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Toyota Tacoma is one of the most reliable midsize pickup trucks in the market – notable for its longevity and high reliability. It can be driven off-road and used to carry a lot of heavy items. The Toyota Tacoma is part of the three most notable pickup trucks – Hilux, Thundra, and Tacoma – from the Japanese automaker Toyota.
How long do Toyota Tacomas last? Depending on how you keep up with the maintenance and servicing, expect your Toyota Tacoma to last up to 10 years or 400,000 miles. Yes, Toyota cars remarkably last over 300k miles when properly serviced and maintained. The Tacoma provides space for the driver and up to four crew members.
Toyota Tacoma Pickup Truck
Toyota started making the Tacoma pickup truck since 1995; the vehicle is produced as a 2-door regular cab and 2-door extended cab pickup, with a robust drivetrain that pulls it through any path. Also, there’s a 4-door crew cab variant for carrying more passengers with the driver. Tacoma pickup is inarguably one of the sturdiest pickup trucks out there.
The base models typically come with rear-wheel drive, but you can always opt for four-wheel drive. Currently, in its third generation, which started with the 2016 model year, the Tacoma comes with 5- or -6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic transmission options – along with two engine options: a 2.7L I4 and 3.5L V6.
How Long Do Toyota Tacomas Last?
The main focus here is maintenance. Generally, Toyotas are built strong, but without proper maintenance, the car won’t last you for a long time. Routine maintenance checks and engine servicing are the two most important factors that determine the longevity of any automobile. That said, Toyota Tacomas are built very strong but still require regular maintenance and servicing.
Typically, a well-maintained Tacoma would last up to 400,000 miles. If you drive an average of 40,000 miles annually, that means your Tacoma will last over 10,000 years and still look good with proper maintenance. Yes, Tacomas are that strong; you could still see some high-mileage options (with over 200k miles) listed for sale at a seemingly high price due to the notable reliability.
Also, it is important to note that Toyota Tacoma has some model years that are marked as the “worst” years because they easily break down even at low mileage. So, if you’re buying a used model, you may want to avoid those model years. The Tacoma is sturdily built, but not all models are “so strong,” as you may think.
How To Make Your Tacoma Last Longer?
We’ve said quite many times in this article that the Toyota Tacoma can last for many years and hundreds of thousands of miles when well maintained. So, what is the maintenance cost like? To have a hint of how much you’d spend to have your pickup truck stick with you and run well for many years?
According to CarEdge analysis, you’re most likely to spend around $6,420 on maintenance for the first ten (10) years of owning and driving a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck. Also, there’s a higher chance that you will do a major repair on the truck within the first ten years. Toyota Tacomas’ maintenance cost is quite higher than the industry’s average for popular pickup trucks.
Source: CarEgde
As shown in the chart above, Tacoma’s maintenance costs keep increasing over the years. It starts from as low as $236 for the first year to $498 for the fifth year, and then $1,000+ starting from the ninth year. However, if you don’t do a major repair on your Tacoma within these years, you’d be spending almost half of the predicted $6,420 in ten years.
Most likely, over the course of five years of owning a Tacoma, you must have changed the air filter, one or more belts, the battery, struts/shocks, and bolts. These are not basically big repairs, so they don’t cost much. Maintaining a Toyota Tacoma is much cheaper than maintaining a Ford F series truck.
What More?
How long do Toyota Tacomas last? They last from 200,000 miles to 400,000 miles if maintained properly. Tacoma is one of the most reliable pickup truck models you’d find in the market, and it’s relatively cheap to maintain. The Toyota Tacoma can drive through any path – even with the rear-wheel drive models.