2003 Toyota Tacoma SR5 TRD V6 3.4L from North America
Summary:
Pricey, but worth every penny.
Faults:
All cosmetic, but here they are:
The tabs on the cup holders wore out.
The little plastic arm that holds the driver's side floor mat in place broke.
Tires needed to be replaced @ 50,000 miles.
Ball joints needed to be replaced due to a recall... fixed for free (obviously)
Foam rubber gasket on driver's side door wore out.
General Comments:
Great truck! All I've done is change the oil (missed my 30k service, but I'm going to take her in for the 60k).
The rear end is a bit light in the snow... just added a few sand bags and it handles much better (even with 4WD).
The seat belts don't retract and are constantly getting slammed in the doors, which drives me nuts! This seems to be the case with every Toyota I've ever been in, though.
Why must everything be cheap plastic these days? I skidded out on a snow-covered dirt road and hit a snow bank going about 10 mph... Didn't even think anything of it, until I got home... the whole bumper needs to be replaced! Even the chrome had a big dent in it. Oh well, that's what insurance is for.
Seats are a bit uncomfortable for long drives.
Gas mileage is a killer... I've hit 21 mpg once, since then never topped out above 19. Still, better than any other pickup on the market.
Great power, decent handling, fun on the beach, seems to be nearly impossible to get it stuck.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 25th March, 2007
7th May 2007, 15:26
During my test drive of an '04 Tacoma that I'm considering buying used I noticed the same thing with the seat belts - thought it might be something with the particular truck. But all the other one's I test drove do the same thing as does my sister's '04 Corolla. It is annoying.
Most everything else about Toyotas seem so well-engineered I guess they had screw at least one thing up!
9th Apr 2007, 15:24
Yes, the seat belt problem is true. I've been involved with multiple tacomas and all of their seat belts will not wind up (always getting stuck in the doors very annoying!).