Hi All, I'm shopping for my very first 4 wheel drive. Looking at a '98 x-cab, 6 cyl, 5 spd, 81K miles, and a '99 reg cab, 4 cyl, 5 spd, 60K miles. I know this isn't the Tacoma forum, but seems to be a lot of trail drivers in this forum. Three questions; how much difference does the longer wheel base of the x-cab make when trail driving? Is the amount of over-hang in the rear different between the two models? Any comments on the relability/longevity of the 4 cyl vs the 6 cyl (maybe post that one in the Tacoma forum?) Any comments are appreciated.

Forget the cab... Get that 3.4 V-6!!!

OK, but why?

For THIS:



The engine is near bulletproof, and the addition of the supercharger will give you either a 'priapism' or just ear to ear smiles every time you press down on the skinny pedal!

A lot of people are splitting heads these days.. Be careful with the S/C and make sure that Gadget's fuel kit is added..

As to the truck, it's all personal preference and wheeling type. I am selling my 86 xcab in part because of the wheelbase (~115 right now). In MN there are a lot of trees, so turning radius is important. That, and I just like the feel of the shorter wheelbase (103-105").

I've heard great things about the 2.7, and I think you'll start to see more and more people swapping that engine into their 1st and 2nd gen trucks in the future. I've owned 4 3.4's and like them as well. None have had the S/C, and likely I never will.

If you are thinking about doing some serious wheeling, my personal opinion is to consider a 3rd Gen pickup over the Taco. I think they are built better, and they are much easier to SAS...

Good luck!

EDIT: My spelling is getting worse and worse and worse.. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The overhang/departure angle is the same with the Xtra Cab and Regular cab, but the difference in wheelbase on the Tacomas is 18". That is a lot of extra wheelbase when you need to be concerned with tight turning or breakover angle (getting high centered in the middle of the truck). It really depends on how difficult of wheeling you plan to do.

The 2.7L is a great motor and has a supercharger available, I would not hesitate to buy a truck with this motor. Everything else has already been mentioned by BKG.

I love my reg cab on trails. I wheel with guys with extended cabs and there are noticably more times where they are doing 3 point turns on trails to try and get around things. Plus the lower breakover angle can lead to some scraping sometimes. The 2.7 is a very solid motor, pretty peppy, and efficient. If you don't mind the lack of interior space with the regular cab, go for it.

I think it comes down to what you need the truck for. If more wheeling, do the reg. cab. But if a more practical daily driver, do the ext. cab.

I would recommend finding a 2000 if you can though. In 2000 they started putting 4.30 gears in the 5speed 4cyl with the 31" tires (as opposed to the 4.10s before then); those gears would be better suited to bigger tires.


Good luck with your purchase!

I never said the 2.7 was a bad engine... But...

How many times have you heard someone say "I wish I had less power!"? Usually it is the other way around. My personal opinion is to find the most reliable engine of the group in the largest displacement. In this case, they are equally reliable, so I would spring for the 3.4.

A regular cab 2.7 will probably get better gas mileage than an extra cab V-6, but you're right, power is the name of the game.

Personally, if it were me, currently owning a single cab truck and having driven an extra cab Tacoma on a long trip, I would rather have the single cab for off road trail use, just because the short wheelbase makes turning around on tight trails and roads much easier. I'm thankful for having a short wheel base truck when I'm on a ledge road that's barely wider than my truck and I need to turn around. But on the other hand, there is absolutely no room whatsoever to store anything in the cab. For that reason, I'd rather have an extra cab for a daily-driver.

As for motors, I really like the 2.7 for it's ruggedness, simplicity and economy and it's such a good motor, Toyota carried it over for the new Tacoma. But, in the end, I'd probably choose the V-6 for the extra power, if I had a choice.

It all depends on your size. If you are tall, definately get the X-cab for more leg room. Also the X-cab has inside storage for gear when on the trail, unless you get a shell for the standard cab. I agree that the X-cabs are harder to turn around on the trail, but not impossible. In myu group there are two X-cabs(my '90 and a buddies '84), the other 2 rigs are standard cabs('81 and '92 SAS), and both of the owners that drive them wish they had more inside storage while on the trail. The owner of the '92 is looking for an X-cab to swap over.

If this is going to be a trail rig, you may want to save yourself some $$$ and get an older rig. Denting and scratching up a basicaly new truck isn't that much fun. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />