just get the double cab with the long bed!!!

 

I've got the 2006 double cab with the short bed and haven't had any problems. Dealer showed me the access cab, but knew I wanted the double cab because of extra the room in the cab. On the bed size, the short bed works fine for me... I don't haul a lot of stuff, but have used it to take cut tree trunks to the dump. They do offer a long bed version of the double cab, but I'm told the turning radius is not great. :thumbup:

 

I have the double cab short bed with the bed extender there hasnt been anyting yet that I havent been able to haul. I also have a couple of bunges and straps in the storage boxes for just incase.

 

From an Access owner

I have the 2005 Tacoma Prerunner SR5 Access Cab, TRD, option #2 2WD.
I love it because it fits my needs (and looks so good! lol).
A Long bed with the Toyota Cargo Divider for hauling my longboards (10' & 9'4") and
camping gear. When camping I set up a Tailgate Truck Tent in the bed. It's perfect.
But if I had 2 dogs that traveled with me, even one dog, I would have purchased the DC.
If you are planning to have children during ownership you must be aware of where the
car seat will go. An Access Cab is not functional for car seats or dogs. It wouldn't be
fair to them if they were stuck in the small back seat area in the Access Cab. IMHO
Good luck in your purchase! :thumbsup:
p.s. change children and carseats to passengers. :lol:

 

Get the double cab, get it, your dogs will love you for it. Plus, you can just put the seat backs down and watch them slide around on the hard plasic. That would be fun.:thumbup:

 

IMO i would rather have a dbl cab, short bed, but AUto only comes long bed.. soo thats what i god.

Only remourse is that its long and the same size as a full size, so parking can be an issue, Other than that, i love it, tons of room.

 

Many thanks for all the input. Looks like it's pretty much a wash! I think I'm leaning towards the Double Cab. I can always make the bed longer on the DC with a bed extender, but I won't be able to make the passenger compartment any bigger with the Access Cab. It might sound crazy, but my pups are a big part of my decision. They're both pretty high strung to begin with, so I think confining them to such a small space would be borderline cruel! It might make them crazier than they already are!

BTW, I think I'll be going with the 4X4 V6 Auto with the SR5 package with Limited Slip and Tow package. Test drove a DC last week and fell in love. NOTHING like my 1990 Ford F150! Should have bought a Taco long ago.... I'm really getting pumped!

Anyway, one more question........ Does the DC with the SR5 package come with fog lights? If not, does anyone know what Toyota charges for them (installed)?

This is one great forum!!!

Thanks again...

Cliff M

 

IMO i would rather have a dbl cab, short bed, but AUto only comes long bed..

Mine is a dbl cab, Auto, short bed.

Autos come with long OR short

 

All v-6's get the fog lights

 

I wouldn't trade mine for any other truck on the market right now. Perfect blend of size, utility, and economy for me. Access cab simply wouldn't have been enough room for other people... or pets that I care about. :thumbsup:

 

Get the dbl cab,if u have kids or gonna plan on having kids its the only way to go,I have a dbl cab v6 auto 4x4 trd and love it, just keep in mind that if u buy a dbl cab 4x4 longbed,u wont be able to get it with the trd offroad,only the small bed comes with that pkg..

 

If you look at my signature you will see I have an 05 DC Tacoma. I came to this truck after downsizing from a full sized Dodge Ram Quad Cab( all my trucks have been full sized Rams except for my very first = a Ram 50 )for MPG reasons. With gas so darned expensive 14 MPG was not cutting it. :thumbdown I went with the Tacoma DC for the room it gave me, while improving my MPG( 21-22 MPG so far = :thumbup: ), and the V6 which had enough power to tow with.

While not as roomy as my QC Ram was( try a living room on wheels )the Tacoma DC has a lot of interior room. IMO, the DC is the only way to go because of the rear doors. Access/Extended cabs are a PITA to access the rear seating area and they are usually small. IF your decision is between the DC and AC then, IMO, by all means go with the DC!

As to the bed. Again, I am coming down from a full sized truck so the short bed( 5 foot )has been an adjustment for me. Even my Ram 50 back in 88 had a good sized bed. This bed is not only short but it is not very tall(IMO). For 90% of my use however it is more then fine. During late waterfowl season it is going to be an issue though I can already see. I will never get all my goose decoys in there.

When I bought the truck I never really paid attention to the length of the bed. I just "assumed"nono: )that it was at least a 6 foot bed. I was having major mental issues with selling my Ram and I did not pay attention as I should have. If I could go back and do it over again I would buy the long bed. Strictly however to gain that extra foot or so of carrying capacity. I have to have a secure cargo area( run an Undercover hard tonneau )so that extra foot+ under the lid would have really helped me out. If you will run an open bed then the 5 foot one with a bed extender will handle most needs.

Don't hesitate on the DC. If you are even considering it vs the AC then go DC. You will regret not doing so(IMO). Take your time on the bed length decision however and be sure the short bed can do everything you need. I got the wrong one and now am stuck with it.

 

I have an X-Runner (Access Cab) and I couldn't be happier. 93% of the time, I'm driving by myself. 6% with one other person and 1% with more than that. In that 1% trip, if it's short, someone can squeeze in my back. If it's long, we can take someone else's car! Don't get more car than you need, I think.

Also, you can fold down the rear "seats" in the Access Cab and watch the dogs slide around there too. I thikn there is ample room for child seats in the Access Cab as well.

Just my .02

 

IMO i would rather have a dbl cab, short bed, but AUto only comes long bed.. soo thats what i god.

Only remourse is that its long and the same size as a full size, so parking can be an issue, Other than that, i love it, tons of room.

Who lied to you about the Double Cab only coming in auto with the long bed?

 

I bought a DC because a friend of mine had an older Tacoma Access Cab. There was just enough space for his "stuff", hunting equiptment, small bags and not much else, definitely no passengers. So far the 5ft bed has been no problem. I moved down from an extended cab, GMC 1500, long bed.

 

Hey man-
I went for the DBL cab cause there's a little Pezident on the way. I had a 94 and I plan on keeping this one for a long time also. So, we needed the car seat space.

As for the bed, do you do any home repairs? I end up doing alot - or so it seems, so I went with the 6ft bed. I thought of all the drywall and 2x4x8's and 10's that I've hauled and thought that the extra foot would make a difference. Also, I get my own mulch and whatnot. So the extra cubic space was important. If you don't do such things, get the shorty.
One negative to the DBL with the long bed is overall length. It feels like I'm driving a tractor trailer. These fockers are just as long as the Tundra. it's really been an adjustment to pull into parking spaces. I've had it since May and have yet to try and parallel park! I've managed to plan ahead and take the wife's Element.

If we didn't have the bambino on the way and I didn't do so much hauling, I'd have gotten the Access SB. Just cause of the practical easierness of parking it and manuvering it. Disclaimer***The last sentence probable makes no sense to anyone other than myself. My Kooky-ness is acknowledged.

Wondering where you are in PA? I bought both my Tacos at Thompson in Doylestown. I'm in the Lehigh Valley and we have 3 dealers here. Thompson gave me the best price hands down. They're a little larger than the dealers we have here so I think that helped.

 

Trade-off trade-offs...
I have had my 06 Access Cab for about a month now - and I wish I had gotten the DC instead. I debated the decision for a long time and finally came to the conclusion that the extra bed length was more valuable to me for hauling my dirt bike. I almost immediately regretted my decision because now that I have had this truck for a few weeks, I really think that the extra cab space is more valuable then the infrequent times when I'd miss the bed length.

My buddy who has been doing a house remodel is very happy with his 05 DC even hauling lots of sheet goods. So unless you really, really, absolutely, need the extra bed length I say get the DC.

One thing I've noticed about my Access cab is the suicide doors are pretty much useless in a tight parking lot situation. Sometimes you have to do a little sequence where you open the front door enough so that the back door can open, then you close the front door so you can move you body out of the way to get what/whoever you want out of the back seat. Then slip back in to open the front door enough to be able to close the back door. Do that dance a few times and you realize the value of the DC even if you use the back area only for storage.

I'd take a bath on selling my Access (with 500 miles) and replacing it with a DC immediately but the thought crosses my mind.

-Webwerker

 

All I can say is that I have learned from trial and error that if you live in an area that has good weather.......

Get a good utility trailer and don't worry about the size of the bed.

I stopped putting things in the bed of my truck about 6 years ago after I bought a cheap "Snow Bear" tilting utility trailer from Home Depot a while back. Lower to the ground, more room to haul, no lifting, tilt capability, easy to load bikes, quads, and other machinery, furniture, leaves and sticks without scratching up the truck etc.....

The list goes on.........

I highly recommend the Snow Bear trailer http://www.snowbear.com/html/8000.html model 8000 for "small space" living... It's light enough to wheel around by hand, buy sturdy enough to load full of patio brick... And small enough to fit in a garage or carport. PLUS you can buy them off the lot at most Home Depots.

But that's just my $.02.......

 

Double Cab

I have the 2006 DC, towing, 6 foot bed TRD. I came out of a 96 Jimmy. There is a difference in length for parking, but I wanted a truck, so I can't complain. However, I can complain about the slider rear window that I can't reach from the drivers seat, so it's a bit of a worthless option. The DC seats five, which is all the Jimmy would seat, so it was a good trade off for me. Nice to have a 6 foot bed, even though I don't use it all that much.

I do seem to have a problem with my 'dog hearing'. I don't know if anyone esle has noticed this. If anyone has heard a flyback transformer that's going in a TV set, it makes a very high pitched white noise that most may not notice. Sometimes if you turn your head a certain way, your ears can pick it up, but with the volume on, it may be hard to detect. I get the same noise out of the dash on my 06 Tacaoma. I don't play the radio much, so I am in a quiet cab most of the time and I was surprised to hear this sound out of the truck. Not sure what it could be, or if anyone else can even hear it. (Now everyone will be driving around with their head cocked to one side listening to their dash!) Let me know if anyone else has this anomaly, as I have to try and describe it to the dealer. May be an 06 thing with the air pressure sensor, as that has to work on rf (radio frequency) I belive.

Other than that, lots of power and sits high to see over everyone on the highway. Oh, and don't let the dealer screw you into undercoating. Wish I could go back on that one. Oh, well....

Tom

 

Dude.

The Naval Nuclear Submarine Command is sending you subliminal commands through your tire pressure receiver!!!!

If you listen real close, you can make out what they're saying...


"you're fucking nuts!"

 

Just kidding...



But no, seriously :ugh3:

 

Hi all........
Been browsing the forum for a while now, but this is my first post. Picked up alot of great info here! Anyway......

After tons of research, I've finally decided that the Tacoma is for me. I'm ready to buy, except for a couple of small details that are driving me crazy. I'm having a heck of a time choosing between a Double Cab and Access Cab. I really like the roominess of the DC, but I'm not too sure about the short bed. Has anyone had any buyers remorse because of the limited utility of the shorter bed? On the same note, has anyone had buyers remorse after purchasing the Access Cab because of lack of roominess?

It's only my wife and I, and two Miniature Schnauzers, but I may have another passenger or two (minus the Schnauzers) on rare occaisions.
Just thought some subjective feedback would help me along with my decision.
All personal opinions/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Many thanks!

Cliff M

Get the Double Cab you won't be :disappoin ,also if your wife gets mad at you..........good place to sleep :lol: :lol: So my wife tells me!

 

Dude.

The Naval Nuclear Submarine Command is sending you subliminal commands through your tire pressure receiver!!!!

If you listen real close, you can make out what they're saying...


"you're fucking nuts!"

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

Came from Ranger ext cab, to a Double cab short bed. Worried about the loss of a foot of bed, but needed real seats for more than 2 people. Well havent had probelms, can fit several mountain bikes, board and skiis, and I can get plenty of firewood back there. Even my backpack tent fits too w/ tailgate down. I tow my sled, so didnt need the 6 ft bed. no regets. If you need the bed space as others have said, either Access cab or Dcab long bed is avail.

 

No regrets here at all! I love the room in the cab and the bed size has not been an issue. I don't haul a lot of stuff typically anyways. The snowboards fit in angled from front to back (156) and when I moved recently, I was able to stuff quite a bit back there still (once I took the snugtop bed cover off!).

:chug: