What car do you drive?

[Jagosaurus]

My lease is up in one year. I'd really like to get a pickup, but I don't know if that's a good idea considering I'm currently ~35 miles each way from work. It's not even the gas mileage. The truck I'd want is a Tacoma, and they're rated 19/24 MPG which isn't that much less than what I'm getting in my current sedan (I'm getting about 28 MPG right now, and my commute is almost all highway). I'm just not sure how comfortable it would be to commute in a truck every day.

I drove my previous GMC Canyon pickup (image on last page) about 31 miles (62 round trip) for my daily commute for about 2 years. That is essentially the exact same size as a Tacoma. It was the 4x4 Z71 package which would be the Pre-Runner or 4x4 package in the Tacaoma world. The Pre Runner sits up with off-road suspension, but is not a true 4 wheel drive. I enjoy driving more when I sit up a bit, and it is also safer for commuting. I personally would not want to drive a small car in Houston traffic. Also worth noting, there are a ton of trucks on the road here which might change my perception there.

I'm actually changing my tune a bit. Rather than the expensive Retrax bed cover, I am leaving towards this Tyger Tonneau Bed Cover for my 1500 Silverado. It is literally 20% of the cost and still meets my needs. I want to protect luggage when traveling and still have access to my bed when needed. $220 versus roughly $1,100 . This one is self install and easily removable if needed.

[Xeogred]

2002 2D Honda Civic. Sucks ass when you're moving.

[Jagosaurus]

Alright guys. Bed cover installed. Very happy. The water seal seems nice & tight, build is solid. It folds up into 1/3 of the size for quick bed use (as seen in stock image above) & can be removed it needed.

This will allow me to actually use to truck for family traveling, throwing our luggage in the back. That was my #1 goal.

It will also improve mpg a bit. Looks to be an estimate of 1 mpg. Looks pretty sharp IMO as well.



What do y'all think?

Ziggy.... Tyger makes one for Tacomas...

In all seriousness, I did a ton of research & landed on this manufacturer based on user reviews, service requests I'd seen handled, functionality, & price. I can chime back in after substantial use but impressed so far.

[Ziggy]

What do y'all think?

Ziggy.... Tyger makes one for Tacomas...

Looks pretty sharp. I was unaware that they can give you a slight bump in MPG.

Having never owned a truck, I'm not sure what type of bed cover I'd prefer. I've toyed with the idea of getting a cap that would be stored in the backyard most of the time. I would throw it on if it was raining and I needed to get building materials, or if I had cargo that I wanted to have locked up when I go somewhere. But a bed cover like yours would be cheaper, and it'd be hard to justify spending more money for something that I would only use on a rare occasion.

Unless the truck I get comes with a bed cover or cap, I'd probably put off getting one until a time that I could justify the use and purchase of one. The first thing I'd like to do though is build myself something like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5JZbRIdPew

Since the Tacoma isn't 4' between the wheel wells, a rack system like this would make loading and hauling 4x8' material a little easier. Also, I like the idea of not having the stuff on the dirty bed floor, and that it only takes 30 seconds to install / uninstall something like that. Although, the Tacoma only has a 6' bed length, so I'd have to come up with something clever to still hold it on an angle to clear the tailgate, else come up with something so I can leave the tailgate down.

Thanks for the heads up though, I'll definitely check out Tyger if I decide to get a cover. That is, unless you post back that it disintegrated in 6 months.

I'm bringing my Camry in for an oil change / inspection next week, and I plan to check out and maybe test drive a Tacoma while I'm there.

[Jagosaurus]

Rough math, it'll save me ~$130 per year on gas so it pays for itself in under 2 years (~1 yr 8 mos). Not bad.

Yeah those hard lids are nice but are not made to be removed easily. It's an affair. My roommate in college had one & really made to stay on.

That was part of the appeal of this one. Easy to 100% remove if needed. I really like the Retrax & Roll n Lock but I couldn't justify the $1K when the Tyger ran a quarter that.

That's a really nice project she knocked out! They make some really cool bed accessories out there, alost like all the closet organization options. Google truck bed cages and organization.

[racketboy]

Daily - 2012 Corrolla LE - just shy of 40 miles to the gallon.
Weekend - 78 Ford C8000 - just shy of 4 miles to the gallon. Actually its not that bad but it is a big truck. That is just now getting is bed welded in this week.

Nice! Was running a '97 Corolla up until 3.5 years ago.
Finally got a 2014 Toyota Camry XLE Hybrid. So quiet, smooth and reliable. Good family car with the two kiddos too

[Markies]

I am also driving a 2014 Toyota Camry!



I have had Camry's all my life. I started with a 92 and then I got a 2001. I had the 2001 until 2014 when it got destroyed by Hail. The 2014 is super nice and very smooth.

[Ziggy]

Nice!

I'm on my third car, and it's my third Toyota and second Camry. Started with a 00 Corolla, then the 99 Camry, now the 2012 Camry. And if I get the Tacoma, it'll be my forth Toyota!

[Jagosaurus]

Toyota makes solid vehicles. You get a lot of use out of them. My family growing up had a 94 camry with 200k miles. I know you remember this "bubble" body style:

Modern cars are hard enough to work on as is. Japanese manufacturers typically take this into account even less. I changed my girlfriend's oil in an Accord in high school. When I realized you had to take off the front left tire (per manual!) to access the oil filter, I vowed all my cars would come from Detroit. Also had some interesting maintenance experience on that '94 Camry.

Mrs. Jago had a 4Runner we also got 200K out of. Only issue I ever had was the exhaust. Again, well built cars.

Then, as a whole maintenance is more expensive on German. Not trying to start a "car war" as they all have their issues. Just personally stating why I go American.

That said Ziggy, my uncle had a lifted 4x4 Tacoma. That little guy was mean. We had some fun mudding

[Ziggy]

Modern cars are hard enough to work on as is. Japanese manufacturers typically take this into account even less. I changed my girlfriend's oil in an Accord in high school. When I realized you had to take off the front left tire (per manual!) to access the oil filter, I vowed all my cars would come from Detroit. Also had some interesting maintenance experience on that '94 Camry.

I'm not a big fan of Honda. They seem to last as long as Toyota, but from what I've seen, they don't do you any favors in the ergonomics department.

I can't speak for the 94 Camry, but work has been a breeze on the 89 Corolla (was almost my first car via a hand-me-down), the 00 Corolla and the 99 Camry. Can't speak much of the 2012 Camry since I've only done oil changes on it, but it's just as easy as my past two Toyotas. Same goes for my pop's 2005 Corolla.

You wanna talk about Japanese cars and oil changes, check out where Subaru puts the oil filter...

I had a nerdgasm when I first saw this, it made me want to get an Impreza even more. In fact, I'd have to make a hard choice between getting a Tacoma or a Subaru pickup if they made one.

Then, as a whole maintenance is more expensive on German. Not trying to start a "car war" as they all have their issues. Just personally stating why I go American.

I would never buy an American car. At least, not until I start seeing 15 year old models driving around as frequent as Japanese cars. American trucks, well, that's a different story. They seem to last a long time. I'm not sure why America can't build cars as good as they build trucks.