I Need A Vehicle Change...

Eric Patterson

Eric Patterson

Moderator
Staff member
Hear me out as I try and sort through this truck mess I've made for myself. Last Spring I sold my 2011 Tacoma and my 1985 restored Toyota SR5 pickup. Both totaled well over a half million miles and expensive repairs were around the corner. The rest of the family fleet are older cars too and one of them was costing an exorbitant amount in repairs. Fed up with repair bills I pooled the money from my trucks and went and bought a 2023 Tacoma and got rid of the breakdown prone Chevy Silverado (they are crap for reliability).

Immediately I regretted selling the 85 SR5. To provide myself a means of getting around the hunting property I bought an ATV and used the new Tacoma to trailer it. The first time I tried to use it this hunting season the roads were muddy and I ended up jackknifing the trailer into the bed of the new Tacoma due to a rut and a short tongue. Insurance is covering the $5500 repair. I've been without my truck for three weeks and it really sucked not having a vehicle to tow my ATV/boats for the last half of duck season.

I just got off the phone with the repair shop. They informed me Toyota is out of stock of the blind spot/backup sensor and they cannot legally release the truck to me without it because of the liability they will incur. Seems ridiculous because that sensor is an option and most Tacomas are running around w/o one. If the old sensor proves to be unusable, I will have to continue to drive a rental, which I'm paying for, until they can come up with a replacement. They could not tell me how long that will take but did say they searched the Toyota parts DB and there are none in the US. I'm not going to panic over this because I bet it will sort itself out before too long.

But the point of all this is to justify my hatred for the unnecessary electronic gizmos on vehicles these days and my disdain for them. Since getting the new Tacoma I find most of the electronics to be useless and used so seldom I can't remember what it has or how to operate things. Oh, and that fancy use a computer to get un-stuck button is WORTHLESS in real life. No match for Alabama red clay. I'll take a locked axle over it any time any day!!! My advice to a new truck shopper is get a stripped-down model and build it up the way you like with aftermarket parts. Lord knows there are enough aftermarket goodies to make a truck better than a factory gizmo model.

My feelings now are I want to get rid of this truck and go back to two vehicles, an everyday driver and a weekend work/hunting truck. The question is can I do it without getting soaked by selling the new Tacoma and not buying a lemon in the process.

Arrrggghhhhh!
 
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When you said you sold the 85 Toyota I knew the rest of this post was going to be regret …. Second I wish you had sold me the 85 😂

I have a 2017 I’ve been kicking the tires of replacing as I commute 500 miles one way once a month and it just hit 205k
 
Sounds like you have a serious case of sellers regret.
Other than that snarky response, I’ve got nothin. I’ve owned only 2 vehicles in 23 years.
 
I've been happy with my 2017 F150 which has a locking differential, just saying. :cool: Years ago we used to refer to Toyotas as simply "toy", I guess that still applies? :unsure::ninja:
 
Dave

The 2023 Tacoma does have a locking rear diff. But it also has some feature called "crawl control" that I can see no purpose for in the mud when you have the locking diff.
 
Don't talk yourself into taking a bath on the new Taco. Keep what you have, it will grow on you after all it is a Toyota. Look out west Seattle, Portland, Denver, and find an everyday driver that's clean and not all rusted out and get it for your secondary ride. It's a shame you sold the 85 because they are hard to find, but if you look for a while you'll find something else.
 
Eric Patterson said:
Hear me out as I try and sort through this truck mess I've made for myself. Last Spring I sold my 2011 Tacoma and my 1985 restored Toyota SR5 pickup. Both totaled well over a half million miles and expensive repairs were around the corner. The rest of the family fleet are older cars too and one of them was costing an exorbitant amount in repairs. Fed up with repair bills I pooled the money from my trucks and went and bought a 2023 Tacoma and got rid of the breakdown prone Chevy Silverado (they are crap for reliability).

Immediately I regretted selling the 85 SR5. To provide myself a means of getting around the hunting property I bought an ATV and used the new Tacoma to trailer it. The first time I tried to use it this hunting season the roads were muddy and I ended up jackknifing the trailer into the bed of the new Tacoma due to a rut and a short tongue. Insurance is covering the $5500 repair. I've been without my truck for three weeks and it really sucked not having a vehicle to tow my ATV/boats for the last half of duck season.

I just got off the phone with the repair shop. They informed me Toyota is out of stock of the blind spot/backup sensor and they cannot legally release the truck to me without it because of the liability they will incur. Seems ridiculous because that sensor is an option and most Tacomas are running around w/o one. If the old sensor proves to be unusable, I will have to continue to drive a rental, which I'm paying for, until they can come up with a replacement. They could not tell me how long that will take but did say they searched the Toyota parts DB and there are none in the US. I'm not going to panic over this because I bet it will sort itself out before too long.

But the point of all this is to justify my hatred for the unnecessary electronic gizmos on vehicles these days and my disdain for them. Since getting the new Tacoma I find most of the electronics to be useless and used so seldom I can't remember what it has or how to operate things. Oh, and that fancy use a computer to get un-stuck button is WORTHLESS in real life. No match for Alabama red clay. I'll take a locked axle over it any time any day!!! My advice to a new truck shopper is get a stripped-down model and build it up the way you like with aftermarket parts. Lord knows there are enough aftermarket goodies to make a truck better than a factory gizmo model.

My feelings now are I want to get rid of this truck and go back to two vehicles, an everyday driver and a weekend work/hunting truck. The question is can I do it without getting soaked by selling the new Tacoma and not buying a lemon in the process.

Arrrggghhhhh!
Click to expand...

I would stick with the Taco given that you have it and they are great in a lot of ways (resale, reliability). You can turn the traction control off and run with the locker if you need to. Saying that I'm driving the F250 to work today to pick up and take out a job candidate to breakfast. I have to leaf blow out the passenger seat side floorboards before I leave. :).

I would not accept the BS on the vehicle not being released and go with another repair shop in the future.
 
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Eric, what you describe on the sensor will become more common in the future. I am driving two older vehicles, a 2012 Chevy Colorado with 270K (got a new engine from GM at 100K because the 5 cyl for a year or two had a bad cam bearing) and a 2008 Tahoe with a 130K. I would not give up either of them, they are both very reliable. The Colorado is my redneck hunting/fishing truck and the Tahoe is for everything else. If I were to need a new vehicle I would either get the Tacoma or another Colorado, I think they are both excellent vehicles, but it would be a work truck model that I added things to for the reason you described.
I drove Suburbans prior to this for 15 years and Explorers before that, and I got excellent service out of all of them. For the last 35 years I drove 30-40K miles per year, always bought new cars and drove them until the wheels fell off. Commonly put over 200K on them, the last Suburban had 365K when I sold it for a grand.
But cars are like waders, you don't know how good they are until you've had them for several years. You can think you know, but every car manufacturer has some problem vehicles at some point. I can say that confidently after a lifetime in the auto parts business and seeing what parts go out the door earlier than they should. One rule of thumb I will never get away from is to never buy a vehicle in the first year after significant changes in the powertrain, pieces of it, a complete re-design or a brand new model. Doesn't matter who makes it, chances are higher for trouble then because it doesn't have the test of time. Let somebody else find out.
Also, I have a friend that has a RAV4 and has been waiting for a part since last November. It is some kind of sensor-sound familiar? The car runs OK, and the Toyota dealer originally gave him a loaner, but after 8 months and no part, they wanted it back. And that was after the part had already been replaced-under warranty-and failed again. He's still waiting.
You need to get your vehicle back. If you have to have it towed a couple of blocks away so they can't see you drive it off so be it. Tell them you are taking t to a Toyota dealer, or a different one if you are at one now, doesn't matter, they can't stop that. You just don't know when you'll see it again otherwise-might be a week, might be a month, might be longer.
Your situation sounds like it came from an accident and not a part failure. If you like the truck, you are probably better off keeping it and working through this issue. Or sell it and buy the base model and get rid of the electronic stuff, much of which doesn't do much but is cool.
 
You might also get the part number for what they say they are having a problem finding. Then search for it yourself. Maybe they can't find it. Maybe they just don't wanna do the work. Sadly, I have seen both situations.
 
Oh and the electronic everything is partly why I am not sure I will buy a new vehicle anytime soon. Yes fixing an older vehicle is expensive but the cost of a new vehicle these days is still more than fixing older vehicles that I know the service history for
 
Douglas Petro said:
Wait until that 4 banger twin turbo blows at 80,000 miles.
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Doug

I bought the 2023 model with the 6 cyl for that very reason. I did my research and knew it was going to be the last year for the 3.5L V6 and in 2024 they would introduce the 4 cyl turbo and eliminate the 6 cyl, which they did. I would have put off the purchase longer but knew 2023 was it. My 2011 had over 300k on the 4.0 V6 with zero repairs. Now that was a great engine! I am not a fan of turbo gas engines. Expensive repairs await and the fuel efficiency gains are not there when you tow or task the engine. There is no replacement for displacement.
 
Eric Patterson said:
Doug

I bought the 2023 model with the 6 cyl for that very reason. I did my research and knew it was going to be the last year for the 3.5L V6 and in 2024 they would introduce the 4 cyl turbo and eliminate the 6 cyl, which they did. I would have put off the purchase longer but knew 2023 was it. My 2011 had over 300k on the 4.0 V6 with zero repairs. Now that was a great engine! I am not a fan of turbo gas engines. Expensive repairs await and the fuel efficiency gains are not there when you tow or task the engine. There is no replacement for displacement.
Click to expand...

I know you are annoyed at it right now, but the reliability factor is what always does it for me with the toyotas. We have 2 hybrids (prius and Rav4) that I absolutely love, they are great cars. With the hybrids, you have to be ready to cycle them out when it is time, but they are amazing for a long time (mileage and reliability). Before that we had a T-100, Tacoma and a Tundra that we didn't pay for a single thing out of pocket other than oil and fluids (there were a couple warranty issues).

I would buy a turbo in a toyota truck, but not in a domestic - no way.
 
All

Thank you for the input and suggestions and you've given me some really good advice and anecdotes. Right now I'm going to sit tight on my truck and hopefully have it back tomorrow. If not I'll roll with the punches. I don't really see how they can justify not giving it back to me when the sensor is something 99% of vehicles on the road today do not have. I'll make that argument if it comes to it. Meanwhile I think I am in the market for a second truck, a first gen Tacoma....
 
Have a older tahoe, can't get parts for anti lock brakes, car is rusting out. GM says its the salt on the roads, is it a car only for the south???
 
I have a 2015 4x4 Tundra extended cab I bought new and now has 92,000 miles. I've replaced tires once, brakes once, battery once, cab filters once, air cleaner filter once and last week the shifter lockout box. I'm pretty happy with it compared to the Ford's and Chevy's I've had over the years. Other than missing my 1972 Blazer I wouldn't want any of them back over the Tundra.
 
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You might verify this but it appears to be in stock.
 

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Eric Patterson said:
Hear me out as I try and sort through this truck mess I've made for myself. Last Spring I sold my 2011 Tacoma and my 1985 restored Toyota SR5 pickup. Both totaled well over a half million miles and expensive repairs were around the corner. The rest of the family fleet are older cars too and one of them was costing an exorbitant amount in repairs. Fed up with repair bills I pooled the money from my trucks and went and bought a 2023 Tacoma and got rid of the breakdown prone Chevy Silverado (they are crap for reliability).

Immediately I regretted selling the 85 SR5. To provide myself a means of getting around the hunting property I bought an ATV and used the new Tacoma to trailer it. The first time I tried to use it this hunting season the roads were muddy and I ended up jackknifing the trailer into the bed of the new Tacoma due to a rut and a short tongue. Insurance is covering the $5500 repair. I've been without my truck for three weeks and it really sucked not having a vehicle to tow my ATV/boats for the last half of duck season.

I just got off the phone with the repair shop. They informed me Toyota is out of stock of the blind spot/backup sensor and they cannot legally release the truck to me without it because of the liability they will incur. Seems ridiculous because that sensor is an option and most Tacomas are running around w/o one. If the old sensor proves to be unusable, I will have to continue to drive a rental, which I'm paying for, until they can come up with a replacement. They could not tell me how long that will take but did say they searched the Toyota parts DB and there are none in the US. I'm not going to panic over this because I bet it will sort itself out before too long.

But the point of all this is to justify my hatred for the unnecessary electronic gizmos on vehicles these days and my disdain for them. Since getting the new Tacoma I find most of the electronics to be useless and used so seldom I can't remember what it has or how to operate things. Oh, and that fancy use a computer to get un-stuck button is WORTHLESS in real life. No match for Alabama red clay. I'll take a locked axle over it any time any day!!! My advice to a new truck shopper is get a stripped-down model and build it up the way you like with aftermarket parts. Lord knows there are enough aftermarket goodies to make a truck better than a factory gizmo model.

My feelings now are I want to get rid of this truck and go back to two vehicles, an everyday driver and a weekend work/hunting truck. The question is can I do it without getting soaked by selling the new Tacoma and not buying a lemon in the process.

Arrrggghhhhh!
Click to expand...
Same here, except I am still driving my 2011 Frontier and (over)spending on repairs--all while watching the body rust that comes from 13 years of driving in Maine winters slowly expand. I just can't bring myself to spend $40k+ on a truck with a bunch of crap I don't want, but in looking at the comparable replacement trucks--Frontier, Tacoma, Ranger, Colorado--I can't find a "basic" truck that will come with 9"+ of ground clearance, 4WD, a locking rear differential, and a tow hitch. And I cannot at reasonable cost add those options to a basic truck to get what I want. Instead I have step up to a trim level that includes a lot of things I don't want, and/or add a package that does the same. (4WD and locking differential--yes please. Enhanced body trim accents and red tow hooks, hell no!)

Tell me more about Chevy reliability issues. I'd about settled on a Chevy Colorado (which seems to get great reviews) in the Trail Boss trim, but have yet to find one I can test drive nearby. About to expand my search to neighboring states, but wonder if I should reconsider. Of course my second choice would be a Tacoma--so your experience is really not encouraging. I can probably milk my declining truck through one more annual inspection before either the rust takes it or a failed catalytic converter makes me confront an expensive exhaust repair, but I've got to get something new within the next year.
 
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