Why I switched from a Tacoma to an F150

[Grassland]

The body of my truck is the losing battle up here.
I'm only at 112,000 KM and have done every bit of maintenance. F150 rusts from the inside out. While standing on a snow pile I got to see my roof and see my 3rd brake light is leaking. So I get to take the cap off, replace that, and I guess spray a can of rust check in there before putting everything back together.

If I can get a couple more years out of my truck it will be 10+ years old and maybe they will be forcing us to electric by then.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Gas is going up to $1.60+ a liter for regular here (over $6 a gallon for freedom units). Maybe being stock isn't so stupid anymore.
I'm torn between no truck payments now, but even 2-3 MPG difference on a new truck... Gas keeps going up might be worth it long term.

What's a truck payment these days, $500+ a month? You can buy a lot of gas at that price, even at inflated prices.

 

[Grassland]

What's a truck payment these days, $500+ a month? You can buy a lot of gas at that price, even at inflated prices.

$690+ a month over 5 years assuming I get $18500 for my current truck. Which is turning 8 years old this June.
XLT 2.7 300a with a few options is $52500+ 12% taxes.
XLT sport 301a is $57500 plus taxes.
House will be paid off in July so do I get a truck now at low interest or do I wait a couple years and maybe trucks will go back to 40k when interest goes up hahahaha unlikely.

 

[phsycle]

Comfort, reliability (I hate getting nickel/dimed), and safety should all factor in a vehicle purchase as well. Which I why I bought an f150. At the time, all other trucks trailed in safety. Most or all seem to have caught up now though.

 

[Bama67]

In regards to the Tacoma to F150 comparison. A 2.7 eco will do everything better than a Tacoma other than vehicle width and resale.
Blows it away in power, room, mpg, comfort, and reliability is just as good.

Tacoma reliability is overblown since the 4.0 and 5 speed are long gone.
This isn't a comparison at all unless a buyer wants a narrow truck or is a Taco fanboi; and this is coming from someone that currently owns two Tundras.

 

[skrypj]

LOL. It's a matter of perspective. I went from a '91 XtraCab 22R-E to my '08 Tacoma V6 and to me it's quiet. I know if I was to drive a newer truck I'd be spoiled. So I don't. But I could barely hear the radio in my old truck on the highway and it wasn't because I was going all that fast.

Toyota's small trucks have always sucked with automatics. It's pretty hip to complain about the lack of power in Toyota V6s. You almost never hear a 4 cylinder owner complain, you just accept they're slow I suppose. But I've never really felt that way about my truck but it's a stick shift. I do honestly think that is significant.

Plus, I'm conscious about weight. I drive a small(ish) truck and accept that it's small(ish). Light camper shell, not every piece of glamping farkle, just two of us. Bigger? Sure it would be nice but then I couldn't park it in my driveway built for 1920s cars.

I get the feeling that a lot complaints about midsize trucks is the owners expect them to be full size. For example, how often does the question about towing a 6,000 lbs camper with one come up? Seriously? The owner forums talk about that a lot. Or why doesn't Toyota put in a V8? What are the interiors so small? It's like they're shocked a midsize vehicle is midsized.

I wish my truck was smaller, like my 1991 was. At this point if ever I replace my Tacoma it'll of course be a F150. But they're just so friggin' big. I like the 05+ Tacoma size, which isn't that much smaller than a 1/2 ton about 10 years ago. Which was about perfect balance with extra capability without too much extra size IMO.

I haven't met many car dealers who didn't think their line wasn't brought down from the Mount by Moses himself. And their individual vehicles, particularly when talking used, are so nice they might as well be new.

I own a ‘95 22RE currently. And not only that, but I live at 6500’ so its got 20% less hp and torque than advertised. 70mph is about all it can do on flat ground

People dump on the Tacoma V6 because its a turd even among its peers(other mid sized trucks). the GM V6 is torquier and so was the old Nissan 4.0. Ive heard great things about the new Nissan 3.8. And the Ranger’s 2.3 Turbo is FAR torquier with 310 ft-lbs at 3000 rpm vs the Tacomas 265 ft-lbs at a ridiculous 4600 rpm.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I own a ‘95 22RE currently. And not only that, but I live at 6500’ so its got 20% less hp and torque than advertised. 70mph is about all it can do on flat ground

People dump on the Tacoma V6 because its a turd even among its peers(other mid sized trucks). the GM V6 is torquier and so was the old Nissan 4.0. Ive heard great things about the new Nissan 3.8. And the Ranger’s 2.3 Turbo is FAR torquier with 310 ft-lbs at 3000 rpm vs the Tacomas 265 ft-lbs at a ridiculous 4600 rpm.

Which V6? In general I prefer inline engines, especially off road. I don't think a 'V' config is great for a truck's utility but is nice when you're trying to avoid being a hood ornament for a Mac truck merging on the Interstate.

The 3.0L was kind of a turd, the 3.4L pretty well regarded.

The 4.0L I think is a good engine. Good enough for the 4Runner still. I really like the 4.0L with the stick and that's even with the oddball ratios Toyota used with it in the Taco.

I hear the 3.5L in the current Taco is a turd, though.

 

[fsiegels727]

Would you be willing to share details of your bed platform? I'm thinking of doing something similar with mine.

I went super simple with the design. 3/4 in sheet of plywood (wanted the extra strength so I can sleep on it). For support I used two 2 by 10s (I gotta check and grab you some pics of the support beams) which I cut to length and wedged sideways in the front and rear of the bed where the cutouts in the side of the bed are (right by the tie downs). This allowed me to take the two plywood pieces and lay them on top without needing a center support like most sleeping platforms. The reason that was important to me was because of the bedslide underneath, which now acts like a massive drawer. I carpeted the two plywood pieces with indoor outdoor carpet and cut them In a way where they wedged fairly snugly together. Whole setup is super solid and ive had it on some really bumpy roads. Also super easy to pull stuff out when I want to transport something large in the bed.

Ill take some pics of the supports underneath when I get the chance!

 

[skrypj]

Which V6? In general I prefer inline engines, especially off road. I don't think a 'V' config is great for a truck's utility but is nice when you're trying to avoid being a hood ornament for a Mac truck merging on the Interstate.

The 3.0L was kind of a turd, the 3.4L pretty well regarded.

The 4.0L I think is a good engine. Good enough for the 4Runner still. I really like the 4.0L with the stick and that's even with the oddball ratios Toyota used with it in the Taco.

I hear the 3.5L in the current Taco is a turd, though.

The current 3.5 is what i am talking about. Its so bad.

 

[phsycle]

The current 3.5 is what i am talking about. Its so bad.

I actually didn’t mind the 2GR. It was decent for what it was intended for. It was the auto transmission that sucked. Once I switched to 6-sp manual, it was great. Except the unusually tall reverse gear.

 

[ricoisme26]

I went super simple with the design. 3/4 in sheet of plywood (wanted the extra strength so I can sleep on it). For support I used two 2 by 10s (I gotta check and grab you some pics of the support beams) which I cut to length and wedged sideways in the front and rear of the bed where the cutouts in the side of the bed are (right by the tie downs). This allowed me to take the two plywood pieces and lay them on top without needing a center support like most sleeping platforms. The reason that was important to me was because of the bedslide underneath, which now acts like a massive drawer. I carpeted the two plywood pieces with indoor outdoor carpet and cut them In a way where they wedged fairly snugly together. Whole setup is super solid and ive had it on some really bumpy roads. Also super easy to pull stuff out when I want to transport something large in the bed.

Ill take some pics of the supports underneath when I get the chance!

Nice setup, looking to do something similar for my F150 only make drawers below and a slide, as wide as the tailgate will allow, on top that can be easily removed. Attachment points could be used for tie down locations then if the slide wasn't needed. I'll probably bed liner everything to run with or without the cap on the truck, throw down a sleeping pad if I plan to sleep on it.

Nice haul with the geese as well! Just started goose hunting myself in the last two weeks of our season here in PA and I'm hooked, can't wait for next fall all ready

 

[Mekcanix]

$690+ a month over 5 years assuming I get $18500 for my current truck. Which is turning 8 years old this June.
XLT 2.7 300a with a few options is $52500+ 12% taxes.
XLT sport 301a is $57500 plus taxes.
House will be paid off in July so do I get a truck now at low interest or do I wait a couple years and maybe trucks will go back to 40k when interest goes up hahahaha unlikely.

Saw on the news last night that Bank oh Canada is starting to increase interest rates, say one to 2 % by next year

 

[Martinjmpr]

I went super simple with the design. 3/4 in sheet of plywood (wanted the extra strength so I can sleep on it). For support I used two 2 by 10s (I gotta check and grab you some pics of the support beams) which I cut to length and wedged sideways in the front and rear of the bed where the cutouts in the side of the bed are (right by the tie downs). This allowed me to take the two plywood pieces and lay them on top without needing a center support like most sleeping platforms. The reason that was important to me was because of the bedslide underneath, which now acts like a massive drawer. I carpeted the two plywood pieces with indoor outdoor carpet and cut them In a way where they wedged fairly snugly together. Whole setup is super solid and ive had it on some really bumpy roads. Also super easy to pull stuff out when I want to transport something large in the bed.

Ill take some pics of the supports underneath when I get the chance!

OK I was trying to figure out how you had 2 x 10's going across the bed and still had room for a slide out and then I realized you laid the boards flat across the bed - very interesting, I have to admit I never thought of that!

What supports the 2 x 10's? Is there a notch that the boards sit on? Or did you build "legs" to hold up the boards?

You don't have a bed liner, correct?

 

[Highlander]

@fsiegels727

Nice rig... and big ass geese.
Come visit this thread.
Upland Hunting - General | Expedition Portal

 

[Todd780]

Gas is going up to $1.60+ a liter for regular here (over $6 a gallon for freedom units). Maybe being stock isn't so stupid anymore.
I'm torn between no truck payments now, but even 2-3 MPG difference on a new truck... Gas keeps going up might be worth it long term.

Yup. It went up to 1.56 here yesterday. ? If this keeps up through the summer I'm thinking we won't be dragging our trailer to far from home. (2 hours max)

In April they are supposed to add another 3 cents per liter in carbon tax to fuel on top of the 8.8 cents they've already added...