Tacoma question

Dirty.Harry.

Dirty.Harry.

Active member
so, i am going to buy a 1999 or 2000 toyota tacoma this month or next month. 5spd manual transmission, ext cab. 4wd. the only question i have is what engine should i opt for: 2.7L I4 or the 3.4L V6?

i have heard mixed opinions from people around me. the 4-cyl gets better gas mileage (25-28 vs 19-22) and some say it tows just fine, but others say you need the V6 for towing.

i plan to do a little towing (boats mostly, maybe snowmobiles or other trailers), but i am also planning to add a small lift kit (ARB old man emu 2 in) and a few other aftermarket parts (again, mostly ARB, they make the best stuff).

right now i am leaning toward the 4-cyl. any opinions??
 
i've got a V6 tacoma and i love it. its got some serious balls and has no problem towing my boat. what kind of price difference is there between the I-4 and V6?
 
If you want to lift the truck, i would suggest going with the V6, because it will be easier on the engine if you are puttin on bigger tires. It would also be easier towing. buy the V6
 
thanks for the link. u sure about the 6? ive heard the 4 is just as good for most things. abd ill make sure its got sr5, but the TRD package comes with a 6 so idk about that.
the lift on the truck would be minor too, barely noticable. im also putting an ARB bull bar on it (img below as an example)
DSC02680.jpg


my big issue with the 6 would be gas, because i have to pay for it and its expensive.
 
yea definitely hear you on the gas prices. that was my main concern in that thread.
get the 6 though. you will be more disappointed with how shitty the 4 cyl is. it will make paying extra money for gas that much more reasonable because you can actually do things you want to do with it.
it might even balance out actually. if you got a 4cyl and towed shit your foot would be jammed in the throttle all the time. with a 6cyl you have more power to work with so it will be less of a load on the engine.
i had my truck for about a month before i sold it. gas wasnt that bad. i could put up with it because having the 6 helped out a lot.
 
i dont know if your aware but when buying a tacoma from 1995 to 2000 you need to be very careful and check the frame as those years are being recalled (but its not an official recall) by toyota for rusted out frames. it is not an official recall but toyota is willing to give you 1.5x the blue book value on your tacoma if it is rusted out. and every truck is considered to be in excellent condition. now there not all bad just make sure the frame is solid because ive seen a couple were you can push a whole into the frame with your finger because its so rusted out.

a better option might be a 1994 toyota pickup as they didn't have this problem

dope truck though im looking for a 1990 to 1994 toyota pickup or 4 runner

my friend has an 94 pickup with the 4 cylinder and we went mountain biking and drove it up quite a steep shuttle road that is in poor condition with eight people in the truck and 6 dh bikes. mind you we were in 4 low but i was still super impressed with the amount of power the 4cyl has.

here is a link http://blog.lexus.com/2008/03/living-up-to-ou.html#more

hope that helps
 
ya i was aware of the recall (sort of) that yota put on those. im looking for a 99 or 00 so i would have to watch out for that.

 
^yea so i know this thread is kinda old and i made it like a month or two ago, but i just wanted to say i bought a tacoma:

model 1996 w/ 136K

2.7L 4cyl

5spd manual

4wd

ext cab

2 inch lift

30s 0r 31s, not sure, but theyre on stock 17s off an '06 tacoma

bed cover (no liner tho... damn)

6 large for it.

thoughts?

 
get the v6. my 96 tacoma has a hard time getting up hills while towing and its a v6. so the v4 really wouldn't work
 
sorry to jack this thread but....

what are ur guys experiecne with buying cars that have 60,000 miles and up on it cuase im lookin to buy a new car something like a subaru wrx or somethinb but dont have all the money in the world but a good amount but the cars im lookin at have like 40-70 thousand on it do u think a car is worth buying with this much milage?
 
nono you misunderstand... i BOUGHT the truck, and it has an I4, not a V4. doesnt really matter either, im not gonna tow much and i got 28ish when i drove it home from NH yesterday.
 
npnp... its kinda over anyways.

umm i dont think theres any problem buying cars with more miles, as long as they have had regular service (oil changes, clutch at around 100K, brakes, etc). the tacoma has 136xxx and its fine. as a general rule, however, the more mileage a car has, the more skeptical and critical you should be of it.
 
I have an 03 2.3L 4cyl Ford Ranger. I put 2 dirt bikes in the bed and it pulls them along no problem. A little more power would not hurt though. I think its more personal choise. Oh and I would not reccomend a stick you will probably regret it. Mine is a 5 speed manual as well.
 
thats cute...

my engine's a bit bigger (2.7L displacement not 2.3L) and i have a TRD exhaust and differential so i have no shortage of power, especially in 4L.

manual is a MUST though

and i like the older rangers (my friend drives one), but my only complaint would be the regular cab (in his/yours) because you can fit only 2 people and have almost no cab space for stuff (you have a cap though, so again np for you).
 
4496Truck2.JPG


this is my baby. 2001 2.7L 4-banger 5-speed. 3 inch lift on 33's.

If there is one thing i could change about it, it would be the engine. There is a little something to be desired going up steep hills.
 
yea it was a big sluggish with the acceleration on the interstate, but im ok with that. for off roading, put her i L4 and leave her in a lower gear. its just nice to make fun of the auto V8 and V10 super duty and power stroke guzzlers because a 4 will suffice in most situations (besides most towing, of course) and they pay up the butt in gas.
 
Hey man its not that wimpy. I just took it on a trip in the mountains on old forest service roads. The things got some guts man. from 0-40 its got enough to beat my bros jetta, than it gets whooped. I got it to 85 in 4th gear at 3000rpm, 70 in 5th gear its at only 2000rpm. Its got 5 gears and the top speed is 120 or 125 . It does good for everthing I have thrown at it except bad mud, im fucked in situations with deep mud.

As far as manual, I donno man, auto is so much better off road. unless your doing like desert.

 
oh ya, how much you gonna spend on your yota? Ive got a buddy who bought a tacoma TRD 6 cyl a few years ago for 12000. It is a 2000. Sick truck, i wanted one at first, but got a ranger because there like 10,000 cheaper.
 
ya rangers are cheaper. i love my friends ranger, but the taco holds its value a bit better. i got mine for 6000.

im not hating on the ranger, dont worry. i like pretty much every model of pickup from the 90s or before. its the new ones i hate. theyre too big.
 
Congrats on the taco and welcome to the toyota 4x4 cult. I got the 6 for high speed highway cruisin, and hauling firewood in a trailer. I've had the old 22re and the 3.0 6 cyl and now I have the 5vfe or whatever the 3.4 6 cyl is, by far I love the power that comes out of my taco now the best.

Sounds like you got a good deal, I got my 98 about 2 years ago with 90,000 on it for just under 10 large. It's a sr5 6 cyl ext cab 4x4 with a cap. I love it more than any truck I've owned.

A little tip, if your gonna load it with heavy shit expect to break a leaf here and there. I replaced mine with heavy duty leaf springs after I broke two of them. Sucks you bought it after the recall was announced cause you won't be able to sell yours back to the dealer or have it repaired. How is your frame rust on a truck from NH???

Here's mine by the way.

1207229542-586147-600x450-1207229361TRUCK_002.jpg


Anyone else that reads this and owns a toyota 4x4 of any kind is welcome to join the cult as well, just request an invite and I'll hit ya back.
 
the frame passed in NH with the other guy with "flying colors" and anyways, if it rusts a few years down the road, i would rather replace the frame than buy a new truck. i love that taco more than the 8 or so thousand i would get for it.

the guy i bought it from used it for hauling shit to the dump and what not so im not too worried about the springs, but ill keep an eye on them thanks.

also, i want your rims... you have any idea where i can get some cuz i hate the ones that are on there now.
 
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