Ughhhh, to buy or not to buy...that is the question

[steveoz]

Been driving my Tacoma for 13 yrs, and while it has reasonably low miles it does have a bit of age....and I am now having to drive mom around a bit...so make payments on a 0% interest deal on a new Highlander?....keep driving the Tacoma...

[chunkylover53]

Sounds like the Tacoma is just getting broken in....I’d drive it into the ground. Though if it is in decent shape, you’ll get a good price for it.

[AngryScientist]

depending on the condition, drivetrain and miles on the taco, you're sitting on a good chunk of cash there, the resale value of that truck is very high, especially if you sell it yourself. i've been casually looking at used tacos for years, and cant get over what they sell for used with piles of miles on them.

the highlander is a pretty dramatically different vehicle in almost every single way than the taco, aside from wearing the same badge. certainly a more refined driver and passenger comfort and handling experience, at the expense of rugged real-truck manners. if you never take the taco off pavement, dont tow or haul anything big, it's almost certainly the wrong vehicle to be driving for a variety of reasons.

highlander will be safer, get better fuel economy, more comfortable to drive on the road and be better overall in almost all but extreme offroad conditions.

is any of that worth swapping to you?

how is the body and frame - rust wise?

[fmradio516]

Ill buy the taco from ya.

[bjf]

Highlander. Mine is 11 years old, has more than 110K miles, and still is a joy to drive. Big bonus -- a complete bike fits in back (with the rear seats down) without taking off the front wheel.

[steveoz]

Originally Posted by bjf

Highlander. Mine is 11 years old, has more than 110K miles, and still is a joy to drive. Big bonus -- a complete bike fits in back (with the rear seats down) without taking off the front wheel.

That's why I like the Highlander vs a smaller suv - gotta fit a bike in it!

[Clancy]

I went from a MB to a Volvo and now to a Subaru Outback and I am surprised at how much I like this car. The safety features are a big advancement over my previous cars and are such that I cannot imagine driving a car without them. The Subaru is very utilitarian but given the price, it’s a lot of car for the money.

And with the back seats down, I can put my bike in without removing the front wheel.

Just sayin’

[Surfdog98]

263K miles on my (previous) 2010 Tundra, mainly due to mountain bike adventures, never any major issues, and still drove very well, but "upgraded" to 2019 Tundra....new is very nice, but if $$ had been a concern, I may have held on and tried for 300K miles.

[JAGI410]

Don't buy. Use uber, buy a cheap a-b mom transport van, or anything else besides get into a new car payment.

[stien]

Originally Posted by JAGI410

Don't buy. Use uber, buy a cheap a-b mom transport van, or anything else besides get into a new car payment.

We just did this. A 2006 Sienna. We LOVE it. Fits cargo bikes, our dogs, baby, tandems, whatever.

[jmoore]

Originally Posted by JAGI410

Don't buy. Use uber, buy a cheap a-b mom transport van, or anything else besides get into a new car payment.

This is exactly what I was going to post. Buy an inexpensive mom hauler and you'll be golden. Maybe a 2010 Ford Escape or something similar. Every manufacturer has a small SUV like that. I bet you could find one in good shape for way less than $10k.

[buddybikes]

Buy a smaller used crossover/smallsuv/hybrid or whatever to cart mother around, keep Tacoma.

Once you lose it, it may not come back when you want it.

[jtakeda]

Do you have running boards installed currently?

If so why not just swap for some lower boards?

[redir]

I'm still driving a '92 Dodge Dakota around so you know what my answer would be... Keep the Toy

[marsh]

Ya we have been thinking hard about the 2019 Highlander w/the 0% financing.
We are in a tough spot bc we have to replace the Mazda CX-7 (timing chain is about to go), and I need a safe vehicle for the wife and kid. I'm still driving my 96 XJ and have to either sell or put some more $/time into it before winter.
Not having a car payment for 10+ years, I think it would be too much of a shock to the system to pay so much monthly. I'm looking at a few years old 4runner, Highlander or Outback, have it paid off in 2 years and have my son inherit it when he starts driving in 8 years.