I have been lurking on this board for a couple of weeks and have been very impressed the level of knowledge and the advice given here. It has helped me a lot in my decisions about a new vehicle, but I have a couple of specific questions and would appreciate some feedback.
First some background, I am not new to overland travel. My first vehicle was an HJ47 'troopy' that I spent six months living out of and drove over 10,000kms around Australia, more recently I have spent a while tooling around in a Hagglunds BV206 (work vehicle). However now I live in Colorado and my normal expedition vehicle is my Arcteryx backpack.
I am looking for a minimalist camping set up, just a place for two to sleep, no fridge or stove or anything like that. My goals are a fuel efficient and reliable vehicle with a sleeping area which doesn't need to be 'set up'. One of the primary uses will be winter camping in ski resort parking lots, so inconspicuous is good. Moderate off-road capability is a must, as another use will be getting to trailheads and canyons in the desert and mountains. These specifications seem to exactly describe a Tacoma with a shell and a sleeping platform. I have been looking at used Tacomas, with the limiting factor being my budget of $10,000. I had a couple questions pertaining to my search.
Are there any particular years or models to avoid? My price range seems to put me in the 1998 - 2005 range.
Prices seem to vary hugely, and are generally slightly to a lot above blue book, any ideas on what one would expect to get for about $9000 (saving $1000 for repairs/upgrades)?
Is the V6 significantly worse on gas than the 4? I would prefer a manual, but there are lots of autos around, is there anything wrong with the auto?
Which shells give the most headroom (I will build a platform and install lights and an aux battery) and any estimates on the cost of a used shell?
Okay that is a lot of questions, I appreciate any help you can give me!
First some background, I am not new to overland travel. My first vehicle was an HJ47 'troopy' that I spent six months living out of and drove over 10,000kms around Australia, more recently I have spent a while tooling around in a Hagglunds BV206 (work vehicle). However now I live in Colorado and my normal expedition vehicle is my Arcteryx backpack.
I am looking for a minimalist camping set up, just a place for two to sleep, no fridge or stove or anything like that. My goals are a fuel efficient and reliable vehicle with a sleeping area which doesn't need to be 'set up'. One of the primary uses will be winter camping in ski resort parking lots, so inconspicuous is good. Moderate off-road capability is a must, as another use will be getting to trailheads and canyons in the desert and mountains. These specifications seem to exactly describe a Tacoma with a shell and a sleeping platform. I have been looking at used Tacomas, with the limiting factor being my budget of $10,000. I had a couple questions pertaining to my search.
Are there any particular years or models to avoid? My price range seems to put me in the 1998 - 2005 range.
Prices seem to vary hugely, and are generally slightly to a lot above blue book, any ideas on what one would expect to get for about $9000 (saving $1000 for repairs/upgrades)?
Is the V6 significantly worse on gas than the 4? I would prefer a manual, but there are lots of autos around, is there anything wrong with the auto?
Which shells give the most headroom (I will build a platform and install lights and an aux battery) and any estimates on the cost of a used shell?
Okay that is a lot of questions, I appreciate any help you can give me!
