Reliability, style, maneuverability

No power, squeaks, rattles

I went from a 98 Dakota that was in the shop every 3000 miles for some problem or another, if it wasn't leaking oil the exhaust system was falling apart or the moon roof (dealer installed) was stuck open again. I went back to Toyota for my 3rd one, I had an 89 Truck and a 91 Celica GTS, both were of exceptional quality and build, no squeaks, rattles, problems, both were about 70k when I bought them and they both were over 120k when I sold them. Figured I couldn't go wrong with a new Toyota, wrong!!! The bed on the right rear side is deformed; no bed liner that Toyota put in would stay in the bed! Ended up getting a spray on liner. The truck has no power what so ever, I realize it's the 4cyl, but it is truly pathetic. Two bolts on the steering column have come loose twice now and Toyota says that's interesting, this truck has more rattles and squeaks than an 80 year old home. I will be trading this piece of crap in next summer for something of better quality. I expected this Toyota PreRunner to be at the same level of quality that I had with my previous 2, but it's no where near the level of quality. This thing makes me wish I still had my Dodge...if you can believe that, a Dodge....

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89 Toyota Truck, 91 Celica GTS

EASY TO SEE EVERYTHING AROUND IT.STRONG I-4 ENGINE(2.7)TIGHT CORNERING,HIGH GROUND-CLEARENCE(WITH AFTERMARKET TIRES),GREAT LOOKING FROM SIDE AND REAR.ERGONOMIC DASH

HAD TO REPLACE STARTER AT 50K. STIFF RIDE AND SOMEWHAT JUMPY REAREND(W/O LOAD)STOCK TIRES TOO SMALL

I HAD ALWAYS WANTED A TOUGH 4X4 TRUCK. I KNEW THE REPUTATION OF TOYOTAS AND DECIDED TO BUY/LEASE A NEW TACOMA. I REALLY WANTED AN OLDER MODEL, BUT NONE WERE AVAILABLE AT THE TIME(2/98). I TEST DROVE A X-TRA CAB V6 AND FELL IN LOVE! UNFORTUNEATELY I COULDN'T AFFORD THAT MODEL,SR-5. I HAD TO TAKE A BASE CAB 4X4 4-CYL.

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WANTED TO BUY A CHEVY S-10 ZR-2 OR FORD RANER 4X4 XLT. ALMOST BOUGHT A DODGE DAKOTA 4X4 SLT, DEALER WOULDN'T BUDGE ON PRICE.

This truck is okay. Got the supercharger installed and if 265 hp is what you need I definitely recommend this truck. Great at tackling the off- road terrain that Hawaii has to offer. Reliability of past Toyota trucks has been awesome.

To be honest the quality of the build of this truck is poor although not as bad as Ford and Chevy. Pre-95.5 Toyota trucks not built here were almost top notch. Welds looked more solid and quality of worksmanship were better on our 94 and our 92 truck. And believe me, my dad and I have taken these trucks apart. Poor gas mileage when running at 70mph probably on full boost. Only getting 10 to 15 mpg when cruising at that speed. Other than that, this truck is great.

Great trucks. Lots of power for a mid sized truck. But very expensive. 26 grand to be exact. There are only 2 things I have to complain about this truck. One, it needs more power (i'm the kind of guy that is power hungry). Second, truck needs to be higher. Around here, where we have lots of mud and lava fields that shred these Ford Rangers and Chevy S-10s, height is a major factor. You can always lift the other brands, but Toyota is probably the more dependable one as the other 2 looks like it needs a camber adjustment after the lift(i thought only dropped cars needed one of these). Great off-road truck.

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92 and 94 Toyota 4x4 pickups. 92 has a straight 4 and to be honest, sucks in the power department. Got headers, running basically a straight pipe exhaust with 4.88 gearing and still has problems holding speeds up steep hills. 94 has a v-6 and has power. Borla exhaust helps a little. But both don't compare to the power of the 3.4 supercharged v-6.

Theres nothing not to like about a Toyota. The thing I like most is the fact that I know my truck is going to outlast two of any other product. I am a loyal Toyota man and always will be...

Only fought to any Toyota is lack of room, you should know that when you buy a small truck. One more thing, at about 250,000 the speedometer starts shimmying.

Dollar for dollar you will not spend your money any more wisely than on a Toyota. If you can do without towing capacity, room, and would like to save hundreds of dollars in gas money Toyota is your answer. Any person who has owned a Toyota can tell you that the trucks are unbeatable. I love what they do for me.

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I have been around all trucks (compact) there is no substitute for a Toyota. They are without a doubt the toughest -machines- I've ever seen, its unreal the punishment they will take.

Great torque and power in the 190hp V6, manual transmission. I can take this truck anywhere. While I'm not an extreme 4-wheeler I have taken this truck on some pretty harsh terrain without ANY second thoughts. Steers great at speeds too. This is, far and away, the best looking 4X4 on the market. The Off-Road package includes 31" tires, skid plates, mud guards, etc. I also drive a lot on the highway and it performs well. I can drive >75mph no problem (althogh mpg suffers a little). It's got a great sounding stereo (stock) with in-dash CD.

Cloth interior is a little plain. Rear jump-seat is a little small. Stock windshield was cheap! It cracked while running the defroster 2 months after purchase. I expected a little higher gas mileage but I guess the off-road tires will erode that.

I paid $22k with every available option except automatic. It think it's well worth it as resale is still higher than loan balance (and I didn't put 20% down). I'm disappointed in the 36/36 warranty that Toyota offers even though I haven't had any problems. As dependable as their vehicles are you would think they could at least offer a 60/60 warranty. I would recommend this truck to anyone interested in a versatile around-town or backwoods 4X4.

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My first truck.

acceleration (v6 engine), sporty looks, rear backseats is great for kids
(not for the adults)

the back seats, not totally for adults. Its good for a short trip
but not for long driving.

I'm a TRD enthusiast, I love the whole power package on this baby,
from SR5 to convenience package. Bottomline, you get what you paid for.

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I like everything or i should say i love everything about it. It's a great truck and the styling is perfect. I got a Prerunner TRD with the V6 but i havn't been off roading with it yet, my friend tells me not to because its a 2 wheel drive but i tell him its a TRD, its not a 4X4 but is it ok for me to take it off roading? Its really a great truck and perfect for me, i got the whole package, i mean everything, every options you could get on a Tacoma Prerunner TRD, like a moon roof, bed liner, 3 in 1 CD stero and so on..... Almost go a Tundra but the darn thing cost too much $$$. I would really appreciat someone who works for toyota or knows alot about it to answer my question if it is ok to take it off roading, thanks. I wanted to get a 4X4 but i didn't because if insurance, see a prerunner is a 2 wheel drive and for that the insurance is cheep.

The only thing i don't like is going up hill with it, don't get me wrong it's got balls and its pretty fast but going up hill is the only thing.

I would recommend it to anybody for sure cause its a great truck and i love it. The price is good for me but i really wanted a Tundra but like i said it cost too much, damn. I went in the dealler to get a TRD Tundra but drove off with a TRD Tacoma, don't get me wrong i love the the tacoma to.

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I don't know how it compares with other trucks cause i haven't driven the other trucks, i'm a toyota guy, i come from a toyota family.

Power (lots of it), ground clearance

Strange jerking coming from drive train after brakes released at stops. Still trying to figure that one out. Rear end sags below level after camper shell installed; rear block lift needed to level vehicle.

I've had this truck for about 13 months now and have not encountered any problems other than the "strange jerking" above. Factory stereo/CD/tape pretty weak, replaced it with an Alpine. The 1994 Toyota which I owned was absolutely gutless and croaked up small inclines (did I pick a lemon?), so I was a little leery about another Toyota. But my camping gear was giving the inside of the Pathfinder a nasty funk so it was back to pickups. This Tacoma really kicks butt on the power side; you'll never want for torque. Off-road, nothing compares to a Toyota; haven't gotten stuck yet (not for lack of trying). Overall, I'm extremely happy with this truck and would recommend it to anyone who doesn't have to haul more than one other person regularly as the extracab is really not made for adult seating space.

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1993 Nissan 4X4 Extracab; 1994 Toyota 4X4 SR5 Extracab; 1995 Nissan Pathfinder SE

Solid dependability,decent price if you can say such a thing
with todays prices.T.R.D might be cool ,but consider the price in comparison to the actual amount of off-roading you`ll do.I also hear the locker is lousy in snow.

light weight ocasionally affecting traction.
A little gutless on highway speed hills(4 CYL.)

This is my second Tacoma,and my seventh Toyota.I drove a 98`
regular cab for 2 years,turned it in at end of lease and now drive a 2000 SR5 extra cab.These trucks are solid! I often feel a little guilty for not buying American trucks,
but until I start seeing a little better quality from Amer-
ican small pickups I won`t buy them!Look at any 10 year old
domestic (if you can find one still running)generally junk!
Older toyotas are a dime a dozen!these trucks are goats off-road.although watch the sidehills ,there light and they will
tip over .I would recomend buying the extra cab it`s worth
the extra 1500 or so. The regular cab is too small if you
ever plan on driving with more than two people,although the
short wheelbase is great off-road.I would recommend the tac-
ma! There cool little trucks that can take a thrashing. I
would recommend the SR5 it has some nice exras you`ll enjoy
the standard does not have intermitent wipers which person-
ally drove me nuts.the only problem I`ve had was a leaking
rear wheel seal on the 2000 model.Dealership seems to do decent work even though I purchased it at another dealer.
Shop around a little,they seem to be willing to dicker a little more at the larger dealers.We`ll at least these are my experiences.

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20 years of toyotas and I`m not about to buy anyhing else !

If you want the worst case scenerio, here it is: I have driven this truck for 4 years. Across the country, twice. it has 83k miles on it. I change my oil every 8000 miles or so (aproximately twice a year) I've been on every backroad I could. I have moved everything I own seven times in the last four years....in a 2x4, 4 cylinder, standard transmission tacoma...I have only had one tune up. It needs another, but I'm poor, and the truck keeps on taking everything I throw at it. Time to try a new one and see how much they've improved it.

Due to all that tough love and dirt roads... My standard transmission has shown some wear. You can't really feal it, but You can hear the transmission rattle a bit. Perhaps a seal is loose, but no leaks. And sometimes it's a pain when the steering column locks on your key. And you often have to rock the truck forward to line up gears, so that you can go in reverse. Oh and watch out for the doorlocks..they've started fighting with my key a little, something catches inside, and you have to jiggle the key to open your door....Not bad for a truck that hasn't had but one tuneup.

I've said it all in the good or bad...Yes, this is on a '96. But if they did this good on the first year of redesign....I'm sure the 2001 is a star.

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