has anyone on here ever owned one? im just looking for some opinions on them. any knowledge of common issues, reliability, fuel mileage, etc… would also be greatly appreciated.
Rtrac had one for quite a while
They are awesome vehicles
yea im thinking in the next few years im gunna ditch the liberty and get one
I had a new Tacoma for a couple years and they are similar in a few ways. same engine and trans, same front suspension. What I can tell you is that I was getting about 21mpg with my tacoma before i lifted it (about 15 after 33s and a 3.5" lift), I assume with the same engine and trans an fj is about he same.
What I can also tell you is that they are incredibly reliable, and hold their value extremely well. I see newer tacos and FJs with the v6 that have 200kmi on them still ticking and still bringing good money. I bought my truck brand new and put 52kmi on it with zero mechanical problems and sold it 2.5 years later in stock form for 4 grand less than I bought it for from the dealer. I’m not sure of many other vehicles that hold their value that well (besides maybe the newer jk rubicons I’ve been looking at). It seems the Tacoma’s and FJs are the only vehicles you’ll never get 0% financing on or any special deals, they just have no problems selling them and don’t do promos on them.
The only issue I had was the ac/heater fan ticking, I had it replaced 4 times under warranty. the final replacement was an updated fan design and that solved it completely.
I would not hesitate to buy another, I miss mine quite a bit
yea i would advise you against a jeep lol, mine got about 17 before i did the lift and now after about 4" of lift and 30.5" tires i get 12mpg…the liberty has been great as far as reliability goes, but shit fuel mileage and decreasing resell value kinda suck…it just sucks that now that i finally will have the means to buy a brand new vehicle they will no longer be making the fj after 2014.
I want a jeep to do some offroading with the family and Sunday driving. I’m gonna put 37s on it, I don’t care about mpg
Talk to Rtrac about FJs. I know he has/had one. He had some transmission or transfer case issues with it I think. I’m pretty sure he had bigger tires and a lift on it at the time though
in that case go for it…mine is my dd so gas mileage is somewhat important to me
14-17mpg (mine was a 6spd manual, which are AWD. Autos have a 2WD mode and get slightly better mileage
Mine had a recurring problem where the t-case would get stuck in low range but admittedly i was using it for much harder off road use than most would see. After my second transfer case I started using it as a tow rig for my samurai buggy and I never had t-case issues again. It tows great by the way.
I liked driving it for the most part, but on the highway it was a bit of a chore. Its really more truck than comfy SUV.
Visibility is terrible as you may well know
They do hold value well
If you’re looking at the one on Metro Fords used lot, don’t buy that one… It was mine :lol
nice, i would get the auto as i prefer 4wd over awd, but i wont be in the market for a couple years, im just trying to come up with a plan of action, i would keep it bone stock with the exception of tires and possible a small body lift for looks, i wont be using it offroad, i’ve put time and money into my jeep in hopes that i would take it offoad but i never have time and to be honest im too much of a perfectionist when it comes to the paint lol
so after a shitload of thinking i’ve decided i will get a 4 door tacoma with a shortbed and throw a cap on it…now i just gotta shit some money lol
you really can’t go wrong with a Tacoma. I bought an 2010 offroad brand new for 29,500 and sold it for 25,500 2.5 years later with 52kmi on it, in stock form. It’s probably the only brand new off the lot vehicle i’d ever considering buying again. I don’t know another truck that wouldn’t lose at least 4 grand just by the time you pulled out of the parking lot.
yea and for what i need a shortbed will be way more useful than an suv cargo area…ive been lurking on tacomaworld and im already getting ideas of what id like to mod, but im going to try to keep it as close to bone stock as possible.
I’m in the same boat as you, I’d love a truck/ bigger suv and a Tacoma is by far the best way to go. they are due for a update/ redesign so I’m curious to what they will look like in a few years.
tacomaworld is probably the best car/truck forum I’ve ever been on (and am even still on) as well. tons of useful info and really no d-bags over there
did you have any rust issues with your tacomas frame?
adam owned one. he liked it as far as i know.
no, the newer ones don’t have the same issue as the old ones. I only had mine from brand new to 2.5 years though, it was mint
yea from what i have read so far 05-06 are the last ones to have the issue but i just want to be sure before i pull the trigger on a $34,000 truck lol…although i do plan on coating the entire underside with fluid film and keeping up with it.
get it done in VT, they use a wax that you cannot use in NY. the hard coating (NY) freezes and chips off and you’ll see big chunks of it lying in your driveway all winter