Test-drove a stripper Tacoma today.

My next vehicle purchase will be brand-new, have a clutch, and have a factory tow rating.

Surprisingly few vehicles fit these basic requirements. At the low end is a Tacoma. Also, the 2014 model is the last year for ANY standard-cab small truck in the US.

So I drove one today. When I say it's stripped, it's really stripped. Crank your own windows, flip your own locks kinda stripped.

EPA ratings are something like 21/24. To achieve this, they geared the truck really, really high. As in "slip the clutch to get moving with just me and the sales dude in it" high. OTOH, this makes for relaxed and smooth highway cruising. Maybe if it had a six-speed with a super-low first, it would be better. But no, all the gears you get are five.

In sum, I know why they are cancelling the base, regular-cab model. The only people who would want this want a $10,000 truck. More than likely, they'll get a used truck.

To make it useful to me, I'd want to add a nice topper. By the time I do that, the price is perilously close to a base (but a whole lot more loaded than a Taco) Mazda CX-5 manual.

Say goodbye to the stripper Tacoma. It's the best $10,000 truck that $20,000 will buy.

I'm still enticed by a stripper 4-cyl Standard Cab 4x4. There a guy a couple towns over that has a red one. Reminds me of the 80's and Early 90's pickups.

I seem to recall that the Nissan Frontier was available with a 6spd V6 and a 6k pound tow rating for not a lot of money. I was thinking about replacing my conversion van about a year ago and looked long and hard at those.

Oh, you meant a pick up truck. Came in here expecting something else.

Carry on

The other factor is... if you don't insist on a stick shift, stripped-out FS pickups don't cost significantly more than a Tacoma, get not-much-lousier MPG, and can do a whole lot more.

wae wrote: I seem to recall that the Nissan Frontier was available with a 6spd V6 and a 6k pound tow rating for not a lot of money. I was thinking about replacing my conversion van about a year ago and looked long and hard at those.

Same problem. That truck gets 16/22 mpg. A base Ram V-6 gets 17/25, and probably tows a whole lot better.

I bought one of those brand new in 2007. Base Tacoma 2wd regular cab, I4, 5spd, a/c and sliding rear window were the only options. It was a truck, and nothing but a truck, and I miss it a lot. Best highway mpg was close to 30 actually, hauling a go-kart back from Indiana to Maryland in a snowstorm in 2008-ish. My only complaint was the bench seat, absolutely too short on the bottom cushion for a 6' tall driver. The buckets on the SR5 and automatics are MUCH better.

In reply to ThunderCougarFalconGoat:

I've seen Tacoma, WA. I can only imagine what the strippers must look like.

In reply to skierd:

I remember that. you didn't keep it very long.

The only people who would want this want a $10,000 truck. More than likely, they'll get a used truck.

That's me 100%, and the only thing I've driven for the last 20+ years is a 4cyl/5spd base model truck. It got to the point where there was very little difference between a new one and a used one if you shopped it right, so my last two have been new. No fullsize can come even close to the fuel economy I get.

i think its more than that. i simply enjoy the idea that im not driving something so goddamn big that it has its own gravity. i get the price tag, tow rating, and even in some cases economy, might even be better in a full size, but i simply dont care. i miss my nissan. sold it for an F-150. hated it. ive had 3 trucks since, and hated all of them. i now have a 93 bronco. i only partially hate it. i think i like it most cause its unstoppable in the snow and ohio has ugly winters. i would dump it for a late 90's 4 runner or pathfinder in a second though.

-J0N

EvanR wrote:

wae wrote: I seem to recall that the Nissan Frontier was available with a 6spd V6 and a 6k pound tow rating for not a lot of money. I was thinking about replacing my conversion van about a year ago and looked long and hard at those.

Same problem. That truck gets 16/22 mpg. A base Ram V-6 gets 17/25, and probably tows a whole lot better.

I thought all the 150/1500 trucks were stuck with a 1,000 tow rating when equipped with a manual transmission, though.

I think that's the challenge for any stripper car/truck these days. I was just in the market for a car and wanted to cap my spending at $13k...preferably much less. That price range would get me a brand new stripper Versa Note or Spark. Manual windows, manual locks, no center armrest, no bluetooth, etc...and maybe 35mpg with my driving. While I didn't think they were "horrible" cars, and the lure of a warranty was very strong, at the end of the day I didn't want to spend 2+ hours per day in it. I went with a used Prius, which had a lot more features and is fine place to spend a lot of time. The only new car in my price range that had features was the Mitsu Mirage. For $12k, it had power windows/locks, auto climate control, push button start, bluetooth and more. But after driving one, I just felt the Prius was a better buy.

EvanR wrote: My next vehicle purchase will be brand-new, have a clutch, and have a factory tow rating.

I doubt it Simply because I don't know if such a thing even exists? Unless aforementioned mini-trucks.

ThunderCougarFalconGoat wrote: Oh, you meant a pick up truck. Came in here expecting something else. Carry on

In the off topic area, add one tiny word, and the thread expectations change a WHOLE lot.

A Tacoma stripper different than a Seattle stripper?

alfadriver wrote:

ThunderCougarFalconGoat wrote: Oh, you meant a pick up truck. Came in here expecting something else. Carry on

In the off topic area, add one tiny word, and the thread expectations change a WHOLE lot. A Tacoma stripper different than a Seattle stripper?

Yeah, more Meth and less Heroine....

HiTempguy wrote:

EvanR wrote: My next vehicle purchase will be brand-new, have a clutch, and have a factory tow rating.

I doubt it Simply because I don't know if such a thing even exists? Unless aforementioned mini-trucks.

The Ram with a Cummins can be had with a stick...and reduced engine output.

HiTempguy wrote:

EvanR wrote: My next vehicle purchase will be brand-new, have a clutch, and have a factory tow rating.

I doubt it Simply because I don't know if such a thing even exists? Unless aforementioned mini-trucks.

Actually, I will most likely go with the Mazda CX-5. It gets 35pmg highway and has a 2000 lb. tow rating (plenty for my needs).

Other choices include the VW Tiguan (heck no!) and the Subaru Forester (probably not; don't want/need AWD).

wae wrote:

EvanR wrote:

wae wrote: I seem to recall that the Nissan Frontier was available with a 6spd V6 and a 6k pound tow rating for not a lot of money. I was thinking about replacing my conversion van about a year ago and looked long and hard at those.

Same problem. That truck gets 16/22 mpg. A base Ram V-6 gets 17/25, and probably tows a whole lot better.

I thought all the 150/1500 trucks were stuck with a 1,000 tow rating when equipped with a manual transmission, though.

no, they aren't limited like that because of a manual. Even the quad cab SRT10 with the 6 speed has a 7500lb tow rating.

ThunderCougarFalconGoat wrote: Oh, you meant a pick up truck. Came in here expecting something else. Carry on

Yeah, I was thinking its better to have a stripper Tacoma, than a Tacoma Stripper

curtis73 wrote:

ThunderCougarFalconGoat wrote: Oh, you meant a pick up truck. Came in here expecting something else. Carry on

Yeah, I was thinking its better to have a stripper Tacoma, than a Tacoma Stripper

Every time I see this thread...

wae wrote:

EvanR wrote:

wae wrote: I seem to recall that the Nissan Frontier was available with a 6spd V6 and a 6k pound tow rating for not a lot of money. I was thinking about replacing my conversion van about a year ago and looked long and hard at those.

Same problem. That truck gets 16/22 mpg. A base Ram V-6 gets 17/25, and probably tows a whole lot better.

I thought all the 150/1500 trucks were stuck with a 1,000 tow rating when equipped with a manual transmission, though.

I know the manual ranger had a reduced rating compared to the auto. As everything else was the same, people seem to think that Ford did it to keep people from roasting the clutch

mad_machine wrote: I know the manual ranger had a reduced rating compared to the auto. As everything else was the same, people seem to think that Ford did it to keep people from roasting the clutch

At least in some models, the Ranger used a Mazda transmission that used nylon parts in place of something more substantial and... truck-like. That was likely the reason for reduced tow ratings.