moving on from a tacoma

[Jgallo1]

I have had a 2 tacoma's over the years, a 1st gen and now a 3rd gen. The 3rd gen, does not do it for me. Maybe it is age, current trends, not sure. I am wondering what to move into. My criteria is it needs to be a
pick-up, I actually use the bed. I drive from all over the west and make runs to mexico. Something reliable is a must. If I go diesel I need to go pre- DEF fluid for the mexico runs. Just putting this out there to see what others are driving.

 

[Graeman]

Sounds like the new Ranger would be a good fit for you. I was watching TLF on youtube and they compared the Tacoma to the Ranger and it did really well against the current midsized truck champ. See a a new winner for 2019.

 

[Jgallo1]

it will be interesting to see how the ranger does. I am going to look at a Power wagon this evening

 

[Graeman]

Oh, going full-size. Power Wagon and the midsize Colorado are the only ones with front and rear lockers and the PW has an optional winch.

 

[Jgallo1]

The power wagon is one serious rig.
Basically having to just add tires and then be good is pretty nice. All my trucks, I have had to add everything the power wagon has on it and there is alot of power.
The downfall is its huge, like driving a land yacht. A few people have told me they have never had an issue with there power wagon on a trail. Maybe my sense of spatial relationship is off .
It is either the PW for me or go back in time. A truck I have always wanted is a jeep comanche. I know that it will be tough with the wife and a 90lb dog going anywhere in it though

 

[Anak]

If diesel, pre-DEF, reliable, going back in time and large are all acceptable then you should consider a 12V Cummins. Add extended cab for the dog.

OTOH, if an immaculately clean driveway is important then the Cummins may not be such a good idea. Likewise for the Jeep Comanche. If either one of those isn't leaking then you need to worry about it being out of oil.

 

[RichardHdz]

How about the new Jeep Gladiator? I saw it at the LA Auto Show and I fell in love. The only issue is the bed is a bit shallow, since you mentioned you will actually use it.

 

[RichardHdz]

And I realize the Gladiator is a 2020 so not out yet. Haha!

 

[Jgallo1]

The Gladiator, sure do look real nice, but I just cant do the small bed.

 

[RichardHdz]

The Gladiator, sure do look real nice, but I just cant do the small bed.

Yes, I figure as much. I loved it when I first saw it but as I thought about it more, I think I’d rather get a Wrangler.

The Chevy Colorado looks promising though.

 

[TerryD]

How much capability are you looking for? If you don't need tons of wheel travel and lockers, then a early 2000's Chevy or GMC K1500 could be a good fit. The 5.3L before the active fuel management system was a super tough engine with TONS of aftermarket support. The 4L65E transmission in them is also a great piece. Parts are readily available for them since they are so common as well. Basic lifts are available and you can clear a 33" tire in stock wheel wells IIRC.

 

[Jgallo1]

How much capability are you looking for? If you don't need tons of wheel travel and lockers, then a early 2000's Chevy or GMC K1500 could be a good fit. The 5.3L before the active fuel management system was a super tough engine with TONS of aftermarket support. The 4L65E transmission in them is also a great piece. Parts are readily available for them since they are so common as well. Basic lifts are available and you can clear a 33" tire in stock wheel wells IIRC.

I need something that will run me all over the west on the hwy's and occasional tow up the passes. It has to be able to run through parts of mexico. It needs to be able to cover alot of multi day offroad trails again all over the west, so snow, mud, gravel etc..
it also must be my daily driver, I have a small farm and do landscape design for the day to day.
This is why I always liked the tacoma's. The locking diff. has helped me numerous times. I just seem to have out grown them and keep thing full size.

 

[TerryD]

Titan Pro4X could work for you too.

 

[James Deaton]

I’ve been researching the Nissan trucks recently, specifically the Frontier Pro-4X. They are an incredible value for what you get... I realize that is not likely going to work for you, I only mentioned it because you may find the same value in the Titan Pro-4X.

James

 

[Charles_Alarie]

frontier pro 4x is hard to beat. Bullet proof drivetrain and trans, as well as rear locker for a great price. I love my pro 4x Xterra. The aftermarket for accessories is a little tough though.

 

[Jgallo1]

I saw an episode of TFL trucks where they gave some major credit to pro-4x.

 

[madcratebuilder]

Colorado ZR2 Bison would be my first choice if buying a new rig today. AEV meets the ZR2.

 

[Jgallo1]

Colorado ZR2 Bison would be my first choice if buying a new rig today. AEV meets the ZR2.

I do really like the idea of those trucks but I cant deal with the small bed

 

[James Deaton]

Ok... so it sounds like you’ve made up your mind and want a full size.

I recommend the following after owning quite a few:

Diesel trucks really excel at towing heavy loads. Yes I know they do other things, but they exist to tow heavy. Diesel trucks and their heavy duty chassis also break in larger denominations. They have bigger parts, which in turn cost bigger money. So... if you don’t need to tow heavy, don’t bother with a diesel.

Gas trucks have a couple options: naturally aspirated, and turbocharged. My personal opinion: I’m an NA kinda guy. No turbos please. Why? More moving parts. More wear items. More computer control. More electronics. I prefer simple. I’ll take a Triton V8 over an EcoBoost. Why? Because it’s simple. It’s a simple V8 that can be easily worked on (by me).

If you want to save some money:
Buy used
Buy a base or mid-level model and add the offroad parts you want

If you want less hassle:
Buy new
Buy the best model possible with all the bells and whistles so you don’t have to bother adding anything.


Regarding electronics:
I prefer less. No crawl control. No Nav. No cameras. No weird stuff. I like my offroad vehicles simple. I don’t even like power seats! I’m cool withh power windows and locks, that’s it for me. Once again, less expensive parts to fail.

Once again, this is just personal opinion. Not everyone thinks the same. That’s what makes America so great!

James

 

[Sparky]

The older I get, the more I enjoy full size suv’s and pickups. For what it’s worth, maybe spend some time behind the wheel of those. This is coming from someone who sold back a 3rd gen Tacoma after justs a few months of ownership.