Toyota Tacoma

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Have 20K or 25K for a truck? Toyota tops watchdog’s list

Toyota tops the list for most reliable and best buy in a new survey for consumers in the market for a used truck with a budget of less than $20,000 and less than $25,000, according to iseecars.com. The car search engine, based in Woburn, Mass., helps shoppers find the best car deals by providing key insights and valuable resources. iSeeCars analyzed more than 6.1 million used cars sold from October 2019 through March 2020 from model years 2011 onward. Toyota used pickup get top marks Cars previously determined to be among the Longest-Lasting Cars and had an overall crash test rating of 4.0 or higher from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) were eligible for further analysis. The average

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Chevrolet Colorado gets cheapest truck honor

There’s a new leader among cheap trucks. Goodbye, Nissan Frontier. Hello, Chevrolet Colorado. After years of holding the honor of being the least expensive pickup, the Frontier has been rebooted with more standard equipment. The result: The Colorado extended-cab for 2020 costs $22,495 (including its destination fee) as assumed the cheapest truck honors The Frontier for 2020 costs about $7,500 this year than it did in 2019. The new Chevrolet Colorado has a lot to offer for its rock-bottom price. Its base trim features a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine with 200 horsepower and six-speed automatic transmission. Chevrolet Colorado gets mixed reviews Pickups rely on versatility. And while many pickups have higher maximums, the Colorado isn’t bad. Its payload capacity is 1,455

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Need a new truck? Here are 10 for less than 35K

With the average price of a new passenger vehicle at the beginning of 2020 approaching $38,000, it’s no wonder why the base price of the most expensive truck in the United States is nearly $90,000. With the coronavirus continuing, the end-of-the-year sales for cars and trucks will be skewed compared to recent years. Regardless, prices will remain high. But truck exceptions are aplenty. Regardless, prices will remain high. But truck exceptions are aplenty. And if you have a good credit score, financing a new truck might be more reasonable than you might think. Here, in alphabetical order, are 10 trucks, all 2020 models, available for less than $35,000. RV towing capacities vary greatly as do the prices, from an estimated

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Ford rules best used trucks for $10,000

With its dominance in new truck sales, it only seems logical the Ford has the same good reputation used truck sales. It does, and it’s good news for truck buyers with a budget of $10,000 whether in the market for a work truck or a vehicle to tow an RV or boat. Chris Ford, a writer for HotCars.com, has compiled an interesting list featuring used trucks from 1999 to 2018 — all in the affordable $10,000 price range. As the best-selling vehicles in the United States for more than 40 years, Ford has five trucks on the list, dating from 1999 to 2014. Chevrolet has three vehicles on the list, dating from 2004 to 2014. Toyota is represented by two

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Toyota Land Cruiser, Honda Ridgeline top 200K list

The Honda Ridgeline is arguably the most unusually designed truck on the road. It has a large fan base and detractors. But one area in which there’s no disagreement, the Ridgeline has the best longevity of any of its competitors. Although the Toyota Land Cruiser has the top ranking, the Ridgeline is among the three trucks in the top-15 vehicles reaching 20,000 miles, according to iseecars.com. The result of the survey makes a good case for consumers considering buying a used vehicle instead of purchasing a new car or truck. The iSeeCars.com site is a comprehensive platform for all car buyers. It calculated data from more than one million vehicles to determine the models and manufacturers with the highest percentage

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Buyer beware: Average price for a new pick-up truck now $50,000

Considering buying a new pick-up truck? Beware. Just like new cars, the average price of a new pickup truck in the United States has increased. It’s now around $50,000, according to automotive analytics businesses like Edmunds and JD Power. With its calculations, the average price of a new pick-up truck in 2019, according to Edmunds.com was $49,543; JD Power determined the average 2019 new truck price was $51,700. Not all manufacturers’ 2020 models have been unveiled, but the average price is expected to further increase. Regardless of the source, the new pick-up truck average cost is the highest in history. Various financial incentives and rebates lower the prices, but industry analysts say truck prices have increased about three percent annually

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2019 Ford Ranger back but with a few warts, flat tires

After an eight-year absence, the Ford Ranger was re-introduced to the North American market late last year as a 2019 model. It marked a 60-year timestamp since the nameplate’s debut on a 1958 Edsel Ranger. The Ranger name was first used on a pickup in 1983 when Ford replaced the Ford Courier. With its return, the Ford Ranger is now mid-sized, comparable to its sibling, the Ford Explorer Sport Trac. The latter debuted in 2006 and was discounted a few years later. The new Ranger is available as a SuperCab (2+2 door extended cab with 6-foot bed) and SuperCrew (4-door crew cab with 5-foot bed). The SuperCab’s bed is 72.8 inches long, 44.8 inches wide. During its first tenure, the

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Toyota Sequoia tops vehicles achieving 200,000 miles

Which cars are proven to last the longest for their drivers? It’s a question the website iSeeCars.com wanted answered. Analyzing more than 13.8 million vehicles, the online automotive search engine and research website determined the Toyota Sequoia tops the list, with 7.4 percent of its vehicles reaching at least 200,000 miles. The average among major manufacturers is 0.8 percent. Here are the top 14 vehicles with the highest percentage of its vehicles reaching at least 200,000 miles: 1. Toyota Sequoia, 7.4 percent; 2. Chevrolet Suburban, 5.0; 3. Ford Expedition, 5.0; 4. GMC Yukon XL, 4.0; 5. Toyota 4Runner, 3.9; 6. Chevrolet Tahoe, 3.8; 7. Toyota Highlander Hybrid, 3.1; 8. Honda Ridgeline, 3.0; 9. GMC Yukon, 2.8; 10. Toyota Tacoma, 2.6;

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Lexus, Toyota get Consumer Reports’ reliability honors

From transmission issues to troublesome turbocharged engines to 15 other areas, Consumer Reports studies in its annual automobile reliability survey. The 2018 compilation, like in every year, has surprises. This year, Toyota and its luxury sibling Lexus, reversed positions. While tabulating the results of more than 500,000 vehicles, Lexus gets the top spot. Lexus had six models in the study, earning an average reliability score of 78. The brand’s least reliable model is the IS while its most reliable model is the GX. This year, all Lexus models with sufficient data were rated average or above. Toyota had 14 models supplying reliability data, with the Japanese automaker receiving an average reliability score of 76. Its most reliable model is the

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Consumer Reports’ 10 2017 Worst Cars To Buy

Consumer Reports has published car and truck lists for decades. Among its recent compilations is its worst cars for 2017 in 10 popular segments, subcompacts to luxury sedans, compacts to hybrids. The list is based on the lowest overall score in each category and based on a complete overview of each vehicle. The criteria combine a road-test score, predicted reliability, owner satisfaction and safety — including government and insurance industry crash-test results. In conjunction with each worst car in each category, Consumer Reports lists its suggested best choice in each category. Here’s what the publication said about 2017 Chrysler 200. It’s the lowest-ranked sedan in the most popular car category: “This category is overflowing with competent, and even excellent, alternatives

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The Weekly Driver Newsletter, Volume 1, #2: Technology overload

The term technology overload is new to the automotive world. In recent years, manufacturers have gone to great lengths to provide more gadgets in their vehicles to beat the other guy. The competition is fierce, but what does it all mean? Do drivers need all this stuff? Many of the safety improvements, side detection mirrors, traffic monitoring, backup cameras, are beneficial. But over-sensitive bells and buzzers that engage seemingly at random? David Lyon, a former General Motors designer, speaking at the 2015 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress in Detroit, stressed the need for an industry “features intervention.” Likewise in 2015, J.D. Power, the global market research company, detailed the issue in its first Driver Interactive Vehicle Experience Report.

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2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD PRO: Ruggedness defined

Toyota likely has the most varied lineup of pickup trucks. The offerings expand again with the 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD PRO, the compact’s sixth available trim in extended or double crew cabs. The Tacoma TRD PRO returns after a one-year absence. My test vehicle included the optional 3.5-liter V6 with 278 horsepower and a six-speed automatic transmission. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Despite its emphasis on off-road responsibilities and possibilities, my test week with Tacoma TRD PRO was road-driving mode only. Scooting around in mud and up, down and all around on fire roads would have been invigorating. But a week in a 4×4 workhorse pickup on the road is a good thing, too. It takes a truck like the

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Toyota makes trucks cleanly, quietly, quickly in Texas

During a recent visit to the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas (TMMTX), the 2.2-million square foot, 2,000-acre facility 17 miles south of downtown San Antonio, my notion of the workplace environment of automobile manufacturing plants was shattered. The sweatshop image I’ve viewed in movies and read about in tragic examples of worker exploitation was replaced by modern, efficient, environmentally savvy city of state-of-the art technology. It’s a factory where machines and humans co-exist in a healthy, constantly moving indoor environment. Toyota calls the plant where about 200,000 Toyota Tacoma and Tundra trucks are manufactured per year a campus. It’s an appropriate moniker. The facility has 7,200 employees, the majority of whom rotate day and night shifts in two-week intervals. Employees are

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2016 Honda Civic gets Car of the Year honors in Detroit

The perennially best-selling Honda Civic, manufactured since 1972 and in its 10th generation, was named 2016 North American Car of the Year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Volvo XC90 took top truck honors. Both models are repeat winners. The Honda Civic won the best car award in 2006. The Volvo XC90 claimed Truck of the Year in 2003. Repeat Honor For Honda Civic It was the third time since the awards were launched in 1993 domestic automakers were shut out Honda swept the awards with the Civic and Ridgeline winning in 2006. Land Rover and Hyundai won in 2012. The winners were chosen by a jury of 53 automotive journalists from a group of three

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2016 Car of the Year? Chevrolet, Honda, Mazda?

The Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Civic and Mazda MX-5 Miata, three longstanding vehicles with loyal followings in vastly different new and used car markets, have been named finalists for 2016 North American Car of the Year. The Honda Pilot, Nissan Titan XD and Volvo XC90 were name finalists for Truck of the Year in the recent announcement the Automotive Press Association in Detroit. The 2016 North American Car and Truck of the Year will be announced in January at the Detroit Auto Show. The finalists were chosen from short lists of 10 cars and 12 pickups and SUVs created by a jury of 53 automotive journalists. Chevrolet Has Two Cars Considered For Car of the Year The BMW 7 series, Cadillac

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2016 Toyota Tacoma stronger, more trims

The redesigned 2016 Toyota Tacoma will feature a new powertrain, enhanced suspension timing and an expanded range of trim possibilities adding to the appeal of the enduring mid-size pickup. Fortified with additional steel, the 2016 Toyota Tacoma will have enhanced rigidity and more overall strength. The steel was integrated into the body shell using a new hot stamping process that reduces weight. Two engines will be offered: * A 2.7-liter DOHC four-cylinder with VVT-i that will produce 159 horsepower and EPA estimated city/highway/combined mpg for the 4×2 with an automatic transmission is19/23/21. Estimated fuel efficiency for the 4×4 with a manual transmission is 19/21/20 and 19/22/20 for the automatic. * A V6 with a segment-first 3.5-liter Atkinson cycle with VVT-iW

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