Where to begin? This truck has been a dream since day one. Nothing mechanical ever really gave me problems.
I did go through three exhaust systems in 2 years, but that had a lot to do with a sloppy mechanic forgetting to put on mounts or heat shields.
It has the standard annoying dash rattle, but that can be drowned out by the radio.
The brakes were constant squeakers and squealers, but every time I brought it in for a brake job, they just cleaned them off and I was on my way.
The clutch survived towing a 3500 pound trailer and 25,000 miles of pizza delivery in a hilly area.
Four wheel drive (manual hubs) never failed.
The universal joints dried out regularly but a shot of grease every month is not a big deal.
Always started on the first turn over, even with a nearly dead battery. No smoke, no leaks.
Sadly what killed it was rust. The frame did not show any signs of serious cancer on the outside, but when I brought it in for brakes (probably shouldn't have) this week the dealer discovered that the frame had rusted from the inside-out, and the truck has been condemned. I'm truly heartbroken by this news as I am sure I would have made the 300,000 mile club. The 4 cylinder engine is BULLETPROOF.
A little slow, but what Yota isn't?
A killer off-road - made the Jeeps and Broncos look like sedans.
The interior was quite cramped and has very little storage space.
Pulls a trailer with no problem.
Carries 1000 pounds like nothing's in it.
The seats get a little uncomfortable, some more room to recline them would have been nice.
Overall the best truck I've owned. Did everything I needed it to and consistently got me 23 mpg.
I hear you on that. I also own a 97 Tacoma with a little under 102 k. It's been with me for 8 years and 80 thousand miles; never giving me a lick of trouble except one dead battery. Given the basic tune up and an 02 sensor, the mileage has reached 25.4 highway.
I'm sorry to hear that rust has taken its toll. Where do you live? I'm in Northeast Ohio, the area that yearly gets 2 feet of snow dropped on it with each storm, and even then the only rust is a little on the hood from rocks that chipped the paint.
Fantastic truck, would buy another one.
To the original commenter: I hope you read this, because Toyota has issued a recall on that year of truck, and a few other years for the frame rot in certain areas of the frame. I've been told by 3 different people that Toyota will buy back your truck for one and a half times what it's worth according to Kelly Blue Book's numbers for your truck in excellent condition. Check into it if the opportunity hasn't passed. It's a shame you can't keep it; those engines practically NEVER die.
Note: A Comments RSS Feed 
is available. New comments appear in the Members Area before the main site