$40k? I was looking at a new f150 for my kid last year for $23k.

The new Tacoma coming out this fall will be huge. It is updated in and out. They are using a proven V6 and it supposed to average 24. It seems the Colorado is in demand but it has high price. However, there is a strong makert for mid size for those don't want to deal will full size. As far as I know there are no compact PU on the market.

So a full size truck pulling a boat, loaded with gear, gas, and provisions for the weekend gets better mpg than the Tacoma? I need to tell all the guys in our club they need to sell their trucks right now. All those Rangers, Skeeters, and Champions they are pulling is killing their gas mileage. No one is getting gas mileage to brag about. My last trip to Falcon from S.A. I got 17mpg. I thought that was pretty good after hearing what these full truck, boat pulling anglers were getting.

Sure you did.

The day that happens pulling a full size bass boat I'll give you a million dollars for your make believe truck.

You said earlier you get 15 mpg pulling your aluminum boat. My 2004 Silverado with a 4-speed will do that all day long (with 145k miles on it). I get 14 mpg pulling my 17' fiberglass boat. If the Taco got 25 unloaded like the old S-10 pickups did, then it would make sense. Tacomas in particular don't make sense to me because they really are the exact same price as a full-size domestic. Same gas mileage, smaller engine, smaller cab, smaller bed, smaller towing capacity, same price tag.

I paid $14k for my 2004 Silverado when I bought it used in 2008. You probably couldn't have bought a 2004 Tacoma for that at the time. And I've done a lot of stuff with that truck that you just can't do with a light duty. Sure, the Taco would have filled 95% of my needs. But for no price difference, why sacrifice?

Only issue I've had with the truck was cleaning the throttle body once ($5 and 20 minutes of work), and replacing the window motor ($90 and 30 minutes of work). Pretty good for an 11 year old pickup.

capability to haul more but I would put my Tacoma up against a half ton any day off road whether it is rocks, hills, sand or mud. Then there is time to sell no 1/2 ton will get 85% at 4 years and 80 - 100k. Plus it will fit in the garage.

My screw handles the alley just fine, thank you very much. Heck, I even got adventurous and drove slowly off a sidewalk one time.

AND it even fits in a standard garage. :P

my SCREW screwed me and while it did fit in the garage it was very tight.

Got a buddy that always says "if it aint tight it aint right!"