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Toyota Tacoma or Chevy Z71??

8K views 53 replies 33 participants last post by  ldiful1 
#1 ·
I am planning on buying a 4x4 for the upcoming season and am trying to decide between an older Toyota Tacoma v6 4x4....or an older Chevy z71. My biggest concern is the gas mileage differance. It sounds like the Tacoma is going to get about 5 more miles per gallon. What do you guys think?
 
#5 ·
If your primary concern is gas mileage the v6 is definitely the way to go. I have a friend who is thinking about selling his 98 Z71 due to the recent gas jumps. You can get a V6 in a Silverado or Sierra unless these are two vehicles that you already have picked out.

It's just my personal preference, but I prefer to buy American products whenever possible.
 
#6 ·
I would not be pre-disposed to a V-6 folks....I have a Tundra (my second) and with the I-Force 8 I am getting 18 mpg around town and just over 20 on the highway.... and the power available for pulling boats is excellent.....with a 6 I am sure I would not get any better mileage due to the 6 having to work alot harder, therefore burning alot more fuel.....I have found this to be the case with our Explorer which has a 6 and gets lower mpg than the Tundra.......thank Goodness we have a Prelude that gets 35!!!!!! Our cost per gallon is now over 2.29 here in Maine.
 
#7 ·
yes my tocoma is a v6 and i due pull a boat periodically and it does well pulling a boat and i dont get stuck a whole lot really i kinda did when my truck was just plain stock but when i added 38 in super swampers on it :mrgreen: it doesnt get stuck that often i think i got stuck once when it did have those tires and it was due to really muddy clay
Daniel
 
#8 ·
I Had a 2000 tacoma prerunner and the mileage was great. I wish I still had it now. But it was a 4 cylinder. I totalled it though so now I have a 97 Z-71. It is a great truck. It only gets 14-15 mpg but that's not gonna stop me from driving it. It muds great, especially if you have a good set of m/t's on there. Plenty of pullin power too. Only problem I've had with it is having to replace the intake manifold gasket. This is a common problem on 95-97 Z's though. If you get one, check to see if it has been replaced, because if it hasn't, there's a pretty good chance you will have to replace it in the future. :salude:
 
#12 ·
I've got a '94 GMC 4x4 that has a 4.3L V6 in it and I have never been stuck. It doesn't really have any trouble pulling a boat or trailer, but I wish I had a V8 just for the extra power. I get anywhere from 14-18 mpg My brother has a Dodge Dakota 4x4 with a V6 and it doesn't do very bad pulling anything. He gets about 18-20 mpg.
 
#13 ·
CALLEMQUACKTN said:
I have a 94 Toyota xtra cab 4x4 & love it. It is only a 4 banger but it pulls fine & I have never gotten stuck. I am also a big chevy fan I have 2 of them. :thumbsup:
Yeah its roughtly 18-21. I had a 85 toyota xtracab long bed before this one and wish I still had it. I have driven them all but dependability is what I got in these, not to say none of the others are its just my opinion.
 
#14 ·
You're not kidding about being dependable SC. I've got a buddy (actually it's cmsu870) who has a Toyota SR5 pickup. Truly an unbelievable truck. It has 204,000 miles on it. The only repair has been a muffler. He says the transmission is going out, but at 204,000 I wouldn't knock it if it did. As much as I like to buy American products, this truck really has me thinking, considering I've probably dropped about 1,500 into my Blazer. :pissed:
 
#15 ·
I hate to pound on this...but if you guys are seeing mileage on a Tacoma at pretty much the same as the Tundra, why would you go with a smaller vehicle? The bed is not even big enough for a sheet of plywood. And the cost coparison is very minimal....you'll get four doors on the Tundra and a real backseat with alot of room for storage when the bench is folded up. The cost difference is less than you think too! Maybe 20%. Just like with a boat.....the bigger the better or if you get a small one you'll wish for the bigger one.
 
#20 ·
all i have ever owned is chevys. there are so many advantages of going with a z-71 over the toyota. (toyotas are great trucks, don't get me wrong.) the gas mileage shouldn't be what is going to make this decision for you. look at the real factors involved: power, off-road ability, towing-ability, comfort, room, price, etc. you need to choose a truck that fits as many of the variables for you as possible. then make your choice.

people like to say gas mileage is a huge factor, but is it really? look at these numbers.

z-71 - vortec 5300 v8 5.3l - 26 gallon tank - 15/19mpg
tundra - v8 4.7l - 26 gallon tank - 16/18mpg

z-71 - 390 miles per tank
tundra - 416 miles per tank

tank of gas for each is $58.50 @ $2.25/gal (average). say you drive 1000 miles/month (average).

z-71 - 31 tanks/year or $1813.50 annual gas bill
tundra - 29 tanks/year or $1696.50 annual gas bill

cost difference of $117/year or $9.75/month.

of course, the specs of each vehicle were retrieved from their respective websites. the gas price is just an average, as well as, the annual mileage. don't let gas be the determining factor in a purchase of this magnitude. hth!
 
#21 ·
Toyota!! Would rather push my toyota then buy a chevy or a ford. You would have to buy two or three chevy's over a period of time or just have one Toyota. As far as reliablility and gas mileage goes, cant beat a Toyota!
:umm:
 
#22 ·
Robberwood said:
Toyota!! Would rather push my toyota then buy a chevy or a ford. You would have to buy two or three chevy's over a period of time or just have one Toyota. As far as reliablility and gas mileage goes, cant beat a Toyota!
:umm:
reliability comes from taking care of a vehicle. any manufacturer can have a problem with a part, etc. it's funny because the part manufacturer in a lot of cases supply any/all auto companys with same/similar parts. the old adage of a japanese vehicle being more dependable went out with the 70's & 80's. for example, my '85 GMC Sierra has 199,870 miles on it....and it still runs like a top.
 
#23 ·
I think chevys are just as reliable now as toyotas if not more reliable. My parents just traded in a 91 toyota that was starting to fall apart, it only had 140k miles on it. Any new vehicle should give you lots of miles if you take care of it. Little things like not running your tank empty everytime, driving an auto like it was meant to, not accelerating through shifts etc and regular oil/fluid/tranny/diff services will do amazing things to vehicles.

The tundra is a sweet truck also, you can't go wrong with either. I think for the price the chevy or GMC is a better deal. Speaking of GMCs those duramaxs are sure looking good... :eek:
 
#24 ·
they sure are 98. i am fighting the urge to replace my truck this year. i need to go ahead and do it. i have been considering the duramax cause the wife and i are looking into a 5th wheel sometime soon too. that 2500hd sure is a sweeeeeeeet truck! i just wish they would put the z-71 package on it. i have had a couple of those trucks and my current tahoe is a z-71. options, options, options! they comfort in those vehicles is second-to-none.
 
#25 ·
Z71 is just a fancy sticker anymore. It doesn't mean it has any better of offroad capability. As far as offroading, I will lose a lot of offroad functionality when I trade my dodge in on a Chevy.

Hard to beat 34" tall tires and a SFA when it comes to offroad. I am not a fan of lifts. I am not a fan of chevys offroad, but they sure do ride nice on the highway. My dodge is awesome offroad, but it beats the piss out of me on the highway!
 
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