Topic: Test Drive: 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro

[84im]

Around five years ago an old friend of mine bought a 2006 Tacoma 4x4.  He dropped by to show me his truck and while I was looking at it I got down on my hands and knees to look at the underside of the truck. 
I was surprised to find the frame rails completely covered in rust.  At the time I hadn't heard of Toyota's problem with frame rust.
For comparison, my 2000 Ford Ranger, which was six years older, had zero rust on the underside.

[tooscoops]

i do really like these... but that is a lot of cake...

as for why you see more of them out west, i found while i was out there that the mindset is so anti-redneck and pro import, that unless it was a true hauler, you didn't go for the big three with the trucks. many people out west are super keen on the japanese brands for cars, and that will carry forward somewhat in the trucks. there is also this really odd thing where people think that the tacoma is "greener" than the other trucks in the market... subaru's also get that same grace from these crowds... not sure where it stems from, but i think it's carry-over from the idea that the big three are earth destroying gas guzzlers and the imports are all about compact cars.

anyway, i was just pricing a truck like this out that is on my lot... new 2017 rebel pretty much loaded up... 0% for 7 years and 55k price tag.

Living in the West for my entire life (with the exception of two years in the GTA) I can say I've never heard this reason for the popularity of the Tacoma here.   I can't tell you why the Tacoma (or Subaru) is so popular in BC but I can verify that they are indeed VERY popular here.  As for the Trucks, for a LONG time, if you didn't want a full size truck, but needed a truck nevertheless - the Tacoma was pretty much your only reasonable choice as the Frontier has seemingly been dated since it was made, the domestics didn't care about the mid-size segment, and the Mazda was a joke which didn't last long.  So essentially, for the bulk of the buyers out there, if you didn't want domestic full-size, but still wanted a reliable, capable truck that was still supported by the manufacturer (and you knew it would continue to be supported by the manufacturer) the Tacoma was one of your only choices.  That's my perception anyway.   Now that the domestics have woken up and realized there is a market there - they've shown that they care and have invested.  This is paying off in the gradual erosion of Toyota's market-share in this segment - time will tell if they're in it for the long haul or if they give it a decade and then give it up once again?

yeah, my comment is something i have noticed from conversations with owners, prospective owners and other truck owners... it's never something people just come out and actually say, but it seems to be an underlying thing. by no means a fact or any actual rule, just a very odd commonality i came to recognize from word choices and dialogue...

i also could totally be making it up.