2006 Tacoma Access Cab 2WD Automatic

I concur with hildich who covers most of the essential points to justify his enthusiasm for a great pickup truck. No need to repeat the specs here.

Wife and I have just completed a 7200 mile trip from San Francisco to Dayton, OH to deliver a 400 lbs Suzuki Burgman 400 scooter to our son. Then back to San Francisco. With the convenient tie down rings and two extra I easily added, the load was very secure and stable. The handling was excellent, still car like, and I averaged 23 mpg eastbound. Westbound, we were empty and averaged 24.5 mpg at 75-79 mph (by GPS readings).

The four cylinder engine is flawless. It took a little practice to time shifts manually on long grades to prevent hunting by the transmission. It would've been nice to have the V6 but I was not willing to incur a 15% penalty in fuel and long-term costs. I'm shipping the truck back to HI unless I can sell it in CA before my next trip. Here, we don't need lots of horsepower (especially for an old dude like me) for occasional hauling of small stuff.

The ride was especially pleasing. We bought two eggcrate pads to sit on and put them in pillowcases. It was a wise investment of $15, and never did we feel achy in spite of 12-13 hours days. Without the pads, the ride is OK for local trips.

I didn't find a single factory defect, and there were no ergonomic features to nitpik. For basic utility transportation, the Tacoma gives big bang for the buck.

It's a far cry from the trucks I remember when I was a USAF transportation officer in charge of over 500 vehicles. Toyota has taken a great truck and refined it to state-of-the art perfection. All you need to do now is get the best price you can. I found mine for $200 over invoice in Portland, OR, so the prices are, indeed, negotiable.