New member looking to purchase my first Tacoma. Advice appreciated

Hello folks. My name is James. I live in Northeast Pa. I'm looking to buy a Tacoma. I've never owned a pickup before. Maybe a 2021-2023 model year. My wish list is 4-door, long bed, runs on regular unleaded, not premium. Leather seats would be nice also. I do not see many 6' beds on the market though.
Is there a negative to having the long bed? Most I see for sale are the 5' variety. I'd like the 6' bed to make it useful for putting the skis back there in the winter and fishing rods in the summer. With a nice tonneau cover over it. Any advice you guys may have to offer to help in my search would be great. What to look for, what to avoid, 4cyl, 6 cyl, .....
Thanks,
James

 

I do tighter u-turn than my friends 4-door long bed. other than that, I don't see much on the cons side of things.
all my fishing rods are 7 foot plus. putting them in the bed is not the best option for me.

 

welcome

the Access Cab(AC) and the Double Cab Short Bed(DCSB) are built on the same frame, the DCLB is a different frame that is longer hence more costly to build
All models are spec'd to regular gas, some members think premium runs better. If you add the supper charger then it is required.
Leather is a high end trim option. There are covers and upholstery kits that many use.
V6 over the I4
What to watch out for:
Rust, ideally you can find one that has had a proper oil or wax undercoating. If you see rubber or bedliner on the frame, turn and walk away quickly

 

I notice the DCLB is similar to manuals: not a whole lot of them out there. I'd be interested to know the percentage of DCLB's made vs DCSB vs manuals etc.

I have a 23 DCSB and my friend has a 21 DCLB. Driving around town or going off-road, my truck is easier to maneuver through tight turns and over ledges due to my shorter wheelbase.

However, for me losing that extra foot of bedlength really makes a difference with what fits in my bed without hanging over the tailgate and when loading the bed up with camping gear.

Where I live in Utah, my fuel options are 85, 88, and 91 octane. My manual says nothing below 87, so I pay extra for 88.

 

Thanks guys! Why the concern with rubber or bedliner? Aren’t those factory installed at times? I’d think that would add extra protection and be a (+). No? I would hate to toss tools, tree branches and gear in there without one and scratch the heck out of it.
Oh…I have no intention to off road with it. it will be my daily driver.

 

I bought a 2020 DCSB SR5 V6 auto --all stock-- about 6 months ago. Prior to buying it I shopped online and compared models and options for several weeks then started doing test drives.
I drove several that sounded and looked good on-line but the in-person inspection and test drive ruled them out.
Know what options are 'must haves' (eg alloy wheels or 4WD) and which ones are 'would be nice but not a deal breaker' before you buy.
It can be tough finding the right one for you but be patient.
BTW, I initially wanted leather seats too but found the fabric seats to be just fine.

 

7'2 one piece rods fit diagonally just fine in the 6ft bed

 

not spayed on the frame, they hold water (and in your case salty water) on the fame causing it to rust out faster

2nd and 3rd gen Tacomas have a Poly Fiber bed that is quite durable

 

the post was about anything other than oil/wax on the underside of the truck

The beds in Tacomas have been composite since 2005, while you can bedline them, they are very tough already

 

V6 if you need to haul or live at altitude

i4 if you need it to last forever and not give you any mechanical trouble

Caveat: i4 in a double cab is hot garbage

Looking at used 3rd gen V6s, pay MUCH attention for leaks from engine gaskets and seals, rear coolant bypass pipe etc. Find a clean dry one with no rust and you should be fine if you stay on top of regular maintenance

 

Good info. Thanks guys.

 

James R...
If its a daily driver and you're stuck parking in parking garages or tight parking lots, get the 5 foot bed. Lay the skis diagonally or get a roof rack.

As far as leather...not sure if it was a factory option but if your heart is set on a leather interior, find a clean truck with cloth interior and look into Katskinz interior upholstery service. They essentially swap your entire interior out, this is a high quality OEM- level custom upholstery service, NOT to be confused with a regular seat cover. Little bit more expensive but look at the warranty and resale value they add.

 

Welcome to TW.

 

Katskinz does look like a viable option. Thanks for that suggestion. As far as the size of the long bed…. Seems to be a lot of negativity pointed out about that in multiple threads I’ve seen. I don’t understand it though. How hard can it be to navigate one of these things? At 225” long with a 140” wheelbase, it’s still shorter than a short bed Tundra by a few inches and I see those all over the place.
Heck, I drove an F350 crew cab, Diesel, Super-Duty, long bed, dually in Pittsburgh and managed to park that behemoth on the streets near the university of Pitt. . Was it fun….. no but you just have to be aware of where the ass end of that thing is going when you make turns. I think it had a wheelbase of about 170”. Turning radius was probably close to 55’.
Anyway, I’ve seen a few 2022 and 2023 models for sale in my area. They are all in the $38k-$42k range though. Sheesh!!!

 

A long bed will be less nimble than the short bed. That's the only real difference. It's not a negative, but everyone has their preference.

As for price, yeah.... the hold value well. Make sure the frame has been taken care of, get the V6, and go read up on the automatic transmissions behavior so you are prepared. Some howl about it like the truck is completely undrivable. Ignore them, but realize that it can be quirky and decide for yourself if you're willing to put up with it.

 

I still have yet to drive one. Gotta do that soon. Hopefully I don’t hate the thing. I really like the looks of them, the size (slightly smaller than a full size) and the reliability ratings. So hopefully a test drive doesn’t ruin that for me. Went to a dealer to drive one yesterday that showed it was in stock but it wasn’t there. COME ON!!!!

 

You said 4 doors.. You didn't say what kind of doors. An access cab would give you your bed length. Just throwing it out there.

 

Odds are you know somebody who owns one. If not, check out your regional area in the forum here and see if you can meet up with somebody to check one out.

 

Suicide panels with torture seats don't count. Lol

 

Either cab configuration would serve the same purpose for me and it doesn't involve a human sitting in it.