Pre-Purchase Advice

[cadrock]

Hi everyone!

My wife, 2 year old son and I just returned from a 10 month trek around the U.S. lower 48. Approx 30K total miles.

We travelled in a 32 foot RV. We have just arrived back in Southern California and are assessing our next adventure. We have decided to sell the RV and get situated with something we can really explore the back country with.

We were able to see a ton of State and National Parks, along with some BLM, Grassland, USFS, etc. on our trip but with an RV in entailed camping "close" and then trekking in. We want to drive in and then trek further.

I have some diehard Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon friends and family. But I've always been more of a Toyota guy.

I was hoping you guys could take a look at my list of needs and give me some of your opinions on some good options?

Here goes:

- We travel as a family, 2 adults, 1 toddler (possibly a 4th at some point)
- We plan to tow a small trailer, swapping between an AT for serious trails and an ultralight 15' trailer for more domestic purposes
- I plan to put a roof tent, or trailer top tent on the rig
- I would like to add at least 2 batteries, a fridge, kitchen, etc.
- I want to stay within the 110' wheelbase range
- I'd love to be able to drive the Rubicon trail with my buddies, but I'd also like to be pretty comfortable the other 360 days of the year

My biggest issue with the Jeep Rubicon is just the capacity for gear, tow capacity and it was a bit rough on the comfort scale for me as a long distance driver.

I've been looking hard at Tacoma, but just noticed the Equipt build on the 4Runner which surprised me a little. I don't know much about off-road or expedition style vehicles so I really appreciate all your help!

Cheers all,

Chris

 

[riveroceanandmountain]

Tacoma double cab

Or.........

Tacoma double cab

Or........

A tacoma double cab

Love mine!

 

[Willman]

Ditto!

Love my double cab and trailer! 2 adults and 2 kids...perfect setup!

 

[codename607]

Yeah I would also go with a tacoma double cab because you need the room and the pulling power. I'm actually considering a tacoma myself. Seems like every time I pack up my FJ and head out on a trip I always run out of room.

 

[cadrock]

Thx for the quick responses! I was leaning towards that as well. Do you go with the double cab and the short bed because of the clearance at the front and rear???

I would love to have the long bed but thought it might hinder clearance?

Any recommendations on the best way to purchase the Tacoma?

- Double Cab
- Short Bed?
- Specific Package

Any suspension mods I should factor into the price on a new 2012 or 2013 model?

Thanks again!

Chris

 

[ebg18t]

I am going to suggest a 4Runner. 4th gen v8 (good for towing)

 

[BretEdge]

I'm in a similar situation with a wife and a 4 year old and two dogs. We've got an FJ Cruiser set up for off-roading w/ a roof top tent, lift, tires, yada yada yada and it's too small for extended trips. Weekend trips are fine but we do a few two week trips each year and it just isn't big enough. My wife has a 2010 4Runner that we use for longer family trips. Better gas mileage (not by much), more room and it tows our 22' trailer with no problem. We keep a Rocket Box on top for extra camping gear and we've usually got just enough room. In a couple years the FJC will be replaced by something although at this point I'm not certain which direction we'll go. I am certain we'll end up with a 4 door pick-up - I just don't know which one. The three currently under consideration are the Tacoma, Tundra and Ram 1500. The Tacoma is an easy choice for great off-road capability and reliability. A properly equipped Tundra maintains some of the off-road capability of the Tacoma while providing a lot more luxury and room, but at the expense of fuel mileage. The new Ram 1500 offers all the luxury and room of a Tundra, plus a diesel motor with crazy pulling power and mid to high 20's for mileage - but it won't be as capable off-road as the Tundra or Tacoma. With gas prices where they are and not likely to go down, MPG's are becoming a whole lot more important to me if I want to keep traveling. If Toyota will pull it together and throw a diesel in a Tacoma this whole equation becomes a no-brainer. Bear in mind that all of these vehicles are longer than the 110" wheelbase you specified. Obviously, the Tacoma is the shortest of the three at 127". The Ram is 140" and I think the Tundra is in the same range.

Regardless of which truck we end up with it'll be the true 4 door cab with a short bed. Long bed is nice for the extra room but would become unwieldy pretty quick on the trails. At a minimum, I'll immediately install a suspension lift and bigger tires. Yeah, mileage takes a hit but to get to the places I want/need to access for work (landscape photography), I don't have a choice.

I'm probably not helping at all but thought I'd share our mindset since we're in a similar familial situation. Good luck to you!

 

[5280transplant]

Go with the Tacoma. I just sold my Jeep Wrangler 2 door for it because I was constantly running out of space. You can get a bed rack to mount your RTT and still have plenty of room for everything else. I just bought a 2005 DCSB TRD Sport. Head over to Tacomaworld.com to do your research and ask questions, but you will find that it is very versatile. Lifts for Tacomas are fairly cheap. You can do a cheap budget lift for around 800 or you can go really complex for about 1900. I personally am just running Bilsteins for now, but will upgrade the springs later. In addition, the other time of the year, the Tacoma gives better MPGs than the Jeep and will be much more comfortable and quieter. Should be able to outfit a rig that can do the Rubicon pretty well.

 

[surlydiesel]

Test drive an 06 Tundra crew cab and a new Tacoma Crew Cab. See which interior you like better. They are so damn similar in size, a low milage Tundra of that generation is much more appealing to me. Better Load carrying, little more motor, slightly bigger for the kid in the back, much better tow vehicle. Though, if you want a "serious" tow vehicle, the new Tundra's are perfect for that.

-jorge

 

[cadrock]

Thanks guys. I got a chance to review all the specs on the Tacoma and realized I'm already way over the 110 wheel base I was shooting for. I want a smaller rig for the MPG and only plan on towing a lightweight rig.

Chris

 

[surlydiesel]

Maybe a new Subaru?

-jorge


01 Reg Cab Tacoma

 

[cadrock]

Hi all, I went through all the specs and forum responses last night.

Based on a few factors I think I'm stuck between the 4Runner and the Tacoma 4x4. The Jeep Rubicon is just a bit to tight on the tow capacity for the family style trips we take which are extended for 1-2 months or more at a time. The last one was 9 months.

Now I'm trying to figure out which one of those I should choose between.

Any suggestions on picking between the 4Runner Trail edition and the Tacoma 4x4 Double Cab Short bed?

Thanks again everybody! This has been a great forum with such quick feedback.

Chris

 

[BretEdge]

The Tacoma has more room and more towing capacity with nearly the same off-road capability as a 4Runner. Mileage is almost identical. You'd need to budget enough for a shell to cover the bed to take full advantage of all the extra storage but a loaded Tacoma Crew Cab TRD 4x4 is about $3,000 less than the base price of a Trail Edition 4Runner. That's not the Baja edition Tacoma, which I think is a waste of money. You could set it up with better suspension after-market for less than what Toyota charges for the Baja.

If I were you, the choice would be easy: Tacoma.

 

[DaVikes]

I have two kids, a wife and a dog, and went with the DCSB. I went with a pre beat up '11 I found with most of the accessories/mods I wanted. I don't like SUV's for camping/off road trips because the inside gets trashed in a hurry. I don't worry about that with the bed. Also, although the Tacoma isn't rated to carry a lot of weight, I believe it will carry more than the 4Runner.

 

[penangtoy]

I am bias as I like trucks. I have owned a sequoia , 4 runner and did not enjoy taking it off-road as SUVS are top heavy. With my 2003 double cab, the truck is light and even when I load it up with RTT and supplies and gear it feels just about right. I have a one child a 6 year old and a small dog. It has worked out for us perfect. Also having a truck if I need to move anything I can haul stuff whether is off-road or weekend projects.Here is my truck setup