[Curt Fesler]

I owned a couple of them. I believe the first was a king cab 2 wd, about 82 vintage. The next one an 87 with king cab 4 cyl engine and auto trans. Both trucks were great on gas mileage with the small tires and 4 cyl engine. Do you think they made a mistake going to the larger size Taco? I love my 08 Tundra but it is a big truck designed with a purpose. Somehow I think Toyota lost their way with the upsizing or the Taco. I owned a 2000 Taco King Cap, 4 Cyl and auto that would not get out of its own way and got lousy gas mileage. The wheels and tires were far to big for it. Small trucks have a place and so do the large ones.

If I buy an economy truck, I want it small and it has to get good gas mileage.

 

[Dana_15]

Toyota has "supersized" all of their models recently. Rav4, Highlander, Tacoma, Tundra.......I'm sure the next 4Runner will be bigger as well.

I still consider my 04 Tacoma the best truck I have ever had, very nimble, easy to drive and park...damn kids made me trade it in :lol:

 

[HATEnFATE]

In your 00 taco, did you have a 2.4 or a 2.7?
The 2.4 engine wasn't powerfull enough to move anything. It wasn't enough engine. the 2.7 wasn't bad but was still a little small.

It was similar to the 3VZE 3.0 v6 in the older trucks and 4runners. They were just not right. it wasn't the size but just something in the design that didn't give them enough umph to do what they needed. Plus the fact that you're comparing the 22R to the 2VZFE(3VZFE). the 22R was an overbuilt engine that could do much more then it was designed for.

Toyota is really just keeping up with the market. if they made a truck the size of the old pickup, no one would buy it because it's just not enough by todays standards. Everything is going to continue to get larger until we have another fuel crisis and then all the large vehicles that don't have a purpose will be phased out and replaced with much smaller ones.

 

[Roskeet69]

Toyota has "supersized" all of their models recently. Rav4, Highlander, Tacoma, Tundra.......I'm sure the next 4Runner will be bigger as well.

I still consider my 04 Tacoma the best truck I have ever had, very nimble, easy to drive and park...damn kids made me trade it in :lol:

good kids lol they know what truck is the best!:clap:

 

[stryker709]

I had an 88 xtra cab, king cab was nissan, that was decent. The style before 05 was good, but for myself the improvements made in 05 made it a way better truck. I loved my 05 tacoma, but needed a full size truck for work, the whole 381hp thing made the transition quite easy to make. This tundra is the best truck Ive ever owned. I don't think that if they came out with an actual compact truck today it would sell that well.

 

[eurohazard]

Word on the street is; Toyota is thinking of bringing back the mini-truck, and making it a Scion model. We'll see though.

 

[DanteGTS]

i still have the 88 toyota truck. still runs good over 200,000 miles on it and still kicking. i never figured out the name of that truck. the only name i see on that truck is the vinyl "TOYOTA" decal.

 

[stryker709]

i still have the 88 toyota truck. still runs good over 200,000 miles on it and still kicking. i never figured out the name of that truck. the only name i see on that truck is the vinyl "TOYOTA" decal.

Yeah those things were tanks, but they rode like tanks too. People want more refined vehicles these days. My 88 was one sweet off road vehicle, but it left a lot to be desired on the highway being the 4 cylinder, is yours the 4 cyl or the v6?

 

[Curt Fesler]

The small toyota trucks I owned were 4 cyl, the older one a manual shift with an over drive 4th gear. The 87 I believe also had the 22 r engine, 4 cyl but I think this one was fuel injected. This one was much more powerful. I still think there is a place for these small trucks and the Taco is too close in size to the Tundra.

 

[HATEnFATE]

i still have the 88 toyota truck. still runs good over 200,000 miles on it and still kicking. i never figured out the name of that truck. the only name i see on that truck is the vinyl "TOYOTA" decal.

LoL the official name for the US version of your truck is called the "Truck" :thumbsup:

 

[DanteGTS]

Yeah those things were tanks, but they rode like tanks too. People want more refined vehicles these days. My 88 was one sweet off road vehicle, but it left a lot to be desired on the highway being the 4 cylinder, is yours the 4 cyl or the v6?

mine is the 4 cylinder one. yellowish color :thumbup:

 

[DanteGTS]

LoL the official name for the US version of your truck is called the "Truck" :thumbsup:

:clap:

 

[seadragon]

My first new vehicle was a 1989 4x4 Toyota "Truck". That was the only truck they sold at the time. I bought a black 4 cyl. regular cab, base model. No A/C, no radio. It didn't even come with a rear bumper. That was a $500 option. Out the door price was $18,900.

It had manually locking hubs and was a great little truck! That 4 cylinder engine (22 RE I think) was indestructable.

 

[skidmike]

IIRC, they called the '70s vintage version of that truck the "Hilux". I remember my neighbor's little 1974 Toyota Truck having a badge that said "Hilux" on it. I believe they still use that moniker overseas.

We looked at a Tacoma in 1999, but it was just a pinch to small, the 4-cyl power was abysmal (a V6 was $3k more), compared to the 5.7l Vortec I was used to. I ended up waiting a year and buying an '00 Tundra - if it weren't for the brakes on that truck, I'd still have it. When they upsized the Taco, I waited a couple of years and bought an 07. It's perfect for me, the wife, the dog, backpacks, snowshoes, etc.

The new Tundra is just too big for light-duty use, so I didn't even consider it or any of the other fullsize trucks. They've all gotten so big, I just didn't want one.

If Toyota produces the A-BAT and it has good power, I'll probably downsize to one of those. We already have a Camry Hybrid and that's a really nice car. The truck version with appropriate power would be ideal for the type of use I'd put it to.

-- mike

 

[Wallygator]

This is the next big news in the small/midsize truck market. From the sound of it, it will be one tough truck that gets great gas mileage and can haul way more than the Tacoma. The thing looks old school too, which I like. I would probably get the standard diesel and stay away from the hybrid. Too bad it won't come with a manual trans.

http://www.pickuptruck.com/html/news/mahindra/dieselhybridandmore.html

 

[seadragon]

This thread has made me all nostalgic. I scanned some photos of my 1989 Toyota Truck. I kinda miss it now that I look at it.

 

[Impelled]

Wally- That's one Butt-Ass ugly truck! Looks like the front of a Jeep Liberty with the bed of an old Datsun PU, a B210 or sumptin' hacked into the back.

 

[drifter28]

Nice thread here, i heard the Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexxus model will come to market,this year is the official set time. I don't know when exactly that will be, but that's what Toyota news and Lexus representatives are saying. I would guess around the end of January to the this February.

 

[wonger]

the average american are FAT. its hard to find anything small now a days
enough said

 

[skidmike]

This is the next big news in the small/midsize truck market. From the sound of it, it will be one tough truck that gets great gas mileage and can haul way more than the Tacoma. The thing looks old school too, which I like. I would probably get the standard diesel and stay away from the hybrid. Too bad it won't come with a manual trans.

http://www.pickuptruck.com/html/news/mahindra/dieselhybridandmore.html

That Mahindra kind of reminds me of the 1973 Mazda B1600 I learned to drive with. That was a tough truck - it survived 3 boys, dozens of cords of firewood hauling and many an unauthorized offroading excursion. I wonder if the Mahindra is built as well.

-- mike