Making the commitment as a daily driver...

I've had my Tacoma for a few months and since I bought it I've gotten to know it pretty well. Recently I've coated the frame, pulled some dents, fixed some oil seepage, fixed broken body parts and corrected some issues due to its previous wreck. After being under the truck so much I feel like I really understand it more than when I first got it. I don't know what it is but I love driving the truck everywhere. Something about it feels solid and reliable.

I bought the truck in cash and have had a daily driver previous to it's purchase. Now I feel ready to commit to daily driving the Tacoma. It's got 190k miles on it but drives well. There are a few things that need to be done to it. Suspension could use some upgrading and it needs paint pretty bad.

Im ready to stop paying for a car that doesn't excite me (and more importantly i don't own the car yet). The Tacoma has taken me on a 1500 mile trip 2 weeks ago and didn't hesitate once when I needed it. I'm really excited to get rid of the monthly car note and use that cash for other things like upgrades/maintaining the Tacoma.

Thanks to everyone here for helping me realize how awesome these trucks are. 90% of the information I get on how to take care of the truck comes from this forum.

Now, who wants to buy a cheap commuter car?

Any advice on how to get rid of my car without being upside down on it?

 

What is the car and how much do you owe on it?

 

Dear Dangorah,

Tacomas work best as recreational or work on the house rigs. They don't get very good gas mileage. You might want to reconsider selling your commuter car.

Good Luck,
Paul

 

Put your car up for sale for what you owe on it. If it sells great, if not, grind it out and start paying as much extra as you can till you get it down enough to sell it.
There is an ass for every seat
As for your gen1 it will make a great DD! Plus since it sounds like you love it, you will be happier driving to and from everywhere . As for mpg, meh way over rated !!!

 

I do agree with the previous poster that the Tacoma or any real 4x4 truck for that matter does not make a practical commuting car. However if you are doing less then 30k a year a second vehicle usually is going to cost you more than commuting with a truck. Will your truck look as nice as a weekend truck...no. Will you spend more on gas...yes. I hate cars and my job requires me to travel at night and in bad weather. My commuter car was getting low 30 mpgs but when I calculated all the costs involved of a second vehicle it only made sense to sell the car. FYI I do live in a ridiculously expensive welfare state (NY) so everything is overpriced. Honestly do what will make you the happiest because life is short.

 

It is your truck go for it.

Mine works fine for my 5 mile commute !!

Now if your driving a 100 miles one way it might get old

 

Everyone is saying first gens aren’t good daily drivers but there’s members that daily drive their second gen fully loaded with steel bumpers, an RTT, and all sorts of shit. If you like to daily drive it, do it.

What’s the car and for how much?

 

I daily the Tacoma, 75 miles as day round trip
5 days a week. $20 fills the tank every 4 days. Not bad imho.
Previously daily driving an E46 wagon fuel costs were double that of the Tacoma. Plus wear and tear costs were through the roof.

 

Try CarMax, you may not get as much if you were to sell privately. But it's worth a try.

 

I agree, have a Honda as a daily but damn is it hard not to drive the Tacoma to work everyday. Although the Honda is paid for so its not costing me anything but insurance.

 

Hey, I have a new TRD Pro as my daily driver and I love it as such! (Of course my commute takes me over the coastal range with snow and ice coming soon, so it's actually pretty appropriate). The hard part for me is not turning off the road and getting a mud paint job on the way back from work ( and sometimes I just can't resist).

 

Its a 2015 VW Jetta 1.8L Turbo - the car gets great gas mileage and I bought it cause I work in Dallas but live just west of there. It has 52000 miles on it. I owe 11,000 cause I bought that extended warranty... It's not too far from what people are asking for these things though. I may try and get a refund for the warranty to bring that balance down a bit.

Edit: My daily commute is 44 miles round trip. All highway.

I thought about that too, as of now the car is pretty useful for the highway but I've also got 3 motorcycles so I have better options for getting great gas mileage.

Awesome! I did the math and without the car payment and insurance payment I would save around 3 grand a year with the increase in cost for gas on the Tacoma. Not a bad situation in my opinion either. A good friend of mine tells me its not miles per gallon it's about smiles per gallon. lol

I think I will try that route, it couldn't hurt.

That's the plan! I've posted it to Facebook, Craigslist, but not much more than that. I don't think many people are looking for this type of vehicle, it would be great for a new driver since it gets great gas mileage, is spacious and safe.

 

Get rid of it before it starts giving you problems which it will and parts/labor ain't cheap. Just my opinion though.

 

I run my 2nd gen with prinsu, bed rack, RTT, water and jerry at all times (mainly cuz I'm lazy) and still get 17ish MPG mixed on the way to/from work everyday. Loaded down for this weekend's trip, I was 19ish since it was long roads with no stops.

 

My 2004 now has 242k I bought it new. I would use it anytime for long trips or DD .
There great trucks
Drive it and enjoy it.