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? for the Toyota Tacoma owners

R

rookie7

Outdoorsman
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 26, 2009
971
243
Georgia
I'm a long time Toyota fan having owned 5 trucks over the years.

I am currently in the market for a new truck.

I have driven the TRD off road 4 door with 5' bed and the same truck with the 6' bed.

I like the turning radius of the 5' bed truck a lot better than I do the one with the 6' bed.

I also like the looks of the 5' bed a tad bit more. However, I'm wondering if there are lot of Taco owners out there that wish they had bought the 6' over the 5'.

I hunt, shoot, etc, etc, and will be buying a 4x4. My family has a farm, but we have a diesel for hauling cattle etc.

So this would be my daily driver, hunting, going to comps/events, all purpose truck.

I have a solid 5x10' utility trailer that I use when I need to haul any lumber over 8', gravel, etc.

What say you owners? How much of a difference does the 1' make?

Thank you
 
You can make the shorter bed longer but it's hard to make the longer bed shorter. And don't listen to people that tell you to buy something else. In ten years your new truck will still be worth almost what you paid for it. Buy something else and it won't be worth anything in 10 years.
 
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Not a Tacoma driver, but I'm happy with my short bed. As CJS-6.5 mentioned, you can make the bed longer. I've used my short bed to haul many a load of 8' & 10' lumber with no real problems.
 
I have the X-cab with the 6 foot bed. Do you really need the 4 door and extra seats that much?

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CJS-6.5 said:
You can make the shorter bed longer but it's hard to make the longer bed shorter. And don't listen to people that tell you to buy something else. In ten years your new truck will still be worth almost what you paid for it. Buy something else and it won't be worth anything in 10 years.
Click to expand...

Very good point I haven't thought of regarding the bed. thanks!

@Tucker301 It would be nice to have the 4 door and 4 seats. I have 3 children, and my last Toyota with extended cab only was tight at times. Plus, when my daughter and I went on hunting trips last year we had the extended cab portion full, and some stuff in the bed. Will be nice to have everything inside the cab.
 
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Short bed you can’t haul enough to justify the longer. Had mine new since 98, 200,000 plus miles and still going strong. I do wish it was a 4 door, but they dident have them back then.
 
I don’t own a tacoma but some hunting buddies use them.
Since kids grow I would recommend the 4 door for daily life.

The 4 door long beds are just as long as a full size truck with less room since they are more narrow. Bigger turn radius also and just a v6. Seems like just a little to much truck for that size engine. Might as well get a Chevy z71 or similar IMO.

The 4 door short beds are nice in town and off road with the shorter turn radius.
Works well enough off-road with 3-4 people, half dozen hunting dogs and a long gun or two.
A co-worker’s friend uses the 4 door short bed instead of a regular truck to get further up a trail head on his mule deer/elk hunts. Said he loves that little truck for that reason.
 
I have no problems with a 4 door short bed. With the new TACO motor they are having lower end noise problems. No real mech issues just noise from what I understand. I think its the oil pump. Mine is the last year of the old motor. You may want to wait for the 2019 models.

I was offered $2000 less than I paid three years ago for mine if I would trade in for new. They do hold their value well.
 
I have a 4dr short bed. Wouldn't change anything after owning it since new in 2012. I don't think you gain enough with the extra bed length to justify it.

It's also my DD
 
ive got a tacoma with a 6' bed.......no way in hell i would have ever gone with the 5'.....if anything i wish they made it with an 8' bed'
 
I bought mine in 2014 as a range vehicle and to haul stuff around suburbia. It's not my DD and I just only hit 10K on it. Im happy I went longer and can somehow manage to fill the back seat and bed with shooting stuff for range trips.
 

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I’ve just bought a 2018 Tacoma TRD with the 5’ bed and only have one complaint and that’s the bed liner they use is slicker than snot. Definitely will be buying a rubber mat for it. Also it just happens that the new Area 419 sticker matches my color.
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I have a 2012 4 door short bed and its perfect for family life and still all the utility I need. I can get an 8 foot sheet of plywood in it and anything biogger I can use a trailer. Wouldnt change a thing.
 
I have the 2016 TRD off road 5 foot bed. The only thing I wish I had the 6 foot bed was for camping. In is too short for that. my old Silverado I had a tent that fit in the bed with a full size mattress., the Taco is too short for that. Other then that it's a great truck. Definitely get the rubber bed mat as mentioned earlier as shit slides all over the bed without it.
 
I'm on my second 5 foot bed taco and couldn't be happier. I had a 2013, then upgraded to a 2017, I hunt, fish, and put my honda rancher in the bed a lot and it does everything like a champ. Put a 3 inch lift on her and some good tires and I drive through the muddy woods regularly to maintenance my hunting lease. Never have I felt 1 extra foot of bedspace would make a difference for me. That 200lb 8 pointer didn't mind the space either :cool:
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Ill tell you my experience with the Toyota Tacoma. Ive worked in the oilfield for 10 years. Have used a Tacoma every day of those 10 years. We've used the V6 extended cab, and the standard cab, 4 banger models. And ill tell you this, the 6ft bed is the ONLY way to fly. Especially when hauling an atv or a bed full of tools. Who wants to drive around with the tailgate down, and rely on wratchet straps to hold your $5k machine in the truck? Not me. And also run the risk of your ramps sliding out and crashing through the window of the driver behind you. Get the 6ft bed. The 4 door, 5ft bed tells me the guy was torn between an suv and a truck.

The V6 extended cab (differential lock) can handle 99% of jobs. Including hauling multiple rolls of 500ft, 2in pipe. Have you ever lifted a roll? Its heavy. Moving/transporting 100 barrel oil tanks. Yes, that is correct. We've even moved them with the 4 banger. As well as pumpjacks. Those are heavy.

No offense, but anybody who tells you that you need a V8 or a diesel to do "work", simply hasnt been in the shit. Good tires and brake pads go a long ways. Been there, done it.

If youre serious about a work truck, get the V6, extended cab with differential lock. Standard cab and extended are so much easier to maneuver in tight spaces (the woods). And be sure to turn off the computer when you engage lock/4x4.

I personally have the standard cab/4x4/4 banger as a personal truck. I dont use it for heavy work. Does everything I need. Would not own any other truck.
 
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I appreciate everyone’s input.

Out of curiosity is a Nissan Frontier as good as a Tacoma? Or close?
 
I skipped the OffRoad and went with the Sport because you could not get the OffRoad w/ a long bed at the time I bought. I suggest a long bed. Much better to close the tailgate than to tie everything down and leave the tailgate down.

I also did the TRD Supercharger and and ARB airlocker in the rear and a hidden winch up front.

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I bought an F150 crew with the 6.5' bed because I'm a slum lord and do a lot of work to my properties. I liked that I could have the tailgate closed and put 8' boards in diagonally; however, in hindsight I don't know that I would do it again. Honestly the truck looks more balanced with the longer bed and is a DREAM on the highway but in my semi-urban environment it's just not conducive. I don't care who you are, you are NOT getting in a parking spot properly without taking a second cut at it.
 
I've always been a if you can't haul a full sheet of plywood in the bed w/ tailgate up it ain't a truck guy but some of these latest Tacomas have started to catch my eye. Are the TRD supercharger and ARB compressor/locker aftermarket or available as factory options?
 
I had a 2003 quad cab short bed tacoma for over 8 years. Great, reliable truck. Upgraded to a 2013 Tundra. Quad cab is much bigger and roomier, and 5ft bed is deeper.
 
Waorani said:
Are the TRD supercharger and ARB compressor/locker aftermarket or available as factory options?
Click to expand...

"Aftermarket". The SC is a TRD unit and if installed by a Toyota tech at an approved (read dealership) facility falls under the drivetrain warranty. Not available for the current generation. There may be an aftermarket option available or available soon. There's a Magnuson available for the current generation 4Runner.

The ARB air locker is aftermarket. I purchased a complete assembled 3rd member from East Coast Gear Supply, traded it out for the one that came stock and sent it back for an exchange refund. They provide this as an option and provide a return shipping label for the removed 3rd member. Took a few hours to do the swap and a few more for the compressor, wiring, switch install.

The TRD OffRoad version of the Tacoma comes with a factory locker that is activated with a dash switch similar to mine but uses some sort of servo or similar to move a fork in and out of the diff to lock/unlock.
 
16+ taco's, to my knowledge, do not have a super charger out for them yet...if ever.

I had a 17 SR5, access cab, 4x4, short bed. I only had it a year and about 12k miles. I had a few of the "common" issues: lazy, confused transmission and the rear brake drums warped. The truck lacked low end torque. The "fix" at least as of 6 months ago was an aftermarket ECU flash that supposedly fixed the transmission shifting issues and the raised the low end torque some. I never fell in love with the truck so I traded it off on a different truck. I paid like 32.5k and got 30k on the trade after 12 months. I can live with that.
 
Thanks, figured aftermarket. Not so much the SC but a factory integrated ARB compressor would be cool.
 
I had 2 4 door long beds ordered for a friend; he ended up selling them and replacing them with 4 door short beds. They were just too difficult to park for some of the family members. The longer wheelbase is the issue. Long bed with extra cab is much more manageable.

Just turning 95000 on our 2013 TRD doublecab. The tailgate gets a workout but the short bed has met all of our needs, including hauling 2 full size motos.
 
NineHotel said:
I had 2 4 door long beds ordered for a friend; he ended up selling them and replacing them with 4 door short beds. They were just too difficult to park for some of the family members. The longer wheelbase is the issue. Long bed with extra cab is much more manageable.
Click to expand...

If they think that's bad, try a F350 with a Crew Cab and an 8ft bed....
 
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arios2 said:
I'm on my second 5 foot bed taco and couldn't be happier. I had a 2013, then upgraded to a 2017, I hunt, fish, and put my honda rancher in the bed a lot and it does everything like a champ. Put a 3 inch lift on her and some good tires and I drive through the muddy woods regularly to maintenance my hunting lease. Never have I felt 1 extra foot of bedspace would make a difference for me. That 200lb 8 pointer didn't mind the space either :cool:
View attachment 6949380View attachment 6949381View attachment 6949382
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Dude! I can’t believe you got a pic of a Transsexual menstruating deer in Texas no less.
How’s the 3.5l?
 
Get the long bed for sure!
I have a 2004 extendedcab tacoma with the regular bed and use it for everything, even have a tool box on it and still able to haul weed eaters, lawnmower and other semi larger things.
I also have a 2011 tundra crew max with the 5' bed its pretty much worth less, had to buy a bed extender to fit most things in there. love the spacious interior of the truck, but it's not really built for hauling alot of stuff in the bed.
 
drglock said:
I’ve just bought a 2018 Tacoma TRD with the 5’ bed and only have one complaint and that’s the bed liner they use is slicker than snot. Definitely will be buying a rubber mat for it. Also it just happens that the new Area 419 sticker matches my color.
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Yours didnt come with a mat?
 
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Loving my 2018 with the 5 ft bed. The 6ft bed makes the truck look unproportional in my opinion. I don’t haul much though just casual use. But a small trailer could solve all your worries.
 
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A few more ? for the Taco owners:

1. Is the bed construction on the inside completely plastic? I thought it was a bedliner, but from what I am reading plastic is the interior construction. If so, how is it holding up?

2. The biggest complaint I am reading is the 3.5 is under-powered and the shifting in the transmission makes a weird noise.

So what say you?
 
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Its not a liner its' the bed. I have had no issues with it. it wont dent that's for sure.
 
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BedRug FTW. Get the tailgate piece too. Your knees will thank you.
 
rookie7 said:
A few more ? for the Taco owners:

1. Is the bed construction on the inside completely plastic? I thought it was a bedliner, but from what I am reading plastic is the interior construction. If so, how is it holding up?

2. The biggest complaint I am reading is the 3.5 is under-powered and the shifting in the transmission makes a weird noise.

So what say you?
Click to expand...


Bed holds up fine, mine has scratches from hauling crap but no issues. As far as being under powered, the 3.5 is fine, I did just get a TSB that makes the tranny shift much better. It used to hunt for gears going over a rise in the road, now it holds gear much better. My wife's 4Runner with the old 4 litre in it has more low end, but not as good top end and it gets worse mileage. All in I think it's a great little truck, I have owned 5 Silverados previous to this and am very happy with the Taco. Here is mine in it's natural environment "Taliban Tan" on the beach.
 

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Slightly off topic but, funny think happened. Injector when out last week. First non scheduled or normal wear item to fail in my Tacoma’s history. 200,556 mike in and this is the first time it broke down. I think I’ve got my money’s worth so far.
 
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FS1 said:
How do you like the hidden winch bracket? I want to get one but I would like to have the opinion of a person who has used it.
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It's fine. Although I have yet to really test it.
 
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rookie7 said:
A few more ? for the Taco owners:

1. Is the bed construction on the inside completely plastic? I thought it was a bedliner, but from what I am reading plastic is the interior construction. If so, how is it holding up?

2. The biggest complaint I am reading is the 3.5 is under-powered and the shifting in the transmission makes a weird noise.

So what say you?
Click to expand...

The bed is rock solid. We throw 150lb pipe elevators and slips in the bed all the time. Not a single dent.
 
I have a '99 extended cab 6' bed, and a '13 4 door, TSS w/5' bed. Both were bought used, never really been an issue. Like you I have bigger trucks with diesel motors should I need that much more room, and power.
 
Y'all had better not be fucking w/ me. I bought a 2018 Tacoma TRD 4X4 OffRoad tonight. All the way up til this AM I had every intention of buying a Tundra. It got to decision time & I decided that this truck will for the most part be my daily commuter to & from work (less than 11 mi), a range truck that'll carry a couple guys w/ guns & gear to the range & to the ballpark.
 
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I've seen Tacos shame jeeps in the dirt. Then again I have seen the reverse too. Just not often.
 
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