[07WhiteCamry]

I am in desperate need of a new car. Currently I have 2000 Plymouth Neon with 155k miles and that car is on its last leg, it over heats every time I drive it. Makes funny noises, rattles very bad, wheel shakes, etc... I could go on and on...lol

I am thinking of picking up a 2008 Tacoma with 24k miles. White, regular cab, long bed, 5 speed & 2.7L I4.

Is there any way of making the regular Tacoma to look like the Prerunner Tacoma? Mainly suspension wise. What is different about the suspension? I don't mind driving the Tacoma stock for a while, but I would like to have the option of lifting it and putting more aggressive tires on it later on. Trust me any Toyota truck is better than the POS neon and yes I need a truck, because of work. need for utility is the main reason for not even attempting to fix the neon. Besides why would I put money into an old car with high miles when the car has about 1K value?

Is that possible or am I better off trading it in, when I can afford a truck I really want?

 

[worthywads]

Is that possible or am I better off trading it in, when I can afford a truck I really want?

Possible, yes.

But don't do it, get a pre-runner if that's what you want. :facepalm:

 

[07WhiteCamry]

Possible, yes.

But don't do it, get a pre-runner if that's what you want. :facepalm:

Getting a prerunner sr5 used with lower miles, in my price range ($200-$230/month) and 07+ from a dealership is almost impossible. I need to get it from a dealership, because I need to trade my car in and don't want to deal with selling it privately. Besides i couldn't sell a car to someone knowing what all is wrong with it. Also my buddy works in the Toyota dealership so its not hard for me to get financing from them.

I need a car now, because the neon is such a bad shape that I am scared to drive so it doesnt blow up on me before I trade it in...lol

Said that I don't have the option of waiting weeks or months around, before the perfect Tacoma comes around. I wish i had that kind of luxury

 

[RichXKU]

Possible, yes.

But don't do it, get a pre-runner if that's what you want. :facepalm:

I agree completely.


07WhiteCamry: you are obviously not in the best financial position, maybe you should be thinking about what you really need rather than what you want. Is a 2wd regular cab truck going to be the best daily driver?

 

[07WhiteCamry]

I agree completely.


07WhiteCamry: you are obviously not in the best financial position, maybe you should be thinking about what you really need rather than what you want. Is a 2wd regular cab truck going to be the best daily driver?

I could afford $300-$350/month payment... But just don't want to stretch my budget. I just bought an 07 white camry last month for my lady.

Yes 2wd basic Tacoma will do exactly what I need a truck for. I work from home (I am a property manager) and all I need the truck for is getting supplies for the two complexes I manage and to be able to go between those complexes. The complexes are 15minutes apart and I live in one of them. So there will be no long trips in the Tacoma, thats what we have the Camry for.

The 08 Tacoma with 24k miles has everything I need;

- Toyota Certified 7year/100k miles powertrain warranty
- Utility - long bed for hauling stuff
- Reliability (24k miles on Toyota is nothing)
- decent gas mileage, compared to v6 Tacoma or Tundra
- 5speed (I love driving manual)
- with 24k miles, I don't have to worry about anything going wrong for a while.
- with 24k miles I will not need to put any money into the car, besides doing regular oil changes

So everything else would be what I want and not what I need...

 

[worthywads]

Sounds like you should buy it then. But hopefully the need to look more badass will fade and you forget about converting to a pre-runner.


There are a few 5-lug guys here that have done lifts and bigger wheels/tires but there are limited wheels to choose from, and you really start needing to re-gear, the 5-lugs are already geared high, big tires will make it a dog, and most think it's a dog already. :lol:

 

[RichXKU]

Sounds like you should buy it then. But hopefully the need to look more badass will fade and you forget about converting to a pre-runner.

I second that as well as paying to upgrade the wheels on your Camry with 90% tread simply because you don't like how they look.

How about taking the "convert to prerunner" money and the "rims for the wife" money and putting it away so you don't have to make this decision the next time you need a vehicle?

 

[07WhiteCamry]

Sounds like you should buy it then. But hopefully the need to look more badass will fade and you forget about converting to a pre-runner.


There are a few 5-lug guys here that have done lifts and bigger wheels/tires but there are limited wheels to choose from, and you really start needing to re-gear, the 5-lugs are already geared high, big tires will make it a dog, and most think it's a dog already. :lol:

I completely forgot about the 5lug/6lug difference...

Actually getting the basic Tacoma might be a blessing in disguise! I like to modify my cars and with getting something work based only where any modification would be a waste of time & money & where the best option is to keep it stock, the need for modding it fades away

I traded in 2004 Sentra 2.5L for the Camry. The sentra used to be heavily modded... Treadstone turbo kit, megasquirt ECU about 5-6k in performance & suspension parts...lol

Now is there anything I should look for when purchasing the truck? What are the common problems with these trucks? I am mainly talking about mechanical problems. Anything is known to go wrong with the engine & transmission?

 

[07WhiteCamry]

I second that as well as paying to upgrade the wheels on your Camry with 90% tread simply because you don't like how they look.

How about taking the "convert to prerunner" money and the "rims for the wife" money and putting it away so you don't have to make this decision the next time you need a vehicle?

Haha! You are completely right sir! I am the best off keeping both vehicles stock for now.

 

[LBCdmv]

:thumbsup:

I could afford $300-$350/month payment... But just don't want to stretch my budget. I just bought an 07 white camry last month for my lady.

Yes 2wd basic Tacoma will do exactly what I need a truck for. I work from home (I am a property manager) and all I need the truck for is getting supplies for the two complexes I manage and to be able to go between those complexes. The complexes are 15minutes apart and I live in one of them. So there will be no long trips in the Tacoma, thats what we have the Camry for.

The 08 Tacoma with 24k miles has everything I need;

- Toyota Certified 7year/100k miles powertrain warranty
- Utility - long bed for hauling stuff
- Reliability (24k miles on Toyota is nothing)
- decent gas mileage, compared to v6 Tacoma or Tundra
- 5speed (I love driving manual)
- with 24k miles, I don't have to worry about anything going wrong for a while.
- with 24k miles I will not need to put any money into the car, besides doing regular oil changes

So everything else would be what I want and not what I need...

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I pretty much did the same thing. I bought the 09 Taco that was in my budget and I am looking into lifting/leveling and getting some good sized tires on it too. I was looking at the ReadyLift 69-5510 SST Hybrid Lift Kit which is affordable and an easy install. Probably do that within the next month. Ill post up pix when completed.

 

[Hawk Thor]

Don´t lift a 2wd truck. You can spend alot of money on suspension, diff-lock and skid-plates and a stock 4x4 would still outwheel your truck.

If it were me and I just needed to haul toilet paper and such between two apartment buildings I would find a older 4cyl 2wd truck that is cheap and spend a little of the price difference on wear items and the rest on fuel. When you need or want a new truck someone will be willing to buy your old beater to part it out.

You can then save up those monthly payments and buy a prerunner Taco instead of spending money on interest payments.

 

[RichXKU]

With all the reading I do on these forums, it seems the 2.7L is nearly bulletproof. It's the 4.0L V6 guys that have the weird ticking noises and early spark plug change schedule.
Same goes for the 5MT transmission. All the issues seem to be with the 6MT on the V6.
The clutch pedal does squeak a bit. The electronics are solid. It was the 09's with the weird stereo issues.
I really can't think of anything.

 

[07WhiteCamry]

Don´t lift a 2wd truck. You can spend alot of money on suspension, diff-lock and skid-plates and a stock 4x4 would still outwheel your truck.

If it were me and I just needed to haul toilet paper and such between two apartment buildings I would find a older 4cyl 2wd truck that is cheap and spend a little of the price difference on wear items and the rest on fuel. When you need or want a new truck someone will be willing to buy your old beater to part it out.

You can then save up those monthly payments and buy a prerunner Taco instead of spending money on interest payments.

If I am lucky and I find a complete retard, I might get $1500 for the neon. Since i have no money saved up, for $1.5K I will not be able to get a decent truck. Yes I can get a truck, but it will be old and in need of repairs, so I will be in the same boat as I was with the neon.

Trust me I had thought about this. I just need something I can haul stuff with, which I don't need to do any repairs to, is newer and has 20-45k miles on it. this Tacoma wont ever see off road while I own it, I am sure of that...lol

 

[07WhiteCamry]

:thumbsup:

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I pretty much did the same thing. I bought the 09 Taco that was in my budget and I am looking into lifting/leveling and getting some good sized tires on it too. I was looking at the ReadyLift 69-5510 SST Hybrid Lift Kit which is affordable and an easy install. Probably do that within the next month. Ill post up pix when completed.

Interesting option! Thanks for the input.

Not saying I will do this, however it is nice to know that there are options for the regular Tacomas :thumbsup:

 

[LBCdmv]

Interesting option! Thanks for the input.

Not saying I will do this, however it is nice to know that there are options for the regular Tacomas :thumbsup:

I was doing a little research and besides the 5 lug & 6 lug difference, It looks like, for 2wd, the leaf springs sit below the rear axle, not above. On the pre-runner & 4x4 the springs are above the axle. I could be mistaken, but that is the word. I guess this limits your lifting options.

Also, keep me updated with your Tacos progress.. I am looking for new ideas. Thanks

 

[forbye]

dont be afraid of the 4.0.. unless youre afraid of serious power and performance,,no probs here..will just upgrade plugs to iridium at 50k and forgetem forever..

 

[Commander Cummings]

If I am lucky and I find a complete retard

That's a really shitty thing to say. I'm not here to tell you what to say or not to say, but referring to whoever wants to buy your POS Neon as a "complete retard" is pretty fucked up.

Again, not to be your parents, but just try to think about what you say and how it may sound to other people.

/rant

 

[07WhiteCamry]

That's a really shitty thing to say. I'm not here to tell you what to say or not to say, but referring to whoever wants to buy your POS Neon as a "complete retard" is pretty fucked up.

Again, not to be your parents, but just try to think about what you say and how it may sound to other people.

/rant

True that. When I wrote that I was consumed by the hate for the Neon...lol

 

[the.phantom]

i have a 5 lug tacoma and it does what i want
if i wanted to do a lift , re gearing and such would be big $
and i would wind up with a truck that is not a tacoma, not a pre runner
doesn't have the gas millage i bought it for . Resale value would be poor as it would be a "mix and match" truck.

if you have to get a pre runner , i would wait, spend more, buy a older one
the front suspension is different, rear is different but the body is the same.

ya back years ago i was a hot rodder, what i found was you wind uo with a expensive car, requiring more maintenance and less resale value, but ya was fun but i enjoyed working on it on the weekends.

just my 2 cents