Double cab with 5 Speed?

[useless]

I am looking into buying a new Tacoma. I currently payed off my 2001 2WD and I am now looking at a new 4x4 Double cab.

My current tacoma has the 5 speed manual and I have had no problems and prefer a manual over an automatic. I stopped by the local dealer today to start the truck shopping process and picked up their tacoma brochure.

According to the brochure it seems they do not offer the 5 speed manual transmission with the double cab. Is this true? Why would that be?

Thanks

[reb]

I was looking for the same thing earlier this year, and found only the automatic is offered with the double cab. I also didn't want all the bells and whistles--I figure electric door locks, keyless entry, etc. offer unnecessary failure modes when the truck has high mileage. Therefore, I prefer to buy a simple vehicle when I intend to keep it a long time. The only trucks I could find in this area had all those bells and whistles. It seems Toyota feels they can make enough sales without offering what I want. It is probably heresy to mention it here, but I bought a Nissan because they offer trucks which more nearly meet my needs.

[justin22]

no demand for it, when you go to buy a used truck I find 4 out of 5 have auto unless its pre 90's.

[EnolaGaia]

Toyota has never offered a manual transmission in a Double Cab (or a PreRunner, for that matter...). This is why I didn't replace my '93 XtraCab with a DC or a PR as they were introduced over the years.

Beyond that, Toyota's long-standing habit of bundling features in all-encompassing 'packages' has driven me nuts for years. Many of the features (e.g., power everything) are things I'd gladly do without. Like Reb, I've looked at Nissans to see if a more sane truck could be had...

All the manufacturers have made it harder to get a plain / utilitarian compact pickup. Toyota's not the only one, but they may be the worst.

With 2005, the Tacoma will be following the herd to 'mid-size' (think Dodge Dakota), and folks wanting a decent compact pickup will be even more 'orphaned' than they already are.

[NickD]

I hope Toyota is listening. I've had 4 Toyota trucks since the late 1980s and also prefer the manual. I too was perplexed as to why the manual trans wasn't offered on the double-cab. So much so, I ended up buying a 5-spd ext-cab instead. Yes, there is a demand for the manual gearbox on the double-cab.