Aron9000

Personally I love my 1993 Toyota. Its 2wd, reg cab, 6 foot bed, 4 cylinder 5 speed, gets 25mpg, and is super reliable. Despite it being unloved and beat to hell its entire life. Yes, it had a piece of twine holding the hood down when I bought it for $500. Ran great, looked like hell, needed a clutch, a/c was broke as well.






The price of new trucks now days just shocks me. Something similar to this thing is $21,000 now days. It isn't any quicker or really more capable in terms of towing/hauling, and gets the same gas mileage. Granted the extra cab that is now standard on the Tacoma is a nice feature, there isn't enough room to cuss a cat in my truck.

You can get a stripped out Nissan Versa, Chevy Spark, Yaris, etc for 15-17k. Used to be you could get a cheap truck for the same price. I know my dad bought a 2004 Tacoma, same spec as mine, ie no options except carpet and a/c for 12k back in 2003. Inflation adjusted that's $15,000 today. That truck now has more miles on it than my old 93 I think, zero problems, gets about the same 25mpg.


I guess I think its BS you can't buy a small truck, it has to be some sort of big, expensive, flashy hulking sort of vehicle now days. I'm curious to see what a base, stripped out 2016 Tacoma will look like. The 2005-2015 stripper model has looked horrendous and extremely dorky, like a huge 4wd body with big fender flares, dropped on a package with shorter axles and 225/70/R16 wheels/tires.

OceanView

I agree but what can you do?

I had a brand new Toyota PU in 86 that my father bought for $5,999.
It was the loss leader and had nothing in it. No radio, No AC, Stick only.
It was super reliable and I have a lot of fond memories of it.
Car got totaled in a wreck and was gone I would love to get another one but I can't justify current prices.
The new trucks are getting bigger and so are the prices.

Fizzboy7

Everything is more expensive today. It's not just trucks. Cheap new cars aren't in the same bracket as they once were in the 90's either. $21k for a new truck is low. At least for today's prices, you get a very plush interior, smooth ride, big payloads, lots of cabin space, extra comfort, and a long array of safety features that can keep you out of an accident or save your life in a wreck. Money well spent once you have it and get used to it all.

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

have you searched Craigslist? there can be decent cars and trucks for pretty cheap. but I agree everything is expensive and inflation sucks and employers don't compensate for that