1996 Tacoma a good daily driver? Or should I get a newer car?
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My brother has a 96 Tacoma and I'd say it's crude, at best. It rattles, the A/C has always been lousy since the day he bought it. Ride, there isn't much in a 4x4 Tacoma of that model. It rides like a stiff legged mule as my brother puts it. The 4 banger is no powerhouse and in bro's opinion, anemic at best. You can forget 20mpgs as it's not gonna happen. The 4x4 system sucks what little power the engine has and you pretty much have to push the thing down the road even in 2 wheel drive. Hiway he sees 17 mpgs and that's at 60 mph. Push it faster and the race is on between you getting where you're going and the gas gauge hitting empty. Last time I was in his truck, it had just over 150,000 miles on it... Our WWII Army Jeep is a Cadillac by comparison.
There is zero comparison between the old Tacos and the new ones. The old ones up to 1996 were a real 4x4 with all wheels pulling. They were more of a tool than a daily driver. The newer models are more targeted for the soccer families. The newer models do not have lockout axles, for an example. The 4x4 system is vacuum actuated vs a manual 100% lockup of the older ones. Suspension is far more user friendly. The interiors are nicer and spacious.
Wow, gotta disagree with a lot of this. 20 mpg should definitely be achievable. I have a '95 Nissan 4x4 pickup and it manages that number, also had a '92 Toyota that was 19+.
Crude? I don't think so, not with a steering rack and coil springs in the front. The tacos/4Runners of this era ride much better than my old torsion bar/steering box pickups, which in turn ride much better than a WW II army jeep. They also can hold highway speed comfortably, which is not possible in a WWII Heep.
Old Toyota pickups never came from the factory with "all wheels spinning". Newer Tacos have had a rear locking differential as an option.
Agree that the newer ones have much nicer interiors, more spacious and better rides. Also much more power and better MPG. For just about every application they are superior vehicles. Much more complex, expensive and difficult to work on though. I'd go for that old '96.
We had a 97 Tacoma 4x4 with the V6 (stock wheels and tires) that we bought new and it was literally unbreakable for the few years we drove it. I sold it when I retired and starting pulling a 16' car hauler trailer with loads of up to 4,000 pounds across Texas and New Mexico. The truck would pull it but the V6 was breathing really hard after about 600 miles.
Sorry but I don't remember what sort of gas mileage the little truck got.
The '96 Tacoma has a 2-star (out of 5) NHTSA front crash test rating for the driver and only a driver airbag. The 1998 and newer models have an Acceptable IIHS front offset rating and better NHTSA front crash ratings but did badly in the side impact crash test. Reliability should be fine, Toyota trucks of that era are bulletproof, but I'd try something safer.
The 2001-2004 Tacomas are the same body style but got passing NHTSA crash test grades front and side and the same IIHS front offset rating of Acceptable. If I were you, I'd go for a 2001-2004 Tacoma, or get the second-gen model (2005-2015). The second gen model is much safer than any first gen model.
The '96 Tacoma has a 2-star (out of 5) NHTSA front crash test rating for the driver and only a driver airbag. The 1998 and newer models have an Acceptable IIHS front offset rating and better NHTSA front crash ratings but did badly in the side impact crash test. Reliability should be fine, Toyota trucks of that era are bulletproof, but I'd try something safer.
The 2001-2004 Tacomas are the same body style but got passing NHTSA crash test grades front and side and the same IIHS front offset rating of Acceptable. If I were you, I'd go for a 2001-2004 Tacoma, or get the second-gen model (2005-2015). The second gen model is much safer than any first gen model.
You bring up a great point. Safety is pretty important and the 1995-97 sound kind of like death traps. I could get a 4th gen 4Runner (2007) for $13000 but that’s a lot more of my savings used up on a vehicle. Kind of want a cheap 4X4 and put the rest of the money towards a down payment on real estate
You bring up a great point. Safety is pretty important and the 1995-97 sound kind of like death traps. I could get a 4th gen 4Runner (2007) for $13000 but that’s a lot more of my savings used up on a vehicle. Kind of want a cheap 4X4 and put the rest of the money towards a down payment on real estate
Death trap? No. Heard about all the people dying in old Toyotas? Neither have I. IMO some people put way too much emphasis on safety ratings, which leads to buying the biggest fawking rig they can (or can't) afford, rather than something practical.
Pickups typically aren't great in snow/ice due to poor weight balance, so be sure to load down the rear during winter. And yes, buy the cheap 4x4-ratings be damned-and also some real estate!
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