Wrangler or Tacoma?

Hello All, New to the forums but not to tacomas (had a second gen) or wranglers (had a JK). Ive had my eyes on the 3rd gen for a while and wanted to get input as to why those who had wrangler switched to the Taco? From what Ive seen on the forum, the jeep has a personality of its own while the Taco has been seen as "boring" to the jeep community with everyone coming to a conclusion that the Taco will last forever past most wranglers. What are your thoughts and experiences?


Edit: As time has gone by, Ive had both the JLs and Tacomas. Both are great vehicles. Just thought Id bring up a discussion comparisons people have made with the 2 vehicles.

 

True. They're kinda rival groups. Toyota guys stick together, Jeep guys stick together.

Also you can use a Tacoma to haul people or things (cargo or trailers). Jeep, not so much. Jeeps tend to be more "purpose built" in my experience where the Toyota people do a lot of dual use/daily driving.

Don't forget FCA has the lowest owner satisfaction of any automaker.

Not sure that many people on a Tacoma forum would tell you good about a Jeep, haha.

 

True, Wasnt expecting that by any stretch of the imagination but wanted to hear why people switched from Jeep to Taco or even Vice-versa

 

Do you want to spend your money on mods or repairs?

 

A buddy of mine had a Just Empty Every Pocket. It was nice on the trails. He ended up trading it for a Corolla when he got married because it wasn't practical for everyday use. He may have not had that issue had he bought a Tacoma.







I've never owned one and can't provide you with actual relevant, credible feedback.

 

I went from a 2013 2 door rubicon to my 16 DCSB and never looked back. If you have a family own a home have any intentions on doing anything besides move 4 bodies from point a to b then the Tacoma is for you. I think the wrangler has more "character" because people invest into the charm of their rig. Those same crowds seem to be super attracted to Tacoma because the aftermarket supports that same dynamic. And while you don't take the doors and roof off for that stripped down utilitarian offroad look you can still sniker at wrangler owners as you can put everything in the truck bed and follow them anywhere they will go. Not knocking jeeps I loved my wrangler BUT I love my taco more.

 

First car was a 4cyl. 4x4 wrangler and I said never again!! Road noise is terrible, tin can. No bed, limited use. Finally price, I don't see the value in them. If your main focus is off roading then I could see it as a fit with the solid axils, but I demand more use out of my vehicles.

 

Where are you in your life? I had a wrangler in my 20s; it was fun but it sucked for commuting, road trips, driving with people you actually want to talk with. I lived in an apartment and didn't ever have much stuff to tote around other than a mountain bike. I'm in my 40s now and have a house, yard, kayak, and lots of other uses for moving stuff around. Plus I like that the Tacoma locks up, is quiet, and I don't have to unzip a window at tool booths or exiting parking lots. Jeeps and Tacomas are apples and oranges. What's the better one for the way you're really going to use it?

 

One is a pickup truck... the other is good for 2 people and very little else. Maybe if/when the Jeep truck gets made (again) you have something to compare?

I was a Jeep owner... once... Never again. On my third Tacoma Off Road 4x4 now. I like having room to haul camping gear. I like more reliability. The Jeep was being repaired more than it was taking me camping.

 

A jeep is gonna out perform the Taco off road based on simple math. Short wheel base, short overhangs and solid axle front. Lots of buddies have them and love them. They are a blast off road. Funny thing is, they usually hate driving them the 6 hours out to Moab while I am in my truck that is easier to live with out on the road. I also end up hauling in about 75% of our gear into the back country. You just gotta figure out what your priority is. Jeeps are also much easier to modify. My buddy just bought a new one and easily added a small lift and went with 35" tire and it's still livable with stock gearing according to him. Your gonna need a ton of mods to fit that size tire under a tacoma and then need gearing...

 

My two cents,

I had the option to get a 4Runner or a Tacoma due to a big payout from my totaled car. I chose the Tacoma because of the bed. We were also in escrow at the time so knew we were going to move soon, and were newly married with no kids so we don't have much to move anyway. We used the truck to move into our new home and saved a bunch on moving expenses right there. We also used it to pick up a 380 pound monster fridge that someone sold to us for a song. We then used it again to dispose of old tile, saving the cost to have it picked up. Then again to pick up our new furniture multiple times saving us $90 per pick up.

I say 4Runner because Jeep wasn't on my list, but its also enclosed and can't do much with an SUV type in terms of moving things. I did however look at the Jeeps and didn't like that they are all plastic on the inside. Unless your going to blow probably another $10k on mods and are only going off roading, I would suggest a Tacoma. Much more practical and useful.

 

It was between Jeeps (TJ or YK) and a Taco AccessCabs for me / us. MTs only.

The Family was pulling hard for the Jeep, but it was hard finding a mostly unmolested TJ and used YKs were pricey like Tacos. The four door YKs were nice, but just too big. The TJ Unlimited looks odd, but I could have lived with that if any ever show up for sale. I test drove a couple and felt that even the short wheel base felt great on the road.

Similarly, used Tacos were way too expensive. It was easier to afford a new one and is a lot more practical.

I have no regrets about the decision.

Down the road, my big goal is an RTT, esp one like the FlipPak or the new GoFastCamper. My feeling with the Jeeps was that it would be wayyy up there and affect a lot of the handling. With the Taco, it can either sit lower on a mid rack, or add a bunch for storage space for the canopy styles.

 

Ultimate trail rig or better at everything else?

Depends on what you want right?

 

Sas Tacoma

 

I have an 88 YJ so wont be able to provide much help. That being said I could never buy a newer Jeep. They are among the most unreliable vehicles out there on the roads and provide very limited utility. A buddy of mine recently purchased a Wrangler Unlimited X-Games Edition and spent $40k on it. I actually laughed while we were driving in it at how unbelievably gimmicky and cheap it was. It was definitely worth no more than $25 in my opinion. He kept it stock and still ended up trading it in because of how unpractical it was.

 

I owned a YJ years ago. It was good for off road but I couldn't carry anything in it. Road trips sucked because of the wind on the soft top, like driving a tent down the road.

Tacomas are more versatile and better all around if you ask me.

 

Depends totally on use. Neither will do everything.

On that general principle I ran 3 vehicles with only 2 drivers for years. A CUV for people/road trips/comfort, a 2 seat drop top for my work commute/SCCA fun, and a small PU for uber foul weather/household chores/kayaks/bikes.

You could use the Taco to tow a dedicated off road Jeep.

 

I really wouldn't mind owning a Jeep, but I wouldn't want to commute in one.

I could see buying a well used short wheel based Jeep for a weekend fun vehicle though.

 

As someone with experiance with both. The 4door wrangler might be a good option if you have dogs and kids. Other than that i would choose my tacoma again. My kids love the tacoma and have more than enough room.

 

Funny thing is - I have 2 jeep friend that both love the Taco and see the value in it but they just can't give up their older 2 door jeeps. However, both ended up buying another car just to commute in.