think the resale prices are blown a bit out of proportion. To the point that it does make me curious about the new Ford Ranger coming out, not sure if Ford will screw it up or not. If they offered it in a base model with a manual trans and a super fuel efficient diesel may take a look, my guess it is going to be like the Colorado....and can only get the diesel in the upper trim models, that and no manual trans. Feel like I loose a part of my being when I drive an auto.


When I lived in PA, we used to heat our home with wood...but that is when we could quite literally go on our property and harvest the wood. We used to be in the wood stove business, to the point where we became a North Eastern distributor...I have unloaded many a semi truck trailers full of stoves and pipe. That and too many to remember installs...why getting stuff delivered now isn't all that bad. Thought about heating our home here with wood, but I think cost-wise it would be a wash, maybe a little more... since I have to drive up into the mountains to get wood, take a lot of trips in the Tacoma.


When I had my '92 RC, that bench seat got old real quick, I pulled a set of buckets with lumbar out of a salvage yard Acura that darn near matched the blue interior. They were almost a direct bolt in too, had to make 1 spacer for each seat, and they were good. Much better, but still really couldn't recline them much. Just for that reason, don't think I could go back to a RC, even though I like the looks of a RC over an EC. Maybe with a Tundra since that RC has roughly the same space behind the seat as my EC...but a Tundra is waaaay too much truck for my needs.

 

[cdthiker]

Me being originally from PA, I was little taken back by all the incompetence this past winter...thought people here in Idaho would be a little tougher, think it only applies to Boisians and not the rest of Idaho. We live 30 minutes outside the city...I had no problem getting into town. You're right, the biggest fear was having someone slide into me. Though I will say...they have no idea how to take care of the roads here like they do back East, knowing that all you need is a decent set of snow tires.

Since I do commute in, have been looking at vehicles that get better mileage...however this past winter I saw Subarus getting high centered. Difference in gas mileage between a Subaru and a Tacoma seems around 10ish mpg, works out to be roughly $500-600 extra to fuel the Tacoma per yer....not really enough in my mind to justify getting a Subaru, that and I can trust the Tacoma to go 200-300K miles without much fuss...Subies from what I can tell are good up to 100K.

I have OME Dakar Heavies on my mine, handles the weight no problem...have upgraded brakes too, run EBC Ultimax rotors and pads...which are fantastic, stops amazing well when the load is light. But with a yard of dirt on the trailer, not so much.

Yeah, I hear you on the pride thing about getting stuff delivered...I used to work construction, and used to doing everything myself....now the better half is like, you know, you don't have to do that anymore, we can hire someone. First couple times I resisted...now I am like, hey that is kinda nice. Though I still went and got a load of dirt...not quite giving in just yet.

Used Tacoma prices are nuts....I love these little trucks, however do think the resale prices are blown a bit out of proportion. To the point that it does make me curious about the new Ford Ranger coming out, not sure if Ford will screw it up or not. If they offered it in a base model with a manual trans and a super fuel efficient diesel may take a look, my guess it is going to be like the Colorado....and can only get the diesel in the upper trim models, that and no manual trans. Feel like I loose a part of my being when I drive an auto.


When I lived in PA, we used to heat our home with wood...but that is when we could quite literally go on our property and harvest the wood. We used to be in the wood stove business, to the point where we became a North Eastern distributor...I have unloaded many a semi truck trailers full of stoves and pipe. That and too many to remember installs...why getting stuff delivered now isn't all that bad. Thought about heating our home here with wood, but I think cost-wise it would be a wash, maybe a little more... since I have to drive up into the mountains to get wood, take a lot of trips in the Tacoma.


When I had my '92 RC, that bench seat got old real quick, I pulled a set of buckets with lumbar out of a salvage yard Acura that darn near matched the blue interior. They were almost a direct bolt in too, had to make 1 spacer for each seat, and they were good. Much better, but still really couldn't recline them much. Just for that reason, don't think I could go back to a RC, even though I like the looks of a RC over an EC. Maybe with a Tundra since that RC has roughly the same space behind the seat as my EC...but a Tundra is waaaay too much truck for my needs.

The rest of the state knows how to drive in the snow hahahah
but really Ada Highway district just does not have enough plows. This was the worst winter to hit boise in decades. They don't even drop the blades on the plows in mccall unless there is 4 inches....
They scrape the snot out of the roads back east. I learned to drive in north east ohio in lake effect snow and then spent a few years in north maine. The roads might be better, but the salt was killer on rigs.
It is also a wetter heavier snow vs the mostly light fluff we get out here. Well at least at 5000 feet in mccall anyways.
I pulled 30 on average in my subaru could get 32 if I stayed off the skinny pedal. 23 combined is about as good as it gets in the taco for me. Clearance was a bigh reason I got rid of mine. With that being said when I lived in park city I took that thing up a few FS roads more then once and got some strange looks from folks in the winter in chained up trucks.
Then again, I ran snow tires and most of the folks in boise do not. if one has traction one can plow through what you might be getting high centered on in the subaru.... could just be an ada county driver thing hahahah

best
td

 

[owyheerat]

@cdthiker, thanks for taking the time to write this review. This is very useful information, that will be helpful to many. It's threads like this that make this forum great.

BTW, I live in Nampa, work in Boise and McCall is one of my favorite towns in Idaho. You live in 'God's country', I'm envious...:elkgrin:

Oh, and I hear you on the lack of 'winter driving skills' in the valley.

Cheers

Durwin

 

[cdthiker]

@cdthiker, thanks for taking the time to write this review. This is very useful information, that will be helpful to many. It's threads like this that make this forum great.

BTW, I live in Nampa, work in Boise and McCall is one of my favorite towns in Idaho. You live in 'God's country', I'm envious...:elkgrin:

Oh, and I hear you on the lack of 'winter driving skills' in the valley.

Cheers

Durwin

No worries on the review.
I often found that I was looking for more details over the years that I have had my truck, and more so before I bought it when I was trying to find out what I wanted to get.
Most folk either sing the praises of the rig, or they pick on everything little thing that is wrong with it. While both of those have their time and place, I find that neither are super helpful in terms of giving the big picture view of a truck/ bike/ whatever.

On top of that, most folks spend a lot of time on trip reports ( nothing wrong with that ) But I want to know the details. I want to know about the good and the bad and the day in day out. AKA what are you doing with the truck when you are NOT overlanding. When you are off pavement, what works and what dont.
Ultimately, I wanted to give the big picture on a truck that for the most part, I enjoy and feel would serve the needs of 99 percent of the people, 99 percent of the time on this forum. That is unless you have to haul people. Dont get a truck like bruce for that one role. Lucky for me, it is just the wife and the dog.

Winter driving in the treasure valley....yep. I jut expect it at this point. When they bring that nonsense on to 55 in the canyon.....