TMW - 7-18-2008 at 07:17 AM
A friend of mine is looking for a new company truck and called me yesterday asking about how I liked my Tacoma. He was at the toyota dealer looking
around. I told him what I thought and the fact it pulled a 5000 lb snowcat up the mtns. Later I called him back and he said he could get a better deal
on the Tundra. The dealer was offering him $9,000 off the MSRP on the Tundra 4x4 and no discounts on the Tacoma 4x4. He was looking at $26,000 for a
Tundra verses $30,000 for the Tacoma. He's also going to the chevy, Ford and Dodge dealers to see what they offer. This mornings paper has huge
discounts on full size trucks and SUVs.
David K - 7-18-2008 at 07:38 AM
Does he need the SIZE of a Tundra and the lower MPG a V-8 has?
Go bigger
Lee - 7-18-2008 at 07:51 AM
Ever sit in a Taco? They ARE nice, solid and peppy. Plus the Toy reliability. Tundra and Taco get almost the same mileage with the 4
cylinder getting more. But who want's a 4 cylinder?
Better deals on full size -- they can't give them away. My '06 Ford F350 diesel get's 16-20 mpg highway -- almost $150 to fill it though. When
the Toy has lost it's power my diesel will be going another 200k miles. Pull my 3k pound car and don't know it's back there. Same with my 16k
pound 5th wheel. Better to have the power and NOT need it...
Taco de Baja - 7-18-2008 at 08:33 AM
$4,000 ($30,000-$26,000) will buy a lot of fuel to compensate for the difference in MPG loss, between the two. Either one should be very reliable.
Too bad Toyota is not bringing in any of their diesel engines into the US market. Even at $0.50-$0.75 more a gallon, the cost per mile would be way
less.
TonyC - 7-18-2008 at 08:38 AM
I have both. Bought the Tacoma first...needed a V8 got my Tundra. Reliability is why I went with Toyota, 226K miles 2001 Tacoma double cab TRD. Hoping
for the same from the Tundra. Price, gas and what he needs to use it for....can't go wrong with either model. Tundra pulls alot more weight then the
Tacoma.
805gregg - 7-19-2008 at 07:04 AM
Toyota realibility? They recalled over 1 million cars last year.
TMW - 7-19-2008 at 09:04 AM
He uses it for trips to their transmitter site on Breckenridge mtn east of Bakersfield. They too pull a 5000lb snowcat. I've had my Tacoma going on
two years and I haven't found anything it couldn't do as far as work went. So no he doesn't need a bigger truck, but the difference in price is a
consideration. The gas economy for a truck mostly used for driving up a 7500 ft mtn is not much difference between the two. He puts about 7000-8000
miles a year on it. These trucks are low milage but high in the dents department. In the winter we're driving on and off pavement in the snow and mud
often on ice and around or over fallen trees. These are work trucks that get their fenders and bumpers hit slipping and sliding thru it all. The one
advantage I have noticed on the smaller trucks is that being lighter they travel on the frozen snow better. When it snows on the mtn it will melt
during the day and freeze at night. What you have is melting snow on top and hard ice under. The heavy full size trucks dig right down into the ice
faster and if it's really deep you windup high centered. That's when the winch is pulled out and back to the snowcat for the trip.