GreatSphincterofGiza

I have a 4x4 R51 that I use to camp and pull trailers around. It’s a great drivetrain for a mid-size truck. I’ve owned 3 Tacomas too and the VQ40 gives the 1GR a run for its money at a fraction of the cost on the used market. The ABLS is great offroad too, especially for a feature that Nissan doesn’t really advertise heavily. Plus, parts availability is awesome since it’s basically a Frontier with an SUV body and IRS.

Subaru's doesn't. It keeps the car running when you open the door. You just have to press the brake pedal and hit the push-button start when you get in the car to be able to put it in gear.

I bought mine back in February and I think I was in and out in a little over 2 hours. I already know what special financing incentive I wanted and which car I wanted to look at. We test drove the car, they gave me the out the door pricing, I filled out a credit app, and I was approved 10 minutes later. Signed the paperwork and paid my down payment and the car was ready for me as soon as I walked out of the office. No insulting numbers games, no “let me speak with my sales manager,” and no pushy upsells. I’ve bought a decent amount of new cars from different brands over the years, but the Subaru experience was by far the smoothest.

I had a ‘19 F150 with obnoxious dash and driver’s door window rattles. They both popped up at around 25,000 miles. The driver’s door window would buzz going down the interstate and the hard-touch dash plastic creaked like crazy. The dash also warped at the defrost vents within a few months of purchasing the truck. It was technically under warranty, but I didn’t want someone tearing apart the entire dash on a new vehicle. The 10R80 transmission would also randomly buck and slam into gear, even after the dealer reset the shift parameters. I dumped the truck at around 48k miles when I didn’t need it for work anymore. I feel like I dodged a bullet with that transmission.

Yeah, VW/Traton bought out Navistar a few years ago.

That’s essentially what North Carolina did. NC allows kei trucks and side-by-sides (the ones with mirrors, turn signals, etc.) on public roads where the speed limit is 55 mph or lower. There are also some restrictions based on the amount of lanes, like they can’t be on a 55 mph 4-lane highway. Overall though, the restrictions are pretty reasonable.

The service procedure for the third gen Tacoma with the 2GR-FKS is to pull the cab. Most shops around here quote around 25-30 hours for the job, which generally includes also doing the timing components while the engine's already out. To me it looks like you can remove the cover with the diff down, but it doesn't seem like you have a lot of room to work with while applying the sealant. I work on the commercial side of the industry, so this is coming secondhand from former Toyota techs that I know and just looking online. Mine's seeping now, but I'm just going to let it ride until I feel like downing it to tear it apart.

Pulling the cab is easy and only takes a few hours, but you need a lift to do it. We can usually get super duty cabs off in around 2 hours. The kicker is that it makes deeper engine work way more difficult or next to impossible for a shade tree mechanic without access to a lift. As far as I’m aware, most newer trucks are designed this way. Need to reseal the timing cover on a Tacoma? Cab needs to come off and the engine needs to be removed from the chassis because of clearance issues.

Pulling the cab is easy and only takes a few hours, but you need a lift to do it. We can usually get super duty cabs off in around 2 hours. The kicker is that it makes deeper engine work way more difficult or next to impossible for a shade tree mechanic without access to a lift. As far as I’m aware, most newer trucks are designed this way. Need to reseal the timing cover on a Tacoma? Cab needs to come off and the engine needs to be removed from the chassis because of clearance issues.