Tacoma vs Colorado vs Frontier vs F-150

After getting frustrated with the lack of help from Toyota on the "Vibration coming to a stop" issue on my 2016 Tacoma V6 SR5 Double Cab Auto 4x4, I decided to test drive and compare some other options.

1) Chevy Colorado, V6 Auto 4x4: found the seats to be stiff and the suspension felt like the tires were over inflated.
2) Ford F-150 2.7L Auto 4x4: Interior, Ride and Acceleration was amazing, but the price tag was way too high.
3) Nissan Frontier, V6 Auto 4x4: Interior was very cheap, ride was ok, vibration on the highway
4) Tacoma: In comparison, the Taco interior is really nice, the ride is great and the price was right.

So, in conclusion; I will keep my Tacoma and hope some of the issues it has eventually get a TSB or fixed....

 

umm F150....kinda different classification.

However you came to the right conclusion...so all is forgiven

 

Yes, I know, but it's the "smallest" truck they have... in the US anyway....

 

out of curiosity how much $$$ were they asking for on the F-150

 

MSRP was $47k, but i was told there was 12k worth of discounts, turns out there was only $5k of discounts

 

Why did I just waste a minute of my life reading this?

 

It's pretty easy to get 8-10k off of sticker with domestic truck manufacturers.

 

I got my F150 for $45k and sticker was $53k. Also got 0% finance for 5-years. One free oil change and a Rhino lining. Was a 2015 in March 2016 so they (Ford) had great incentives.

 

Like I always say-the big 3 pay you to buy their cars.

 

Glad you are keeping it!

 

You can't really compare an F150 to the rest as it's completely out of class. However your reasoning to pass on the truck was price. Not many people pay full MSRP on a f150. Currently they have up to about 8 thousand in incentives. However most equate to 4-6k. That's a lot of truck for the price.

You say your ride is great on your Tacoma, however you were looking to dump it because of the vibration? Please enlighten me

 

Several folks on the forums are having problems with vibrations under braking. Others are having transmission problems. The 3rd Gens seem to have a few bugs!

 

That's pretty weird. Those are exactly the trucks I looked at before I got The Tacoma.

 

I have a Frontier. The interior is cheap, but it isn't an expensive truck and I'm fine with that. I have the 4.0L, 6mt and 4wd with no vibration at any speed. Pretty glad I decided against a '16+ Tacoma for now.

 

Nobody has to pay $50-$60K for a new F-150 unless they just want to. I've been extremely pleased with my 9 year old Tacoma, but feel I need more room. I've been looking at 4X4 Supercrews. I could drive a new one off the lot for $38-$41K with all the equipment I want or need. But I'm trying real hard to not trade the Tacoma, I want to keep it as a 3rd vehicle, so I've been looking at used 2013-2014's in the $25K-$30K range. If you just want to have a bunch or useless stuff, most of which isn't even offered on Toyota you can run up the price.

 

I know of the issues. However if he's having a vibration problem that is driving him nuts to the point where he's almost willing to trade it in on something else, I'm not sure I would say the ride is great. I would say it's ok or drives like shit.

 

and yet you're here in a Pro-Tacoma forum......how confusing. Where is the "dislike" link for posts, lol.

 

If you want a new truck there are only a few choices. I have always trusted Toyota but the 16 Tacoma seems a little scary. The tundra is cool as hell but gets terrible MPG's. To me the next choice is the F150 but you never know with Ford. You can get an awesome tuck or a real dog. The truth is there just doesn't seem to be a clear cut choice out there.

 

Just wait. A lot more choices are coming. A new Jeep pickup looks intriguing. The return of the Ford Ranger. Probably a Chevy Colorado ZR2. God only knows if Nissan is coming out with a new one? The F150 already gets a 2nd gen 3.5l eco that will scream with power! My guess is a 4th Gen Taco is not far out also (they need a fully boxed frame, disk brakes all around, and a better transmission). It's going to be a buyers paradise. I wish I could wait for all these choices, but had to grab a truck now, I'm middle aged and every year counts for me. Gotta get out there and seize the day!

And 3rd Gen isn't bad per say. Especially if you'll be modding it anyway you can probably aftermarket your way out of all the little gripes. Or wait it out if you can, I'm sure in a year or 2 Toyota will have them all ironed out in production.

 

I too had this problem. Then it escalated to stop and accelerating from a stop. Then the whole thing rattled/ vibrated when driving. After a month or so of trying to pin-point the source, and failing, I took my whole drive shaft off.

Before this, I had checked the play in u joints and the carrier bearing. Nothing. It didn't make since. The symptoms just screamed "u joint problem." Sure enough, I take off my drive shaft and check the u joints again... The front and rear u joint were fucked, but gave no play when the shaft was under the truck. So, went to auto zone, picked up two MOOG brand super strength u joints with a greasing hole, took the joints and the shaft to a shop ( I don't have the proper tools to safely install u joints. My dad and I tried with a hammer and socket and broke a joint cup ). Drive train rattling on tacos is very common and has no pattern with showing up. Some old trucks like mine don't have it for a while (mine showed up around 130-135k miles. I'm at 142k now and everything runs smoothly) and some newer trucks, like yours, get it early. Like I said, u joints didn't give AT ALL when drive shaft was attached, but were absolutely horrible when it was taken out.

So try this: mark a line to match the drive shaft position with the transmission. Just use a pencil or a marker. Whatever helps you put it back in without having to try to align a two piece shaft by yourself like I did. Remove the 4 bolts and nuts connecting the shaft the the differential. These will be tough so use the longest wrench you have and a hammer if needed. Then remove the two bolts holding the carrier bearing in place. Once that's done, the shaft can be pulled out of the tranny *ba dum tss*. Now you can check your u joints. Toyota kind of cheeped out on the u joints, but your local auto parts store should have some in stock. If not, they can order some and have it there in no time. Hope this fixes your problem. Like I said earlier, it all started for me with vibration while braking then eventually it was vibrating while driving at all speeds. Drove me absolutely insane. I was laughing with joy once I got the drive shaft back in with good u joints and took off to a smooth ride for the first time in a month.

So, remove drive shaft, wiggle u joints (if the give at all, they're bad, causing the vibration), and wiggle carrier bearing (should only give a little bit, no a lot, but I doubt it's bad.) If it gives too much, replace it. TIP: take the shaft and the new u joints to a shop if you don't have a hydraulic c-press, not the whole truck. This'll save you a lot of money and waiting time. I did that, only cost me $108 and it was done in 4 hours with from the time I dropped it off, and that's only because he had to finish up on something before he could get to my drive shaft. Hope this helps you and sorry to hear that your new Tacoma is having problems. It's the first year of a new gen, so problems are popping up, but nothing crazy, so far.