1st Generation Toyota Tacoma | Review and 0-60

[@GoreTorn16]

Proud owner of my 2003 Tacoma Prerunner 2.7 2WD with 227,000. It's got a long way to go for it's "break in" period but its the best truck I've ever owned.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That’s awesome!

[@santibouphavong]

That is awesome. I still have the same 01 tacoma with 375k miles since i was a teenager. Literally my highschool sweetheart lol

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

How many miles did it have when you first bought it? That’s so cool!

[@GoreTorn16]

211,000 miles! @@AutomotiveAnonymous208

[@JohanAguilar-kk9sp]

same truck ext cab prerunner 03 with 250 hoping she goes double

[@DonBMW]

96 Tacoma Ext Cab here with the V6, Manual Trans, and 4x4 Manual locking hubs. It does 0-60 sometime between today and tomorrow. It is an amazing truck. Ultra reliable, awesome capability, low maintenance, and millennial and gen z theft proof. Rain, snow, or shine this thing never stops.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That’s awesome! 🤩

[@PaulWall78]

Millennial and gen Z proof 😂😂😂 exactly 👎🏽

[@yes_man212]

99 sr5 extra cab 4x4 325k miles v6 auto with manual hubs and LSD rear it’s not fast but it gets peppy when I need it

[@Kaiclipper17]

Im 15 and just got the same exact truck from my grandpa, except a 98. Already put a lift kit, replaced the suspension system, new leaf springs, new ball joints and control arms etc. So excited for when i can drive

[@DonBMW]

@@Kaiclipper17 Congrats! Wonderful trucks. I use all Amsoil fluids, replace timing belt and water pump at the service interval and consisten coolant changes and your all good! Solid truck. Enjoy!!

[@somedude9576]

Heading down tomorrow to get a 2004 in the same color. He wanted $16k but I got him down to $14K. 210K miles with two owners. Great clip.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That’s awesome!

[@taemac10]

WOW, that much for a 2004 still with 210k? 😱

[@somedude9576]

@ didn’t buy it. It was a flaming pile of shit. It looked great when you pull up. But the front end was destroyed and the transmission was clunky as hell. I went with a 2002 Tundra. Guy had great records, and it was passed down to him by his grandfather.

[@RubiKonAdventures]

Mine looks brand new. 310k miles no door dings or rust. Just drove it from Seattle to Manitoba towing a trailer with my Moto in it. Best vehicle I’ve ever owned.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That’s awesome!!

[@eastvancat1416]

I drove my brand new double cab off the lot on August 28th 2002 then decided to do a solid axle swap with 37’ 8years after buying it….daily drove it for years…. Now only on the weekends but it has 390,000 kilometers on it with the original transmission & engine. Runs great to this day!!

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing this. 😁

[@cmirwin19]

Just bought my wife's grandads '96 with 187,000 for $800. It sat for two years because he passed away. It's got the v6 and I don't think he drove it above 50mph.

[@Munizjr1986]

I own my dads all original first gen single cab 4x4 and get more compliments on it than I do on my is250.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

I bet that’s a really special experience, let alone it being IMO one of the best trucks/configurations ever made! 🙂

[@LVthekidd]

I was originally looking for a 4runner but decided to buy my older brothers 2001 tacoma prerunner TRD off-road package, after watching this video and reading the comments I couldnt be more stoked!

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That’s really cool, I’m excited for you!!

[@cedricmendoza1305]

how many miles

[@N8Dogg1002]

Proud 1st gen owner. 03 4 door v6. Love it.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That sounds like a cool truck! Thanks for watching.

[@PrepperDawg]

Still driving my 2004 Tacoma as a daily. 262,000 miles.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That’s awesome!!

[@hv4285]

Not sure what Im watching this vid lol Proud owner of two 1st gen extended cab. One with 2.7L hauling driving around town to work, a 3.4L of adventure, wheeling both approaching 200k, runs super smooth

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Those sound like some sweet Taco’s! I don’t blame you, I also like to watch videos on vehicle I own or think would be fun to own. 😂 Thanks for watching!

[@oneeyedraven7375]

Only had my Tacoma for 3 years before I totaled it. Was a four door 03 with 143k on the odometer. Bitter because that baby would have went a lot longer if I hadn’t been in the accident. Back to searching for another first generation Tacoma, only material thing I have ever loved and I cannot wait to get another.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

I’m sorry to hear about that! I hope you find the perfect one for you. 🤩

[@nathankoroush7918]

still have my 2003 4 door, v6, trd, my wife and I bought new. Last 13 years it sits in the garage all warm and dry, 152,000

[@edmora7662]

I have a green 1998 2.7 liter 4X4 Tacoma never been off road with 295K. Still looks and runs great. No truck payments since March 2002. Been to the Toyota dealer never impressed by the new ones. Always having to tell them no I’m not trading my 98.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That’s awesome! They don’t make them like they use to!

[@steelybeatz6382]

Beautiful looking truck!! I have a 2001 with the 4 door configuration. I wish I took care of the exterior more. Happy travels!! :)

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That’s for sure, thanks for watching! 🙂

[@Lollygagger-k4p]

Indestructible....until the frame breaks in half. It's a good truck, one of several. Designed from the FJ-40, it inherited a frame that was over engineered, and did not shed water and debris as well as a C-channel frame. The 3rd Gen Ford Ranger is 2/3s the cost used, and has a partial box frame up front and a C-channel in the rear. No issues. They are proving to last just as long on the road, too, and have a bigger payload cap.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

You’ve made some great points! Thanks for sharing your insight. 🙂

[@vltruan]

I previously owned a ‘01 Ranger 3.0 before buying my 4x4 taco. It was a decent truck, but the fit, finish, and overall quality is nowhere as good as the Toyota. My Ranger had the engine pinging issue. That was so annoying, I was only able to run high octane fuel, if not, the engine would start to ping. I replaced everything on that damn truck, fuel pump, motor mounts, suspension, radiator, seals, hoses,etc. You name it, I changed it. I was never able to resolve the pinging problem, that’s why I got rid of it. My 4x4 Tacoma on the other hand has been 100% reliable, 186k miles, no rust, still has the original alternator. She’s a keeper.

[@joeyjoejirueimioaiwudij]

im getting my license soon and my father just got a 2022 TRD off road tacoma and I'm gonna get the older 2004 rwd preunner with 150k miles and its gonna be great

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That’s super exciting!!

[@BBQROCKSTAR178]

Great Truck. Thank you for sharing. I am the original owner of an 01 tundra with that same motor in it. SR5 2 Wheel Dr. I’ve got 297,000 original miles and I’m never getting rid of my truck truck.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That’s awesome!! Thanks for watching. 🙂

[@johngamble6773]

Great truck and Great Review!

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Thanks! It wasn’t as planned out as many of my new vehicles videos, but I love Tacomas and having owned a few I couldn’t pass this one up lol.

[@jesusserrano8769]

i own a 4door , 4cyl Prerunner , automatic, i mean its not a V6 nor a Manual but it is quick, capable, and reliable, greetings from mexico

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That sounds like a fun truck! Thanks for watching. 🙂

[@josegalan8348]

My is the same no complaints at all

[@shawnure6707]

Love my 04 xtra cab with the 5vz manual. Just over 250k kms🇨🇦✊️🌮

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That’s good to hear, I’m glad you’re enjoying that sweet 1st gen!

[@0bscura]

They're great trucks. My '03 Tacoma is supercharged and has camberg suspension that lets me take speed humps at without slowing down. It just eats'em up.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That sounds like a sweet set up!

[@freedomisntfree_44]

About right. Mines about 12 seconds to 60 at 1000 ft above sea level with 33s. 297k miles and counting.

[@Caf1972]

I have a regular cab Prerunner w/3rz auto. It has 138k on it and truly is a great vehicle that needs very little to maintain.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That sounds like a nice trick, especially with such low mileage!

[@gunnarfredericks9537]

First gen double cabs unfortunately didn’t come with a manual transmission.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Oh interesting, thank you for sharing this!

[@shawnhwarner]

Yes they did

[@matt25675]

@@shawnhwarnerwell whether they did or didn’t imagine how much of a holy grail that would be - 4 door TRD off road V6 manual

[@Nessal83]

​@@shawnhwarnerthey absolutely did not. Only xtracab and single cab had the manual option.

[@francoutah]

You're right. I had to settle for the xtracab because I only wanted manual transmission when I bought my white TRD Off-road back in '04. I've been to hell and back with that truck and still drive it every day. She's never let me down. I have put gallons of Fluid Film on the damn frame though.

[@Sotoam]

I have Miata, Forester and tje first gen Tacoma prerunner.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Nice!! I have a Miata and outback wilderness. First gen Taco’s are the best!

[@cuphead7795]

I have a 98 2.7 single cab with 324k runs like new love my taco im keeping her for life its to expensive and hard to get another 1 ❤

[@JPEGfilms]

I got a 04 with a back up camera 167k miles rear differential locking 2wd

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Nice!! That sounds sweet.

[@holyhayn]

Hey man, I love that grille you've got on yours, where did you get it? I would love to get one for myself. Thanks!

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

It definitely was pretty sweet! But I’m unsure of the brand as it was on the truck when I found it for the video. Thanks for watching!

[@Doc1855]

I had an 88 Xtra cab 4WD Toyota Hilux. It was a sweet pickup. It was bright blue metallic with a sunroof. 4cyl, 5spd stick. It had custom wheels and 33” tires. Sadly it was stolen and the guy who stole it took it up in the mountains to take it off roading. He definitely took it off road, drove over a cliff and the first boulder he hit on the way down, ripped out the front axles. He flipped end over end and then it rolled down the rest of the way. His passenger was thrown out of the truck, (no seatbelt). The driver broke his back and never walked again. I’m surprised that he lived. He was charged with Grand theft Auto, and felony man slaughter. He served 18 years in prison.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Oh man that sounds like it was a nice Hilux! I saw an imported Hilux Surf about 2 weeks ago, essentially looked like a RHD 3rd gen 4Runner.

[@Doc1855]

@@AutomotiveAnonymous208 it truly was a sweet pickup. Even after all these years, I still miss it. I feel bad for the guy who was killed. I have mixed emotions for the guy who stole my pickup. On one had the punishment he received for the theft, he has to pay for for the rest of his life. Then on the other hand, if he would have never stolen my pickup to begin with, he’d still be able to walk. But now he’ll never be able to steal from anyone, unless it’s petty theft. It’s hard for someone to steal something and use their “getaway car” is a wheelchair.

[@kasenrivers2690]

@@Doc1855damn that sucks man, I’m sorry you had to deal with that. People do stupid things sometimes and I don’t know anything about the guy who stole your truck, but hopefully after his sentence he can get his life straight. I get your mixed feeling about em.

[@Qwe-ni1kz]

Thinking of selling my 4x4 3rd gen 4Runner to buy this truck . I love my 4R BUT I need a truck bed that I beat up

[@shawnhwarner]

It must've sold, they don't have it anymore as of Jan 2023

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Oh probably! It’s been a couple months since I’ve filmed this. It was a sweet Taco!

[@001dman]

is it bad that i have 3 4 door 1st gens and 3 extended cabs? lol... i love these things

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

No, it’s not bad….😉

[@PaulWall78]

I too own 2 '04 tacos. 1 double cab prerunner 6trd @250kmi and another '04 5spd v6trd excab @200Kmi super fun to drive as a daily still running strong. No leaks, like new idle. IT'S A TRUCK!

[@JohanAguilar-kk9sp]

@@PaulWall78 sstop hogging the taco guys i want one :(

[@joshr3124]

Is this truck lifted or leveled if so how many inches it looks very nice

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

I’m sorry, I wish I knew those specs but it was just a used truck on the dealers lot that I came across. Best of luck!

[@yes_man212]

These came from factory fairly level my taco is pretty level and it’s got the og suspension

[@joshwalz8763]

Double cabs dont have a longer wheel base, same exact wheel base as xtra cabs.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Good catch! I must have been thinking of the 2nd gen’s and newer that a double cab long bed is a longer wheelbase than a DCSB or the ACLB which are both the same.

[@BretBerger]

Can you jump the Snake River in a 4-door Taco?

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Only one way to find out! 😛

[@WildOutdoorLiving]

The double cab never came in a manual. Kind of a deal breaker to be honest. Of course now that the pricing is more reasonable a manual swap isnt out of the question.

[@caesargarcia3324]

What lift are you running on this looks dope..

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

I’m sorry, I didn’t have that information available when I borrowed it for this video. 🤦‍♂️ But it definitely looked sweet in person!

[@caesargarcia3324]

No worries, I just got one and will be lifting it soon thanks for replying.

[@drewpair7148]

I got that 03 xtracab 2wd with 310k miles

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Nice! It’s almost broken in…😜

[@WA-eg7ft]

Rare are the ones with the factory roof rack

[@MomentoMori769]

I have mine at 55k miles, I wonder if I can get 25k

[@ch1959]

Double cabs definitely aren't "rare". They didn't start making them until 2001, so only 2001 to 2004 for them, but there are tons of them out there. The reason I bought an Xtracab instead was that they never made a double cab with a manual transmission in the 1st gens.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Thanks for sharing this! I rarely see them in my area, mostly the Xtra cab and occasional regular cab that’s not just a 2wd work truck.

[@PaulWall78]

04 5 spd 4wd @200Kmi, 04 dc pre @250K still 💪🏽😎

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Nice!! 👍

[@alonzocamacho1032]

How much was this tacoma?

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

If I failed to show the asking price in the video I apologize, probably like 14-16k. But I don’t remember exactly. Thanks for watching!

[@Gokywildcats11]

Whats wheels is on this

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

3rd gen Tacoma wheels. 🙂

[@Gokywildcats11]

Do you think thats factory fender flares​@AutomotiveAnonymous208

[@Gokywildcats11]

​I have a 4door 1st gen just like that. I give mine a B. It's in good shape v6 230,000

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

I had assumed they were, but I’m not overly familiar with 1st gen’s. I owned a 2nd and 3rd gen each for about two years, but that was a while ago. So I’m not currently the most keen on Tacoma detail like an owner would be. I’ve seen other 1st gen’s on 3rd gen TRD off road wheels and just always assumed they fit well or with maybe a small lift. I bet that’s a fun truck! 😎

[@midlifemotox]

0 to 60? Sometime next week.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Haha, that sounds about right.

[@claybarnett6350]

Why one wouldn’t get a G70 3.3T for $5,000 less, with 35% more torque (376 vs 280) and 18% more horsepower (368 vs 311) is beyond me unless a die-hard Toyota loyalist. It’s a 20 year old powertrain that debuted . Much like Toyota selling 4-speed manuals in ‘96, 3-speed automatics in the Corolla in 2002, and 4-speed autos until 2019, Toyota reliability is partially due to solid engineering, but largely also due to them rising the same old horses for entirely too long.

[@justing6594]

Kinda hard to break something that's between 150-180hp! 😂

[@mikem5823]

Drop a TRD supercharger on it and put 300 on the ground ... then its fun ... plus I still get 20 Mpg

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That sounds sweet! I loved the TRD Supercharged 4.0 FJ I use to have.

[@likits1999]

You dont know about first genners. The stick shift Tacomas were Prerunners only, not 4x4.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

You’re right. I owned and am much more familiar with the 2nd and 3rd gens. But I appreciate you adding the correction and insight. I don’t often see 4 door first gens so I just selfishly wanted to drive it haha.

[@truslyd]

My 96 4x4 is a 5 speed manual..

[@likits1999]

@@truslyd 96 is not a double cab. The photo depicts a dc. Prerunners started in 01 with the dc, so yes, in 96 they were standard or automatic.

[@truslyd]

@@likits1999 👍👍👍

[@joshwalz8763]

You dont know about 1st gens lol. They never made a 1st gen manual double cab. @likits1999

[@Offensively-normal]

🟦 Not another Tacoma review. Not another Tacoma revi... Oh cool. First Gen. Well after being slammed all day. I can only watch the same knob getting twisted by 4 different people, apparently 4 times without saying ENOUGH! Now I have some contrast (thank you ) and the last three all new 2024 Tacoma videos were not a complete waste of time as a result of this video.

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

Lol! When I got home from work today I made it through about 3 2024 videos before I also had enough, mostly wanted to see how others enjoyed the 6 speed. 😛

[@Animation-my8ug]

I bought my baby taco 2001 trd v6 with 242,456 miles, I tell you I'm like a child with a new toy.😂 some rust, not too crazy, I've already started doing all its maintenance

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

That sounds like an awesome toy-yoda! Lol 😜

[@btwin1981]

Those wheel spacers look ridiculous

[@EmelinaNantanapibul-h2o]

Heaney Plains

[@stevematatu1459]

Rare? lol

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

I mean, I don’t see them in my area very often? Lol 🤔🤷‍♂️

[@RubiKonAdventures]

Yeah, not rare.

[@deantrainr]

Still kickin myself in the keister for selling my 1996 Tacoma SR5 4x4 manual transmission truck a couple of years ago. 🥲. Man I wish I could turn back time 🕰️

[@AutomotiveAnonymous208]

I feel that, lol. I miss both my old 2013 regular cab and 2017 access cab, both 5 speed 2.7 trucks. And also my 07 Supercharged FJ. But we live and learn. 🤷‍♂️🤪