2004 Toyota Tacoma double cab, TRD, Limited review from North America

The only problem that I had was a mis alignment of the front wheels. It was like that when I got it from the dealer, but I initially assumed it was from uneven roads.

Dealer fixed the problem when I brought it to their attention.

We have had many Fords in our family, so I know all the problems they have. The Chevy is really dated and small. So, the new truck that I was going to buy was either a Toyota or a Nissan - a 4x4, double cab.

The purchase prices were the same.

Pro’s of Nissan:

-Nissan offered MUCH better financing (0.9%) - it would have cost me $80-$90 less each month (60-month loan).

-Nissan had more horse-power (210 with super charger).

-Nissan looks better (in my opinion).

-The seats in the Nissan were also more comfortable - a big plus.

Con’s of Nissan:

-I was told be a few Nissan owners that the Nissan's develop a lot of rattles.

-Slightly lower gas mileage.

-Some parts of the interior seemed like it had not been finished or secured well enough – I can see where the rattles would come from.

Pro’s of Toyota:

-Toyota has a better reliability reputation.

-The Tacoma had slightly better gas mileage.

-Toyota seemed to be better built; interior was “tighter” – seemed more complete and very solid.

Con’s of Toyota:

-I had to buy the Limited Package to get seats that I could deal with. The seats in the other packages/grades or Tacoma were unbearable. They were too mooshy with no support. I almost did not buy the Tacoma because of the seats.

-Terrible financing rate (3.99%) – huge monthly payment ($478, if I recall correctly).

It was a tough decision, but I bought the Double Cab Toyota Tacoma TRD Limited. Following my thought process above, it would appear that the Nissan would be a better buy.

Reliability is the main reason that I bought the Toyota – this thing better last me the 200-300K miles that I keep hearing about. Rattles or squeaks on a new car would drive me insane.

The monthly payments on the Toyota are huge (to me), but I hope to pay it off early that I am not getting screwed on the interest.

I have been driving the truck since I bought it new in July or 2004. The truck is great. No rattles, plenty of power.

I do have a couple of complaints:

-it is like a magnet for bad drivers. It had been hit three times by the time I made two payments on it. Each time while it was parked. No serious damage, but there are some chips, scrapes, and little dents.

- Gas mileage is terrible. I get 16.8 to 17.7 miles/gallon. 90% of my driving is on the highway. I just keep up with traffic – 50 to 80 miles per hour. Most of the driving is done at 70 to 75 mph.

- the interior is not designed very well. The steering wheel obscures the controls for the window wipers, lights, and blocks the clock on the dash.

My Tacoma does its job well: get me to and from work safely in any type of weather, enables me to haul yard waste to the dump, carries me and three friends to go snowboarding, gets me, a few friends, and bunch of guns and target frames to the rifle range, look classy for a night out on the town…

Nearly ideal vehicle, just needs better gas mileage and better interior.