I have:

97 F150 Lariat 4WD 5.4L, 3 door, bought new 140K miles, darn good shape for age.
07 Chevy Silverado 1500n crew cab 2WD ?L, 85K miles, extremely clean and in really good shape for age.
12 Ford Fusion, SEL 4cyl, 143K, daily driver very clean interior, good exterior,

The Ford is in the garage, along with wife's 4runner. The Fusion is outside in drive, and the Chevy is in a garage at a relatives. That truck needs to be moved out in 6 months and I don't want all the extra vehicles in the drive. Also, my son starts driving in a couple of years. Only kid.

I purchased the Fusion as a "disposable car", meaning drive it till it quits or is absolutely not financially smart to keep it going. I drive a minimum of 70 miles/day during work week. F150 on weekends for truck stuff. Got the Fusion when gas was $4/gal. cause did not want to put the truck in an early grave. At this point, with the ages, all of these vehicles will/could now become a financial liability if things start going wrong.

To minimize vehicles, I was thinking about selling the F150, Chevy, and possibly the Fusion (may keep it if can't get much for it and keep it till it quits) and have been researching the:

2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4WD Double Cab, NO SUNROOF, but with the JBL audio upgrade and MTM (multi terrain management). I do need a 4WD during deer season, an absolute must. I would put some KO2 shoes on it for the thorns. The short bed would fit easily in the garage, and the long bed would have a couple inches to spare. I do like the extra room in the bed. This truck would be a 10 year purchase, and would be a daily driver, putting approx. 18-19K/year on it.

I see a lot of Ford (for good reason) love, and some GMC/Chevy, and some but much less Dodge on this board. None of these will fit in the garage in any half ton model except single cab. The next truck will have to. Tired of vehicles in driveway.

What are some thoughts the OB has on this Tacoma model? Tacoma Trucks overall? I was fortunate to be able to keep my position at work, and am thinking that in the next several months that there will be some good deals to be had, and even Toyota might actually start dealing on their vehicles. I noticed there was a small fleet at the local dealer Sunday (avoiding salesmen), when I was there to check them out in person. Not planning to buy now, but the research is on going, and it looks like they are already stacking up because I have never seen so many at this dealer. Ever.

What say ye AB?

TIA

OB corrected to AB. Thanks.

Man, you sure do have a lot of cars. I have an '08 Taco. Damn near been bulletproof. Had to fix the normal stuff.

If I were in your position and drove that much for work (I tend to drive that much as I come to Texas once or twice per year, which round trip is around 2,500-3000 miles, but I digress), I'd sell both trucks and the Fusion and buy a 2-3 year old Taco with under 50k miles.

Do you really want to take the ass-kicking on the depreciation? After my first vehicle that I bought new, I'll never buy new again. It just doesn't make sense financially to me.

Looks like new Tacos are around $32-33K. A 2017-2018 Taco is $23-25 or so.

By selling all those vehicles, you could hopefully have around 1/2 down.

Thanks for the input.

Obviously, I keep vehicles for a long time, so the depreciation hit is lessened quite a bit, if buying new. We buy a vehicle for a planned 10 year minimum investment, finance for 5, always paying off early. The Chevy was my Dads, who passed away years ago, but the vehicle has been garage kept and maintained properly.

The Fusion was intended as a 10 year 200K minimum/disposable, and would not think about selling it if not having to move the Chevy out of the garage it is in, putting me in a position to move them all to make room and have three vehicles to sell to put $$$ down. And I may keep it as mentioned to run the wheels off it and save the mileage on the potential new Taco and preserve it longer.

More takes on the Taco from the AB appreciated....

I would keep your dad's truck for your son to drive when he gets his license.

Two of my good fishing buddies drive tacos and love them. I test drove one and it was tiny. I bought a Silverado.

I'd go long bed and TRD Off Road so you get the rear locker. The 3rd Gen tacos seem to get better gas mileage than the second gen so that's a positive. Ended up trading mine in for a tundra, but would be back in a taco in a heartbeat if I didn't have 2 car seats

I have a '14 and absolutely love it. The gas mileage isn't amazing, but it's so much fun to drive offroad.

Following. I'm thinking of getting a 2020 or 2021 Tacoma for camping trips around TX and then giving it to my son in 5 years. My only issue is that I possibly want a Tundra when the new styles come out. So we'll see...

Of course, if some screaming good deals come along, I may be persuaded to act.

Following as well. I'm actually in a similar situation at the moment. About to turn in my 2010 Tundra and I'm looking to downsize into something I can get into tighter spaces/the garage. Also, while the Taco isn't a gas sipper, it is a major improvement over the abysmal mileage I get in the Tundra. I do a lot of highway driving but still poke off the beaten path as well. I was looking at a 2017'ish model but have decided to focus on a 2020 (even though I swore I'd never buy new again). The 20 is a mid-cycle refresh and had several minor improvements over the 16-19, namely:

• Apple Carplay/Android Auto (finally)
• Available LED headlights on the TRD models (huge improvement over the projectors)
• Power adjustable driver's seat. I've sat in a 19 and 20. It still isn't the most comfortable seating position (really wish the steering wheel telescoped more) but it is a noticeable improvement
• Improved programming for the auto transmission gear hunting issue so many folks have complained about; not a complete fix but an improvement
• Increased glass thickness for additional road noise reduction

There are a few others, but these were the big hitters for me. Considering how little they depreciate, it made the 20 a lot more attractive.

I think a nice 97 F150 4wd would be awesome first car!

AggieChemist said:

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Two of my good fishing buddies drive tacos and love them. I test drove one and it was tiny. I bought a Silverado.

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How is your Silverado doing for you? I'm in the market for a new truck, and trying to scout the best overall value. Leaning towards Silverado / F150...

saltydog13 said:

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The only problem with that is you won't get the v8 the first gen Tundra had. I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum and want to see the next generation go back to 1st gen size

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That's fair. I had an 06 tundra until recently. That was the perfect sized truck and small trucks growing into that sized is the only way I see ever having a new option that sized again

Something to keep in mind: that engine blows. Even by V6 standards

OP

Do your transport kids or more than 2 people at a time ?

Or do you plan to in this 10 year time frame ?


If so I would go with a 4.6 smaller engine Tundra over the Tacoma

Roughly same price and mpg

Double cab Tundra is only 5.6 inches wider than a Tacoma

And a double cab 6.5 tundra is ~ 2.5 inches longer than a 6 ft bed 4 door Tacoma

Why trade in the '97?

How much are you getting for it? $1500? I'm sure someone on here would give you more than that for it.

Agreed. You are going to get more for the 97 selling it yourself.

Got max value on F150 on trade as per KBB, pushing 3k.

Gave me double expectations on the 2012 Fusion. That vehicle was about done.

Nevermind. Saw you already did it.

Fusion had 150k miles, broken windshield, bad motor mount, and starting to fail timing chain tensioner. Upcoming brake work and struts. Adios.

Body and drive train on truck was good, but the interior was having issues due to age, and critical bushings throughout were splitting. Rear seatbelts not functional and front ones going bad. Electronic issues were manifesting. Hard one to let go, but time.

Kid gets his grandfathers truck next year. In better condition wit 65k less miles.

Pic of new truck on other thread.