Buyer's Remorse - Not the 4R! but it's kinda the 4R's fault...

[Jernik]

I know the thread title is odd, and related to 5th gen in a round-about way... You see, my 5th gen 4R is one of my favorite vehicles of all time, I love this thing! So when it came time to buy a truck, I looked at the Tacoma... and (zipping up flamesuit) bought a Sierra SLE. :fear:

"How did this happen?" You might ask. Well... I have a friend who has a friend with connections to GMC who got me a good deal, and I listened too much to the wife (who said "if you're going to get a truck, might as well get a full size since prices aren't much more".) The new Tacoma wasn't out quite yet... and next thing you know I have a Sierra in the driveway.

It's not a bad truck. Pretty nice, actually. And fortunately, I haven't had any problems with it. But I don't love it. I don't look forward to driving it like I do the 4R.

So the questions are; if you own a 5th gen 4R AND have one of the new 3rd gen Tacomas, what are your thoughts on living with both of them? Do they have similar driving characteristics? Do you find the Tacoma as enjoyable as the 4R? Do you like them both equally, or do you noticeably prefer one over the other? Basically, is the Taco a 4R with an open bed, or are they completely different animals?

If you have a later model 2nd gen Taco (say 2013+), same questions as above.

 

[Jaydub514]

Do some reading on the 2016+ Taco and the 3.5 in it....lots of unhappy campers.

 

[LittleCaesar]

No pics? The GMC Sierra is a fine truck no doubt and getting a good deal on any truck right now is just icing on the cake.

Not a Tacoma but my sister has a 5th gen SR5 and her husband a 2014 Tundra. She likes driving the T4R around the city with the kids and dogs but actually prefers taking the Tundra on long trips as well as to tow their boat. And she does miss the power of the V8 after not driving it.

My friend bought a 2016 Tacoma. He wasn't pleased with it and traded it in on a 2015 Tundra. Even though he lost some $$$ on the deal he said it has been worth it.

 

[manofsteele2003]

We have both a 14 4Runner and a 16 Tacoma, love them both but enjoy the 4Runner better. The new drivetrain in the Tacoma takes some getting used to, mostly the transmission shift points but they just released a TSB that solves that. You'll find most of the complaints are for really stupid crap, I contribute that to today's society. ***** and complain about the stupidest shit, but that's my view. Anyways, they are both badass vehicles that are very capable.

 

[craigster59]

I currently own a 2007 Tacoma TRD Off Road 4x4 access cab. It has 190k on the clock and I'm looking for a new 4R Trail Premium. They are pretty scarce here in So Cal (when I do an Autotrader search with 300 mile radius only 11 show up and most w/o KDSS).

I'll probably just order from the dealer, I planned on keeping my Tacoma, a guy always needs a truck and it has served me well.

 

[Jernik]

Let's see if I can get the pic to post right side up... in "my garage" it's on the side.

Nope. I dunno, but there it is, flipped over. lol

 

[Jernik]

Also, I've been lurking on the TW site, reading all about the problems. The GM forum isn't any better though. lol Few sign up to post about how trouble free their truck is, but everybody wants to vent if they have problems! I will say, the Sierra is the quietest truck I've ever been in.

But yeah, I've got equity now due to the original deal and my previous trade equity, but still plan to wait another year before making a move. Let Toyota work the bugs out. Plus it's kinda crazy to go only 1 year before trading a perfectly good vehicle, IMO. I'll use up the free oil changes first!

But I was curious how close the Taco is to 4R. Quick test drives don't always tell the whole story.

 

[c350z]

Don't have a taco, never did, but do have a 5th Gen 4runner.

So here is what i have to say...

If you can afford it, buy the vehicle you want.

Again IF you can afford, buy the vehicle you want.

Settling never satisfied anyone.

Will your life be better with the 4runner, probably not, will your life suck with the GMC probably not, but if you can afford it, buy the vehicle you want, in the end you will smile a little more often.

Just my $.02

 

[Grape Ape]

I did the same thing about 9 months ago. I had a lifted 5th Gen, loved it, but I had a long commute between Austin and Dallas each week and it got to be a rough ride with all the construction etc...so I went and traded in the 4R and bought a GMC Sierra Denali, rode so smooth I almost didn't miss the 4R, but then it began to sit in that I didn't really like the truck once I didn't have the commute anymore. In the end, 9 months later, I'm driving a new LR4.

I'd love to have another 4R to build and ride around once in a while, but since moving to a smoother ride and nicer interior with a ton of off road capability, I have to say that I ended up where I should be.

Don''t ever have buyers remorse, you did something for a reason. If you really miss it, get back into one.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Looks great. Really like the silver.

 

[wfo9]

I know the thread title is odd, and related to 5th gen in a round-about way... You see, my 5th gen 4R is one of my favorite vehicles of all time, I love this thing! So when it came time to buy a truck, I looked at the Tacoma... and (zipping up flamesuit) bought a Sierra SLE. :fear:

"How did this happen?" You might ask. Well... I have a friend who has a friend with connections to GMC who got me a good deal, and I listened too much to the wife (who said "if you're going to get a truck, might as well get a full size since prices aren't much more".) The new Tacoma wasn't out quite yet... and next thing you know I have a Sierra in the driveway.

It's not a bad truck. Pretty nice, actually. And fortunately, I haven't had any problems with it. But I don't love it. I don't look forward to driving it like I do the 4R.

So the questions are; if you own a 5th gen 4R AND have one of the new 3rd gen Tacomas, what are your thoughts on living with both of them? Do they have similar driving characteristics? Do you find the Tacoma as enjoyable as the 4R? Do you like them both equally, or do you noticeably prefer one over the other? Basically, is the Taco a 4R with an open bed, or are they completely different animals?

If you have a later model 2nd gen Taco (say 2013+), same questions as above.

To each his own.. What sierra do you have?

I've got a 2014 Denali level trim and really like the thing. My wife drives it most of the time and she loves it also. Got about 65k on it. I tow with it and it does an amazing job. The mpg is also fanatic with the 5.3. I would not call it fun to drive. but it is a comfortable, smooth, powerful, efficient workhorse. Pretty much exactly what I want in a full size pickup. My only complaint with it is that the stupid headlights suck and I have not gotten around to upgrading them. Think they fixed it on the 2016.

If you don't need to tow heavy loads... the Taco may be a decent choice.

 

[Jernik]

It's an SLE, 4x4 with the flex fuel 5.3. They say the ethanol bumps power quite a bit, but so far all I notice is the shift points change a tad when running the E-85 (which oddly enough, the station has a sticker saying they only guarantee 70% ethanol). And mpg drops significantly.

Like you said, it's a solid, comfortable work horse... it's nice. The silver looks great and really hides a lot if I get lazy and don't wash it for a while. I just don't love it for some reason. Whatever it is that makes me want to get in and drive it is missing.

 

[Sled Driver]

I had a 2009 Sierra 1500 with the rare 6.0 L76 motor. Loved that truck. Unfortunately it grew legs and I wound up buying my current '16 MGM TEP.

Honestly I am a Chevy guy through and through. I've been working on them and racing them my entire life. At the same time, my brother has always been into Toyota off-roaders and everyone I've ever known who has owned a 4R loves it. So I decided to take the plunge and picked up a 4R.

I've been with the 4R for about a month now (and 2500 miles) and I will say this: different tools for different jobs. I miss the power of that aluminum block 6.0L V8 (the 4R has about 100hp less) but the 4R is much more put together (on road and off road).

I'm loving my 4R so far, you will love your Sierra.

 

[CO-Cygnus]

My little brother is getting 19-20 MPG with his '13 Denali, and that's with the 6.2L V8. I don't think that year had the 8 speed transmission either. It's a sweet truck, enjoy it.

 

[Brandon_Reed]

I have a Sierra and a 4runner the Sierra is an 04 diesel though. I really wouldn't want a small pickup for real pickup tasks. The 4R is my daily driver, it's tow rating isn't up to pulling our RV trailer.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[GzTEP]

I currently own a 2007 Tacoma TRD Off Road 4x4 access cab. It has 190k on the clock and I'm looking for a new 4R Trail Premium. They are pretty scarce here in So Cal (when I do an Autotrader search with 300 mile radius only 11 show up and most w/o KDSS).

I'll probably just order from the dealer, I planned on keeping my Tacoma, a guy always needs a truck and it has served me well.

https://www.cars.com/for-sale/searc...&page=1&perPage=50&searchSource=GN_REFINEMENT

Says 73 within 500 miles. Figure $1 a mile to ship. It should be the other way. Most have kdss and the non kdss is the unicorn mostly in silver.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I'm not following what you are looking for.

Are you looking for affirmation you made the right choice or do you want me to tell you in 5 years you will be beating your head against the wall?

First, you need to understand that the 4Runners and the Tacoma's are two completely different animals.

The 4Runner is made in Japan, the Tacoma in California. The quality difference is night and day.

Second, you need to understand us 4Runner guys are died in the wool, hard core. There is a reason why. There are very, very few vehicles put together as well as a T4R.

I have driven Tahoe's, Escalades, etc... and I will admit they were decent. But they are not 4Runner quailty.

So my advice is, if you like your GMC good on you. When you want to buy a vehicle that will run like new with 200K on the ODO, step over to the T4R side. ;-)

 

[Huskers79]

I traded a fully loaded 2016 Taco for my 2016 4Runner.

The Taco was sharp and got decent mpgs (4+ better than the 4R). It also was obviously easier to navigate in tight areas than a full size.

That being said the bed was never big enough, headroom and rear seat legroom were worst in class, throttle response was poor, and it really wasn't much cheaper (after incentives) or efficient than a full size.

 

[4FL]

I say you got the best of both worlds; a full-size truck and a 4r. But next time, please buy a Ford.

 

[JSparky]

I think you made a fine choice with the GM. I'm in my second 5th gen 4runner and owned a 2016 taco for a few months. The taco and 4runner are similar enough for you begin obsessing over the differenea and, as was the case for me, you'd probably end up selling the taco in short order. American full size pickups are plush haulers and, typical poor road manners aside, I'd be happy and accept it for what it is.. For hauling stuff around you don't want inside your "nice" vehicle.